Crushed (Rushed #2) (25 page)

"What if I want to? What if it's how I see you and I want you to know?" His eyes were shining and completely serious.

I had no answer, except the wild beating of my heart.

His smile was dazzling. "I'm trying to prove I'm more than a hookup. I can be something more serious." He brushed my lips with a kiss.

More serious. I liked the sound of that. "Where are we going?" I asked again as we pulled out of the driveway.

"On the quintessential Seattle date."

"The Wheel!" I clapped and laughed. Since its completion while we were in high school, no relationship was legit without a ride on the giant Ferris wheel downtown on the waterfront.

He grinned. "And Sylvester the mummified man. I'll buy you all the cheap touristy curios you want."

"All?"

"Absolutely everything you can carry."

"I can carry?" I bumped him playfully with my shoulder. "You won't be my packhorse?"

"Absolutely not." But he was grinning.

"The market?"

He nodded. "We'll watch them toss fish."

"Beecher's mac and cheese?" My stomach almost rumbled at the thought of it.

"If you want. But I have dinner planned for later."

"We're hitting all the touristy stuff downtown?" I squeezed his hand.

"Yeah."

The morning had been foggy. Marine air. Onshore flow. That was what we called it in Seattle. In the late fall, it sometimes didn't burn off until late in the daylight hours, if at all. It was lifting as the driver pulled to a stop in front of the Wheel. Dak gave instructions to the driver, took my hand, and helped me out.
 

He bought our tickets and we stood in line to be loaded. We shared a gondola with a couple from British Columbia who were down celebrating an American Thanksgiving. The view over the sound to the Olympic Mountains was stunning. Even better was the possessive feel of Dak's arm around me as we watched the ferries coming and going. When our gondola stopped at the very top, he tipped my face toward his and kissed me, sweetly, deeply, full of passion. The tenderness of it rocked my world.

"How long have you been dating?" the woman from BC asked us.

Dak slung his arm over my shoulders. "This is our first date." He looked so casual and handsome.

"Your first date!" Her eyes went wide. "I would never have guessed. You seem so comfortable with each other." She smiled widely. "You two have something special. I see a long future together ahead for you." She wagged her finger at us to make her point. "I know special when I see it. I know the one. I've never been wrong. Didn't I tell you, Roy, that my brother would marry Connie? And that was after the first time I saw them together."

Roy looked apologetic, but his wife would not be stopped.

"Big things!" she said. "You'll be married inside two years or I miss my guess."

"The good news for her is, she'll never know whether you are or aren't. Her record will remain intact." Roy winked at us.

His wife gave him a playful shove.

"We've been friends for a while," I said.

"Friends first, that always works best," the woman said.

After the Wheel, we went to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, then up the hill to Pike Place Market, which was crowded with shoppers already preparing for Thanksgiving. We stood in line at Beecher's and bought a cup of mac and cheese to share. The market was always crowded. There was no place nearby to sit.
 

I grabbed Dak's hand and pulled him along. "I know where there are always tables."

"Where? In the market? You're crazy. This place is always packed."

"Shows how little you know. Of course in the market!" I pulled him past the shops and restaurants and down the stairs at the far end of the market to the floor below. Sure enough, there were half a dozen available tables, just like always.

"See!" I pointed. "Most people don't come down here. They don't even know these tables exist."

"An in-depth knowledge of the market. I'm impressed." He held a chair out for me.

I sat and held a finger to my lips. "Shhhh. Don't spread the word about these tables. They're our little secret." I laughed. I couldn't believe I was so happy. With Dakota Bradley.

He handed me a plastic fork. We dove into our mac and cheese together. It was gooey, cheesy, and rich. Perfect.

"Having fun?" he asked.

I grinned at him. "What do you think?" I rubbed my foot over his.

"I wish we were at school." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"No more hookups," I said.

"I wasn't talking about a hookup." He held my gaze. "I was talking about something more."

I looked down, embarrassed and afraid I would give my deep longing away.

Our plastic forks clicked and our fingers brushed as we both dove in for another bite of food.

He cleared his throat. "How are things at home? How was the family thing yesterday?"

"Horrible!" I rolled my eyes and twisted my mouth to one side. I took a deep breath. "At dinner last night, my dad and stepmom made a big announcement. You know how I thought I was going to have a little sister who would be daddy's new princess?" Dak had teased me about that before.

He nodded.

"Turns out, the princess is going to be a prince. They showed the new ultrasound pictures, featuring his little dick. Just to prove the point. He's a cute little guy. He was sucking his thumb. You could even tell he looks a lot like Dad." I couldn't keep the fear out of my voice.

"That's great!" He saw my face and stopped. "What's wrong?"

I forced myself to smile. "Besides the fact that I have to return all the girl stuff I bought for the shower and get boy things?"

"Small detail." He reached across and squeezed my hand.

