Do Me Right (De Toi à Moi #1)

Fifteen

I gazed out of the window while Ryder skillfully sped through the streets. His hand remained on my thigh the whole ride, squeezing and caressing my skin every once in a while. I smiled at the small gesture. Was this what boyfriend Ryder was like?

After driving for a few minutes, I had a feeling I knew exactly where he was taking me. I kept quiet, not wanting to ruin the surprise. But if he had really wanted it to be a surprise, he should’ve blind-folded me. I’ve lived in Chicago for the past four years, he didn’t really expect me to have never been there before, did he?

When he turned left after Grant Park, my suspicions were confirmed. “The aquarium,” I said, staring at the building that was slowly coming into view. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Ryder turning towards me with a smile. “The aquarium,” I repeated, turning in my own seat to flash him a confused look. The aquarium closed at six. What was he planning to do, breaking and entering?

“The aquarium,” he confirmed with a smile, pulling into an empty parking spot. There were a few cars left here and there, but for the most part the car park was completely abandoned. He turned off the engine and got out of the car. I did the same and when I was standing outside, he pouted at me. “I wanted to be a gentleman.” He slammed the door to the passenger seat shut behind me before pressing a button on his keys to lock the car.

I chuckled. “I’m sorry. I’m just excited.” I pulled the strap out of my clutch bag and placed it over my shoulder. Ryder’s eyes were sparkling with amusement as he stared at me. I probably looked like a twelve-year-old. “We are going in, right?”

“Of course, angel.” He brushed my cheek with his palm briefly before grasping my hand, pulling me forward. We headed up the steps that lead to the entrance and I was shocked when the doors opened for us. A small gasp escaped my lips as we easily walked inside. It was completely empty, apart from night security.

“Evening.” A man from the security team walked up to us. He stopped a few feet away from us, looking from Ryder to me and back. Oh God, he’s gonna tell us to leave, isn’t he? He’s gonna give us five seconds to get out of here before he calls the cops. “Mr. Jackson.” My eyes widened in shock as I watched the men shake hands. “Everything is taken care of, as requested.”

“Thank you, George,” he said, releasing his hand. When he pulled me behind him to enter the exhibition area, I heard George chuckling lightly. We must look ridiculous. I was completely stunned. Ryder knew these people. He knew the people who worked at the aquarium. That, or he’d paid them a large sum of money to let us in after closing time on such short notice. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

“What,” I breathed in confusion as we entered the first room. A shade of blue instantly cast over us as we entered the darkened area. “You know them?”

He laughed, pulling me towards the thick surface separating us from the wonders of the sea. “We own this aquarium.”

“What?” Okay, was I just gonna repeat myself all night?

“It’s a Jackson Palmer owned business, Belle,” he spelled out for me. “Look,” he said, pointing at the window. I stared at what he was pointing at. A brightly colors fish swam past us, followed by another in a different but just as bright color. “Parrotfish.”

I pressed my palms flat against the glass and stared in wonder at the fish swimming by me. I spotted some sharks in the distance and cautiously took a step back. Ryder laughed. “I don’t like sharks,” I whispered, staring with wide eye as one approached us.

“Is that more your thing?” Ryder pointed to our left and I spotted a sea turtle.

“Yes,” I smiled. He left me to admire the sea creatures for a little longer before pulling me to the next exhibit. But I paused. “Can we not go there?”’ I asked, staring at the sign that read ‘Amazon Rising’. Ryder stopped, turning around to stare at me curiously. “I don’t like spiders or snakes either.”