Bittersweet (21 page)

“Savannah, I had no idea.” Grant returned into the control booth, then came out with a key. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have pushed this. I’m sorry.”

Dallas poked his head around the corner.

“You ready?”

“Not today.” I wondered if I would ever be able to tell him. I hated lying to him, especially after all the things Becca said today, but I couldn’t say the truth out loud. My dad did that sometimes—hid the truth in a half-truth because he couldn’t handle the real story. I hated how I acted like him sometimes.

His face fell. “But—”

“Grant, is it okay if we hang out in the park for a little while?”

He thought for a minute.

“I don’t see why not, but don’t do anything that could get me fired.”

Grant walked down to the Fast Lane entrance and I waited until we couldn’t see him anymore. Then I turned and walked in the other direction.

“Where are you going?” Dallas asked.

I jumped over the turnstile, knowing that it would slow him down because he’d have to unlock it, and raced down the stairs into the tunnel. I hid in a corner and waited.

“I don’t like hide and seek. It’s a horrible game,” he said as he came into the tunnel. I waited until he wandered farther in, then I pounced and pushed him up against the wall and planted my lips on his.

His hands came up to hold the back of my neck. He kissed me hard, like he’d never bother to come up for air. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my body against his. I couldn’t get enough of him. This was better than a box of Burdick’s chocolates.

After a few minutes I pulled away and a cool breeze blew between us.

“So hide and seek isn’t too bad,” he said.

“Shall we go find another place to hide?” I asked.

“The ship?”

I shook my head.

“But you forget I’m an evil pirate who’s come to steal the governor’s daughter.” He raised his eyebrows and winked. Then he picked me up and swung me over his shoulder.

I laughed as he bounded down the ramp and clambered onto the ship. He set me down on the platform in the middle. I squirmed a little, wondering how much spit I was sitting on, but Dallas quickly distracted me. The platform was high enough that when Dallas stood in front of me his head only came up to my chest.

I wrapped my legs around his torso.

“I like this view,” he said.

I took his face in my hands and leaned down to kiss him. After a few minutes we were both breathing heavy but I did not want to take things any further on the spit covered ship.

I pulled away.

“Why don’t you show me your treasure island?”

He looked up at me. “My treasure is right in front of me. I don’t need any more.”

My stomach fluttered at his words.

“Regardless, we are getting off this nasty ship.”

We wandered toward the front of the park, slipping past Spook Alley. I didn’t want to make out on kiddy rides.

“Ferris wheel?”

We climbed into one of the massive cars and sat across from each other. He traced my face with his finger.

“You have no idea what I feel for you, do you?”

I caught his finger with my lips and brought his palm to my face. I kissed it gently and then set his hand down on my bare thigh.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Close your eyes.”

I did and he slid his hand up my thigh so that it rested at the hem of my shorts. He leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the tip of my nose, then each cheek, and then on each of my eyelids. His tongue brushed the edge of my eyelashes and it was all I could do to keep them closed.

His lips barely brushed against mine, but my senses were so heightened, and the touch was so deliberate and full of meaning, that I realized what I felt for him was unlike anything I felt before.

Without thinking, I muttered, “I love you.”

I didn’t really mean to say those words, but out they came. I opened my eyes to see his reaction.

He leaned back and stared at me.

“I suppose the appropriate response would be I love you too.”

I started to apologize, but he held a finger to my lips.

“I’ve been in love before. It was wonderful and passionate and fun and crazy and all those things, but this is different. With you, I feel so much more. I desperately want you, but in so many different ways. I want to know what makes you tick and what makes you smile, I want to be part of your future and your past. I want to make love to you forever, to be in your space and understand what it is to be you. The day you walked into my life, it was like a Goddess appeared and I found someone to worship. Can you be more than in love?”
The butterflies were having kittens in my stomach.

I moved his hands aside and climbed onto his lap, facing him.

“Are you saying you worship me?”

He grinned.

“Yes. Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying. So you love me, and I worship you. I’m so glad we were able to define our relationship.”

I kissed him.

“Let’s go to the carousel.”

I
DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK
until four the next day, so I was surprised to be woken by a loud knocking at 8:30 a.m.

“What the hell,” I hollered and unlocked my bedroom door. Grant and Dallas stood there, grinning like idiots.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I moved to shut the door. Dallas stuck his foot in the crack and Grant pushed.

I gave up quickly, but instead of acknowledging their presence I hid under the covers and tried to go back to sleep. I didn’t get home last night until three. No way was I getting up now.

Truthfully, I expected Dallas to climb into bed with me, which could be fun if Grant left. Instead, he and Grant both grabbed one edge of my comforter and pulled it off. I didn’t move, hoping they would just leave.

Of course they didn’t. My pillow disappeared, and they both climbed onto the bed, treating it like a trampoline.

I grumbled. “So why am I being woken up so early?”

Grant replied. “I have a present for you.”

“It’s not my birthday.”

