Page 20

Sam

I stare out the limousine window, my eyes wide in shock, when the driver pulls up next to a private jet. “What are we doing here?”

“You ready?” Tucker ignores my question and slips his fingers between mine.

I turn to face him, confused. “Why are we at the airport?”

He smiles. “I told you it’s a surprise.”

“I’ve never been on an airplane,” I admit, feeling somewhat stupid. “I haven’t even left Pennsylvania.”

“Are you afraid of heights?”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. But I’ve never tested the theory.”

My father never took me on vacation. He was barely functional enough to get his drunk ass to work.

Tucker squeezes my hand. “You have a better chance of dying in a car accident than on a plane.”

A pang of nerves tugs at my chest. “Well, when you put it that way…”

Tucker chuckles. “Yeah, that wasn’t the best thing to say before take-off.” He brushes his lips against mine, and my anxiety slowly dissipates from his touch. “I’ll keep you safe.” His hand moves to my leg, sliding up my inner thigh. “And help take your mind off flying.”

Smiling, I lean against the leather bench and look into his pale blue eyes. “Where are we going? I have to work tomorrow morning.”

“It’s only a three-hour flight. I’ll have you home in time for work.”

“Promise.”

He nods and then presses his lips to mine, making me forget everything but him.

When we landed in Orlando, Florida, I was in complete shock. I’m still in awe of the lavish date he planned for me. Tucker won’t tell me why or what we’re doing here. By the time the driver parks in the covered lot at Universal Studios, I’m dying with anticipation.

“I always wanted to come here as a kid,” I tell Tucker. “But my dad could never afford it.”

He was also never sober, but I leave that part out.

“I know it’s a lot for a first date.” Tucker brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear and smiles. “But I wanted to show you I’m serious about you, Sam.”

“I see that,” I mutter.

After we enter the park, I’m in awe of my surroundings, like a little kid falling in love for the first time.

Before I see why Tucker brought me here, we walk past a sports bar, a donut shop, Starbucks, and a Transformers ride.

My mouth goes wide in shock when I notice a replica of the Knight Bus from the Harry Potter movies.

With my hand covering my mouth, I turn to Tucker while speaking between my fingers. “Did you know this would be here?”

“Yes.”

He leads us down a ways and then turns me to the left, where I see Sirius Black’s house. I’ve seen pictures of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter online but never thought I would see it in person.

My eyes well up with tears from what Tucker has done for me. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. “Tucker, I don’t even know what to say. Thank you.”

“There’s a lot more to see,” he says, rubbing his hand down my back. “We’ll take the train to go inside Hogwarts.”

“Hogwarts,” I whisper, still in disbelief. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He drags his thumb along my bottom lip, and sparks of electricity set my skin on fire. “I did it just to see you smile.”

“You succeeded.”

I never thought Tucker was serious about anything other than having sex with me. Not until the day he asked me to sit with his friends in the cafeteria. That’s when I knew I was more to him than another fling. Now, I feel horrible for everything I’ve done to him.

How do I tell him? I can’t. He would hate me, and I couldn’t blame him.

“It’s too much…”

“I expect nothing in return.” He kisses me on the forehead, and my skin heats again. “I just want you to have fun.”

Men are so strange. They never flat-out tell you how they feel using their words, but Tucker’s actions say it all.

We walk through Diagon Alley, a cobblestone shopping area for the wizarding world.

The likeness to the Harry Potter movies is remarkable.

I feel like I’m Harry Potter walking alongside Hagrid for the first time to buy school supplies.

We enter each shop where you can buy Harry Potter merchandise.

I want all of it but can’t afford more than a bookmark.

When we find Ollivanders, I drag Tucker into the wand shop. Tucker offers to buy me a wand. I refuse because this is too much, but he ignores my protest and hands me a box.

It’s like a dream come true.

My very own wand from Ollivanders.

We wander in and out of each store, and Tucker notices every item I stare at.

“We’ll take one of these.” Tucker points at a Quidditch shirt I was eyeing up. His gaze travels over my body for a second, and then he adds, “In a small, I think.”

“No, that’s okay,” I say, but he dismisses me and hands his credit card to the store clerk.

He collects bags from each store by the time we climb the stairs to the train. I don’t feel worthy of this. He’s spent hundreds of dollars on Harry Potter shirts, scarves, mugs, and candies.

Does this make me his girlfriend?

A date of this magnitude comes with expectations.

Am I ready for more? I like Tucker a lot, even though I try to deny my feelings for him.

I have always liked Tucker. He was my first, and despite the circumstances, I will always feel something for him because of it.

But I’m scared of getting hurt like last time.

“Oh, my God,” I say as the Hogwarts Express leaves the station. I hold my hand against the window, unable to stop smiling at the video footage displayed through the window of the private car. “It looks so real. This is amazing.”

Tucker squeezes my knee. “I don’t understand all this, but I want to learn. I want to know everything there is to know about Samantha Marchand.”

I turn away from the window, smiling. “What do you want to know?”

“You never told me you’re an associate editor at the school newspaper.”

“I didn’t think it applied to our tutoring sessions.”

“We’re beyond the student and TA relationship. I like you, Sam. A lot.” He holds out his hand to point out that we’re sitting on the Hogwarts Express. “Obviously. I wouldn’t do this for anyone. I want you to be my girl.”

I lean into his warmth and kiss him in answer. He wraps me in his arms, cradling me against his muscular chest. His musky scent fills my nostrils, and I drink him in—all of him.

Tucker Kane has broken down my walls by chipping away at the ice around my heart.

“That was some kiss,” he whispers against my lips when the train slows to a stop. I can feel his lips curl up into one of his usual smirks. “I guess that’s a yes.”

I smile so hard my face hurts. “Hell, yes.”