Page 31 of Burning Rivalry

“Oh, come on. What’s the point if you’re not sitting at the very front end, with nothing between you and the world far below but the nose of the ride?” He was enjoying this way too much, the prick.

“Really, it’s not such a big deal,” Lucas told me once we joined up with the group on the observation deck, which in and of itself was pretty scary for me. I knew I was perfectly safe, but that didn’t keep my stomach from dropping as I looked out over the city. It felt like I could see forever from up here.

“Really?” I asked. “You’re not just saying that?”

“No. You go forward four times, then you roll back. It gets a little steeper each time they send you forward,” he explained, waving a hand like it was nothing. “Really, there are scarier things to do up here. Like Insanity.”

He nodded to where people were strapping themselves into eight seats, all of which were suspended from what looked like a giant metal claw. I watched with my heart in my throat as that claw then extended over the edge of the deck, dangling the riders almost in thin air, spinning them around.

All things considered, I would take teeter-tottering a few times off the edge of the building. At least there would be a track underneath me.

“Okay. I’ll go first,” I announced, earning applause from everyone in earshot. Sebastian didn’t applaud, choosing instead to nod slowly, smirking a little before announcing he would ride next to me.

“What, afraid I’ll change my mind at the last second? You want to make sure you hold me to it?” My hands were shaking as I strapped myself in, and then one of the employees double-checked the harness lowered over my shoulders and locked in front of me.

“Maybe I just wanna hear you scream,” Sebastian murmured for my ears only. “It’s a sound I could get used to.” It was a good thing nobody was listening, just like it was a good thing I couldn’t throw him off the side of the tower since we were both strapped in now. Of all the things I didn’t need while fearing for my life, his infuriating hotness was right up at the top of the list.

He couldn’t leave it there, either. His hand found my knee, out of sight of anyone behind us, and whispered, “A little fear can be hot, Granger.” His gentle, teasing caress inched my dress higher, lighting a fire in my core and drenching my pussy, making my head spin in a way that had nothing to do with the ride. I looked his way, locking onto his knowing, intimate gaze. There was no hope of resisting him. Moments like this, I couldn’t remember why I bothered trying.

A recorded voice advised us to keep our arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. “Enjoy your ride!” the disembodied voice added.

“Easy for him to say,” I muttered while Sebastian withdrew his hand, chuckling beside me.

“You’ve got this, Granger,” he insisted. “If you can handle making a perfect Baked Alaska in a hundred-degree kitchen, you can do anything.”

He shocked me out of my horror for a moment. “So you watched the show?”

“When there was nothing else on TV.” He looked at me. I looked at him. I forgot to breathe.

And then we shot forward at a downward angle that made my heart drop. “Oh my God!” I screamed as we came to a sudden stop, pitched downward. Every ounce of me was sure I was about to keep going and fall through the open air.

But I didn’t, the track angling upward this time, the vehicle rolling backward and coming to a sudden stop that jolted me back in the seat. Then we were off again, the angle steeper this time, and I squeezed my eyes shut when it all became too much.

“No!” Sebastian insisted, watching me rather than enjoying the view. “Eyes open! You need to see this.”

“Already saw it, thanks. Doubt it’s changed much.” His laughter was lost in all of the laughing and shrieking going on behind us. My stomach did all kinds of insane things, lifting and dropping while one high-pitched shriek after another tore its way from my chest.

“Hold on!” Sebastian shouted, laughing. I wasn’t fooled. He sounded nervous too. Maybe a little scared. But it was the good kind, the exhilarated kind. This time, when he touched my bare knee, I covered his hand with mine and inched it higher because, my God, what a rush.

By the time it was over, I was shaking again, but for a different reason. Adrenaline pumped through my system, flooding me with every rapid beat of my heart. The world around me was sharper, clearer. I had never felt so alive.

There was no way I could stand around and not do something about it. I spent too damn long trying to play it safe. Look where it got me now—wanting somebody with every fiber of my being but holding him at arm’s length, thinking that would do something to help me forget, to make it easier. There was no such thing. All avoiding him did was make life that much more of a challenge. I was so tired of challenges.

The next group climbed in, adjusting their shoulder harnesses and belts. There was a lot of cheering, whistling, and plenty of encouragement shouted, meaning there was no one paying attention as I touched Sebastian’s back, waiting until he looked down at me.

Whatever shone from my face changed something in his. “Yes?” he asked, arching an eyebrow while turning his full attention my way.

What was I supposed to say? How could I tell him what I was thinking, feeling, needing? I only needed one word, nearly whispered, so he would be the only one to hear. “Later.” A slow smile spread over his gorgeous face with a slight nod, then turned back to watch the next group.

Shit. What have I done?

My attention was split throughout the rest of the outing until we found our seats in the theater at Planet Hollywood. Everyone was excited, laughing softly, almost giddy. Were we all so desperate for a day off? It was refreshing to be out of the kitchen.

My laughter was nervous more than anything. Sebastian sat at the other end of our row, engaged in conversation with Allie and a few of the other line cooks. When he wasn’t acting like a pompous dick, he had a warm, amiable personality.

Yet the glance we shared as the lights went down was anything but friendly. The only warmth it inspired centered in my core and made my pussy throb. He wasn’t about to let me forget what I had started earlier. I didn’t want to.

The show was exciting—the lights, music, and dancers were top-notch. What a shame I could barely pay attention, especially when every glance down the row revealed Sebastian looking my way. He wasn’t obvious about it, thank God, but he was definitely watching me from the corner of his eye while everyone in our row and the one in front of us sat riveted to the action onstage.