“Call it eighteen years of birthday catch up. Plus, I feel bad that you had to work late last night. Anyway, I did some rescheduling, and you and Dallas have the next three days off.”

“No way.”

Dallas nodded.

“So why am I awake?”

“Road trip,” Dallas said. “We are going up north. No need to pack anything but bikinis and lingerie.”

“Don’t forget condoms,” said Grant.

I blushed.

“I thought you didn’t approve of us.”

“I know when I’m fighting a losing battle. You two are both adults. I’ll just cut off Dallas’s balls if he hurts you. Have fun on the lake.” He left the room.

I flopped back on the bed and groaned.

“Why is it always a lake?”

“Because that’s the only thing we have in Minnesota. But most of our time will be spent on the beach, not in the water.”

I noticed the clever use of the word “most.” I was excited to be going away with him for a few days, but there was something he needed to know.

I tried to be as forward as possible. I leaned toward him and placed my hand on his thigh, as close to his boy parts as I could without actually touching him there. He stiffened and I knew I had his attention.

I spoke directly into his ear.

“I may spend three days and nights alone with you, but I need you to understand that I will not have sex with you.” I shifted my hand a little and he squirmed. “I will kiss you and I will touch you and I may even get naked with you, but we will not have sex. Do you understand?”

He was quiet and I leaned back, removing my hand. He stared at me for what seemed like forever.

“Yeah, I understand.”

“Good. I’ll pack.”

I stood up and moved around him to go to my closet. Suddenly, my back was to the wall and Dallas was pressed up against me. I could feel the hard on that I intentionally created. He kissed me, then pulled away slightly.

“Yeah, I understand, but you need to understand something too. I will respect you. If you say no, I will not force you. I will worship and honor you. But if we get carried away I will not waste the opportunity. Do
you
understand?”

I nodded, suddenly unsure of my own conviction.

“You go take a shower and I’ll pack your clothes.”

“Uh, no, you’re not packing my clothes.”

“Fine, then I’ll just take a shower with you.”

“When did you turn into such a perv?”

“You started it, Miss Hands. But, a little trust. Let me pack your bag. If you don’t like it, I’ll buy you new clothes.”

I knew I’d lost. “Fine, but you actually have to pack clothes. Not just bathing suits. Don’t forget pajamas. They are in the bottom drawer.”
“Why would I pack you pajamas?”

“If you don’t pack me pajamas, I’m going to make you buy me ugly granny PJs.”

About thirty minutes later, we were finally out of the apartment. Dallas headed straight to a small RV. It looked like a long van, but it was definitely an RV.

“What’s that?”

“We’re going camping.”

“Camping usually involves a tent.”

“Not in my house it doesn’t.”

The RV was small, but modern. There was a bed in the back that was slightly smaller than a double bed. Dallas climbed in behind me.

“Eyeing the bed already? We’ve got a three-hour drive. You’re gonna have to wait.”

I sniffed. “Why do I smell cotton candy?”

He pointed to a bottle of bright pink air freshener in the sink. I picked it up. Cotton candy.

“It took me forever to find.”

I grinned. He’d remembered that my favorite smell was cotton candy. He set my backpack down on the couch that was directly across from the door.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“East, to Wisconsin. We are going to stop in St. Croix tonight and then spend two days in the Apostle Islands.”

I pulled out my purse. “Can we stop at the bank first? I need to deposit my check.”

“Sure, but don’t pull any money out. This trip is completely on me.”

I gave him a look.

“What? I’m serious. Besides, aren’t you saving for some chocolate trip?”

“Yeah. I’m halfway there.”

“Are you going by yourself?”

“I wanted my stepmom to come with me, but she’s getting remarried. I don’t mind being by myself.”

He creased his eyebrows. “That’s just silly. I steal half your chocolate anyway. I’ll go with you.”

I scoffed. “Did I invite you?”

He grinned. “No, but you will.”

He was probably right.

The drive was gorgeous and Dallas kept up a running commentary. I learned more about Paris than Paris would ever want me to know.

We ended up in a quaint little town called St. Croix. We parked the RV in a church parking lot and walked down the street looking for a place to eat dinner. We found a cozy little Italian restaurant that had the best cheese raviolis I’d ever eaten.

Stuffed, we walked to the bridge and looked down at the river rushing below.

“That looks scary.”

“I’ve rafted here before, it’s actually quite fun.”

“No thanks.”

He drove a mile or so down the river and pulled into a campground. The space he had reserved was high up on a cliff, overlooking the river. It was beautiful, if not a little frightening.

Dallas pulled out two folding chairs and set them by the fire pit. He handed me a bottle of bug spray.

“I know it’s stinky, but you’ll regret it if you don’t use it.”

After we’d hooked up all the hoses to the RV, Dallas started the fire using a fire starter.

“You realize that’s cheating, don’t you? My dad would call you a wuss for not doing it the Boy Scout way.”