Page 27 of Bad Luck, Hard Love
“I’ll go first,” Charlotte answers, moving around me. The attendant clips her onto the line and checks her harness one more time. She peers over her shoulder at me and with one leap, flies forward, squealing as she does. The crowd below her looks up as she passes by. The sound of her infectious laugh makes me forget for a second that I will have to follow her.
I step forward, and the attendant repeats the routine with me. With a pat on the back, he steps away, waiting for me to go.
“Fuck it,” I mutter to myself before I jump. Unlike Charlotte, I don’t soar forward at a fast pace. I stay there, suspended. The attendant laughs with a shake of his head before he gives me a shove, and I shift forward. My weight slows me down in comparison to her. I creep along until I finally reach her on the lower platform, where she is waiting for me.
“That was interesting.” She smiles, her hair still windswept from her trip down.
I take a moment to catch my breath, my heart still racing from the adrenaline rush. “Interesting is one way to put it,” I reply, a mix of relief and exhilaration in my voice. I can’t help but smile back at her, feeling a sense of accomplishment for conquering my fear, even if reluctantly.
Charlotte’s eyes sparkle with mischief as she steps closer to me, her hand reaching out to lightly touch my arm. “You did great, you know. I knew you had it in you.”
The attendants help us remove the harnesses, and once we are free from them, we take the stairs down from the platform. As we near the bottom, Charlotte’s heel slips, and she grabs my hand to steady herself. She doesn’t let go.
As we walk away from the zip-line platform, hand in hand, the bustling energy of Las Vegas surrounds us. The sounds of laughter and music fill the air, blending seamlessly with the distant hum of traffic on the Strip.
Without hesitation, Charlotte leans in and presses her lips against mine—a sweet, lingering kiss that sends shivers down my spine. “Thank you for doing that. I know I kind of messed up our moment on the rooftop.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.” Her fucking ex-husband did. A woman as beautiful as Charlotte deserves to be cherished, not used like a fucking punching bag. If I can figure out who this motherfucker is and where he lives, I’ll be the last thing he sees. Not just for her but for every woman who could come after her. Men like that do not deserve to draw breath.
Charlotte peers up at me, my face giving away my thoughts. She squeezes my hand tight.
“He’s not worth it.”
“You keep saying that,” I murmur, pulling her closer as we navigate through the crowded sidewalk. “But men like him don't stop with one victim.” One is never enough once they have the taste for it. They’re like dogs. Once they’ve tasted blood, they crave it. And like rabid dogs, they need to be put down.
“I know, but I can't live my life waiting for karma to catch up to him.”
“And what if I want to be karma's delivery man?”
She sighs, pressing her forehead against my chest. “Thor...”
My arms wrap around her instinctively, pulling her close as people stream past us on either side. Her body fits against mine like she was made for it. I breathe in the scent of her hair and feel my resolve weakening.
The light changes, and we cross with the crowd, but my mind is miles away, torn between two overwhelming desires… to hunt down the motherfucker who hurt her and to never let her go.
“You're still thinking about him, aren't you?”
“Yeah,” I admit. No point in lying. “I can't help it.”
We continue our stroll along the Strip, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere. Twenty minutes later, we’re back at our hotel. Charlotte stops outside the main entrance and peers up at the lights.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“I don't want the night to end,” she says quietly. “But I also don't want to push things after what happened at dinner.”
I tilt her chin up with my finger. “What do you want, Charlotte? Not what you think you should want. What do you actually want?”
She bites her lower lip, a gesture that makes my chest tighten. “I want to spend more time with you. I want to feel normal again, even if it's just for one night. Take me to your room?”
My breath hitches. She takes a deep breath before she repeats herself.
“I want to go to your room with you.”
Any other man in this city wouldn’t hesitate to take her up on the offer, but after what happened earlier, I can’t help it. One touch and she bolted away from me.
“I’m not sure that is a good idea.”
She shifts, pivoting toward me. Her arms wrap around my stomach as she peers up at me from under her lashes. “I let things get in my head earlier. Things that don’t matter anymore.I want to feel again. I want to know what it’s like to be with someone who makes me feel safe.”
