by Zoe Ann Wood
Before Sebastian could react to that little confession, she veered suddenly to the right, toward the entrance to the subway station.
Sebastian balked. “Oh, no.” They were not taking the train. Pulling out his phone, he had his finger poised above the number of his driver. Then he glanced up to find Lorelei frowning at him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
It’s the subway. It’s full of germs and people. And it smells. And I can’t breathe down there.
“It’s…” He couldn’t explain how his mother had taught him early on that only people who couldn’t afford drivers used the subway, as though that somehow made them beneath her notice. How he’d been driven to school by his own personal driver from age five onward, because both his parents had been too busy to drop him off like his schoolmates’ parents had. Those thoughts left him feeling sick now, but the impulse was still there.
He was sure Lorelei had depended on buses, trains, and taxis her entire life. She’d lived through those experiences and had emerged unscathed. His parents also weren’t the best authority on life in general, he’d come to realize in recent months. In fact, he should probably forget everything they’d ever taught him and trust someone else for a change.
Someone like Lorelei. This was her day, after all.
Taking a deep breath—possibly the last breath of fresh air for the foreseeable future—he said, “It’s nothing. I thought I heard my phone ring.”
He tucked the phone back into his pocket and took Lorelei’s hand again. “Lead the way.”
Six
Lori
Sebastian emerged from the subway station near Prater Park looking slightly more ruffled than before. She studied him curiously. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say this had been his first time on a public train—he’d cursed at the ticket machine, even though it had had an English language option, and glowered at everyone who jostled him on their way to and from the train carriage’s door. She also caught the faint, disgusted curl of his lip when he’d been forced to hold on to the metal pole.
Silently, she pulled a hand sanitizer from her bottomless purse, squirted some into her palm and offered him the bottle. He took it with a nod of thanks, and his frown didn’t seem so fearsome anymore.
Biting her lip, she took his hand again and turned toward the Prater amusement park, hoping that their train ride hadn’t ruined the day for him.
She was having a wonderful time. Sebastian, though skimpy with personal details, was a perfect companion. He was interested in the historical buildings they’d passed, obliged when she’d asked him to take a photo of her in the butterfly greenhouse, and paid for her decadent cake-and-coffee breakfast.
But he squeezed her hand, then released her and swung his arm around her shoulder instead. A pool of warmth bloomed in her chest; the move was so casual, so assured, her silly heart went haywire. She collected herself, taking only shallow breaths to avoid filling her lungs with his delicious scent. She was half afraid she’d swoon from an overdose of Sebastian.
Feeling brave and unlike herself, she slipped her arm around his waist and hooked her thumb in his belt loop.
He sucked in a breath, but she pretended not to notice. Together, they walked under the horse chestnut trees that threw lovely, deep shade over the footpaths, and did their best to avoid cyclists and couples with overexcited children who’d likely had too much cotton candy.
“The Prater Ferris wheel is more than a hundred years old,” she told him once they glimpsed the incredibly tall construction with its red gondolas. She swallowed thickly, keeping her gaze from following the carriages up to the highest point. “It used to be the largest wheel in the world.”
Sebastian glanced down at her. “You’ve read all about it, haven’t you?”
“I like to be prepared.” This was true, but she’d also hoped that ingesting meaningless information would help her overcome her fear of heights. She’d researched past incidents in order to comfort herself with data—but found an article detailing how the staff had accidentally left some tourists trapped in a gondola overnight.
Which was why they were here in the middle of the day, though it would have been prettier to see Vienna from above at sunset.
They stood in the line for tickets, and with every step closer, Lori’s heart beat a little faster. Sebastian didn’t seem concerned at all—the man was rattled by a mere subway but didn’t even break a sweat at the thought of going two hundred feet in the air.
Shoot. She was definitely sweating. Trying to be inconspicuous, she pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed it across her forehead. “Oof, it’s getting hot.”
Sebastian frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Of course!” she replied cheerfully. She wasn’t. But if she told him she was actually terrified, he would insist on not going up on the wheel. Or he’d want to know why she was so adamant that she should go.
And then she’d have to tell him about her grandma’s will and the embarrassing fact that repaying her college debt had left her so broke, she just couldn’t afford to not jump through her grandma’s hoops.
Her sweet, loving grandma, who had battled dementia toward the end of her life, had clearly forgotten about Lori’s fear of heights when she’d been compiling her list. Because Lori refused to believe that the woman who’d raised her would knowingly force her through this hell.
But ‘Ride the Wiener Riesenrad’ was one of the items Lori needed to tick off her list—and send photographic proof to the lawyer’s office.
She could do this. Lori puffed out a breath that had lodged in her chest. “I love amusement parks,” she told Sebastian to take her mind off the slowly turning wheel.
“I’ve never been to one,” he answered.
This refocused her attention. “Really? Not even as a kid?”
He glanced around at the brightly colored, tacky buildings that housed various merry-go-rounds, hotdog stands, and other staples Lori knew were usual for amusement parks. In the light of day, the buildings looked slightly worse for wear, but she imagined they would be neon-lit and almost magical at night. Maybe she would return here alone another evening, eat caramelized almonds that would stick to her teeth, and try all the kiddie rides that kept close to the ground.
