He had transferred to her school freshman year. His first day, he took the seat next to her in chemistry, and they ended up lab partners. She’d never been a fan of science class but found herself looking forward to third hour more and more each day. He always made her laugh, and he seemed like he was interested in getting to know her—the part of her beyond the senator’s daughter.
Zach’s hand grasped hers. “Ready for this?”
Her breath hitched. Nodding, she let him lead her onto the single train car. He pointed out a seat in the middle and let her slide in first so she could see out the window. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
“Mind over matter. Wanna practice?”
“No.” What she wanted was to be curled up on a chaise lounge on the beach of the island resort, running through her final checklist one last time, not flirting with death in a rickety old railway car.
They were on the last trip of the day, so there were only a handful of other passengers. A family of five occupied three rows at the front. A young couple sat across the aisle, and a group of backpackers had taken over the rear of the car. Reagan looked out the window as the train shuddered and inched backward. Tiny pinpricks danced across her face at the movement. Evidently, they’d travel up the hill in reverse which meant she’d have to look down the hill on the return trip as they careened toward the bottom. Her hand scrambled for something to grab but all she found was Zach’s thigh.
“Can you abuse this instead?” he asked, offering his hand.
She nodded and wrapped her hand around his, squeezing hard as a voice came over the loudspeaker and warned them they’d be traveling a mile, some of it at about a seventy-degree angle, at a speed of about six-hundred feet per minute.
“I changed my mind. I’ll wait for you at the bottom.” Fuzziness crowded into the sides of her vision. She made a move to stand, but Zach put an arm over her waist and pinned her in place.
“We’re already moving. It’s fine. I’m right here. You can do this, Reagan.”
Her heart pounded against the cage of her chest, like a desperate bird trying to escape. Closing her eyes, she turned her face into Zach’s shoulder and breathed him in. The mix of musk, male, and his shower gel took the edge off. It killed her to need him like this, but she did. He must think she was some weak, knee-knocking, nervous Nelly. She couldn’t stand it when her fear got the best of her.
Zach stretched his arm behind her. The weight of his arm across her shoulders anchored her as the car rocked and continued its jerky ascent. She even managed to open her eyes and take in a glimpse of the trees drifting by. When her gaze moved to the front of the car, the whole town spread out below. Her lungs seized for a moment, but Zach leaned close and put his mouth to her ear, shifting her thoughts from how far up the hill they were to how his breath felt on the sensitive spot on her neck. A shiver ran down her spine.
He smirked. “You’re doing great, cupcake. Only a few hundred feet left to go.”
The track got steeper, and the car continued to climb. Reagan propped her knees up against the seat in front of her to avoid falling forward. Finally, mercifully, the train slowed and the voice came over the loudspeaker again, announcing their arrival. Since they were on the last car up, they’d only have about a half hour to explore before they had to descend. That might be enough time for her pulse to return to normal. The car stopped. She pushed away from Zach, no longer needing him to steady her nerves.
“What do you want to see first? The memorial? The spot where you can see six states?” Zach asked.
“You owe me for this.” Reagan’s jaw clenched together. Her hands went clammy and even the eight-degree dip in temperature at the higher elevation did nothing to cool the flush from her cheeks.
His lips quirked into his trademark smirk. “Just add it to the list. Come on, let’s check it out.”
He offered his hand, but she brushed past him and exited the car. As she climbed onto the platform she glanced down at the tracks they’d just traveled. Her knees went weak, and she braced herself against the railing. She’d made it up the hill, all right. But it appeared going down might be ten times worse. Zach hugged her to his side and steered them toward the station exit.
“Since you don’t want a vote, I say we check out the six states. If you’re a good girl, I’ll even buy you a treat.” His gaze drifted down and met hers. “Say, an ice cream cone?”
She rolled her eyes and adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. “You can be so annoying.”
He held the door open for her, and she nudged him as she passed.
“I think that’s why you like me so much.” He caught up to her in a few short steps.
She resisted the urge to fist her hand in his T-shirt and yank his mouth down to hers. No, I like you because you make my insides hum. But she couldn’t say that. Instead, she gave him a playful swat on his granite-hard abs and walked ahead into the sunshine. She had twenty minutes to conquer the nausea in her gut before she had to get back into the death trap train car. It would take every last gulp of fresh air she could get.
Zach chuckled to himself as he and Reagan moved out the door into the sun. He’d enjoyed that ride up the mountain more than he cared to admit. The way Reagan nuzzled her head against his chest made him feel needed. And he still had the trip down to look forward to.
As they walked toward the info sign, his phone buzzed in his pocket. The sun glinted off the screen, making it almost impossible to read the caller ID. He stepped into the shade of a large tree and saw Scazzoli’s name. Damn. Way to ruin a moment. He rejected the call and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He’d deal with Scazzoli later. His gut pinged as he watched Reagan turn her face toward the sun and close her eyes. A smile played across her lips. The afternoon light hovered around her.
He dismissed the uncomfortable feeling in his gut, caught her hand, and tugged. “Let’s check it out.”
They wandered through some small shops selling souvenirs. He bought a half-pound of fudge for later and two bottles of water.
When they had read all of the informational signs and gathered their bearings, Zach headed toward the observation deck. “Ready to see six states? We only have a couple more minutes to kill.”
“Mmm. Sure.” She agreed but trailed behind him.
He moved toward the railing and Reagan stopped short. “I’ll be right next to you the whole time,” he said, tugging at her hand.
“I’m not going to the edge.” She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest. “No way.”
“Mind over matter, remember?”
“My mind has been messed with enough for one day. If there’s any chance of me getting back onto that stupid train, you’d better not push it.”
Zach wanted to pick her up and carry her the ten feet or so to the rail but decided against it. Instead, he jammed his hands in his pockets and walked backward toward the edge of the observation area. “Fine. But you’re missing out. You can’t see all six states from there.”
“I’ll wait for you over there,” Reagan said, pointing to an empty bench next to the building.
She could be so damn stubborn. It wasn’t his job to loosen her up, but it sure would make the trip go by faster if she was a little more adventurous. He’d told himself he’d let it go, that he didn’t have time to introduce a little fun into her life, especially when she was so dead set against it. But for someone who liked to roll with the punches and enjoy a little spontaneity every once in a while, her unwillingness to come out of her shell drove him up a fucking wall.