Page 92 of Watching Her

“I’m sorry. Then we have something in common.”

Very slowly, he turned his head toward me, a quiet reverence shifting between us that hadn’t been there before.

The silence between us wasn’t empty; it felt heavy and full, like a bridge we were both building without saying a word. I kept my eyes locked on his and knew, with a strange and sudden certainty, that our internal clocks had just synced up. I didn’t have to explain my thoughts. He was already there. Reading my mind.

Testing my trust.

Hungering for my body as well as my soul.

And at that moment, that’s what I wanted to do. To give him everything.

I took his hand into mine, squeezing his fingers. “Don’t worry, Christian. I’ll keep you safe.”

The sentiment shattered the moment, but didn’t toss it away, only capturing and keeping it for later. His smile allowed my own tension to fade.

“Of that I have no doubt, sweet Penelope. You are a true angel in a world full of demons.”

“Including you?”

“Especially me.”

As our car reached the top, the conversation was dropped. With my oohs and aahs, there was no way I could hear anything he had to say.

“You do know you’re captive with me,” I tossed out, enjoying teasing him.

“Actually,” he growled. “It’s the other way around.”

“Nothing about this or us is usual. You should have figured that out by now.” I didn’t mind twisting his words and tossing them in his face. It was enjoyable to watch him in his shift from being affronted to accepting I had no intention of playing by anyone’s rules.

“You are very… unusual.”

As the ride came close to the bottom, the seat swinging as it always did from the pull of gravity, I cocked my head and scrunched up my face. For an exaggerated wink. “Yes, I am and I still think you’re a stalker in disguise.”

“Perhaps you’re right, but what’s wrong with keeping a beautiful woman safe?”

“Nothing, as long as the man doing so doesn’t cross the line.” As the ride was pulled to the ground, swinging backward to reach the top all over again, I threw my arms up.

He was once again white knuckled with the handlebar.

“What if the man has no lines?”

“Then I guess he’s in the clear.” I was expecting the ride to slow as obviously the ride operator had been told to keep us at the very pinnacle for a few extra minutes. When it stopped, I took a deep breath.

“You should really learn never to tease the man stalking you.”

“So you admit it.”

The seat finally stopped swinging and suddenly, he didn’t seem as apprehensive as before, yet I was still shocked when he lifted the bar.

“What are you doing?” I had no fear of heights, but I wasn’t about to crawl all over the ride.

“Come here.”

For the first time that I could remember, I peered down at the ground. I wasn’t any more fearful of heights, but I did notice the operator had walked away. “You’re up to something.”

“I have never been told I’m up to anything because I never hesitate in taking an action under any circumstances. Now I need you on my lap.”

It wasn’t a request, but a demand that added to the moments of shivering around him. While I was very careful and as soon as the car moved up and down a tiny squeal pushed past my lips, I was excited.