Page 75 of Angels Fall

“Tunnels? But I thought we had to do the drone—” That’s all I get out because she smacks me on the arm.

And then I grab her, pull her in, and give her a long, hungry kiss. Under the late November moon. On top of the Hoover Dam. The dark, murky blackness of The Colorado River below our feet. The same murky blackness that I used to fantasize about hurling myself into when I was a kid and things would start to look bleak.

The reason I never actually did that is because I hate quitting and I hate giving up. If the world wants to take me out, it can do it on its own, it’s not getting any help from me.

And in Maddie, I recognize that same thing. She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever seen. I felt it when we reconnected, and it was confirmed when I found out it was her. She doesn’t have to forgive me for not being there for her. Shit, I don’t know if I’d forgive me. But if she’s really gonna give me a chance, I’m gonna make goddamn sure she doesn’t have to shoulder anything alone ever again. Fucking bank on that shit.

And the only thing I wanna throw myself into now… is her.

My hands draw down to her ass and pull her hips into me, into my already hard cock, and she stops kissing me and pulls back.

“Oh, hello.” She smirks.

“Hi,” I say, stroking back strands of hair that are being pushed into her face by the wind.

“We don’t have to do anything sexy, huh?” she asks.

I fight the urge to grimace. “Nope!” I work out of my lying mouth.

“But can we?” she says, putting her hand on the growing bulge in my jeans. “If we want to?” Her mouth is millimeters from mine.

“Uh…yeah. That would be… that would be fine,” I somehow manage. Like a fucking BOSS.

She closes her eyes and smiles.

“And then we… drooooone?” she hums out, turning the word into an onomatopoeia.

“Oh, yeah,” I say. “Hell, yeah. We’ll drone the fuck outta some shit,” I pant back, just about ready to burst through the zipper of my pants. “We’ll drone this motherfucker like Three the Hard Way… I just wanna explore a tunnel first,” I say, the corners of my lips turning up.

Her smile widens, she grabs my beard, pulls me against her mouth, flicks her tongue out, licking at my lips, and says, “I’ll bet.”

OK. That’s it.

I grab the drone in one hand, her hand in the other, and we gallop over to the elevator that will take us five hundred feet below the earth so that we can… explore.

MADDIE

The elevators are huge. Built to take whole crowds of people down in the dam’s interior. And the thrum of power churning through the whole structure vibrates under my feet. We stand alone in the center of the elevator as it descends. Tyler’s hand still has mine and it feels a little… sweet. Our first date. A real date.

I glance up and find him smiling.

“You’re like… Mr. Happy tonight,” I say. But in my head I think, Just wait. Pretty soon you’re gonna be a whole lot happier.

He shrugs, still smiling as the elevator stops and the doors open. He leads me out into the dimly lit tunnel, which really is an actual tunnel. With jagged rock walls and a coolness that feels a little humid. The entire place feels like pent-up energy—appropriate, since that’s what it is.

“So the tunnel—” Tyler starts, then stops when I take the drone out of his hand and set it down gently on the concrete floor.

“Yes, it’s a very nice tunnel,” I say, pushing him backwards. “Super nice tunnel,” I continue, setting my backpack down next to the drone. “But these tunnels have been here for decades.” I place both hands on his chest, palms flat, and look up into his eyes. “We’ve got lots of time to see the tunnels. They’re not going anywhere.”

“Hey, Mads,” he says, his hands slipping down to rest on my hips, pulling me closer. His stare intent on mine. “I’m not going anywhere either.”

I swallow hard, then force a smile back that, it turns out, isn’t really forced. There’s time for all that serious talk later. Tonight is just gonna be fun, I decide. So I say, “OK.” Because maybe I really believe him.

He leans down, his mouth on mine, his hands slipping under the hem of my t-shirt and jacket and sliding up my ribcage, and we seal his promise with a kiss that means more than OK.

“What should we do now?” he whispers into my mouth, his fingertips pulling my bra down so he can play with my nipples. That sends a shudder of desire through my whole body, making me smile back into our kiss.

“I have a surprise for you,” I say.