Chapter Nine

Zoe

The waterfall is more than double the height of the cliff, but the beauty of it draws me close despite the nerves wreaking havoc in my belly. Not all of those nerves come from the impending jump either.

There were some unspoken messages, or maybe warnings, in Amadeo's words and I'm not sure how I feel about them. I already had a crush from our emails and chats, but now I think I'm starting to catch real feelings. Not just vacation-Daddy feelings.

Watching Amadeo cool off in the spray of water near the falls, I chew my lip. The water droplets forming on the planes of his spectacular chest and the damp curl to his hair, make my heart skip. I want this man. More than I've wanted anyone.

I never felt this way about Mark. Oh, I got caught up in our romance, sure, but maybe that's because he was all about making our budding romance into some epic show, but I don't think it was for me. I think it was for the world watching us.

But had we ever almost ripped each other's clothes off on one of our dates? Nope. We'd never even ripped each other's clothes off in desperation in private.

That's exactly what I want to do now. I want to peel Amadeo's shorts off and drag him away to make his eyes roll back in his head.

Looking at the people standing around, also enjoying the cool spray, I try to think of something else. I don't know the laws in the country pertaining to public sex and I don't want to learn them the hard way.

Looking over the edge of the falls, I gauge the jump. The bottom seems clear, not a rock in sight and there are a few people lined up near an outcropping, waiting to take their turn at jumping.

I head there and take my place behind the others. Nervous flutters dance inside me, as I watch people take the leap, plunging down with whoops, and hollers.

While I wait, I take out my iPhone, snapping pictures of the natural beauty. One catches the spray and sunlight perfectly giving it a rainbow effect. As I admire the shot, I notice Amadeo is at the end of the colorful arc like my own personal pot of gold.

"Hey, you're Zoe Wayz!" someone says, and my heart starts pounding in my chest. I swallow and nod when the dude starts telling the others.

"This is Zoe Wayz, the adventure chick from Youtube."

There's sudden chatter all around me and people shuffle, sending me to the front of the line, cameras up and ready. My heart is no longer in my chest, it's in my throat.

Amadeo waves as he notices me, and then holds a finger up as I take my place on the outcropping.

A helmet in his hand, Amadeo passes the line of people waiting to jump. "Here. This goes on your head." He pops the helmet on and smiles as he straps it up. I feel like a five-year-old but I don't care. He's buying me time.

"Did you have this the whole time?"

"In my bag, yes. And there's no way I'm letting you jump without it. I like this melon as it is, yeah?"

He kisses me and someone in the line aws. I frown. After Mark, public displays make me uncomfortable. I've never valued privacy more than I do now. Besides, no one knows Mark and I broke up, so it looks like I'm cheating.

"Good luck."

I glance down, making sure the previous jumper has made it to land. A thousand butterflies flap their wings frantically in my belly, but I ignore them. I have no choice. Not with all these people and their cameras rolling.

My stomach drops as soon as I leap, but damn, it's a feeling nothing can duplicate.

Smiling, I squeal in delight until I hit the cool water like a torpedo. Popping up, I wave to Amadeo and the others who're looking over the edge.

Amadeo dons his own helmet, standing in the queue. He pumps his arms in excitement for me and my smile goes so wide, my cheeks hurt.

The climb up takes some serious effort, but when I'm halfway up I stop to watch Amadeo's jump. He pulls his knees up, tucking himself into a ball for the first part of the drop, but at the last second, he straightens and hits the water straight-legged, slicing through the water.

I queue up again, and when it's my turn, I see he's got his camera up, filming my drop. I didn't even think of my socials. I was too busy having fun.

He meets me at the edge of the water. Pulling a towel out of his backpack, he wraps it, and his arms around my shoulders.

"I want to go again!" I say, still high from the rush. He chuckles and I feel the rumbles from his chest on my back. I also feel something else.

"Slow down, daredevil. We've still got a long hike back."

I turn in his arms, wrapping my own around his neck and kiss him, not giving a shit that people are watching. It's not a peck, either.

"Daddy, you outdid yourself with this one," I say as I pull back to look into his gorgeous eyes. And then, with a flirty smile, a shift of my hips, and an eyebrow waggle, I ask, "What's next?"

"It'll be a proper meal for you, little girl." His stern look melts and his gaze becomes heated. "And dessert for Daddy."