Simona laughed. “Oh, and those little hands are fast.”
“Tell me about it. So, are you enjoying yourself?”
“I’m having a great time. I feel like a kid again. But I’m never going near the Tower of Terror again.” She rolled her eyes. “You said it wasn’t that bad.”
He laughed. “It wasn’t.” He leaned closer and nuzzled her neck. “Come on, admit it, you had fun.”
She giggled. “I’m not admitting anything.”
“You don’t have to. I know you loved it.”
“Whatever, Donovan Wright. Eat your food.”
He winked and unleashed that captivating smile on her, then kissed the top of Yasmine’s head and continued to eat.
Simona’s heart leaped. She didn’t think she would ever get used to that smile.
“Girl, I see what you meant,” Eve said, sotto voce. “That smile, those eyes and, mercy, that dimple! A lethal combination guaranteed to make a woman drop her panties every time. Now I know why that grin has been a permanent fixture on your face lately.”
She felt her face grow warm. He could make her drop her panties and more, just from the lightest touch. A vision of him running his hands all over her body filled her mind.
“Stop that,” Eve whispered.
Simona whipped her head around. “What?”
Grinning, she said, “Those must have been some thoughts. Your whole expression changed.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Simona mumbled, pushing the food around her plate. She met her friend’s amused face and couldn’t hide her smile.
As they left the restaurant, Donovan said, “There’s another ride I want to take you on. I promise you’ll like this one. No big drops.”
She wagged a finger his way. “Okay, but I’m warning you...”
Eve volunteered to keep an eye on Yasmine.
Donovan led her inside a vintage airplane hangar with a sign that read Soarin’ Over California, then to a briefing room and finally into a large theater. After they were strapped in, the lights went off and the huge screen came to life. Simona sat mesmerized by the foggy skies clearing to reveal the Golden Gate Bridge. She felt as if she were flying over the city. She couldn’t contain her delight when she smelled oranges as they passed over the groves, or the pine scent and cold in snowy Lake Tahoe. Simona instinctively covered her face as a golf ball flew toward her, but relaxed viewing the lights of downtown Los Angeles’s nightlife. The ride came to an end, and they followed the crowd to the exit.
“Oh, my God! That was fantastic!” she squealed as soon as they were outside, launching herself into his arms. “This has been one of the best days ever.” She kissed him deeply, trying to convey her feelings. “Thank you, thank you so much for bringing me here. I lo—” She clamped her jaws shut and backed out of his arms.
Donovan pulled her back into his arms. “What were you going to say?”
“Just that I loved the ride,” she answered quickly.
He eyed her a lengthy minute before saying, “I’m glad.”
“We’d better head over to California Adventures, if we’re going. The kids will be worn out soon.” She took his hand and guided him back to where the others waited, chastising herself for almost blurting out those words. What were you thinking, Simona? She would have liked to attribute the surge of emotions to being caught up in the spectacular day, but she knew it was a lie. She was falling in love with him, plain and simple.
For the rest of the afternoon and all the way home, every time their eyes met, Donovan stared at her curiously. She tried to avoid direct eye contact, but he made it difficult. He helped unload the car and placed the sleeping Yasmine in her crib. The day had worn her out, and she didn’t stir while Simona changed her diaper and put on her pajamas.
She stalled going back into the living room where Donovan waited, but after several minutes she walked back down the hallway. She found him stretched out on the sofa with his eyes closed.
“Come here, sweetheart.” He held his hand out to her.
She placed the baby monitor on the table, then spooned her body next to him.
“Tired?”
“Yeah, but in a good way. I wanted to see more.”
Donovan chuckled. “There’s no way to see it all in one day. We’ll go back another time and spend a day at each park.”
“I’d like that.” They’d stayed only a couple of hours at California Adventures because the kids were getting cranky. Simona really wanted to ride Soarin’ Over California again, but had pushed the desire away and, instead, made sure they squeezed in as many kiddie rides as possible in that short period.