Sterling (Carolina Reapers 6)

But thinking like that was dangerous, and I wasn’t one to walk that line.

No matter how fun it might sound.

5

Sterling

The best part of being a highly visible, professional athlete? I got special admission to Seven Wonders, Charleston’s brand new amusement park that had only opened a month before.

“How does this thing work?” London asked, glancing down at the lanyard around her neck that held a hard, plastic pass.

“That’s your quick pass!” Our bubbly attendant told us as we stood at the shaded VIP entrance. The blonde shot me a coy look as London flipped the little pass over. “It means when you find something you want to ride, you can skip the line.” She arched an eyebrow with meaning.

Some other year, I might have been tempted. It wasn’t in my nature to turn a good thing down, but my dick wasn’t interested, and neither was the rest of me.

“You walk right up to the front and tell them you’d like to get on.” She trailed a finger across her collarbone.

Damn, she wasn’t even being subtle about it.

London looked up and caught on quick, clearing her throat and moving a step closer so her shoulder brushed against my elbow. She was in sneakers, and I’d been right. She didn’t even reach my collarbone without her heels, and I wasn’t even thinking about the little scrap of white fabric she deigned to call shorts. They barely covered her ass. I knew because I’d looked.

A lot.

“Is there anything else I can…offer you?” The attendant smiled.

“I think we’ve got it. Thanks.” London’s eyes narrowed, and damn if that little display of jealousy didn’t go straight to my dick. “Shall we?” she asked me while looking directly at the blonde, then took my wrist and tugged.

I was laughing by the time we cleared the entrance.

“You’re lucky I saved you. She was ready to maul you in public,” London muttered as we walked through the light crowd that filled the shop-lined street. Above our head, a roller coaster rushed by, carrying shrieking, happy riders.

“Who said I wasn’t up for being mauled?” I teased.

London rolled her eyes. “You can do way better than that. Trust me.” She pulled her mass of ebony hair into a top knot, leaving her sunscreen-clad shoulders to glisten in the sunlight. They were bare, with the exception of the two little straps of her tank top. “So what are we doing at an amusement park?”

I pulled my baseball cap backward and grinned. It had taken over a week for London to agree to this. “Well, first, I figured crowds probably don’t trigger you since you’re a game day coordinator for a professional hockey team.”

“True,” she said with a nod. “But I do appreciate you getting us in for the early hour.” She flashed me a smile, and my thoughts evaporated. Beautiful. She was exquisite, really. “So, what’s the plan?”

Plan. Right. I cleared my throat. “I thought we’d start with a little light restraint,” I nodded toward the entrance to a roller coaster.

Her eyes flared. “Restraint, huh?”

“From what I read, it can cause the same reaction as an enclosed space.”

She stopped, so I stopped with her, letting the crowd part around us like a rock in the middle of a rushing creek.

“What?” I asked.

“You read?” She lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head. “About claustrophobia, I mean. I know you read. You went to college. I know because it’s in your file. I’m going to stop babbling right now.”

Fuck me, she was cute. “Yes, I read, and feel free to babble all you want. I figured we’d just work our way up to what you’re uncomfortable with, and at any time you’re at your max and can’t take anymore, just tell me.” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my board shorts to keep from touching her. What the hell was wrong with me? I was never this needy, never had to physically remind myself to keep my hands off a woman.

Then again, I’d never wanted a woman like this before, either.

“So I just tell you that something is too much, and we’ll skip it?” She lifted her brows.

“Exactly. Pick a safe word or something. You say honey badger, and I’ll know it’s a no-go.” Seemed relatively easy.

She sputtered. “Safe word? Restraints?” The corner of her lips rose in a smirk. “Sorry to break it to you, but I’m not interested in touring your red room of pain, and honey badger is the last thing I’d think of in the middle of sex.”

I grinned. “Noted. You prefer your sex honey badger free.” Leaning down, I brushed my lips over her ear. “And we’ll work up to the leather restraints just to make sure you’re comfortable. Fuzzy handcuffs are always the best way to start.”

She shivered slightly and stepped away, shaking her head like she needed to clear it. “So, roller coaster it is.” Color flushed her cheeks.