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Poppy turns back around to the Island Route attendant behind the counter. “Do you have any availability this late in the day for the Jamaican Bobsled excursion?”
“Are you serious?”
“What? You wanted to go on the cannabis tour?” She giggles.
Unable to help myself, I wrap my arms around her, resting my chin on her shoulder. “Please tell me this is a go.”
The attendant waves a packet of tickets at me. “It’s a go.”
Poppy looks over her shoulder, her big blue eyes connecting with mine, and I swear there’s more to this than playful teasing when she says, “We’re a go, Dr. Weston.”
A hopeful lump becomes lodged in my throat as I stand here holding her.Please don’t let me fuck this up.
The attendant interrupts our moment asking for pesky details in exchange for the tickets. “Do you need anything before you head out?
“I don’t think so. I have sunscreen in my bag,” Poppy advises, like we do this all the time. I can’t get the damn smile off of my face.
“If you’ll wait right here, we have a few more guests joining us. We’ll head out in the next ten to fifteen minutes.”
Poppy turns to face me. Her sun-kissed skin is all aglow. For a moment, I’m tempted to ask her who the little boy was from earlier, but I’d only give myself away. How could I be in a conference and simultaneously watching her off of my balcony?
She reaches into her purse and retrieves a hair tie, which she wraps around her soft, blonde locks. I can’t help but admire the soft skin along her throat as she arches her neck to secure her hair. I want to trail my tongue from her collarbone to her ear, but that might be pushing it.
“Please tell me you’ve never done this.”
I laugh out loud. “I’ve definitely never done this.”
“Good. I like knowing we’re both out on a limb here.” There’s probably no better phrase to describe my relationship with her.Out on a limb.
The driver arrives, and we’re escorted to the front of the resort, where the van awaits. Thank fuck it’s in better shape than that thing Poppy rode in from the airport. The six of us climb in and get settled as we make the fifteen-minute ride to the Mystic Mountain Bobsled. We’re told we’ll first have the opportunity to ride the Sky Explorer over Mystic Mountain and the coast before boarding the Bobsled ride.
I’m dying to put my arm around Poppy on the way there. Bury my face in her hair and trail kisses along the soft skin at the back of her ear. But I’m trying to stay focused. This unexpected trip has already exceeded my expectations for today. I don’t want to push my luck and ruin this.
In no time at all, we’re driving up the steep incline to the mountain. A guide greets us and takes us to check-in before escorting us to the Sky Explorer. It’s basically like riding a ski lift, except this one takes you through the tropical rain foliage.
As the lift breeches the palm trees and rainforest, the turquoise waters of the Caribbean 700 feet below us come into view. Poppy lets out a gasp as she grabs my hand, her mouth ajar at the stunning view below. But I can barely pull my eyes away from the stunning view in front of me. She’s breathtaking. So open and real. Closing my eyes, I try to sketch this into my memory for later. This whole trip will have been worth it for just this moment.
As the Sky Explorer ride returns to where we began, we exit the chair lift and make our way to the Bobsled ride. The green and yellow vehicles of the rollercoaster are modeled after the cars used by the 1988 Jamaican Olympic Bobsled team. We are each assigned our own small vehicle. Poppy seems eager to go first.
“You sure this thing is safe, Pop?” I ask as she buckles in. The thing looks as if it is barely attached to the metal tracks below. Looking down at her, I’m met with the most glorious smile. Hell, if I’ve got to die, at least I’ll have that vision in my head when I go.
I chuckle at her squeal as the car starts its descent. Following her lead, I squeeze myself into this little coaster and buckle up. Suddenly, the thing takes off, flying through the air as if I’m hurtling to my death. I’ve never been a big fan of rollercoasters. But I was jumping at the chance to try something new with her. Yet, no matter how hard I attempt to stomp on the breaks, this thing feels like at any moment it could fly off the rails like something from aBugs Bunny &Road Runnercartoon.
As my sled finally comes to a halt, I spot Poppy clapping and jumping up and down, her ponytail bouncing behind her. It takes physical force to push myself out of the car after that adrenalin rush.
“Oh my gosh. That was awesome,” she shrieks, flinging her arms around me.
No, this is awesome.I’d ride it ten times if I knew this was waiting for me at the end.
“Thank you for coming with me. I was afraid to admit how nervous I was. I never do anything like this. Like, ever.”
My heart is pounding, but I honestly can’t tell if it’s from the ride or her. Her cheeks are rosy from her excited state. What I’d give to cup them in my hands and kiss her. But I don’t know that I’ll be able to stop the next time I do.
Reaching for her hand, I pull her along beside me as we walk back to the van. I’ve never felt anything this natural in my life. It’s like the universe hand plucked this woman just for me. There’s no wonder I haven’t been able to stop thinking of her since the moment I laid eyes on her.
Poppy Danforth is mine. I’m certain of it.
As we walk into the main lobby of the hotel, I pull her into me. “Please say you’ll have dinner with me?”
