He laughs, holding the steering wheel with one hand and running the other over my legs. “You don’t need a bet to make that happen.”
God, he just says the sweetest things. “Can you drive like this?” I ask him when he moves his hand to the gear stick.
“Baby, all you have to do is relax and let me take care of you. The rest I’ll figure out.” He goes back to stroking my leg, making my body break out into shivers at the feel of him.
“Question number seventeen.”
“You’re feeling inquisitive today,” he says with a smile.
“Where did you learn how to drive stick?” I ask him, admiring how he’s maneuvering the car, even with my legs in the way.
“James, actually,” he says.
“Really?”
He nods. “He was always the daredevil between the two of us. He craved adrenaline and danger.” Lucas lets out a laugh. “His dad actually taught him how to drive, only around the block, but James was addicted, even after his dad uh…”
I press my lips together, knowing it must pain him to talk about since he lost his dad around the same time. “It must have been hard to see him go through that.”
“Yeah.” He blows out a breath. “It fucking sucked. But it looks like he’s getting better. I just hope everything keeps going well.”
His expression dims, and I miss his smile, so I wiggle my feet in his lap and ask, “So, are you taking me on a date?”
His grin is back as he shakes his head. “You really hate not being in control, don’t you?”
My cheeks heat as I stare up at him. “Not always.” He catches on immediately, letting out a grunt. I love losing control in the bedroom. Letting him take over my body.
“Well, we haven’t exactly had a first date yet,” he says.
“Not true.” He turns to look at me with furrowed brows, and I explain. “I mean, we went to the park, we had a photoshoot, and that gala, you can’t forget that.”
He laughs. “I’ll never forget that,” he says, glancing at me for a second before he turns his attention to the road. “But no, those were all things Ana set up,” he says. “I want to be able to plan this one, make sure no one is around. Only you and I. So that I can kiss you whenever I want to, touch you wherever I want to, and be able to take you right there when your eyes burn with lust for me.”
My lips part, and I have no doubt that if he looked at me, he’d see the lust he’s explaining in my eyes right now.
He chuckles. “It might not have been a date I planned and set up, but I wanted it to be. I wanted you to see I wanted you for real, not part of a fake arrangement.” The car comes to a stop, and I glance out of the window. “But I want to remedy that,” he says. In my line of sight is a hot air balloon with a guy holding a bouquet of roses, and a bottle of champagne, and two flutes.
I don’t even realize Lucas has left the car, when he appears at my side, opening the door and holding out his hand. I place my hand in his and step out, unable to stop my mouth from dropping. “Lucas,” I gasp at the sight.
His fingers intertwine with mine as he walks us up to the private hot-air balloon ride. “Are you ready to go?” he asks.
I can’t even nod. I’m completely speechless as he picks me up and places me inside, hopping in a second later. His hands cup my face, and he leans down to kiss me. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Mads. I want to show you how grateful I am to have you in my life, in my arms.” He places a kiss on my forehead before he pulls back. “In my heart.”
The safety operator hands us a champagne flute, allowing us to drink while he explains the procedure. My eyes drop to the bouquet of roses inside the basket, admiring how big and beautiful the roses are. Honestly, I might have been jealous once or twice whenever Rosie received flowers from Grayson. I don’t think I had ever received flowers before today, and I never thought I would.
Once we’re in the sky, the view is utterly mind-blowing. It’s completely picture-perfect, looking like something straight out of a painting. Golden fields, bathed in the warm sun, A river in the distance, glimmering from the approaching sunset. It’s so peaceful up here with Lucas’ arms wrapped around my waist and his lips pressed against my shoulder.
I turn to Lucas, my heartwarming. “It’s so beautiful,” I whisper with a shake of my head.
His unwavering gaze remains on me as he replies, “Yeah. It is.” His smile makes my insides complete mush when he reaches out and brushes my hair behind my ear, leaning down to press his lips to mine.
I don’t even pay attention to the safety operator inside the basket with us. In this moment, it’s just me and Lucas. No one else. I wrap my arms around his neck and return his kiss, getting lost in the moment. But when a drop of rain hits my head, I wince, pulling back. “No.”
Lucas squints, looking up as more drops of rainfall. “Fuck,” he curses. “I checked the weather. Twice.”
“It seems we’re in for some unexpected rain,” the safety operator says. “And it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.”
“Is everything okay?” Lucas asks.
