Love in Bloom (13 page)

He sat on the corner of her desk.  "I don't need a second job.  But I do need a break.  Have you ever been to an amusement park?"

She flipped her shoes off under the desk.  "No."

"After today, Dr. Conrad, you need to be amused.  We could go Thursday.  After your visit to the hospital, of course."

Her blue eyes held his, then she said softly, "I'd like that."

He'd planned to simply have a day of fun with her, but her gaze and voice turned his insides upside down.  How could one woman pack such a punch? 

It didn't matter.  An amusement park was not designed for romantic interludes.  They would have fun.

****

Paige's eyes widened as she walked beside Clay along the asphalt path into the amusement park.  She'd been amazed by the variety of license plates in the parking lot.  Tourists came from all over the United States.  Most of them towed laughing children as they bubbled with excitement.

Clay insisted on paying her entrance fee.  With a shrug of a shoulder, he said, "It was my suggestion."

Paige thought he'd never looked more handsome or sexy.  He'd gotten his hair trimmed.  Though still shaggy, it lay more sedately over his ears.  She wondered if it was as soft as it looked, or if it was more coarse to the touch.  His black T- shirt stretched over defined muscles.  He'd told Ben he lifted weights.  She could imagine the up-down motion, his muscles pumping, the sweat gleaming on his bronze skin.  Her gaze dropped a bit lower.

His black shorts were beltless, the band flat against his waist.  She'd never seen a man his age in such beautiful condition.  She remembered the way he'd looked in a bathing suit and her heart beat faster.  Thoughts of Clay were becoming too prominent.  This was just a day away from work, a day to have fun.

Clay cupped her elbow and led her to a giant Ferris wheel with cages as cars.  "We'll start out easy."

"Really?  What else do I have to look forward to?"  When-ever he held her, no matter how casually, her heart skipped beats.

"The roller coaster."

"I've seen pictures of them, but I never rode one.  Are you sure they're safe?"

He stopped and turned her toward him.  "This from a woman who rides a raft through a jungle, lives for weeks in the desert?  Dr. Conrad, I'm surprised you could think I'd lead you into danger."

His green eyes could lead her into a kind of danger she'd never known--the danger of losing her heart.  She fought the idea away and smiled.  "Danger's in the eye of the beholder."

He laughed.  "There are two roller coasters.  They're both perfectly safe.  Then there's the ride that turns you upside down."

"I think I'll skip that one.  The only ride I've ever been on is a carousel."

He grabbed her hand.  "Then your experience has been sorely lacking.  Let's get started."

The Ferris wheel was easy.  The cable cars were a snap.  The pirate ship that moved higher back and forth as it swayed made her a little seasick.  The carousel gave her the thrill she remembered as a child, but an even bigger thrill because Clay was riding the lion beside her horse, his hair rumpled from the breeze, his large hands clasped around the pole.  When he grinned at her, she didn't think any ride could be more exciting.

Then came the roller coaster--the monumental one on the wooden tracks.

Clay tried to encourage her.  "It just looks intimidating."

She gazed at the steep hills, the low valleys, what seemed to be miles and miles of weaving track.  "You're sure this is going to be fun."

"Absolutely."  He looked up at the graying sky.  "If it doesn't rain."  He dropped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the entrance.  She felt safe and protected, and not even the size of the roller coaster could diminish that feeing with Clay's arm around her.

But once in the car, Clay's arm wasn't around her.  She held on to the bar in front of her.

Clay tapped her knuckles.  "Relax.  Just go with the sensation."

Paige loosened her grip so her knuckles weren't white.  But as soon as their car started forward, she tightened it again.  Go with it, she told herself.  Go with it.

The mantra lasted until they started to ascend the first steep hill.  She shut her eyes.

Clay whispered in her ear.  "You can't see with your eyes closed."

His breath on her lobe caused chills to break out on her arms.  "What's there to see?" she squeaked, taking a peek.

"Look over there at the gardens, the brilliant colors.  See the lake and..."

"Uh-oh.  I think I want to get off."  They'd almost reached the top of the hill.

Clay put his hand over hers.  "Take a deep breath and--"

His words were lost in the screams and rush of air as they plunged over the top and down to a bottomless valley.  At least it felt that way.  Paige couldn't tell if the scream she'd heard was hers or someone else's.

She had no time to recover from the first swoop.  They ascended a second incline and zoomed to earth again.  She'd just caught her breath when the car swerved around a sharp curve.  She was thrown against Clay and as the car took another sharp drop, her arm went around his chest so she could hold on to something stable.

She felt his sharp intake of breath.  She heard the pounding of his heart.  The warm feel of him against her cheek was her ballast against the wild ride.