She doubted Sebastian would want to accompany her here. He was studying a family of tourists with a tired toddler who was nodding off on his father’s shoulder.
“My parents weren’t the type to take me to amusement parks,” he said, “and my nannies weren’t permitted to take me anywhere where I might get…lost.” A wry smile played on his lips, letting Lori know this wasn’t the full story.
“I’m sorry,” she said, touching his arm.
“Ah, don’t be,” he replied. “I didn’t tell you this to be pitied. My parents had enough money to make sure I attended the best schools and had all the toys and books I could ever need.”
She didn’t doubt that. “But there’s more to raising children than throwing money at them.” Closing her eyes, she tried to keep her heart disengaged. But oh, she wanted to hug him. He looked as though he needed a big hug, the kind her grandma had been so good at giving. The kind that had you feeling everything would work out just fine. If he’d been raised by nannies, she couldn’t even imagine what an impact that must have had on him.
Yet she couldn’t get attached to this man, even if she wanted nothing more than to give him the affection he so clearly needed. He didn’t want that from her. He wanted her as arm candy at the gala and possibly in his bed, and here she was, dragging him around the city and forcing him to ride on the subway.
Suddenly unsure of herself, she turned to face him. “We don’t have to do this,” she said. “I mean, I can go up on my own. I’m sure you have more important things to do. Didn’t you mention a meeting?” She waved toward the exit. “I’ll come to the gala with you, don’t worry. But I shouldn’t have made you come with me.”
His eyebrows went up. “Lorelei.”
&nbs
p; His quiet voice stopped her stream of babble, and she stared up at his beautiful eyes, mesmerized by the intensity of his expression.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Yesterday, you insisted on this.”
She swallowed, staring at her feet—anything to escape that probing gaze—but he took her chin gently in his fingers and lifted it so she had no choice but to look at him.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
His words held a touch of command, but he was being so incredibly gentle with her. So she gave him the truth. Or as much of the truth as she could handle at the moment. “This all seems a little childish now. Making you miss whatever you had planned for this morning. Dragging you to an amusement park.” She shrugged. “You’re off the hook.”
And if he left, she’d still go to the opera with him that evening and she’d call it a great experience because he was a kind, if somewhat reticent, gentleman. She’d spent a beautiful evening with him last night and a very enjoyable morning, which was more than she’d expected on her arrival in Vienna three days ago.
But he wasn’t leaving. She’d fully expected him to have his phone out to call a cab and save himself from the tedium of having to chaperone her, but he was looking at her with a faintly amused expression.
Then he turned toward the ticket office, took her hand again, and said, “Hey, it’s almost our turn.”
Lori remembered to snap a selfie of both of them before they paid for their tickets. She didn’t even panic until she was already inside the gondola, which told her how touched she’d been by Sebastian’s decision to stay.
But the moment she realized where she was, fear spread through her like an ink stain through water. They were still on the ground, other tourists piling into the car after them—surely the old gondola wasn’t meant to take so many passengers? What if they were too heavy and the bolts got twisted, and they all plummeted to the ground and got squashed like a giant pancake?
The door slammed shut. Lori swallowed a whimper and turned to the windows, grabbing the handrail as though that would help her survive in the event that the entire wheel broke loose from its hub and tumbled toward the Danube river.
A firm hand landed on her shoulder, and she gave a little jump, turning to find Sebastian gazing at her in concern.
“What’s going on?” He studied her face. “You’ve gone pale.”
The old system shuddered to life, and their carriage moved, slowly leaving the ground behind. Lori closed her eyes and held on to the rail for dear life.
“Hey.”
Strong arms enveloped her in a hug, but she didn’t dare peer down. She didn’t want to know how far up from the ground they were.
“Are you afraid of heights?”
Reluctantly, Lori nodded against Sebastian’s strong chest. If she concentrated, she could almost hear the beating of his heart over the excited chatter of the tourists in the cabin.
“Why did you want to go up here, then?”
Because my grandmother’s will demands it. If I don’t fulfill all the requirements, I’ll lose the house I grew up in and the chance to start a new business that I’d actually like.
But he didn’t really want to know that. People’s pasts were messy, always, and he was right to have demanded that they keep theirs private. They might spend a night together, perhaps more, but at the end of their stay, he would return to his charmed existence and she’d be back to finding the cheapest hotels in Cancún for party-hungry college students.
Or she was going to die on this humongous piece of old metal before she even had a chance to live the life she wanted.
Squeezing her eyes tight, she clung to Sebastian, who smelled good enough to eat. His arms wrapped around her, and she could almost pretend they were in a railway car, not a gondola dozens of feet off the ground.
“Lorelei?”
The way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine, and she chanced a glance up at him. He was gazing at her with such concern, her heart melted a little more. This man…
Then she caught the view through the window from the corner of her eye, and gasped, turning in Sebastian’s arms.
They were soaring high above the city, the flat land offering them a perfect view of Vienna. The sky was a shocking, brilliant blue, and the wind chased puffy white clouds as though they were lambs.
