Smiling, I lean my head back against the leather bench and look into his pale blue eyes. “Where are we going? I have to work tomorrow morning.”
“We won’t be gone that long. It’s only a two-hour flight. I’ll have you home in enough time for work.”
“Promise.”
He nods, and then presses his lips to mine, making me forget about everything but him.
When we landed in Orlando, Florida, I was in complete shock. I’m still in awe of the lavish date he planned for me. Tucker won’t tell me why we’re here or what we’re doing.
By the time the driver parks in the covered lot at Universal Studios, I’m dying with anticipation.
“I always wanted to come here when I was a kid,” I tell Tucker. “But my dad could never afford it.”
He was also never sober enough, but I leave that part out.
“I know it’s a bit much for a first date, but we don’t do anything half-assed in my family.” Tucker brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear and smiles. “I wanted to show you that I’m serious about you, Sam.”
“I see that,” I mutter.
After we enter the park, I’m in awe of my surroundings like a little kid falling in love for the first time. We walk past a sports bar, a donut shop, Starbucks, and a Transformers ride before I see why Tucker brought me here. My mouth goes wide in shock when I notice a replica of the Knight Bus from the Harry Potter movies.
With my hand covering my mouth, I turn to Tucker while speaking between my fingers. “Did you know this would be here?”
“Yes.” He leads us down a ways and then turns me to the left where I see Sirius Black’s house.
I’ve seen pictures of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter online, but I never thought I would see it in person.
My eyes well up with tears from what Tucker has done for me. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. “Tucker, I don’t even know what to say. Thank you.”
“There’s a lot more to see,” he says, rubbing his hand down my back. “We have to ride the train if you want to go inside Hogwarts.”
“Hogwarts,” I whisper, still in disbelief. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
He drags his thumb along my bottom lip, and sparks of electricity set my skin on fire. “I did it just to see you smile.”
I smile in response. “You’ve succeeded.”
I never thought Tucker was serious about anything other than having sex with me. Not until the day he asked me to sit with his friends in the cafeteria. That’s when I knew I was more to him than another fling. Now, I feel horrible for everything I’ve done to him. He has no idea I’m involved with The Queen.
How do I tell him? I can’t. He would hate me, and I couldn’t blame him. I would hate me too if the tables were turned.
“I have no idea how I will ever repay you for this,” I confess. “It’s so much…”
And I have nothing.
“I don’t expect anything in return.” He kisses me on the forehead, and my skin heats again. “I just want you to have fun.”
Forehead kisses aren’t reserved for just anyone, neither are gestures this grand. How come he couldn’t just tell me how he felt about me? He must like me more than a little bit to do all of this. Men are so strange. They can never flat out tell you how they feel using their words, but Tucker’s actions say it all.
We take our time walking through Diagon Alley, a cobblestone shopping area for the wizarding world. The likeness to the Harry Potter movies is remarkable. I feel like I’m Harry Potter walking alongside Hagrid for the first time to buy school supplies. We enter each shop where you can buy Harry Potter merchandise. I want all of it but can’t afford more than a bookmark.
When we find Ollivanders, I drag Tucker into the wand shop. Tucker offers to buy me a wand. I refuse because all of this is too much, but he ignores my protest and hands me a box. It’s like a dream come true. My very own wand from Ollivanders.
We wander in and out of each store, and Tucker seems to notice every item I look at.
“We’ll take one of these.” Tucker points at a Quidditch shirt I was eyeing up. His eyes travel over my body for a second, and then he adds, “In a small, I think.”
“No, that’s okay,” I say, but he dismisses me and hands his credit card to the store clerk.
He collects bags on his arms from each store by the time we climb the stairs to the train. I don’t feel worthy of this. He’s spent hundreds of dollars on Harry Potter shirts, scarves, mugs, and candies.