Chapter 18
In the morning, I move to wake him up with kisses. As soon as my lips touch his, he starts to kiss me back. And then we do it all again, before Delsin and Cami arrive to pick us up for our outing to the pier.
“Did you know Tony Alva is from Santa Monica?” Delsin asks.
“I don’t know who that is,” Avery says.
“Duh! A pro skater, and a very good one at that.” Delsin snorts.
The guys sit in the front of the rental car, while Cami and I have made ourselves comfortable in the back seat. Avery is behind the wheel. He’s going a little fast, but I’m not bothered, because I really trust him. He’ll be careful.
“Babe, we’re not all constantly reading up on the topic, you know?” Cami interrupts with a smirk.
“Oh, I’ve noticed that. Time and again,” Delsin grumbles.
I giggle. “Whatever. I’m more interested in something else: do you guys want to head for the rides at Pacific Park right away or start with a stroll along the pier?”
“I vote for park first and pier later,” Cami says.
“Any more votes for park first?” Avery asks.
We all raise our hands.
“Well, that’s settled,” he says, following the signs to a parking lot not too far from the amusement park.
As we’re walking to the park from the parking lot, Ave and I walk slowly, but Cami urges Delsin on because she can’t wait to ride the giant Ferris wheel.
“Do you want to ride the Ferris wheel, too?” Ave asks me.
“I’d love to!” I smile.
“With them or just the two of us?”
“Just us, so we can make out while we enjoy the view,” I whisper and lean my head against his arm.
We take our time so we can have another brief moment to ourselves, after spending half of yesterday with the others on the plane. The weather’s very warm. I’m wearing denim cutoffs with sheer pantyhose underneath and a light sweater. Avery’s wearing chinos and a striped T-shirt, while Delsin is in skinny jeans, a white tee, and an unbuttoned Ed Hardy shirt.
“We’ve already gotten the tickets,” Cami says when we catch up to them. Her outfit is quite similar to mine, only with a black sweater for my powder-blue one.
“Thank you.” I grin and take the two tickets she hands me.
“You’re paying for lunch.” Delsin smiles and adjusts his baseball cap.
“Fair enough,” Avery answers, taking his ticket from me.
When we enter the park, Cami immediately points to the wooden roller coaster. “I’ve got to ride that thing,” she squeals excitedly. “Are you coming, Dale?”
“Sure. Nothing wrong with a little bit of a thrill, even if it’s my first roller coaster ride ever.” I giggle.
She pulls me away from Avery, and I throw a glance back over my shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?” I call.
“Don’t ask them. They’re too vain to do anything that might ruin their perfect hair.” Cami laughs.
“Oh, really?”
Avery waves a hand and shakes his head, smiling.
We get in line, which isn’t very long at this time of day, so it doesn’t take long before it’s our turn.
“Come on, we can sit up front. I love sitting in the very first car.” Cami grins and pulls me with her again.
“I’ve never been on a roller coaster. It’s my first ride ever,” I repeat, feeling a tiny bit anxious.
“Then it’s going to be especially exciting!”
We sit down in the first row of the first car and pull down the safety bar, which is then checked by one of the staffers.
Two minutes later, the cars begin to move. We scale the first incline, and I clamp my hands around the bar.
“Relax, it’s not as bad as you think,” Cami says.
“That’s easy for you to say. How am I supposed to … relaaaaax!” I scream as we suddenly race down into the abyss.
Her laughter explodes as she cheers and throws up her arms every time we go downhill. After several climbs and dips, I also let go and enjoy the thrills of the bumpy ride.
But by then, it’s already over.
“One more time?” Cami asks.
“Oh yes.” I smile. “This time I won’t scream in your ear again.”
We stay in our seats and ride the roller coaster again before we return to Avery and Delsin, who greet us with wide grins.
“What are you laughing at?” I ask after kissing Avery.
Delsin shows us some photographs he’s holding in his hand. “Look at these hot chicks.” He chuckles.
Cami and I grab the pictures and look at them. I understand why they’re laughing. My eyes are squeezed shut, and my expression is tortured, while Cami’s cheeks are red and she’s yelling out her excitement.
“These turned out quite well,” she says with a grin and puts them into her purse, which Delsin was holding for her. “Thanks for buying them.”
“We got two of each, so Dale has a memento of her first-ever roller coaster ride,” Avery explains.
“Thank you,” I whisper and kiss him on the cheek.
Delsin hands Cami her purse and pushes his hands into his pockets. “What now? The giant Ferris wheel?”
I clear my throat. “Well, I’m hungry, and I’d also like to check out the game booths and other stuff.”
“I want to ride the Ferris wheel,” Cami says.
“How about we split up and meet again at the Ferris wheel in about two hours?” Avery suggests.
“Sounds good.” Delsin nods.
“See you there,” Avery and I answer in unison, walking away toward the smaller booths. I lean my head against him again. I’m enjoying the trip since I’ve been dreaming of it for such a long time, but I’m enjoying it even more because I’m sharing it with Avery.