Lori experienced a moment of incandescent happiness. There was freedom in being this far away from home, away from her job and finances and her disaster of a family. She was on top of the world, and holding her was a gorgeous, kind man who was somehow interested in her.
But then she made a mistake of looking down. The brightly painted buildings of the Prater amusement park were so far below, the humans seemed like ants scurrying around, and there were other gondolas rising below them, all held by a flimsy, century-old iron construction that could tumble at any moment…
She gasped, her breath stuck in her throat, and let out an involuntary, terrified groan that had Sebastian frowning at her in renewed concern.
“Hey,” he said, releasing his hold on her.
No, don’t leave me! She wanted to claw her way back to him, beg him to put his arms around her again because they were the only thing keeping her grounded, keeping her alive.
But he simply caught her face in his palms, forcing her to tip her head back so she stared in his eyes.
“Hey, I’m here.” He lowered his face until their foreheads touched, and murmured, “Don’t look down. Just keep your eyes on me.”
His voice was a soothing rumble, his sweet, warm breath caressing her lips. Lori lost herself in the depths of his ocean-blue eyes and forced herself to take one shaking gulp of air after another.
“We’re descending now,” he whispered.
Lori’s gaze danced sideways, but he raised his palms like he was putting blinkers on a horse.
“No,” he commanded. “Don’t.”
Lori huffed out a laugh and clung to his arms, relieved that their voyage was more than halfway over. She was vaguely aware of other tourists chattering in the gondola in a variety of languages but didn’t turn to them. They probably thought she was crazy.
She let Sebastian take a selfie of them both, keeping her gaze on him instead of admiring the view.
“Want to explain to me why we’re here?” Sebastian repeated his earlier question.
She pressed her lips together, trying to find a way to explain that wouldn’t break his rule. “I made someone a promise I’d ride the Ferris wheel.” Posthumously, but still.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “You must love them very much to do this, then.”
Lori’s heart pinched painfully. Of course, she’d loved her grandmother, who’d given her all the warmth and protection that her mother never could, or would, provide.
“Yes,” she said. She didn’t miss his frown; he likely thought she was talking about a man, not her poor old grandma. “I did. My grandma…passed away. She was Austrian, so…” She trailed off, feeling this was enough personal information for now. He’d made up the no-details rule, but it seemed unnecessary to let him think she had someone waiting for her back home.
Her dating life the past couple of years had been nothing but a sad string of first and maybe second dates with men who were very uninspiring. She wanted a man to spend her life with, someone who could keep up a decent conversation and spark at least some interest in her. And she would have preferred someone who would be charmed by her—ah, she wanted to feel wanted. Was that too much to ask?
Apparently, it wasn’t. Sebastian here had expressed his interest in her several times over, and spending time with him had confirmed what she’d known from the start: he wasn’t a bad man, and they clicked on some basic, elemental level.
But their acquaintance would only last one more night.
Lori closed her eyes for the briefest moment, allowing herself to enjoy the feel of his warm palms against her cheeks. Then she glanced up at him, finding that piercing gaze still focused on her, and a
switch flicked inside her.
Throwing caution out the window, she went on her tiptoes and pressed a light, quick kiss on his lips. She kept her eyes open, gauging his reaction as she distanced herself from him, slipping from his arms.
His frown deepened, but not in anger—he was staring at her lips, and a thrill coursed through her at the thought of what would happen next. Oh, he would know how to kiss, and maybe, just maybe, she could risk one real kiss from him without losing her head—and her heart.
She swayed toward him again, helpless under his spell. His hand came to rest on the small of her back, his warmth seeping through the cotton fabric of her dress. His lips parted, and he lowered his head, not taking advantage, but asking—
The carriage rocked suddenly, and Lori gasped, hand flying out to grasp the rail beside her. Instinctively, she glanced outside the window, despite Sebastian’s earlier orders, and realized they’d arrived back on the ground. Their fellow passengers were disembarking, a young boy was demanding loudly to have another turn, and the tension of the moment popped like a soap bubble.
Looking back at Sebastian, she sent him a small, rueful smile—but he didn’t return it. Instead, his inscrutable mask was back on, and a stinging lance of disappointment pierced her chest at the sight.
Had she ruined everything with that kiss? This was what came from letting her impulsive side take over.
They stepped outside, and Sebastian caught her hand, bringing it up briefly to brush his lips over her knuckles. It was a familiar gesture, and he seemed lost in thought; she wasn’t even certain he knew what he’d done.
But her treacherous heart fluttered in excitement, no matter how hard she tried to stamp down any feelings. Her lips still tingled from that brief contact with Sebastian’s, and she couldn’t imagine what being kissed by him—properly kissed—would do to her. She was half afraid to find out.
Seven
Lori
Sebastian ordered a car to come pick them up at the entrance to the Prater amusement park. She hadn’t even seen him place the call, yet a sleek black Tesla Model X waited for them, its doors swinging up as if they were entering a spaceship, not a car. The moment the driver merged into heavy midday traffic, Sebastian took up her hand again, though he stared out the window, seemingly lost in thought.