She keeps her lips pressed shut.
“I wouldn’t blame you, if you did,” I continue. “After some of the things I said the last time we met, I know I would have. Did you find the articles about how my mother was a runaway bride?”
“I didn’t find anything that you hadn’t already told me.” She offers me the last donut before crumpling up the empty bag. “And for the record, I don’t believe everything that I read. Especially when I have the primary source in front of me.”
I smile, then without thinking, wipe the sugar off her chin. Which is a big mistake as it only draws my attention to her plump lips that I’m dying to kiss.
Forcing my gaze elsewhere, I stand and offer my hand. Accepting, we continue exploring until we find ourselves before the imposing Ferris wheel.
“Can we go on?” As she gazes up at it, I’m struck by how pretty her profile is.
But then her question registers, and my stomach drops as my palms start to sweat. I’m not the biggest fan of heights. Okay, that’s the understatement of the century. I’m terrified of them, but I’m not going to tell her that with the way she’s beaming up at me. I can deal with sitting on a swaying death machine that towers above the ground for a few minutes, right?
“Calder!” A familiar voice comes from behind us, the momentary distraction slowing my thundering heart. “Is that you?”
“Hi, Pearl.” I smile at the kind diner owner who knows everything that goes on in this town. “It’s been a while.”
“Showing Kady around, huh?” She grins knowingly. “Your pack will be complete in no time.”
Kady shifts from one foot to the other, smiling politely, but I can sense her discomfort. The last thing I want is for her to feel any pressure. We promised her a weekend of fun, nothing tooheavy. So the last thing we need is nosey locals meddling in our business.
I put my arm around Kady’s shoulders protectively. “We’re just heading on the Ferris wheel, Pearl.”
Pride surges through me when Kady’s grin brightens.
“Oh, have fun!” Pearl waves. “See you later, sweet peas!”
“Sorry about that.” I shake my head. “Rose Harbor is a small place, as you’ve probably gathered by now.”
“Not so different from SVU, then.” Her tone has changed, and her eyes are darting about, seeming to be a little distracted.
“We can head back to the cabin, if you prefer?” I offer. “We don’t have to stay here.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Not unless you want to?”
“Actually, I’m really enjoying having you all to myself.”
She chuckles, a lightness settling over her features as if her earlier tension has gone as we get in line. “Are you sure your professional ethics allow you to fraternize with a direct report?”
“It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?” My gaze lingers on her gorgeous lips for a few seconds too long then trails farther down to admire the way her sweater hugs her sexy figure. “And I don’t see anyone from SVU around with a camera, so I think we’re safe.”
“Next!”
Realizing it’s our turn rekindles my nerves. In her company, I’d almost forgotten that we were about to do something death defying.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, hoping that she may be having second thoughts. “I know not everyone likes heights.”
“I love heights.” Kady marches forward with confidence before getting comfortable on the seat.
I slide into the space next to her as someone roughly shoves a rickety metal bar down over our laps. Knowing that this bar isall that’s stopping us from tumbling to our deaths, I grip onto it tightly while Kady continues talking about how she loves flying and being high in the sky.
It feels like my stomach is left on the ground as the wheel lurches into life. I clench my fists around the bar so tightly that my knuckles turn white when the small cart sways, Kady happily swinging her feet.
“Calder?” Kady squints at me. “Am I boring you?”
“Boring me?” I avoid shaking my head so as not to elicit any more swinging. “Of course not.” As we climb higher, I make the mistake of peering over the edge. Fuck, we’re only two carts high, and my head is already spinning. “Did you hear that?” Every muscle in my body tenses up. “Was that a creaking noise?”
She frowns. “I didn’t hear anything.”
