Page 11 of The Roadie
Her body vibrated. But they had the rest of the day together. Did they need to jump into bed right away?
“Let’s go to the Skydeck,” he said, when she hesitated. “I don’t want you to think I came here just for sex.” His gaze bore into her for a moment before he rested his forehead against hers. “I really connected with you. And I don’t just mean sexually. I never met someone like you. You’re fun. You love music. You live and breathe the life. Just like me. You’re smart and sexy. You’re tough and powerful. Independent. I’m here because I want to spend time with you.”
It was a reply she never expected. She had been OK with the idea that they were getting together for sex. They had some kind of strange magnetic pull between them. An unstoppable sexual attraction. This tender side of him took her by surprise. “You’re amazing.” She sighed. “Let’s go to the Skydeck. Then we can go back to my room.”
“Oooh shiiit!” Brett squeezed her hand tighter as they stepped onto the invisible floor of the Skydeck. He pretended to have a panic attack and clung to her. “Watch your heels. Don’t crack that glass.”
Kira laughed and swatted his arm. “Stop being silly.”
He looked down at the floor, nervously. “I’m not. I’m afraid of heights.”
She stopped and turned toward him, noting the way his eyes were darting around the platform. “Then why’d you want to walk across a glass deck outside the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere? We’re a thousand feet in the air.”
He tensed. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“I’m serious.”
“Because. I thought you’d like it. It’s romantic.”
Disbelief that this rugged and tattooed man could be so dreamy made her heart melt. “It is. Very romantic. Look at the buildings. They’re beautiful.” He probably thought she was ridiculous, finding beauty in the hard, cold concrete skyscrapers, but they symbolized business and opportunity – the American dream.
As they gazed at the impressive view of modern architecture, Brett wrapped his arms around her. Her pulse fired rapidly through her veins. She swallowed, her throat now dry and scratchy. His lips graced hers with a light kiss, flesh against flesh, in a slow burn of heat. His breath warmed her cheek with sexual pheromones that she inhaled deeply. She leaned back so she could look clearly into his eyes, and they still had the same magical effect on her that made her strength disappear.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “Especially up here in the clouds.” He shifted his eyes to the horizon, then quickly returned them to her face and let out a small embarrassed chuckle. “Sorry. I just reminded myself that we’re a hundred stories up.” He held onto her tightly, obviously still uneasy about the height, and turned to face the view again. “Look at the lake and how the water shimmers under the sunlight. From this vantage point, it looks endless. It’s so blue. You can’t even tell where the lake ends and the sky begins. Everyone is staring at it.” He turned her chin toward him. “But I’m staring at you.”
She felt her cheeks blush, and she smiled. “That’s just because you’re afraid to look down.”
“Let’s get outta here. You know what we should do next?”
“Skydive?”
A laugh fell from his mouth. “Only if you’re trying to give me a heart attack.”
She expected him to say he wanted to go back to her room, and she was about to suggest it, but he surprised her by saying, “We should ride bicycles by the lake.”
“I haven’t ridden a bicycle since I was 12.”
“Then we have to do it.” His eyes dropped to her stiletto boots. “I think we need to visit one of the gift shops in order to buy you a pair of sneakers.”
The selection was limited, and she ended up purchasing a pair of canvas slip-on boat shoes that had the words “Chi Town” written on them in bubble lettering and bore graffiti art of the city skyline. They were tacky and ridiculous, but Brett insisted on purchasing them for her.
An hour later, they were on bicycles ready to ride along the path bordering Lake Michigan, and Kira suddenly felt unsure. She bit her lower lip as she sat on the bike, one foot planted firmly on the ground to steady herself, but she still teetered back and forth.
“What’s wrong?” Brett asked.
“I’m afraid I’m going to fall.”
He quirked an eyebrow and gave her a quizzical smile. “You know how to ride a bicycle, right?”
“Yes,” she quipped. “It’s been a long time, though.”
“Take a practice run. Ride to that lamppost and back,” he instructed. “See how you do.”
She felt slightly embarrassed, but she did it anyway. She took off, wobbly at first, while she acclimated to distributing her weight evenly, but then it all came back to her, reinforcing the age-old cliché, and she picked up speed. When the front tire ran over a large rock and the wheel veered sharply to the right, her confidence took a nosedive, and her heart lurched in her chest. She overcorrected the bike and it teetered unsteadily. Just when she realized that she was about to tip over, Brett was suddenly beside her. With one hand on the back of her seat, brushing her butt cheek slightly, he took hold of the handlebars with his other hand and straightened the bike.
His presence surprised her, and she squeezed the brakes to stop the bike. “Were you running beside me?”
“Yeah. You looked a little unsteady at first. I didn’t want you to fall and get hurt.”
