Amy caught her breath after the grueling hike and climbing the ladders and tugged at her harness. The platform they stood on was narrow and crowded with tourists as well as the ubiquitous cameraman and soundman.
“You out of breath?” Teo poked Amy in the ribs.
“Terrified. I can’t believe we’re going down on that.” She pointed at the thin wire, a zipline, her lifeline down the mountain. Her stomach churned at the height, and her throat tightened into a knot. “Are you sure I should do this?”
Teo wrapped her in his arms and rubbed her back. “It’s going to be fun. Imagine flying like an eagle, the wind on your face, soaring over the treetops.”
“I didn’t know you’re such a poet.”
“You inspire me.” He leaned in for a kiss.
Really? Could he be more romantic? Even though the trip wasn’t scripted, it was still part of the reality show, and with Teo aspiring to be an actor, he was certainly putting on quite a performance.
A shiver stole its way down her spine. She might as well enjoy him. His kisses were sweet and snugly. Would she ever get kissed like this again?
Behind them, the other tourists were snapped onto the line one by one, and sent screaming into the woods. Meanwhile the guy with a video camera was propped next to the pole, but being recorded no longer bothered her.
Warm tingles bubbled over her chest as she opened her mouth and sucked on Teo’s lips and tongue. His arms comforted her. She could almost believe she’d do it. Fly through the air hooked on a thin wire? Not a problem.
There was a lull in the screams, which meant it was their turn.
“Ahem.” The guide cleared his throat. “Which one of you wants to go first?”
Teo knocked his helmet against hers. “How about you?”
Chills and shivers gripped Amy’s scalp. She double checked and triple checked the harnesses. “Are you sure everything’s going to hold? What if my clip breaks?”
“It won’t. Promise me, no hands?” Teo chuckled.
Her legs wobbled and her fingers were numb from clutching her harness. “I don’t think I can do this.”
What happened to all her confidence while kissing Teo? Evaporated with the cold slap of the wind.
“You can, trust me.” Teo smoothed her hair from her eyes. “Once you’re up there, the speed will get you high.”
The guide tapped Teo’s shoulder. “Sir, it’s better if you go first. That way you can be there when she lands.”
Teo pressed another kiss on Amy. “I promise I’ll catch you.”
Too soon, he was standing on the edge. Amy clasped her hands and swallowed. She hated to be out of control, never liked roller coasters. Once, when she was young and her mother took her on a carnival ride, Amy could have sworn she was about to slip out of the restraint. The bar had gone down on her mother’s thighs, but she was loose, her legs too skinny to be clamped in. She’d only survived by clutching tightly onto her mother who had been screaming, “Stop the ride. Stop the ride.”
The ride hadn’t stopped, but Amy hated thrill rides ever since. How the heck had she let Teo talk her into ziplining? Oh right, the reality show.
Teo clipped himself in and grinned, giving Amy a thumbs up.
She forced a smile and waved. “See you on the other side.”
Gulp. What the heck? The other side? Amy cringed as Teo plunged off the platform at a horrendous speed. The show off spread his arms and legs and whooped, “I love this, Amy!”
Several minutes later, the guide’s speakerphone crackled with the news that Teo had made it to the next platform.
“You ready?” The guide nudged her. “Or do you want to climb back down?”
Was he serious? She wasn’t going to hike all the way back down and make herself the official chicken, especially on camera.
“I’m doing it.” Amy took her last breath. “I will.”
The guide clipped her in. “Since you’re tiny, you might not make it to the end, so scrunch yourself in as small a ball as possible to get enough speed. This is the longest zipline in Germany.”
Longest and highest.
“You bet.” Amy’s heart struggled to escape her ribcage, but she gave the guide an okay sign. She’ll ball up all right. She wasn’t about to break her legs on the tree tops.
“Ready? You have to jump.”
“No, please. Push me.”
The guide checked the harness and picked Amy up. “Okay, here goes.”
“Yaowww!” Amy screamed. Her pulse zoomed faster than the whine of the zipline and her heart skyrocketed.
The tops of the trees whipped at her feet and her hair went flying in the chilly wind. She jerked herself to miss a tree then went swinging around.
