She giggled. “No. Not that kind of pact, you weirdo. I want a marriage pact.”
“A what now?” Had she just saidmarriage?
She nodded slowly, her eyes darting from place to place as if she was working out the details in her mind before saying them out loud. “If, in ten years, you aren’t married and I’m not married, then we marry each other.”
His breath came up short. “You’re crazy.”
“I feel crazy. And stupid. And—”
“—reckless,” he filled in.
“I want to hold on to what we have.” She drew his hand to her heart. Hers beat rapidly, matching his racing pulse. “But we both need to fly.”
There was no question what his answer would be. She could have pricked his finger and he would have gone along with it if it made her smile. “Yes.”
Sunshine broke through the clouds when she smiled, warming his whole body. They were officially maybe engaged.
Her eyes dropped to his mouth and she moistened her lips. “We should seal the pact with a kiss.”
A heavy feeling returned, but it wasn’t the sense of inadequacy that came from staring at books that were thicker than his thigh. The very air was charged with expectation. Like the stars and planets had aligned, the right ingredients were there, and the universe stirred the pot, bringing him and Virginia closer and closer together.
Her breath was warm on his mouth, and then her eyes dropped shut and he kissed her. His fingers found their way to her cheek, and the softness and warmth of her skin lit a fire in his chest. He gathered her close, deepening the kiss and being met with eagerness he hadn’t anticipated nor prepared for. She moved onto his lap, her hands combing through his hair and then trailing down his neck. Her touch was like ambrosia.
They kissed and kissed. Never wanting to stop. Not knowing if they could tear themselves apart, because on the other side of that kiss was a whole new life. A life where they weren’t together every day, where they wouldn’t be able to lean on one another.
An automatic voice recording came over the speakers, telling patrons that the library would be closing in five minutes.
Virginia gasped, pulling back. Her fingers flew to her slightly swollen lips. And then they brushed his, equally as sensitive. He kissed her fingers. “There. It’s official.”
She nodded. “No backing out.”
“Never.”
Her phone trilled and her face fell. “I have to go.”
He nodded. His whole being screamed to hold her tighter, to keep her in his arms. But he also knew that if he did that, he’d end up losing her. His only choice was to let her fly and pray she came back to him.
He picked up her hand, and they walked down three flights of stairs and out of the library in silence. What more was there to say? If his kiss hadn’t told her how much he treasured her, then no words could make her believe his fidelity. Just outside of the doors, her fingers slipped from his and her footsteps echoed away into the night.
Ten years.
She was right. Anything could happen in ten years. The corners of his mouth tugged up. Anything could happen.
Chapter Two
Quinton
10 Years Later
Quinn gripped the leather seat tighter. His conscious mind knew that the simulation on the screen wasn’t real, but his body reacted to the 3D image and the roaring of the roller coaster piped through the speakers. His breaths came in quick succession, and his heart ticked in sync with the sound of the anti-rollback device. He couldn’t stop grinning as flashes of the California coastline zoomed by in his peripheral vision. The cart moved forward and the tracks dropped out of sight, taking his stomach went with them. The seat shook as they took the last big drop. He noted the lack of rollover. He’d have to fix that in order to generate the sensation of floating out of your seat while falling down the 150-foot drop. Once he did, the finale would be the crown jewel of the Prince of Thieves coaster.
The ride click-clacked to a stop, and the hissing of the release valve for the lap bars ended the simulation. Quinn climbed out of the bucket seat and glanced across the top of the two-seater simulation machine.
His older brother, Ben, exited the other side. Ben’s short brown hair stood on end, indicating that he’d run his hands through it several times while on the ride. That was a good sign. “That was awesome.”
Quinn bumped fists with him over the top of the machine and then stepped away. His mind repeated the changes that needed to be made in the layout of the tracks. He dropped behind his computer and began typing a list.
Ben wandered around the home office, which was a playground of electronics. Easily Quinn’s favorite space, the west wall was covered in a mural depicting several of Quinn’s most outlandish creations—roller coasters that made people scream, grab their seats, and speak to their Maker.
