Chapter 5
FIVE
MADS
I hang onto Domhnall's arm like a cat with its claws sunk deep, holding on for dear life as we step out of the therapist's office and into the crisp afternoon air. The sun slaps me right in the face, golden and warm, and I pause—just for the littlest bit—to throw my head back and bask in it.
How long has it been since I felt this?
The air is chilly, but the sunlight is all-encompassing, sinking into my bones like the best kind of drug.
I close my eyes, smiling to myself. For once, everything's perfect.
I've got Donny on my arm, we're outside in the glorious daylight together, and there's nothing heavy pressing down on me.
No chains, no shadows, no suffocating whispers in my head.
Well, except for her.
But she's not here right now. Thanks a million, Dr. Ezra.
I crack one eye open and glance up at Domhnall, expecting to see him as drunk on freedom as I am. But instead, he's watching me with that pensive, broody stare of his, all dark and unreadable.
Ugh. Men.
I arch a brow. "Where to now, Cowboy?" I still can't believe out of all the places in the world Domhnall Callaghan chose to land, he picked Dallas, Texas. My fingers curl tighter around his arm, possessive.
He doesn't answer, just keeps looking at me like I'm something new. Something strange.
I trail a teasing finger down the front of his shirt, toying with the buttons. "We could lay out naked in that lovely backyard of yours," I murmur. "Feel this gorgeous sunshine over every inch of our skin." I lean in closer, lowering my voice to a whisper. "I've been getting a little pale lately."
I squeeze his arm and bounce on the balls of my feet, impatient. "Come on, Donny, let's hurry home."
Nothing. Not even a smirk.
I'm about to start pouting when he finally shakes his head, as if snapping out of whatever deep, broody hole he fell into. "I've got a better idea."
My interest peaks immediately. "A better place to fuck?" I scan the busy downtown street with renewed energy. "Because I've always wanted to do it in public."
Domhnall rolls his eyes, his mouth twitching at the corner despite himself. "Somewhere fun."
"Fucking is fun."
He gives me a look before pulling out his phone and thumbing through something, ignoring me.
I let out an exaggerated groan. "Oh, Donny," I wheedle, pressing against him.
"If I didn't know how much you loved fucking me, my feelings might be hurt.
Lucky for me, I know just how ecstatic your cum face is, and that's not something you can fake.
" I mimic the way his brow scrunches up, grabbing his forearm.
"And your brogue comes back, and you usually say something sweet like, 'ah god,' and then you can't do anything but make that pained moan of yours that always sends me right over the edge. "
His thumb freezes on the screen. His eyes lift, darkening with that familiar heat.
Aha. There he is. My lusty monster.
I bite the inside of my cheek, looking around for a store with a public restroom stall, but before I can act on my absolutely genius idea, he's back to thumbing through his phone like I'm nothing but background noise.
"What are you even doing?" I demand, crossing my arms. "Your hot fiancée is standing right in front of you offering up hot sex, and you're answering a work email?"
He clicks something, then tucks his phone away, finally meeting my gaze. "No, I was getting us tickets. Like you said, you never get to come out and play in the city."
I blink. "Tickets?"
He nods. "So I thought I'd get us seats to a show."
A delighted gasp leaves me before I throw my arms around him. "Oh, thank you!" I pull back just enough to press an enthusiastic kiss to his mouth. I didn't think he was going to play along. Usually, he's such a sourpuss about always wanting her around.
"Are we flying off to see Broadway?" I wiggle my eyebrows.
"No."
"Paris?"
"No. We aren't flying anywhere."
"Fine. I guess that's best. We don't know how long I have before I switch again." I grin, leaning into his chest and going up on my toes. "So, the symphony?"
"No. Oh, look—our car."
He points, and sure enough, his driver is pulling up to the curb. I glance down at my outfit, wrinkling my nose at the khaki pants and blue cardigan Anna dressed us in this morning. I shudder. "Should we go home so I can change first?"
"Nope. You're perfect." He opens the door for me, eyes twinkling. "Hop on in, love."
I narrow my eyes. "Is where we're going actually fun?"
He smirks. "I have heard fun is on the menu today."
My heart leaps. He's actually playing along.
"M'lady," he says, bowing with a flourish.
I let out an excited noise and practically bounce into the car, already chattering away about all the things I want to do while I'm awake, most of them involving sexy times.
When Domhnall slides in beside me and presses the privacy button for the partition between us and the driver, my pulse kicks up. Finally, he's giving in to my public sex idea. But when I reach for his belt, he stops me with a firm hand.
"I haven't fully explained your situation to Charles," he says, tilting his head toward the driver. "He's used to the way Anna speaks and acts."
Oh.
Oh, I see how it is.
"She's not a whore like me, you mean." I cross my arms over my chest, huffing.
"Mads," he sighs. "Don't."
I glare at him. "We wouldn't even have come back here if it weren't for me. She thought we needed to stay in Chicago to 'keep healing.'" I roll my eyes, making dramatic air quotes. "I'm the one who stopped fucking around and got us back where we belong."
He takes my hand, his grip warm and steady. "I don't want to fight with you. But I don't want to have to placate you either."
I drop his hand, my voice turning sharp. "That's not what I want."
