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The next thing I knew, I had forgotten all about our conversation. Instead, I was back at my keyboard, creating an intimate dialogue between Marc and his new love interest… before he killed her.
Chapter Nine
Guy
I was thrilled when I arrived at Ariel's apartment. We hadn't seen each other since the book signing, and I couldn't wait to connect with her again. The prospect of visiting an elephant and a boa constrictor had never sounded like so much fun! Swinging open the door to the lobby, I pressed the intercom button to alert her that I had arrived.
"I'm coming right down!" Ariel's voice crackled through the speaker.
A few minutes later, the elevator doors slid open, and she stood in front of me, grinning from ear to ear. Ariel wore a fitted sundress that showed off her curves, her hair was pulled back with a headband, and the rims of her glasses were dark purple, matching her sneakers perfectly. She was cute and sexy rolled into one. Invigorated by her unique style, I was eager to get to know her better.
"Wow," I breathed, unable to take my eyes off her. "You look… incredible."
"Thanks," she said, blushing prettily as she stepped closer to me. "You look pretty great yourself."
I chuckled and grabbed her hand, leading us toward my new vintage Aston Martin. "What adventure do you want to start with, Safari Park or the Aquatic Animal Adventure?” I asked with a wink.
"What are you talking about? I thought you'd never been to the zoo before?"
"Internet! It's a handy tool."
"You cheated...."
"Nah, not me...You mind if I let the top down?"
Ariel nodded, readjusting her headband. "Let's do it!"
I pressed a button on the key fob, and the convertible's top began to lower. Once it was all the way down, I helped Ariel into the passenger seat before making my way around to the driver's side.
Settling into my seat, I turned to Ariel with a grin. "Ready for this?"
She nodded, her eyes shining with excitement. "Ready as I'll ever be."
I pressed on the gas, and we were off, wind whipping through our hair as we made our way toward Safari Park close to downtown San Diego. I had never been so excited to visit a zoo in my life. And I had a feeling that Ariel was going to make it even more enjoyable.
We arrived at the park and made our way through the gates. The first animal we came to was an elephant. "Oh my gosh, he's so big!" Ariel exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared at the massive creature.
"Yeah, I'm jealous." I snickered, wondering if she got my drift. But when she hurried away to get some peanuts to feed the pachyderm, I was pretty sure she missed my point. And for some reason, I was refreshed by that.
We made our way through the zoo, stopping to see the giraffes, lions, tigers, and even the Komodo dragons. Ariel was enthralled by each and every animal, asking questions and taking pictures. She even managed to get a picture of me feeding a baby zebra, which made her laugh. "You look like a little kid," she said, shaking her head as she looked at the picture. "Meagan told me once that your parents divorced. Does your mom still live in California?"
"Yeah, she does," I said, my stomach tightening as I thought of my mom. I hadn't seen her in years, and I had no desire to. "But I haven't talked to her in a while."
"I'm sorry," Ariel said, reaching over to hold my hand. "I know it's hard when parents split up. I was really sad when my folks filed for divorce and Dad moved out.”
“And I was sorry, too, when I heard about your father’s death. And your Mom?" I inquired, studying her petite fingers inside my palm.
"Oh, she's around, trust me. She still lives in our old neighborhood in LA... Mom's still mad at me for not moving back closer to her."
I gestured toward a bench for us to sit and rest and tried not to stare at her cleavage when she leaned down to take a rock out of her shoe. But my naughtiness won out. And it didn't take much imagination for me to picture the edge of her nipple not far below the fabric of her sundress. When my cock strained against my zipper, I cleared my throat to focus and hoped she wouldn't notice, "Why didn't you move back home? It's not like San Diego is Denver or Miami. It's only a few hour's drive away. Does it have anything to do with your ex? I mean, you mentioned the other day you had... well, an ex."
Ariel gave me a sideways glance. Then, alarmed that I had pressed the subject too soon, I held out my hands in defense. "Oh, you don't have to answer that. I was just curious. You know, Meagan never mentioned much about what you did with your life after graduation other than you were living in Europe."
She sighed and looked away. And I offered a silent prayer - to a God that I was pretty sure I'd pissed off a long time ago - but just in case he was still listening, I asked for his help with what I was trying to say. My intentions were good, well some of them were, at least. But, most of all, I didn't want to upset Ariel and ruin everything.... and later listen to my sister tell me what an ass I'd made of myself.
Ariel turned to me, her dark eyes clouded with emotion. "I moved back home for a while after graduation. But it didn't work out. My mom and I drove each other crazy. So I left and went to Europe. It was always a dream of mine to travel the world."
"Did you?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. "Travel the world, I mean?"
