Page 38 of Fast & Reckless
“Will—”
“There.” He stopped walking and pointed straight ahead.
“A Ferris wheel?”
“That’s not a Ferris wheel; it’s an observation wheel. The Singapore Flyer: Asia’s largest observation wheel! You can see panoramic views of the entire city from air-conditioned observation compartments.”
“You sound like you’re quoting a website.”
“I am,” he conceded. “I saw someone post about the best Singapore tourist attractions and this was at the top of the list.”
“You’re serious.”
“A promise is a promise. Let’s go.”
When the ticket agent realized they were there with the Formula One race, they were immediately handed VIP passes and got an entire observation car to themselves, even though it could have easily fit twenty people.
“Do you do this in every city?” she asked as their car began its ascent.
“Buy T-shirts? No, I told you, this was an emergency.”
She laughed. “No, not shopping. This. Touristy stuff.”
“Nah. I spend most of time in my hotel suite and the gym.”
“And here you were giving me a hard time for never getting out.”
“See, getting out benefits me, too. Stop being so selfish, Mira.”
“Okay, okay.” She watched the view as they slowly rose over the harbor. “I admit, this isn’t so bad.”
He bumped his shoulder into hers. “No, it’s not.”
When had he gotten so close? They were sitting side by side on the bench in the middle of the compartment, his thigh so close to hers she could feel the warmth of his body. His hand was grasping the edge of the bench right next to hers, the outsides of their fingers so close she could swear sparks arced across the tiny gap.
What was it about him? She’d spent the past week avoiding him, reminding herself of all the reasons he was dangerous, and she’d nearly done it. Now, after an hour in his company, just sitting next to him was turning her into a bundle of raw nerves, her willpower forgotten, left down there on the ground as they rose into the air. Being alone in the compartment was a terrible idea. There was no one—no babbling tourists or screaming kids—to act as a buffer.
Taking a deep breath, she shot to her feet, leaving him on the bench in the center of the compartment, then moved to the rail along the glass wall. The sun was beginning to set. Beyond the skyline, the harbor stretched into the distance, lit up gold and orange.
“The view really is pretty,” she said with forced brightness. “You can see for miles from up here.”
Next she’d be making bland remarks about the weather, or asking him how his flight had been. But she had to say something to diffuse this aching want that was threatening to swallow her whole, and she couldn’t, for the life of her, think of anything more sensible.
Behind her, she heard him get up and walk toward her. “Yes, it is.”
Friends, friends, friends.She repeated the litany in her head to remind herself of what this was. They’d had fun today. Even buying his silly, overpriced T-shirts had been enjoyable. They couldn’t screw it up with anything more.
“Oh hey, look, you can see the track from here.” She pointed down at the twisting shape of the Marina Bay Street Circuit below them, roped off and cleared of traffic in preparation for tomorrow’s practices.
“Looks so easy from up here,” he said, leaning on the rail beside her.
“You just drive that, sixty-one times, really fast. Honestly, Will, I don’t know why you guys get paid so much. Anybody could do it.”
Will chuckled, close enough that their shoulders touched again. Did he know? He must realize that every time he touched her, her whole body flooded with heat. Even though their compartment was air-conditioned, it felt like the warm, humid Singapore air was pressing in on her. Her chest felt flushed, and the back of her neck felt damp.
Swallowing hard, she scanned the Singapore skyline, looking for something … anything … to focus on. “What’s that island out there?” she asked, painfully aware of the hint of desperation in her voice.
He shrugged with that enviable physical grace of his. He looked cool and unbothered. “That’s Sentosa Island. Have you never been? I figured your dad would have taken you.”
