Violet doesn’t answer at once. During that moment she takes to make up her mind, I worry she might say no. I secretly let out a breath of relief when she nods.
“Yeah. Okay.”
I smile. “Great.”
Hopefully, all the walking will cheer her up.
~
It did.
At least, I thought it did because Violet was smiling and chatting and taking pictures almost every step of the way. But now that we’re on the Centennial Wheel, which I thought was the perfect way to cap our evening, she’s back to being quiet again. And unmistakably sad as she looks out of the car.
“Is everything okay?” I can’t help but ask.
She turns to me with a forced smile. “Yeah. This night has been fun.”
I’m glad to hear that.
She turns her gaze back to the skyline in the distance. “And the views from here are just spectacular.”
“They are.”
Then why does she look sad?
“I’m fine,” Violet tells me. Or is she trying to convince herself? “I just… I don’t know… It’s… I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“I thought I would be fine riding a Ferris wheel since it’s already been nearly two decades but I guess I’m not,” she says. “I…”
Violet draws a deep breath.
“My dad and I used to ride the Ferris wheel every summer, up until he… left.”
That’s why.
She wipes the corner of her eye then shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay,” I tell her again. “There’s no need to apologize. It’s just… We can’t just jump off the Ferris wheel.”
“I know. I’m fine.”
No, she’s not.
I take her hand and squeeze it as I look into her eyes. “If only I could fly you away from here.”
This is why I’d rather be able to fly than read minds or be invisible—so that I can fly away whenever I want.
“If you could fly, I bet you’d be flying away from me,” Violet says. “I’m such a lousy date.”
“You’re not.”
She snorts. “I’m sure none of the women you’ve brought here before have cried.”
I nod. “You’re right. That’s because I’ve never brought a woman here before.”
I don’t know why I said that. Violet’s gaze just seemed to pull the words right out of my mouth. And there’s more.
“Not on this Centennial Wheel. Not to the Navy Pier, which happens to be one of my favorite places in the world, by the way.”
Violet frowns. “I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true. I like Venice, too, and Kyoto and—”
“I mean about you not bringing any woman here before,” Violet says.
Oh, that.
I stroke her hand. “Well, it’s true whether you believe me or not.”
For a moment, she obviously still doesn’t, but then I see a glimmer in her blue eyes. A glimmer of faith. Of hope. And of joy.
And desire.
She leans forward. I meet her halfway. Our lips meet for just a few seconds but I feel the heat from it all throughout my body.
I stroke her cheek. “Now I really wish I could fly you away from here.”
She gazes straight back at me and grins. “Me too.”Chapter SixteenViolet
As soon as we get inside the elevator, Asher and I continue kissing. After we get off, I lead him down the corridor and we stumble into my apartment, which is closer. We’ve barely managed to make it through the door when I start taking off his jacket.
I don’t even know why we’re having sex again. We did it countless times this morning and I’m still a little sore, a little tired. All I know is that I’ve had the most amazing date and I don’t want it to end just yet.
Yes, there were times when it was a letdown, like when I lost to Asher in that maze game or when we started talking about his sleeping habits and when I acted like a fool crying on the Ferris wheel, but overall it’s been amazing, incomparably better than the first time Asher asked me out. This is how that date should have ended. This is how this one will.
This time, I get to bring him home to my bed.
I take off Asher’s shirt next. He takes off my cardigan and my blouse. Then I get rid of my pants and kick off my shoes while he steps out of his.
Stripped down to our underwear, we head to the bedroom but only make it as far as the kitchen. Asher backs me up against the counter. I feel its cold edge against my waist, just above the garter of my panties.
I grip the edge and lean on it as his tongue melts mine. His hands run across my back and over my breasts, which have started to swell against the padding of my bra. He clutches my ass and gives each soft cheek a firm squeeze before turning me around. I lean on my arms over the counter.
Asher unhooks my bra. As the straps hang from my arms, he puts his hands on my breasts and licks my ear. He plants kisses in my hair and down my back as he plays with my nipples. He traps the stiff peaks between his fingers and twists them or pinches them gently then rubs them. Heat spreads beneath my skin.