Page 10 of Getting Off
Besides, for the last couple of hours, they’d been rock crawling and bouncing all over the desert landscape in a lifted, four-wheel-drive truck, and Dr. Brooklyn Foster had impressed him.
A lot. Not a word of warning or complaint from her.
She’d enjoyed herself. He was sure of it.
He’d felt the excitement in her as she’d sat beside him.
And those whoops? That definitely wasn’t fear.
It was simple. If she’d really been afraid or even as uptight as she sometimes seemed when she was wearing her long white doctor’s coat, she never would’ve come with them in the first place. The fact that she had come along meant something.
He was determined to discover exactly what.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Dylan murmured the words as he and Brooklyn stopped beside Lucas. “Sometimes I come up here just to look at this. It’s so peaceful. A good place to think.”
Lucas didn’t tell them that you could see the same stunning views from his high-rise condo.
This was different. It was special. Being out in the desert in the middle of the night under a perfect sky.
Sharing that experience with a beautiful woman who was full of surprises.
And sharing it with a man generous enough to bring them here in his own vehicle just because he loved doing this and wanted to include them.
That kind of thing wasn’t for sale at any price.
“It’s hard to believe the city can be this beautiful,” Brooklyn whispered. She hadn’t let go of Dylan’s hand.
Lucas wasn’t sure why he was so aware of this, aware of her.
The way her blonde hair had come free of its braid to stir in the breeze, messy now but somehow just as stunning.
The way her face seemed to reflect the starlight above even as the neon lights were reflected in her blue eyes.
She was a fascinating woman. He needed more of her.
Moving closer, Lucas felt his gloved hand brush against her free hand. When she didn’t pull away, he gently took her hand in his.
“This city always felt like a double-edged sword to me,” Dylan mused, speaking almost to himself.
This was a contemplative side that Dylan hadn’t shown yet.
Like Brooklyn, the man was full of surprises.
“Some people come here, enjoy themselves, and go back to their regular lives. Others let it destroy them. Sometimes when I’m up here, I think this city is beautiful…
and terrible.” He shrugged. “Or maybe it’s all simpler than I think.
As my mother used to say, everything in moderation. ”
Lucas chuckled. “A wise woman.”
“Yeah, she was great.” Dylan rubbed his chin, still looking thoughtful.
“Hell, I’m guilty of dancing on the line between excess and moderation.
” Dylan didn’t sound all that worried about it either.
“But man, for the last few years I’ve been grinding it out hard.
Trying to reach a point where I have enough sponsors to turn pro.
I’ve missed times like this. Times when things slow down. When I remember what life’s all about.”
“What’s life all about?” Brooklyn asked, her voice gentle.
Dylan grinned. “Fun. Love. Friendship. Challenge. Family.” He shrugged. “How the hell should I know? I’m not a philosopher or a poet. I jump trucks fifteen feet in the air.”
“I’ll sponsor you,” Lucas said quietly.
Dylan turned and gaped at him. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” He was a capital investor. He put money into all kinds of things that other people didn’t believe would pay off.
Most times he won. Sometimes he lost. But this time?
He had never been surer of the right decision.
His wide-ranging financial portfolio included sponsorships for other sports and racing teams. Why not Dylan?
“I… Hell, I don’t know what to say.” Dylan ran a hand through his short hair. For the first time since Lucas had met him, the guy seemed thrown utterly off-balance.
Lucas looked at him over the top of Brooklyn’s head. “Call it gut instinct. You’re confident in tense, dicey situations. You keep your cool and your focus even when riding shotgun. That says a lot about your personality. You’re going to be a good pro racer.”
Dylan’s expression was clear even in the dim starlit world atop that plateau. He looked as if Lucas had handed him the moon. “Damn. Brooklyn, I need you to pinch me. I could be in a coma and dreaming.”
She reached over and pinched Dylan. On the ass. He yelped and burst out laughing, while she flashed him a naughty grin completely unlike her. “You’re not dreaming.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I am. Out here with two great people like you? Sponsored so I can finally turn pro?” He shook his head in awe. “Even I don’t get that lucky.”
Lucas felt a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He loved helping people. Especially when you could see it would make a difference. This was a good development. A worthy investment. Different from supporting Brooklyn and the trauma center, but good all the same.
Brooklyn was watching him with those large blue eyes. “You’re a generous man.”
The praise was simple. But coming from her, it meant something.
“Well, folks,” Dylan finally clapped his hands together to get their attention, the noise muffled by his gloves. “Let’s head on back, shall we? It will be after midnight by the time we get back.”
Lucas grinned when Brooklyn let out another whoop. She was the first one to turn eagerly toward the vehicle as though she couldn’t wait for the return leg of their night journey.