Page 5 of Fall For Me
“A girl never reveals her secrets,” I say with a wink.
Turning away, I lead him back towards the Chevy truck he rented. As we drive down the desert highway, I navigate our way through the maps app, the lights of Las Vegas disappearing behind us. Rock music plays low on the radio station, and I can’t stand it. If there’s anything my dad taught me, besides hockey, it’s that you always listen to rock full blast. Reaching over, I crank it up and roll down the window, then stick my hand outside to catch the wind and sing “Still of the Night” by Whitesnake at the top of my lungs without a care in the world.
Sean turns down the radio. “You sound like a busted-up dying cat.”
“And you sound like a dick.”
When I look over, I swear the side of his mouth quirks up just a bit.
We reach our destination, and he pulls over, parking on the side of the road.Leaning over, he looks through my window at the padlocked gate, then back at me.
“Ready to do something crazy?” I ask, opening the door.
The interior light illuminates Sean’s handsome face, and a hint of a smile tips up at the edge of his full lips again. It’s so faint . . . so quick, I almost miss it.
“Damn, Rebel. I didn’t think you had it in you, but you keep proving me wrong,” he breathes out, killing the engine.
My pulse kicks up a notch, but I force myself to shut the door and cross the street. As I step onto the wooden fence post to start climbing, I look back and find him scratching the back of his neck.
“If we get caught, who’s our first phone call to bail us out of jail?”
“The key to trespassing is not getting caught. The longer you linger,” I grunt, hauling my leg over the top, “the higher our chances are of that happening, so put a move on it.”
My feet hit the ground with a thud, then I dust off my hands and watch him take his sweet time hiking his leg over the fence.
“Let’s go, slow poke.”
“Are you always so bossy?”
“Oh my god. You’re totally scared,” I tease, watching him climb up slowly.
“It’s only a six-foot climb,” he grumbles, then two black boots land together on solid ground.
Phone in hand, I pull up the flashlight app and shine the beam onto the trail, side-stepping cacti as we approach a rock wall. It’s not that much of a climb from the hill we’re on, but we’re already pretty high up.
He’s going to hate this.
“Don’t look down,” I warn him before we start the climb.
“Can’t believe I let you rope me into this shit.”
I take a deep breath, then begin scaling the rocks.
What the hell are you thinking, Hannah? This is stupid!
My belly scrapes against the rough surface as I heave myself over the top and push to stand. Glancing down at my battered hands, I dust them off, then lift my chin and stare out at the most magnificent view of Las Vegas.
“Wow,” I say in wonder.
“Yeah,” Sean says from beside me.
As his hand accidentally brushes mine, a prickling sensation skitters alongmy skin, and my heartbeat thunders in my ears. Stepping away from him, I move closer to the cliff’s edge and sit down, dangling my feet. I pull my phone out of my back pocket and click the music app. Tapping the icon for the playlist I want, I click shuffle, then set the cell on the rock beside me. “Nutshell” by Alice in Chains plays low in the background of our comfortable silence as I look out over the city.
I zone out, my thoughts running away from me, until his deep voice hits my ears. “Great song.”
“Reminds me of my life. Though the invisible chains I’m bound by are the ones I’ve placed on myself.” The heels of my shoes hit the rocks as I swing my legs back and forth. “Truth is, I never wanted to be a disappointment. I respect my father more than anyone. He rearranged his entire life to raise me on his own after my mother died.”
“That’s parenting, Hannah.”
