Page 55 of The Biker's Brother

“They’ve probably got hot dog and pretzel stands.”

“Ugh,” she said in disgust.

“And tee shirts.”

“Tee shirts?” She sounded as hopeful as a kid who’s never been to an amusement park. “I want a tee shirt.”

“You sound like you’ve never bought a souvenir tee shirt.”

“I haven’t.”

He stared at her for a few seconds. “Okay. If they have tee shirts for sale, we’ll get you one.”

The grin she gave him made his heart melt into an ooey gooey mass of inexperience. Brandon had never been in love. He’d never even wanted to spend time with a woman outside the bedroom. He didn’t want to put a name on what he was feeling because that would be too scary.

“I can’t help but wonder what other kinds of great American experience you’ve missed,” he said as he opened the door. When they were in the car and going south on 70, he said, “Have you ever been to an amusement park?”

“You mean like Disneyworld?”

“Yes. For example.”

“No.

He nodded. “Have you ever been to a music festival? The kind that could fill up Central Park?”

“No.”

“Have you ever been to the movies on a date?”

“Movies? Um, no.”

He could see that she was beginning to wilt. Like his questions were making her feel like she’d missed out, and seeing her become smaller wasn’t fun. So he decided to reverse that process.

“But I’ll bet you’ve sipped brandy on a yacht underneath the palace at Monaco.”

She smiled. “It was cognac and I wasn’t drinking age. So it was an occasion.”

“I’ll bet you could jump horses in equestrian competition by the time you were twelve.”

She laughed. “Yes.”

“I’ll bet you could tell me the difference between champagne powder in the Rockies and the kind of snow they get on the slopes in Lucerne.”

She nodded. “That’s right.”

He looked over at her. “The world is full of millions of people who have tee shirts and crap from Disneyworld who would give anything for those experiences.”

She took in a deep breath and turned to look out the window. Brandon wasn’t just a centerfold in the flesh. He was a good guy. A kind person who went out of his way to make her feel good about herself. She hoped they’d be friends after she was no longer a job. Aside from the whole sexually-off-limits thing, he was special.

“When this is over,” he said, “what are you hoping for? More than anything else?”

She was quiet for a few seconds before quietly saying, “To never be afraid again.”

His heart clenched like a vise in his chest. By God, that’s what he wanted for her, too.

They bought tickets at the visitors’ center and were directed to parking.

Brandon had to admit it was a thing worth doing. It was bright as the full moon on new snow, but warm enough to be comfortable without a jacket. Some people were even wearing shorts. Although the sand reflected the light, the darkness in between gave the people some anonymity. Enough that he could relax.