Page 83 of Broken Bridges

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

Shit. What was I in for?

I didn’t care. He drove into me, making me see stars.

Chapter 25

LEWIS

Ever since I’d met Tia, the guys had always raved about how outgoing she’d been. Dancing had caused her leg to ache too much. She couldn’t drive yet; possibly, she never would again. She couldn’t do stunts. But there was so much she could do. She just needed someone to show her. With Cole not home, I was more than happy to do so. It was a beautiful late April day, not one to be spent indoors.

This was our first date.

Me? Dating a girl?

My head still spun, struggling to be comfortable with a woman.

But Tia wanting to quit her job added new pressures and deadlines to firmly establishing how serious we were about each other. It was too early to tell. But if she pursued a career in AV, she should do it with The Flintlocks and her brother, not on some TV or film set. I had a couple of months to be more secure about my place in the band, pass more milestones, and be confident that they’d support our relationship. Slip had been cool, but I still had reservations about Flint and Cole’s reactions. Flint got pissed every time I missed a beat during “Changes” thanks to my stupid nerves getting the better of me. Cole had warned me not to touch his sister from day one, and there I was, banging her senseless. It went against every grain in my body to not tell them Tia and I were seeing each other, but until I was more certain about how I felt for her, we had to stay under wraps.

But we had a free pass this weekend.

After a few hectic weeks of promo, I needed an afternoon of fun. With Tia.

While she ate a bowl of fruit salad at the kitchen counter, I made a few phone calls. With plans in place, we set off in her Mercedes.

I loved driving in LA. People complained about the traffic and chaos, but damn, it was so open and scenic. Instead of skyscrapers towering overhead and narrow streets, there were palm trees, wide roads, and sunshine. So much better than New York.

Forty minutes later, I pulled into a parking lot at Marina del Rey and headed toward the tourist office.

“We’re going on a boat?” Tia asked as she hooked her backpack over her shoulder. Her yoga pants showed off her long, sexy legs. “Not a speed boat, right? The jarring will hurt my knee and ankle.”

I didn’t miss the anxiety in her voice. I caught her arm and drew her to a halt outside the office. “It’s a pond out there today, and this is not an ordinary boat. I’m sure you won’t hurt your leg. If you do, I promise to give you a full foot and leg massage all night long if I have to.”

“Hmm.” A wicked smile inched across her lips. “Ow! My leg is hurting.”

Chuckling, I disappeared into the office and checked in at the counter. With directions in hand, I led Tia into the marina toward our berth.

“Holy shit.” Tia gaped at the boat tied up beside a little blue hut. “Parasailing? I can’t do that.”

“Yes. You can. You’ve jumped out of planes, ziplined canyons, and abseiled off cliffs. This may not be as hardcore as those things, but it will be fun.”

She stared at the speedboat decked out with parasailing rigging. Sheer terror darkened her eyes. “No.” She shook her head and tugged on the back of my T-shirt to draw me away. “Lewis, I can’t. I’ll get hurt.”

My chest shuddered. I hated that she was afraid of reinjuring herself. I wanted to show her that she could do so many things without getting hurt, like I’d done in New York. “Tia. Stop.” I took her hands in mine. Her soft fingers trembled. Her skin was cold and clammy. I rubbed my thumb across her knuckles, wanting to erase her doubts and ignore my quickening pulse. “You won’t. I promise. I’ll help you. The guy assured me you don’t have to use your legs and the landing is easy. We won’t touch the water. You take off and land on the platform at the back of the boat. You’ve got this.”

“Lewis?” She scanned the boat and gnawed on her lower lip. She took a few deep breaths then a flash of excitement shot through her eyes. Oh, yeah. She wanted to do this. “I don’t know.”

I squeezed her hands and gave them a gentle shake. “If the ocean is too rough, we’ll come back.”

She looked at the two operators, the big engines on the back of the boat, then at me. A nervous smile quivered across her lips. “Okay.”

“Awesome.”

We stepped onto the pontoon. It dipped with our weight, but not enough for Tia to struggle with balance. After meeting the parasailing operators, Aaron and Vance, and helping Tia onto the boat, we put on lifejackets and were ready to take off. As I took a seat beside her, my fingers itched to touch her, but we couldn’t do that in public. Tongues wagged. The paparazzi could be on the beach, tracking us with their telescopic lenses. But damn, she was beautiful. Cascading behind her baseball cap, her ponytail caught the breeze as we headed out of the marina. Her smile brightened as we sped up. Yeah. We both needed a day out.

Just off Venice Beach, the boat slowed to a halt and rocked gently from side to side. Ergh! Did it have to do that?

“Okay, folks,” Aaron headed toward the back of the boat. “Time to get you harnessed up.”

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