Oh no! She was going down backwards. Was that a snapping sound? Did one of her hooks break?
The whine of the wires pitched higher as she fell faster. Can’t get turned around. She looked over her shoulders and down.
Big mistake! Her lunch crawled up her throat. She was freaking above the highest trees. The rocks below were jagged, craggy, and hard.
It didn’t matter that she was on top of a dense forest, the blue sky above and the most scenic views below. The scent of the forest, so piney and fresh, didn’t distract her from her doom. When was this ride going to end?
Suddenly, her line went slack, and Amy jolted forward and slid back.
Oh no! She was trapped in the middle of the forest all by herself. Her line was too slack and she couldn’t move. What the heck was she supposed to do?
Teo had said not to touch the zipline, but she was going to have to pull herself forward. She didn’t dare look down. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Amy rocked back and forth, but to no avail. Finally she hoisted herself up to the line and walked her hands in front of it. She should have worn gloves. Inch by inch, she wiggled her way down. Where was Teo? Hadn’t he said he would catch her? This was tiring.
The line tightened. Someone was pulling on it. Amy let go and waah! She was falling again and spinning. No!
The platform was just ahead. Oh shit. She was going to crash into the pole at full speed. Teo had his arms wide open, ready to catch her.
Right before she hit, her clip hit a block with a rope and she jerked to a halt. They towed her in, and Teo was right there to welcome her.
“You did it!” His smile beamed, almost splitting his face in half. “Wasn’t it fun?”
Amy’s heart settled back in her chest, and a rush of excitement swarmed into her head. It was fun. And whoo! She did it. Even the part in the middle was fun.
“I did it. I did. Let’s do it again.” She smashed her lips over Teo’s.
“Wow, I’ve created a wild woman.” Teo chuckled. “Don’t worry, before this day is over, you’ll zoom down the mountain with me on my motorcycle.”
Amy’s heartbeat froze as ice sludged in her veins. “No. No motorcycle. Never.”
“Never, say never, Miss Suzuki. With a name like that, you belong on a bike.”
* * *
“What happened to Mia?” Amy placed her hand on Teo’s knee as the Mercedes zigzagged down the mountainous road at kamikaze speed. “How come she didn’t go ziplining with us? I can picture her with her large peasant skirts and big hair screaming all the way down the mountain.”
“She’s planning tomorrow’s shindig.” Teo captured her hand to quell its movement. “And if you keep doing that, we’re going to fly off the mountain.”
Amy giggled at the way Teo’s crotch bulged. It must be uncomfortable to be a guy. Oh, yeah. The excitement and thrill of soaring through the air had her amped up and aroused. Who knew fear to be such an aphrodisiac?
“What next? Is it planned or spontaneous?”
Teo glanced in the rearview mirror and stepped on the accelerator. “Let’s see if we can lose the camera guys.”
The big engine roared and the Mercedes coupe tore down the mountainside, swerving from one turn to the next.
“Teo!!!” Amy screamed. Sh
e clutched the safety handle and propped herself on the dashboard. “We’re going to crash.”
“Whoohoo!” He zoomed and passed a slow moving car, weaving into opposing traffic before cutting back into his lane on a hairpin turn. “We lost them.”
Amy’s hair stood on end, and she could barely breathe. “We’re going to die. Stop the car. Please.”
He made a sharp turn, sliding out on gravel, hanging so close to the edge of the cliff that she swore she saw angels. Amy readied herself for the crunch of the guardrail followed by the free fall. She could swear her pants were wet. But what did it matter? She’d be covered in blood soon.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Mom, Dad, you were right. I should come home and be safe. I should work in an office. Live at home with you.
The car lurched to a stop. Amy opened her eyes and blinked. It was dark, so dark, she at first thought they were in a tunnel or some place worse. Except it wasn’t hot, and birds were chirping. Slivers of sunlight snuck out from amongst the towering trees, with trunks as thick as redwoods.
Nestled beneath the dark green foliage was a small cottage looking straight out of Hansel and Gretel. It had a thatched roof and latticed windows with cheerful flowers on the wooden windowsills. A wisp of smoke trailed from the stone chimney.
