Page 11 of My Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
He shrugs. “Guess so.”
Chloe and Hannah are up first. They giggle as they ascend the small staircase up to the two seats hanging from the wire. The entire thing sinks just a bit as they sit down. They swing slightly back and forth, which makes my stomach flip just looking at it.
The zipline operator hooks them in and then counts down before setting it off, and Chloe and Hanna fly off with a shriek. I ball my fists at my sides, making the conscious decision to turn away while the rest of the pairs take off.
I hear them as they zip away, pair by pair.
A touch to my shoulder startles me, and I look up to see Will staring down at me, his eyebrows crinkled together. “Are you okay?” he asks, and I realize his frown might not be from irritation, but from concern.
“Uh, yeah,” I say quickly.
“You’re nervous.”
I force out a laugh, but it sounds almost more like some kind of dying animal.
“Look, it’s not that high, and it’s a quick ride,” he says. His voice is somehow … softer than I’ve ever heard it. He’s speaking quietly, his tone low.
I bite my lip, turning to see the last set of groomsmen climb into the seats and strap themselves in. “Yeah …” I say quietly.
The two groomsmen zip off with a shout of laughter, and I watch as they fly into the distance. A few minutes later, the chairs are slowly pulled back up, and the operator ushers us forward.
I swallow hard. I can feel Will’s eyes on me, but he steps forward first, walking up the small set of stairs and then turning back to me. He holds out his hand.
I stare up at him, surprised. Is he actually being … nice to me? Not that he’s ever been terrible, but … wow.
I take a deep breath and reach for his hand. He grips mine firmly, his skin warm to the touch. I walkunsteadily up the stairs and take a seat. The chair wobbles from my weight, dangling from the wire above me. I suck in a breath and close my eyes.
I feel Will taking his seat beside me, and I open my eyes to see the attendant strapping us both in. He steps back. “Ready?”
“Oh shit,” I mutter under my breath, looking out at the city below us. We are so incredibly far away from the ground.
“We’re good,” Will calls. And then, to my surprise, he reaches over and takes my hand again. I look to him, and he meets my eyes. He doesn’t smile—he rarely does—but his gaze is comforting. “You’ve got this,” he says quietly. “We’ve got this.”
I nod, unable to say anything as my mouth has gone dry—although from the fear of the zipline or from something else, I’m not entirely sure.
I hear the click of the zipline being let go, and suddenly, off we go.
I shriek and squeeze Will’s hand as we lurch forward, over the edge of the building, and suddenly we’re flying through the air over the Las Vegas strip. I close my eyes, breathing deeply.
A strange noise sounds from behind me, and it takes a few seconds for me to register what it is. Laughter. Will islaughing. A small, quiet chuckle.
“Open your eyes, Josie,” he commands, and for some reason I do it.
And while I’m still scared out of my mind, opening my eyes was the right call. I can see all of Las Vegas from up here. The hotels, the lights, the people, the mountains and the desert beyond. It’s … incredible.
A laugh bubbles up from deep within me. I glance at Will, and his eyes are sparkling, the corner of his mouth slightly upturned.
We careen across the zipline, over crowds of people below us, and soon we’re whooshing our way toward the final platform. The seats slow down with a slight lurch that pulls a startled cry from my lips, andthen we’re being slowly pulled to a platform on the top of another building.
I can see the rest of the group cheering as we arrive.
“You did it!” Chloe calls, jumping up and down.
Will tugs slightly, and just then I realize I’m still holding his hand—no, squeezing his hand. Embarrassed, I immediately release him. Is it just me, or does he smirk just a tad at that?
Feeling the heat rising in my cheeks, I quickly unbuckle myself and walk unsteadily down the stairs to the platform. Chloe and the girls rally around me, jumping up and down. Amidst the chaos and high spirits, we all collectively agree that it’s time to hit up a bar, however early in the day it might be. I mean, we’re in Vegas, right?
I follow the crowd as we make our way out of the building, Chloe leading the way with Google Maps, and I take the opportunity to decompress from the ride. A wave of accomplishment washes over me. While Iwouldn’t necessarily do it again, I’m glad I summoned the courage and did the zipline. And the view was amazing.
