Page 37

“ARE YOU HAVING A GOODtime?” he asked me.

We'd traveled to the top deck, walking in the fresh air beneath the cloudy, late evening sky. Pretty lights on strings let everyone walk around without fear of tripping over the railing and falling in the river, especially since many were on their third or fourth drink.

“Definitely. This boat is something else.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “I wasn't sure if you'd like it.”

I almost said Sure, how could you know? We only met a few days ago, but I stopped myself. “Do you like boats?” I asked.

“My mom loved the water. She took me down to the river a lot, and we'd float paper boats.” He smiled with a distant look on his face. “Once, she bought me this killer red sail boat carved from real wood. I loved it. All the other kids were jealous.”

“Is red your favorite color?” I asked, knowing he knew mine was blue.

“I don't think I have a favorite, but red is up there.”

“How about food?”

His forehead scrunched while he laughed. “Is this twenty questions?”

“I'm just trying to learn more about you.”

“One fact about me, is that I'm more interested in learning about you. What are your favorite things?”

I pulled up short, and when he looped his arm around my shoulders, I leaned into him. “Spending time with you is quickly becoming one of them.”

Cupping my chin, he guided me to his mouth for a fierce kiss. I tasted his desire for me; it was easy to identify, it mirrored mine for him. Something wet trickled down my shoulder, then again and again.

“Oh no,” a woman gasped, shielding her head with her purse. “It's starting to rain. Let's get inside the boat.”

She wasn't alone; many people followed her example, emptying the entire top deck until only a few stragglers lingered, some too drunk to care, others standing under the thin tarp surrounding the captain and his steering wheel.

Holding up my hand, I watched the water collect in my palm. It wasn't cold—if anything, it refreshed me. “Rain,” I whispered.

“Hm?” he asked.

Blinking up at him, I flashed a childish smile. “It's one of my favorite things. Come on.” Catching his thick wrist, I pulled him across the deck. It had cleared out; the dance floor was ours alone.

Laughing doubtfully, he let me take his other hand. “Are you sure? What if you catch a cold?”

“Then you'll just have to nurse me back to health.”

Flames glowed in his eyes. “Fair enough.”

There was a speaker on a pole over our heads. It was connected to the level where the live band was playing. With their invigorating jazz music gallivanting around us, Conner and I twirled through the drizzling raindrops.

My hips ground against him, his fingers gliding down my naked arms. He held me around my waist, grinding with me, matching my motions. He was a great dancer.

“This is also one of my favorite things,” I laughed.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. My ex hated dancing in public, so I never got to.”

Conner made a face, then he spun me in a tight circle, dipping me so fast I gasped. Grinning down at me, he asked, “how could anyone be so stupid as to miss a chance to dance with you?”

Tongue tied, I gazed upwards at him. Rain swept over his temples, flattening his hair that still rebelled and tried to stand upwards. He shielded me from the dark clouds, and though I knew the glow around his profile came from the bulbs strung along the boat, it felt like the sun and stars were shining through to give him a personal halo.

Tangling wet fingers in his wetter hair, I held him tight, kissing him as the white noise of the storm swelled around us. This was magic. I didn't have another word for the moment. What had I done to deserve such happiness?

We spun to the music until it began to fade. The band was taking a break—this was the one downside of live music. Accepting it as our cue to stop, we wandered to the edge of the boat. Some stragglers still talked in pockets, but we were nearly alone on the deck.

There was a bridge around the bend, the arches of it curving upwards above the river as smaller boats passed beneath. “This has to be one of the most romantic places in the city,” I mused, looking out at the colored lights twinkling by the riverside. “If we were getting married for real, I'd pick this boat. I bet it's crazy expensive, though.”

“Not as much as you'd think,” he said absently. I stared at him, eyebrows knotting up. He saw my look and straightened off the railing. “Let's go back inside, the rain is coming down hard now.”

He was right; my hair was going from damp to soaked. People laughed as they rushed back into the safety of the boat. He held out his hand towards me. “Maya,” he implored.

My hand latched onto his.

I followed him out of the storm.