“Where are we?” Amy gaped at the storybook setting complete with babbling brook. She half-expected seven dwarves to come marching through the woods.
“Red Riding Hood’s Cottage of Love.” Teo took her hand. “We’re staying here tonight.”
“No way. That’s not what it’s called.” Amy squinted at the sign, but it was in German. “Besides, we can’t stay. I didn’t pack anything.”
“Not a problem.” Teo dropped her hand and extracted his phone. He thumbed a text message. “Let’s check in. You wanted to ditch the cameraman, didn’t you?”
“Well, sure, I guess.” She lowered the car window. The cottage was darling, and the scent of fresh baked bread and roasting meat curled from the chimney. “Is someone expecting us?”
“Let’s find out. Will it be the big bad wolf? Or grandmother? Or maybe the dwarves, or the wicked witch cooking poor Hansel?”
Amy shuddered at the last one, but a smile crept onto her face. Teo was loads of fun. How come she never thought that about him before? “Sure, let’s bust in and save the three little pigs.”
“Too late. I smell a roast.”
Chapter 14
Teo opened the door of the cottage. Amy started to step in when he grabbed her arm. “Wait. Since you’re my girlfriend, I think it’s only proper if I sweep you off your feet.”
She was so light and beautiful. For a moment, he wished the cameras were trained on them, and that all men would envy him with sexy Amy in his arms, gazing at him like he was a super hero.
Fantasy over, he set her on a braided rug and kissed the top of her head.
The caretaker he had texted looked up, wiped her hands on her apron, and approached them.
“Wilkommen, Herr Alexiou. Dinner’s in the warming tray and there’s dessert in the oven.”
“Danke schön, Hilde.” Teo hooked an arm around Amy, eager to have her alone with him. “We’ll call you if we need anything.”
“Guten abend,” Hilde replied. “I shall leave you two alone. The water’s hot in the bath.”
Without a glance at Amy, the caretaker departed, her footsteps crunching in the gravel down the path.
“Wow, did you see what she was wearing?” Amy said. “Old fashioned clothing, like she stepped straight out of Grimm brothers.”
“That’s the idea. My sweets.” Teo pinched her cheek. “She was playing the witch from Hansel and Gretel. Do you want to see what she left in the oven?”
“Hopefully not a bone.” Amy’s gaze scoured the small, cozy interior. “This is awesome. Candles, handmade wooden chairs and benches, everything looks so old.”
“Would you like to see the bedroom?” Teo couldn’t help wiggling his eyebrows. “Or the bath?”
“I hope I won’t have to draw water from a well with a leaky bucket.” Amy tapped him playfully. “Lead the way.”
There wasn’t more than two steps from the kitchen table set for two to the heavy wooden door of the bedroom. Teo turned the doorknob.
“There’s only one bedroom here.” Amy slapped his arm. “Did you or Mia plan this?”
“I take all the credit.”
Amy’s eyes narrowed and she pointed at the wooden table. “Guess you’re sleeping there or on that ancient granny sofa.”
Ignoring her, Teo steered her into the cozy bedroom with the slanted ceiling. “Like it?”
“It’s so cute!” She surveyed the room. There was an old fashioned feather bed, all puffy and white and two antique wardrobes.
Amy opened one of them and exclaimed, “My clothes and overnight bag. How did these get here?”
“Magic.” Teo flipped his hand around as if waving a magic wand.
“Or money.” She opened her bag and rifled through her things. “You must have planned this detour.”
“Guilty. Now do I get the bed?” He spun around and plopped onto the featherbed, arms and legs spread-eagled. “I have a race tomorrow. Promise you won’t disturb me.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t touch a hair on your chinny-chin-chin.”
He rolled under the covers. “Come closer, Little Red Riding Hood. I want some of that pie you brought.”
“Are you trying to seduce me tonight?” Amy crept onto the bed.
“That’s not your line. What kind of actress are you?” He pulled the covers over his head.
“You’re silly.” She yanked them down, as he’d expected. “My, what big eyes you have.”
“The better to stare at your pretty face.”
She pinched and pulled his ear. “Oh, grandma, what big ears you have.”
