Page 110 of Lost & Found

“There she is,” he declared, stalking toward me.

He grabbed me around the middle without warning and lifted me clean off the ground, twirling once before setting me back down. I squealed, clutching his shoulders as he laughed.

“I’m out of tokens,” he said, already backing away. “Don’t let them play without me. I’m about to become the reigning champion.”

Hannah exhaled loudly through her nose. When he returned with more tokens, he stopped in front of me.

“Before I destroy them,” he said solemnly. “I require a good-luck kiss.”

Lisa gasped, “Oh my God, yes.”

I rolled my eyes but stepped forward anyway, grabbing his jaw and pressing a quick kiss to his mouth. His hand slid to my hip and squeezed.

“Win in my honor and I’ll reward you handsomely back at the hotel,” I breathed, brushing the wayward lock of hair from his forehead.

His eyes bore into mine. “Consider it done.”

Reggie clapped, and I laughed at the way Pasha wiggled his eyebrows. And he did win. By the time end of it, his name sat at the top of the three different screens, and he made a dramatic bow in my direction.

Lisa applauded, and Hannah muttered something. I ignored her unhappy ass and planted another kiss on ‘my man’.

Eventually, we wandered back outside and stopped in front of a towering roller coaster. Steel tracks twisted violently against the sky, daring anyone foolish enough to trust it. Pasha’s eyes lit up.

“It’s on the list,” he sang, already pulling me forward. “Or, well, something close. The London eye…” he paused, squinting at the sign, “How bad can the Boardwalk Banshee be?”

“She looks like she was built in the 50s.”

He made a soft clucking sound under his breath. I blinked at him.

“Did you just—”

He put his hands under his arms like a damned chicken.

“Lev,” I warned, trying not to laugh and panic at the same time. “I’m not ready.”

He caught my waist and pulled me into him before I could retreat. “You are. Look at today. You’ve spent the entire day with strangers. You wore a bikini. And looked good enough to eat.”

He playfully nipped at my neck as I pushed his face away. “You handled the ex old ball and chain without flinching. And you’re still smiling,” he sang.

“But it’s so high.” I tilted my head back to glare at the monstrous structure.

“I’ll be right beside you.”

The look on his face stole my breath for an entirely different reason. There was no teasing in it now. Just excitement. Pride. A boyish kind of joy that made my chest ache. It had been a good day.

No, it had been a great one.

“Ride it with me,” he murmured against my ear, sending goosebumps spiraling over my arms and neck.

Why did he have to say it that way? Ride it…I shivered, and the butterflies returned in full force. I had to press my thighs together, praying he wouldn’t notice the obvious movement. Fear of heights versus the promise of him speaking low in my ear the entire time.

“What if I get up there and freak out?” I asked. “What then?”

“Then you scream. Everyone does. It’s one of the only public places you can lose control and nobody questions it.”

“Public places, huh?”

“Well, I’ve been known to—”