"Then don't pout." He exhales slowly. "I'm glad you're here."
I go flinty. "Liar. You just want her."
His mouth tightens. "Do you have to turn everything into a fight? You wanted time in the daylight with me, and you've got it. At some point, you're going to have to admit the fight is over. Give in and just have some fun in your fucking life."
"Fun?" I ask suspiciously.
"Fun."
I huff, feeling cross again. "Fun is for children. Adults have pleasure."
"You never got to be a child," he says quietly. "Time to make up for it."
I stare at him. "Where exactly are you taking me?"
I cross my arms and slump back into the car seat as the sign for Six Flags Arlington looms into view. What. The. Actual. Fuck.
"You're kidding," I say flatly, turning to Domhnall.
But he's grinning like he just pulled off the heist of the century. "Nope."
"You brought me to a damn theme park?" I gesture out the window at the hordes of sticky-faced children clutching oversized stuffed animals and balloons.
Someone's already screaming in the distance, the high-pitched shriek of either a toddler tantrum or an overenthusiastic roller coaster victim.
"For fun? What is this, some kind of punishment kink I wasn't aware of? "
Domhnall just laughs, hopping out of the car like we're about to embark on the greatest adventure of our lives. "This is the most fun place on Earth, love. I come here whenever I can get away from work."
I blink at him. "Are you serious?"
"Deadly." He tosses me a wink before striding around to open my door. "Now, come on. We've got rides to conquer."
I climb out begrudgingly, already bracing myself for the sensory assault.
The air is thick with the mingling scents of fried dough, buttered popcorn, and something sickeningly sweet that has to be cotton candy.
Music blasts from speakers overhead, some aggressively cheerful carnival tune that grates against my nerves.
And the colors—God, the colors. The whole park is an explosion of gaudy reds, blues, and yellows, clashing together in a chaotic swirl of overstimulation.
A garish cowboy mascot waves from a nearby sign advertising funnel cakes the size of my head. A family in matching neon T-shirts ambles past, the dad already sporting a sunburn while the youngest kid wails about dropping an ice cream cone.
I turn back to Domhnall. "This is hell."
"This is fun," he corrects, grabbing my hand and leading me deeper into the madness.
I grumble under my breath but let him drag me through the park, dodging balloon-wielding toddlers and strollers that seem to appear out of nowhere.
Then he stops in front of a ride entrance. A massive sign looms overhead in icy blue letters: MR. FREEZE: REVERSE BLAST
I narrow my eyes. "What exactly is this?"
Domhnall smirks. "A little warm-up."
"Ha ha." I eye the ride warily. The track stretches up into the sky like a steel nightmare, looping and twisting in ways that defy basic human survival instincts. The cars shoot out of a tunnel backward, hurtling up a 218-foot vertical spike before plummeting down again.
I huff. "This looks dumb."
"Scared?" he teases.
Oh, he did not. I lift my chin. "Of course not. It just seems like a waste of time."
"Then you won't mind riding it." He yanks me forward before I can protest, striding up to the entrance.
The line isn't as long as I imagine it might be in the middle of summer, but it still feels like an eternity. I shift impatiently, tapping my foot against the concrete, watching as the cars launch out of the station with a mechanical roar.
"This is ridiculous," I mutter. "Why would anyone voluntarily wait to be flung through the air like a ragdoll?"
Domhnall chuckles beside me. "You're adorable when you're sulking."
I roll my eyes but don't stop fidgeting. Every time the ride launches, the line inches forward at a snail's pace.
Finally, it's our turn.
Minutes later, I'm strapped in beside Domhnall, the safety harness pressing against my chest. The ride operator gives us a thumbs-up, and a robotic voice crackles over the speakers. "Prepare for launch in three... two..."
Wait. Um, actually, I'm suddenly rethinking this. I look around for the attendant to tell them I'd like to get off.
"One..."
The world blurs.
I lurch back into my seat as we rocket out of the station in reverse, my stomach slamming somewhere near my spine.
The track rushes past in a neon blur, and for half a second, I'm weightless, my breath trapped in my throat.
The cold metal of the safety harness presses against me, the force of the acceleration making it impossible to move.
And then we hit the spike.
The car shoots straight up, gravity yanking at my body as my stomach does a full somersault.
Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh—
My fingers claw for something—anything—and instinctively, I grab Domhnall's hand, squeezing so hard I feel his knuckles pop.
The pause at the peak lasts a second too long. Just enough time for my brain to catch up and realize how high up we are. And then—
We plummet.
I scream. Loud. The kind of scream that could summon the dead. My heart catapults into my throat as the ride dives downward at an obscene speed, twisting and flipping as the track whips past in a chaotic blur.
The wind rips at my face, my hair flying in every possible direction.
By the time we finally slow down, coming back into the station, my chest is heaving, and my grip on Domhnall's hand is white-knuckled.
I turn to him, breathless, my pulse still hammering.
He grins, the smug bastard. "That dumb enough for you?"
I don't answer. I just throw my head back and laugh, the adrenaline still singing in my veins.
Maybe, just maybe, this isn't the worst idea he's ever had. There are a million other things I should be worrying about.
But fuck it.
Fine. I'll just have fun today.
"Again!" I cry as soon as I get my voice back.