Thrill Ride Read online

  We got my luggage from baggage claim, stopped for burgers, then drove out to his place. He didn’t ask me if I wanted to go there, and that was fine with me. Because it was where I wanted to be.

  Now we were sitting on the grass by the lake, my back to his chest, his arms around me. Watching the moonlight dancing over the lake. It was so peaceful. I thought I could stay here forever. But we didn’t have forever. We only had about six more weeks and then…

  “I saw Nick,” I said quietly.

  I felt him stiffen, then relax. I wondered if he felt threatened by Nick. Parker always seemed so confident, so in charge, and yet we’d both avoided actually defining our relationship. At the airport, when he called me his girlfriend, it was the first time that he’d hinted that we were more than friends, that maybe being “just friends” hadn’t worked out for us after all.

  “And?” he finally asked.

  I turned around so I could look at him. Even though it was night, there was enough moonlight, enough stars that I could see his face.

  “It was kinda sad seeing him. I mean, I thought we had something special, that what we had could survive being apart. And it didn’t. It hurts that I couldn’t make it work, that it didn’t last.”

  “So you’re completely over him?”

  How could I explain that seeing him again had made me realize that, as much as I’d liked being with Nick, it didn’t begin to compare with how much I liked being with Parker? With Parker, it didn’t matter if we were talking, if we were doing anything. Simply being with him was enough. And that was scary.

  Because not having Parker was going to hurt. And in less than a month and a half I wouldn’t have him in my life anymore. And apparently I sucked when it came to long-distance relationships.

  “I’m totally over him,” I said. I could have told him that Nick had a girlfriend, that he was totally over me as well, but it wasn’t really an issue. It wasn’t important. The important part was that I had absolutely no interest in Nick anymore as anything other than a friend.

  Parker, on the other hand…

  He tucked my hair behind my ear, keeping his warm palm pressed against my cheek.

  “I want to be more than just friends, Megan.”

  “Me, too.” The words came out in a raspy whisper. “But I’m no good at long-distance relationships and that’s what we’ll have at the end of summer.” I shook my head. Maybe I was presuming too much. “I mean, we’ll either just have a summer fling or we’ll try and take it farther and if it doesn’t last—”

  He pressed a finger against my lips. “Let’s just worry about now.”

  He drew me closer and kissed me. Slowly. Provocatively. If he was working to make me forget about the future, he was succeeding, because I was thinking only about this moment in time. His lips on mine. His hands cradling my face. The way he smelled, crisp and spicy.

  When he kissed me, my mind didn’t want to list out the pros and cons. I wasn’t thinking about making decisions. I was totally involved in the kiss.

  He drew back, nipped my chin, then started kissing me again. I loved when he did that. He took kissing to a level that I’d never experienced before him. Was it totally Parker? Or was it the two of us together, the way we meshed?

  When I was with him, I felt like I was part of him. Scary. I didn’t want to think about what waited for us at the end of summer. Saying good-bye. Maybe forever.

  He stopped kissing me and pressed his forehead against mine. “I don’t want to take you back to the dorm tonight,” he said, his voice the low rumble that always shimmied through me, warming me and exciting me.

  “I don’t want to go back to the dorm tonight,” I said.

  He stood up and drew me to my feet, took my hand, and started walking back to his house.

  Inside it was eerily quiet. I didn’t know if Cole had already gone to bed or if he wasn’t home yet. Maybe he was with Ronda. It didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that I was with Parker.

  The sun was just starting to peer in through the window when Parker woke me with a kiss.

  “Come on, lazybones, I have to get to work,” he said.

  I groaned, rolled over, and buried my head beneath the pillow. “I’m not a morning person,” I grumbled.

  He pulled the pillow off my head. “I want you to go with me.”

  I peered up at him through a narrowed eye. “I’m not riding it.”

  “Hey! Did I ask? I just want you to be with me.” He combed my hair back from my face. “Come on. Morning is the best time.”

  The best time for sleeping, I thought, but didn’t say. “I’ll even fix breakfast while you shower,” he said.

  How could a girl resist an offer like that?

  When I walked into the kitchen after my shower, dressed in shorts and a tank, I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the breakfast he’d fixed for me. A bowl of Raisin Bran.

  Giving me a sheepish look, he grinned. I loved his grin.

  After breakfast, we drove to the park. The sun was higher, but the day echoed that stillness that you feel before most of the world is up and moving about. We walked through the park, holding hands.

  Parker seemed unusually quiet this morning, like he had something important on his mind.

  As we got nearer to Magnum Force, he said, “Last night you were talking about what we’d do when we got to the end of the summer.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you see as our options?”

  “Break up or stay together. I don’t see us staying together, not long-distance.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m no good at it.”

  “A relationship takes two, you know.”

  I looked over at him. He was watching me.

  “It’s hard, Parker. Not being with someone. Just having e-mail and phone calls—”

  “I know it’s not easy, Megan, but if you really care for someone, you can make it work. I really care for you.”

  I didn’t know what to say.

  He led me up the steps of Magnum Force and across the platform. He called out a greeting to the guy at the controls. “Hey, Chris.”

  Chris just waved.

  Parker let go of my hand and stepped into the first car.

  He turned back to me. “Come with me, Megan.”

  Shaking my head, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I can’t.”

  He held out his hand. “Trust me.”

  He was more serious than I’d ever seen him, his steadfast gaze boring into me.

  “Trust me,” he repeated.

  And I knew he was talking about more than the roller coaster. He was talking about total trust, that he wouldn’t hurt me, like Nick did. That things would be different for us. That he would make them different. That we were different.

  I was scared. My stomach tightened and my mouth got dry. I took a deep, shuddering breath.

  I put my trembling hand in his and his fingers closed around mine—sure, steadfast, secure. Symbolic of what he wanted me to know. That no matter what, he wouldn’t let go. Even if we were no longer touching, he’d still be holding on. He’d be there.

  I wish I could say that the little tremors of dread melted away, but they didn’t. I was still terrified, not looking forward to the ride. But I wanted to be with Parker, and that meant conquering my fears.

  I took another deep breath, stepped into the car, and sat on the cool leather seat. He buckled us in and pulled the bar down across our laps. I cringed at the clanking sound. Wrapped my hands around the cold metal.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I swallowed hard again and nodded. He gave Chris a thumbs-up.

  There was another clanking sound as the lead car began pulling the others up the track. Parker put his arm around me, leaned in, and kissed my cheek.

  “It’s totally safe, Megan.”

  I looked at him. “But it’s so high and so fast—”

  “Don’t think about it. Just be in the now.”

  He ki