I swallowed hard. "Dad's always wanted another boy. I was supposed to be the replacement for my older brother who died. Now this little guy will be."

Dak looked sympathetic. "Being the replacement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Think unrealistic expectations. Your dad loves you." He grinned. "I could tell by the way he looked like he wanted to kill me when we first met."

I laughed.
 

"Cheer up. It will be okay," he said.

"What about you?" I asked. "You survived a bad party. What else have you been up to?"

He shrugged, watching me closely. "Zach and I hung out yesterday."

I realized he was looking for my reaction, trying to see how I felt about Zach. "That's nice. I'm glad he's doing well." I bit my lip and screwed up my courage. "It's crazy how things change after a crush dies. I used to think Zach was the hottest guy on campus."

Dakota's face became a mask.

I laughed. "And now I think you are."
 

His eyes lit up. He smiled and pulled me into a kiss. "Tell me again how hot I am."

I shook my head and grinned. "You're impossible."

We finished our mac and cheese and went back into the main part of the market. We watched the guys at the fish counter toss and wrap fish. Explored the vegetable, fruit, and flower stalls. Dak bought me the largest bouquet of fresh fall flowers he could find. Then made me carry them.

It was getting dark by the time we left the market, even though it was only a little after five. We walked up the hill to the shopping district. Holiday dresses graced every department store window.

I saw the most gorgeous powder-blue one in the window of one of my favorite stores. I stopped to admire it, and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Dak gave me a worried look.

"That dress would be perfect for the winter semiformal the week after we get back."

"So buy it," he said. "Let's go in. You can try it on for me." He gave me a wolfish smile.

I shook my head. "What's the point? I'm on social probation, remember?"

He frowned. "We could still go in and see if they have your size."

"No," I said. "That would only depress me. Ugh. It's going to be excruciating watching all the excitement of getting ready while I sit on the sidelines."

"I don't want my girl depressed. Let's go." He squeezed my hand and led me to Westlake.
 

We browsed the mall. Then he called the limo and we drove back to the waterfront and had dinner at a restaurant on the pier looking out on the sparkling night waters of Puget Sound. The meal was phenomenal. For dessert, we had their famous flaming volcano cake.

After dinner, Dak called the limo again. I thought he would take us home.
 

"I have one more surprise," Dak said.

The limo dropped us off at the Wheel again.
 

Dak took my hand. "We saw it during the day. I thought we should see it at night."

We went to the ticket window.
 

"I want the VIP package." He pulled out his wallet.

"What!" I said. "No, we don't need that."

He looked at me. "We do."

The clerk smiled at us. "You're in luck. It's available. What T-shirt sizes do you need?"

"We get a T-shirt?" I grinned.

"This isn't the frat. But we have to have a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion."

We gave the clerk our sizes. He handed us two T-shirts and vouchers for a champagne toast at a nearby restaurant. "You have to be twenty-one for those," he said.

Dak didn't reply. I hooked my shirt over my purse.

"Not going to wear it?" he asked.

"It clashes with my dress."

He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me close.

The VIP gondola had leather seats. And we didn't have to share it with anyone else. As part of the package, we were taken to the front of the line and loaded first.

I snuggled into him in the gondola. The stars sparkled above. The city sparkled below.
 

"It's breathtaking," I whispered, in awe.

"You're breathtaking." Dak tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I've never felt this way about anyone. I'm falling in love with you."

My pulse raced. He looked at me expectantly. I slid my arms around his neck. "I'm falling in love with you, too."

He kissed me, tenderly at first, and then with skilled yearning. He kissed my breath away. I slid into his lap.

"You are so damn beautiful." He stroked my cheek. "As soon as we turn twenty-one, I'm taking you back here and we'll have that champagne toast."

The thought of us still being together at our birthdays made my pulse race. Hookup guys didn't talk long term, as in months ahead.

"We're supposed to each be having a huge bash, trying to outdo each other," I said. "I've been dreaming of my birthday run. I've planned it down to my outfit and the banner I'm going to wear."

"You'll come to the Tau Psi house." His eyes danced.
 

"First stop." I smiled seductively at him.

"Make it your last. I'll be waiting for you with a big-ass bottle of your favorite alcoholic beverage. And then I'll show you my room." He winked.

I laughed. A frat guy "showing you his room" was, of course, code for having sex there. "At midnight, we'll ring in your birthday with a bottle of your favorite."

"What? You're trying to horn in on my birthday celebration now?" He ran his fingers through my hair.

"No. Yours will be completely separate. I'm actually sharing and giving you a fighting chance at an epic birthday. Mine's on Saturday and yours is on Sunday. So I have the party advantage. Sunday everyone will just be hung over.

"If we celebrate together—my birthday until midnight on Saturday, and then yours until dawn—yours can be awesome, too."

"Sounds good to me. Two parties together will be twice as legendary."