The car screeched to a slower speed then coasted to the end of the line.  Neither of them moved.  The thumping of his heart was louder.  The heat emanating from under his shirt steamier.  If she rubbed her cheek against him, what would he do?

She wasn't courageous enough to find out.  Lifting her head, she found his lips only inches away.  His green gaze mesmerized her, and suddenly she went on a second roller coaster ride that had nothing to do with the ride in the amusement park.

He cupped her chin in his hand and caressed her face.  In a moment he'd...

"Miss.  Mister.  We're loadin' up."

A teenager stood beside the track, waiting to unhitch the safety bar so they could disembark.  A long line of patrons waited to climb into the cars.

Paige broke away from Clay and knew she was turning at least three shades of red.  "Sorry."  She didn't glance at Clay, but stepped out and hurried down the ramp.  She didn't stop until she reached the main thoroughfare.

When she stopped, Clay was close behind her.  He asked casually, "Was it worth the thrill?"

He was talking about the roller coaster ride, but what she remembered was his hand on her cheek.  "I'd try it again sometime."  She was curious, intrigued, excited that Clay's touch could create the same sensations as a roller coaster.  Had he felt anything as he held her?  She wasn't brave enough to ask.

What if he kissed her?  Then what?  She'd be leaving; he'd be staying.  Then again, what harm could one kiss do?

They went to the shows at the park between trying the rides.  Paige was especially aware of Clay's nearness.  He seemed careful not to touch her again.  She wondered what was going through his head as they watched the performers sing and dance.  The entertainment was professional, but her mind was on Clay.

The show-tune review over, they stepped out of the building.  The sky was a more sullen gray.  Dark clouds skittered by, blown by a breeze that hadn't been evident before.

Clay said, "A thunderstorm's brewing.  Do you want to take a chance and get something to eat or leave now?"

"Let's get something to eat."  She didn't particularly want the day to end.  This having fun could be addictive, especially when she was having fun with Clay.

The lines of tourists had thinned so they didn't have to wait long for their food at the streetside restaurant.  Clay carried their plates of burgers and fries to a table with an umbrella.  Paige set down the drinks and napkins.  But as soon as she did, the wind picked up the napkins, tossing them to the asphalt, then sending them across the street.

Clay waited until Paige sat before he took his seat.  "We'd better eat fast if we don't want to get wet."

Paige took a bite from her hamburger.  "Do you come here often?"

"Two or three times a season."

Her curiosity got the best of her.  "Who with?"

"Trish and I usually come once.  Friends other times."

That didn't tell her what she wanted to know.  "Do you date much?"

He popped a few fries into his mouth.  "Now and then."

She didn't swear.  If she did, now would be the time.  "No one can evade questions better than you."

"What do you want to know, Paige?  Should I give you a list of women I've seen in the last six months?"

"Do you have one?"

He was stone silent for a moment, then he laughed and tweaked the end of her nose.  "For a minute there, I thought you were serious."

She wasn't sure if she was or not.  "I just wondered if there was anyone...special."

The wind whipped up the side of Clay's plate.  He held it with one hand, picked up his burger with the other, and didn't meet her gaze.  "There's no one special."

His voice was rough as if the admission was difficult, and she knew she'd better drop the subject.  Their close contact on the roller coaster had ended their ability to have comfortable conversation.  Now everything seemed to be a land mine.

Large drops of rain plopped on the umbrella and the pavement.  Clay stood.  "Do you want to get stuck in a gift shop or make a run for the car?"

"Let's go to the car.  We don't know how long it will last."

They dumped their plates and cups and hurried toward the exit.  When they'd walked from the lot to the entrance, it hadn't seemed so far.  Now with the drizzle and wind, the car was in no-man's-land.  Halfway across the parking lot, the rain came down in earnest.  It pelted Paige's face and molded her blouse to her body.  By the time Clay unlocked the passenger side of the SUV and opened the door for her, she was drenched.

She climbed in and unlocked his side.  He slid in with a rush and slammed the door.  He rested his arms on the steering wheel then looked over at her.  "Think we made the wrong choice?"

She laughed--a free laugh that floated around the inside of the car.  Clay joined in.

She wiped laugh-tears away from her eyes and pushed her wet hair behind her ears...and shivered.

Clay must have seen it because he turned in his seat and fished on the floor in the back for something.  He lifted a black flannel jacket and handed it to her.  "Wipe off with this and put it around your shoulders."  He flipped on the ignition.  "I'll turn on the heater."

"You're wet, too."

He jabbed the buttons on the dashboard.  "I'll dry."

She shook the sleeve of the jacket at him.  "It'll be over an hour until we get home."

"I'm fine."