“Do you want to try the ball toss or the ring toss?” he asks.
“Both.” I smile and look up at him.
Avery pulls me into an embrace. “I think I prefer the ball toss—better chance at winning there.”
“I’m happy with anything.”
He takes a look around. “Aha. Over there,” he states, pointing at a booth where you can toss three small balls at an arrangement of bottles.
Even from here, a large, white teddy bear catches my eye. As we come closer, I see that it’s supposed to be a she-bear, because it wears a black shirt, a white skirt with blue polka dots, and a matching beret.
“Do you like it?” Avery asks, following my gaze.
“Yeah, it’s very cute.”
“Then I’ll try to win it for you.” He smiles.
When we reach the booth, Avery pays for three balls and takes them from the staffer.
“Will you give me a good luck kiss, Precious?” he asks.
I smile at him and pull him down to me by his collar, kissing his lips. He utters a soft growl when I break the kiss.
“Let’s do this.” He takes the first ball, aims, and throws, clearing the whole board with the first toss.
“Jesus, how often do you do that?” I blurt out, impressed.
“Not that often, but you brought me luck.”
“That would be a grand prize,” the worker says. “What would the lady like?”
“She wants the teddy bear, the French-looking one,” Avery answers.
“All right, I’ll get it for you.” He disappears behind the booth for a moment. When he returns, he hands Avery a bear just like the one on display.
“Thank you,” Avery says and looks at me with a smile. “This is for you.” He holds out the bear, which must be almost three feet tall.
I look into Avery’s eyes with all my affection. “Thank you,” I breathe and take the bear, hugging it tightly. “I can hardly carry it.” I giggle, staggering backwards.
Avery takes it back and tucks it under his arm, using his other hand to take mine. “I’ll carry it.”
“You’re the best.”
“But only to the car.” He grins. “Let’s go back and put
it there.”
***
When we return to the park, we try out a few more rides, and the sensations they cause in my stomach come close to the butterflies still triggered by looking at Avery. The ride on the giant Ferris wheel is very romantic, and at the end of the day I realize that Avery’s behavior has shown me again that I don’t want any other man, even though our relationship failed the first time around. I know there’s never any guarantee that things will last, but Avery’s going to share my life for at least a while, and if he makes me as happy as he does now—and did three months ago—then I’ll spend this time with him gladly and thankfully.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks as we walk along the pier and watch the sun go down.
“I’m imagining what the future will bring,” I reply.
“More days,” he says dryly.
Smiling, I look up at him. I definitely need a good pair of heels so I don’t have to strain my neck to look at him. “And lots of possibilities to make memories with the man I love.”
Avery stops and pulls me in front of him. “I love you, Precious,” he murmurs.
Avery Morrison, the man of my dreams, takes my face in his hands and leans down toward me. He kisses me softly while the sun goes down in front of us. When he breaks the kiss, he looks into my eyes. “What would you say if I wanted you to move in with me again?”
“Huh?” Why does he keep taking me by surprise like this?
“Not much, huh?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“No, you wouldn’t say anything or, no, you don’t want that?” he prods.
“No … yes … damn! I mean, I would like to move in with you, because we spend most of our time together anyway, and then Delsin could rent the apartment to someone who’s willing to pay a lot more.”
“Is that the only reason for your yes?”
“No. Also because I want to be with you … and also because you own a car. That is the prime reason.” I giggle.
“Are you bullshitting me?”
With my thumb and forefinger I indicate that I’m only kidding him a little, and then he pulls me close. “What’s the real reason you want to move in with me?” he asks with a smile.
“Because I love you, Angel Eyes,” I answer, smiling back at him.
“That is the best reason,” he says and kisses me passionately.
The End
Dear Readers
I’d like to thank you for giving me and my second English book a chance. It took a very long time, before I finally decided to translate my book and it wasn’t easy at all to find a good translator.
Avery is the third New Adult Novel I wrote and also the second book of my Coral Gables Series. The next book is about Thalia Leroux, Camille's best friend.
Now I want to thank a lot of people:
Claudia, thank you for giving Delsin and Camille their English voice. I totally love this edition of the book. In some parts it sounds even nicer than the German one. I have read it more than four times by now.
Ann, thank you so much for editing this Novel, you helped me a lot!
Sabrina, thanks for giving Rough an international face after you’ve already created so many covers for my German books. I love your work.
And ultimately I have to thank my Mom, who always supported me by saying that all my dreams are worth to let them come true, when I was a child. You're not only my Mom, you're my angel, my hero and my best friend. I really appreciate every single thing that you’ve done for me.
Last but not least I have to thank my three guys. My Fiancé and our two beloved sons. You always understand when I locked up the office door during the writing process, in which I dreamed myself to Coral Gables. I love you.
All the best for y'all
Love
Drucie Anne
Publisher's Adress:
J. Zimmer
Europaring 9
51109 Cologne
Germany
Contact: [email protected]
Avery: Sensual Desire: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 2) Page 23