Page 12 of Amaze

“I’ll hold you to that.”

I made Amaze keep quiet and pay close attention while the guy walked us through the process. In my opinion, he was talking way too fast. Thankfully, he was driving the gigantic balloon. Having an expert onboard made me feel just a little better. My heart pounded as Amaze held my hand and helped me step through the little door on the side.

“Relax, baby,” Maze urged as he stepped into the basket.

“I’m having a hard time with that one.” I laughed softly.

“How about we sit until we get in the air? You’re not going to want to miss the view when we get up there.”

“OK.” I nodded, figuring sitting down would at least disguise the fact that we were going up in the air.

He helped me to sit before getting comfortable beside me. After kissing the side of my head, he leaned over and opened the basket on the floor. I burst out laughing when I saw that there was a bottle of champagne and a covered platter.

“I’m not going to ask if you want some champagne. I need you to drink this first glass real quick to start settling your nerves, baby,” Amaze instructed as he filled a flute with champagne.

As soon as he passed me the drink, I threw it back and passed the glass back to him. He laughed like hell but refilled my glass. I took a sip but decided not to chug. Once he filled his own glass, he removed the cover from the platter and revealed a tray of chocolate covered strawberries.

“Even though my nerves are shot, this is so sweet, Maze.” I grinned.

“Anything to make you smile, Wesley.”

“You’re doing a great job.”

“How are these?” he asked, picking up a strawberry and holding it to my lips.

I took a bite and was happily surprised at how sweet the berries were.

“They’re really good. They used some good berries.”

I gasped as the balloon lifted from the ground with a jerk.

“Look at me, Wes. Just focus on me, OK.” I nodded and kept my eyes on Maze as he fed me the rest of the strawberry.

“Let me taste,” he said, moving closer before he crashed his lips into mine. He held the back of my head to deepen the kiss. I got lost in the moment as we kissed as if our lives depended on it.“I’m never letting anything happen to you again, Wes. You hear me?”

“I hear you, baby.”

“I can’t take being away from you again. If we die in this balloon, at least we’ll be together.” He winked.

“Not funny!”

“I had to try to make you laugh.”

“If you guys want to take a look, we are at altitude,” the pilot announced.

“What do you think, Wes? You ready to look around?” Amaze asked me.

“Let me get a little tipsier first,” I suggested.

“Sure.” Maze shrugged.

I drank the rest of my champagne quickly, and he didn’t seem to waste any time drinking his either. He held the bottle up to see if I wanted more champagne, and of course, I did. He filled my glass halfway before placing the bottle back in the basket and putting the platter down. My heart pounded as he moved to stand to his feet.

“Careful, baby,” I warned.

“Babe, you have to see this. It’s gorgeous,” he raved.

“What do you see?” I quizzed.

---