Kiss Me Maybe (Princess Cruises Presents: Kindle Love Stories) by Heather Burch Read Free Book Online

doesn’t make change any less frightening.”
    Well, that was an understatement. “What made her decide to go ahead?” Megan asked.
    “My grandfather. He told her the best things in life were buried under tons of risk. He claimed life was like a bucket full of rare jewels that are covered in dirt. You can live in the dirt, stay near the top where things are safe, and no one will stop you. But if you really want to get to the gems, you have to . . .”
    “Dive in?”
    He grinned in answer.
    “You have to dig through the dirt to get to the treasure?” Her voice lifted a bit because she understood.
    “Exactly. And once in a while, a gentle rain will come along and . . .” He let his words trail off so she could finish the sentence.
    “Will wash away some of the dirt for you?” That would make it easier, she supposed. Digging in dirt was messy business. And what did it have to do with her and her situation? Everything. She just didn’t know how the pieces fit.
*
    If Megan didn’t die right here, right now, she’d surely have a heart attack.
    “Keep your eyes on me.” Alexander gripped her shoulders. “Princess, you got this. You’re so much braver than you know.” His eyes flecked with more assurance than should be possible. He was strength. He was marble. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
    Megan drew a breath and nodded for the attendant to push her off the platform. Her eyes stayed on Alexander—still standing on the wooden deck, one hand wrapped around the railing—until the rush of wind and the zing of the line demanded Megan’s attention. She chanced a glance forward and then down . . . and was captivated. Below her, the treetops, green and perfect, sailed by. She could scarcely breathe from the excitement and the whoosh of adrenaline taking hold of her body. Off to her right was a lake and to her left more vegetation. This was like flying. And sailing. And falling. It was magical and wonderful and she thought maybe this was what the angels felt as they rose from earth to heaven. Wind kissed her face, the sun shone on her arms and legs; she was an angel, free and soaring above the earth. Megan’s momentum slowed as she neared the next tree platform and the grinning attendant. For a quick moment she wondered if he ever tired of seeing exuberant tourists with their wide smiles. Her face tingled. She could feel the color in her cheeks and the lightness in her heart. Her eyes were practically dancing out of her head.
    He pulled her onto the platform where she drew a huge breath, hoping it would slow her racing heart. She hadn’t screamed, hadn’t fainted dead away like she’d thought she might. As the tanned young man worked with her harness, he asked, “Ready for more?”
    She nodded, wondering if she might faint—not from fear—but from pure excitement. Her legs were shaky but she knew they’d hold her. Megan rested a hand on the tree, a massive thing with a trunk that seemed as big as a house.
    There was a zing behind her, and she knew Alexander was making his way to the platform as well. She turned in time to see him land. His face grinning, his body looking perfectly suited to the rigors of treetop travel.
    She hadn’t spoken yet, but when he gripped her in his hands, her mouth opened and words poured out. “Did you see the water? That was . . . I’ve never . . . I mean . . .”
    He grabbed her shoulders, planted a quick kiss on her lips, and chuckled. “My thoughts exactly.”
    The brush of his mouth on hers brought a bit of stability to her. Now, she could complete a thought. She gripped his arms. “I will never ever ever forget this. My whole life. And one day when I’m old and living in a nursing home, I’ll talk about this. Flying in the treetops.”
    His brows dipped in a frown. “You’re not scared anymore?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Terrified. I might completely freeze at any moment and end up curled on the platform in a fetal position sucking my thumb. But