AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Seriously?”
“Come on.Don’tbe intimidated because I’m a pro.”
I roll my eyes at him but can’t hide my amusement. “You know your actual job isn’t to bump into other cars. You’re supposed to avoid doing that.”
He doesn’t get pissy like I expect him to. He just grins wide as we move up the line. “This is more fun.”
I study him quietly as he engages with a couple of people who recognize him, along with several little kids, whose eyes light up when they realize they’re going to be playing bumper cars with Royal Dutton.
And he’s charming. He doesn’t curse. He doesn’t tell them to try to hurt other people in their cars. In fact, he even helps a couple of the kids buckle in properly when it’s our turn to find a car.
“All right, Soren.” He settles into a hot-pink car with all the bravado and confidence I’m used to from him, but his smile is bright. “This is called fun. You’re going to hate it at first.” I climb into the dark-green car next to his and shoot him an annoyed look. “But stop resisting it so much. You’ll learn to love it.”
Before I can tell him to fuck off, the ride starts, and cars are spinning around, bumping into each other like crazy. I can hear Royal laughing as he playfully chases some of the entranced kids around and then lets them slam into his car.
I’m hit pretty hard by a kid on my side, and then I decide to do what he said—I stop resisting it, and I have fun.
And he wasn’t wrong. It’s a damn blast. We ride a few more rides around us but end up at the bumper cars a few more times before it starts to get dark and the park is close to shutting down for the night.
I look over at a large roller coaster that’s lit up and actually looks kind of pretty with the sky in the background. “Should we do that one?”
Royal looks behind him, his eyes going wide as he turns back to me, shaking his head. “Hell no.”
I can’t hide my laugh. “Are you kidding me? Royal Dutton is afraid of rollercoasters? How the hell can that be, Mr. Badass Racer?”
He’s not amused, and he almost looks a little sheepish and embarrassed or I’d swear he’s messing with me. “It’s not the speed, it’s the height. I don’t like heights, okay?”
I study him again and still can’t hold back my laughter. It just seems so ridiculous.
“Fuck off.”
I laugh again because there’s no heat in his words at all. “I have to tell them this,” I say, lifting my phone, and he grabs it instantly.
“No way!”
“Come on.” I struggle to get my phone back, still in a fit of laughter. “They’ll love this. Totally makes you look like less of a shithead.”
“Oh, thanks.” He holds my phone way up in the air, keeping it from me, but he’s light and playful. His laugh joins mine.
“Why don’t you take a picture of us with it in the background and tell them we were both brave badasses.”
“I can’t lie to my followers.” I place my hand over my heart. “They know they can trust me.”
He rolls his eyes exaggeratedly at me, but he laughs and hands me my phone. “Tell them whatever you want.” The moment sobers us.
He didn’t exactly say he trusts me, but it’s sort of implied.
Instead, I pull the camera up and turn so the bumper car ride is in the background, pulling him to my side. I quickly snap a picture before I overthink too much about his body this close to mine. I look at the picture and show him, noticing not only how happy he looks but how happy I look too.
It’s strange, and I don’t want to dwell on it.
He nods his head in approval, and I post the picture on my Instagram, promising a story to come.
I’ve hinted at a new project I’m working on, but as soon as I post it, I start to overthink a little bit.
“Maybe I should delete that.”
“What? Why?” Royal asks as the park starts to shut down, and we make our way to the exit.”
