More Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories - By Lisa Scott Page 0,57

all the girls,” Zoe said, frowning.

Nick gave her a dirty look. “I promise you I do not.”

Closing her eyes, she snaked her arms around his neck, pressing her face against her chest.

“Now wrap your legs around him,” the guide said.

Zoe’s eyes flew open and she pulled away from Nick. “Excuse me?”

The guide looked at her like she was a dolt. “It’s the best way to do it.”

“I’m sorry about this,” she said to Nick. “Like you said, it’ll be over in a minute.”

“I’ve had far worse experiences, Zoe.” He grinned, and she could imagine for a moment how fun this must be for couples in love—to literally take the plunge together. Gripping his neck, she hopped up and wrapped her legs around him. This embrace should get special mention on the list, she thought.

“You guys ready?” the guide asked.

“Yep!” Nick said, while Zoe shook her head no.

“Three, two, one—jump!” the guide shouted.

Nick jumped, taking her with him. This time, she couldn’t scream, she just hung to Nick, wondering if she was going to die, wondering if she’d leave claw marks on Nick’s skin, feeling the rush of air and the warmth between them.

Nick hollered and cheered as they bounced and bobbed at the end of the rope. Then she started screaming.

“You did it, Zoe! I told you, you could do it.” Nicks arms tightened around her.

Their bouncing slowed and the guides lowered them to the ground, and helped them out of the gear. “Let’s watch the next people and see how it looks,” Nick said.

They waited a few minutes until the next pair jumped off the bridge, holding hands. Zoe’s face felt hot. “Why aren’t they hugging like we were?”

“They must not be a couple like you guys are,” a guide said.

“Oh, we’re not a couple,” Zoe said.

The guide shrugged. “You look like a couple to me. The guy up there must’ve thought so, too.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking at Nick.

He grinned. “I’m not.” He reached out for her hand. “Come on.”

“What now?” Zoe said, not certain she could take another adventure, certainly not with her limbs wrapped around Nick.

“Let’s go get a drink,” Nick said. “We deserve it.”

***

“Let me pay for these,” she said, as they settled at the bar. Had she ever been at a bar looking so disheveled? Her pink hair was back in a ponytail, her clothes were grungy at best, and she didn’t even want to think about how she smelled. But she didn’t care. It had been a great day with a great guy.

“I’ve got it.” Nick pulled out his wallet.

She set her hand on his. “You’ve paid for everything today—even when I put up a fight. Let me get the drinks.”

“I’m independently wealthy,” Nick said.

Zoe laughed. “Me, too. I just live like I do to keep it real.”

He squeezed her hand. “No, it’s true. My mother left me a lot of money when she died. A lot.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Twenty-grand would be a lot to me.”

“Slightly more than that. We’re talking eight figures. I’m paying for everything we do together.”

Zoe paused to remember how much money eight figures was. Her eyes must’ve been bulging when she figured it out. Still, everything they’d done today had been for the list. He shouldn’t be paying for everything even if he was a gazillionaire. She opened her mouth to argue but he pressed a finger against her lips. “I haven’t been interested in anything for a long time. Please let me do this.”

As if she needed a reminder that their time together wasn’t about her. She blinked a few times, and then nodded. “I’m sorry about your mother. When did she pass away?”

“Five years ago. None of us knew she had this fortune set aside. We lived a very middle-class life. I was actually quite angry for a while once I found out. We could’ve grown up much differently.”

“How had she set aside all that money?”

“My grandfather died before we were born. Before she was married. He left it to her, but they had some sort of falling out. She was too proud to spend it. So she invested it, hoping to give it to her kids today. She ended up having three boys and a girl. Even so, there were still millions for us to split.”

“Guess those were some good investments. That must’ve been a shock for you.”

“We haven’t all handled it well.” He looked down. “I’m sorry. I don’t talk about this with most people. I try to live my life like it was