Page 73 of The Daredevil

“She was an opportunity that became an excuse. I needed her to make it sound believable. Yes, it helped keep her away, but she wasn’t the main reason.”

Something satiny fluttered in my stomach. “So . . .”

“Starting right now, we’re the real deal.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN

ROYCE

Beaming,she threw her arms around my neck, rose onto her toes, and gave me a big, sloppy kiss. “If you had said no, I would’ve tackled you, tied you up, and had my way with you.”

I couldn’t get enough of her. “Go ahead. I’m not stopping you.”

She laughed and clasped my hand. “We can save that for later at home.”

I didn’t realize how much I loved holding hands with her. Though it was a simple gesture, it meant so much more to me. She had inspired me to love it.

“Since you own so many excursion sites, have you visited the Seven Wonders of the World?” she asked as we headed back to the car.

“Not all of them. Do you have places you want to go?”

“I have my list of wonders to visit. I have eight left. Maybe we can go together one day.” She swung my arm back and forth.

“Where do you want to go?”

“I’d love to see the Northern Lights, visit the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Machu Picchu, Switzerland, Thailand, Vietnam, and New Zealand. There’s also Mt. Shasta in California. It’s not a ‘wonder’ per se, but it interests me. Supposedly, strange and magical things happen there.”

I arched a brow. “You believe in that stuff?”

She shrugged. “I believe there are happenings that can’t be explained. There’s magic to them. I don’t know. For me, it’s like traveling and discovering something new. The unknown is scary, but it’s also very interesting.”

“I have a lot ofstrangeandmagicalthings to show you in bed.”

She elbowed me with a giggle. “You’re a science guy. Of course, you don’t believe in this stuff because it can’t be proven. Nor can youseeit. Some things arefeltand not seen or proven.”

I understood what she meant because the way she made me feel was indeed magical.

“I sat next to a psychic at a conference once. She was at Mt. Shasta and saw fairy orbs and angelic lights. The history channel said people have spotted UFOs there too.” Michelle shrugged. “I think the experience will make a great blog post. People like to read about weird things.”

“Mt. Shasta is a potentially active volcano, but I’d go wherever you want.”

“Smart man. You know the right thing to say to your girlfriend, and that makes you a keeper.” She jabbed a finger at my chest.

“Iama smart man because I know what I have—the most beautiful and intelligent woman on this planet.”

“Smart ass.”

“Who wants to do all kinds of things to your ass.”

That brought color to her cheeks.

We made it back to my car, parked in an open space with woods nearby. A man wearing a cap and dressed in black approached us from afar. His quick and focused movement told me something was wrong.

“Get in and duck.” I opened the car door for Michelle and reached for the gun from the glove compartment.

The first shot smashed the driver’s side windshield as soon as I shut the door. I was grateful it didn’t hit the passenger side where Michelle and I were. Another shot rang out and broke the driver’s side-view mirror.

I fired back at the man and hit him in the leg. He ran off into the woods. Either he was an awful marksman or the shots were warnings. I didn’t want to run after him if someone else was hiding in the area. I stayed to protect Michelle. Seconds later, the police arrived, which surprised me because I hadn’t even called them.

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