“The better to hear your sweet voice.”
Giggling she covered his mouth with her lips. “And what a big mouth you have.”
He looped his hand around her neck and pulled her into a deep, delicious, devouring kiss. She squeaked but didn’t pull back. In fact, Teo had never met a more eager and willing participant. Her mouth was small, but energetic, and she kissed him with a burning passion.
Forget dinner and dessert. Even though Teo’s stomach growled, the need between his legs roared louder. He wanted her, yet he’d take it slow, at her pace.
“Mmm …” she mumbled. “I love your big mouth, Mr. Alexiou. Did you forget your lines?”
He drew back from the kiss. “Is that a hint, Miss Suzuki, of what you want me to do to you?”
She tapped the tip of his nose. “I bet you’re hungry. Let’s see what the wicked witch has in the oven for us.”
“Not yet.” Teo licked his lips and pressed her mouth to his. “My line is ‘the better to kiss you, my dear.’”
* * *
Amy relaxed onto Teo’s body. He was hard and his erection pressed against her crotch, and he was hot, his body firm and solid, and his scent was sexy and musky, with an undertone uniquely Teo that had the area between her thighs pulsating. No reason to stop for dinner, unless it was feasting off his body.
She renewed her liplocked position with vigorous smacks. When had kissing become so much fun? Amy couldn’t remember it ever being a big deal. It was a necessary part of acting, but something to get over with. Always a little awkward at first, but purely mechanical. She’d never felt a connection like this before.
When Teo kissed her, he was no longer the arrogant billionaire’s son. He wasn’t aggressive or grabbing, but strangely vulnerable, testing, as if he wasn’t sure how welcome he was to her.
Oh, but he was an awesome kisser. Her body flushed at the thought of where else he could kiss her. For now, though, she’d kiss him and see where it led.
Amy closed her eyes and relished everything her five senses fed her. She couldn’t help running her fingers over Teo’s short cropped hair. Too bad he didn’t grow it longer.
A moan escaped her lips.
She wanted him closer, on top of her. As if emboldened by that moan and the insistent tugging of her hands, Teo flipped her on her back and propped himself on his elbows over her.
“I want you, Amy.” His eyes were dilated deep brown as he caressed her cheek. “I can’t help it. You bring something out in me.”
“What do I bring out?” She pressed her hand over his chest. He was compact and hard, full of tight energy with not an inch of flab. Unable to contain herself, she stroked his shoulders and trailed her fingers down his back.
“I don’t know.” His brow wrinkled. “It’s like falling off a cliff and jumping on a trampoline, or floating above the clouds, going higher, higher, wondering what heaven’s like.”
“You are a poet.”
“With you, I’m a different man.” His mouth quirked into a half smile. “I don’t even know who I am.”
“That’s because you’re not playacting.” She stuck her hands into the back pockets of his jeans. Her legs opened and she drew him on top of her. He was rock hard, and when she squeezed his tight ass, he moved, sending jolts of pleasure through her body. “You feel that? It’s the real deal.”
“Shit, you’re driving me crazy.” He rocked his erection against her and plunged into another soul sucking kiss.
Zaps of passion rocketed through Amy, roaring like motorcycles racing around a track. She’d never experienced this burning need before, especially something so primitive and fast.
Amy traced around Teo’s waistband and down the front of his jeans. Greedily, she massaged the bulge under the zipper. It was huge, hard, and ready.
“You sure, sweetie?” His voice was rough and his eyes were dark, half closed. “If you give yourself to me, it has to be real. I’m going to hold you to it.”
Dang. She’d never been with a guy who cared so much. The acting classmates she’d slept with hadn’t cared. Back then, it was a matter of experiencing emotions and sensations so she could add it to her repertoire to portray emotions of lust or obsession.
But Teo? He liked her. Was she so cheap that she’d throw herself into his jaws because he liked her?
No, it was more than that. Teo was dangerous, a hard man to love. A guy who could be dead tomorrow. A man who didn’t need a woman’s love, having enough money to buy anything he wanted.
Roaring Hot! (Contemporary Romance): A Billionaire Biker Romance Page 10
