The American Princess - Best Love Story Ever Read Free Page A

bear-winning super-hero patted her on the
head. "They must be spiking the cotton candy with something,
because in under ten minutes you've gone from 'I don't even like
you' to 'I love only you Brad.'"
    "Why couldn't I be dating Howard the
Duck?"
    "Think of me as your consolation prize."
    "So now, I suppose, you'll be asking me my
bear's name all evening."
    He laughed, and pulled her against him. "It
wouldn't be happening if you'd wagered that dollar on me."
    She scowled, and shoved him away. This one's
not just conceited; he's also presumptuous. "You guys are
impossible. 'If you can't pick up the pace you'll be the last
creatures on earth to be civilized by women.'"
    "That may not be all bad. Remember what
happened to the serpent in the Garden of Eden when one of your
people taught him how to share. Before he could say, 'No God! Not
my fault!' he was slithering along the ground on his belly."
    She laughed, and shoved Brad again, but then,
before she could stop him, he took her hand.
    Her response was immediate. My God, stop, she
yelled to herself as a great, dazzling happiness streaked through
her, conjuring up unacceptable fantasies as it raced along. How can
the fool be doing this to me? He's only holding my hand! So why
does it feel as if he's grabbed hold of my heart? Without her
consent, she gave him a long glance, and then, worse—her hand
tightened on his.
    Minutes later, past the Tilt-A-Whirl and the
Carrousel, Brad stopped, and bought tickets for a roller coaster
named Death Leap. "Ever been on this?" he said.
    "No, heights bother me." She knew she should
refuse to ride Death Leap, but she was reluctant to show her bear
winning date any vulnerability.
    As Brad escorted her to the front car, he
said, "Not to worry. Nothing terrible ever happened to Lois Lane
when she was with Superman."
    She handed her bear to the attendant, and the
slow climb to the summit began. Brad's fingers killed the time by
perusing her neck and ear. The sensations he was creating went to
places where they had no business being. But Betty-Jo had more to
worry about than unruly sensations, because heights didn't just
bother her—they terrified her. They had ever since, five months
earlier, a foul smelling redneck had tried to kick her off a
balcony at the Strand Princess.
    She started to tremble as the coaster neared
its crest. "Brad, I'm fri... nervous," she said. "Please hold
me."
    He draped his upper arm across her shoulders,
and then dropped his hand down over her breast.
    Incensed, she almost forgot how frightened
she was. "Not that way!" she exclaimed, and pushed his hand away.
Who does he think he is?
    He grinned impishly, and his eyes tracked
hers. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, who does this
guy think he is? What makes him think that just 'cause my breasts
have him all excited he's allowed to put the grab on them?"
    "Actually, I was thinking who sprinkled the
fool with pervert dust?"
    He blew her hair away from her eyes. "Is it
wise to imply that the only person who can save you from this mean
ol' coaster is a pervert?"
    "If I survive this ordeal, you're a dead
pervert!" Then she looked into the abyss below, and had second
thoughts about pervert killing. She clung to him and said, "Changed
my mind. I love only you Brad."
    * * *
    There, on top of the world, Brad thought he
heard moon-glow. "That's my girl," he said, and kissed the tip of
Betty-Jo's nose. "But love—at a bare minimum—means never calling
your best-ever boyfriend a pervert."
    As the coaster began its downward plunge,
Brad held Betty-Jo Chance, the Myrtle Beach moth slayer, tightly
against him.
    * * *
    Far away, on Olympus, the goddess of love
gave her nails a crimson touch-up as she viewed Mercury's
transmission, and listened to his report. She was pleased.
"Unfortunately, Princess Betty-Jo and Raiden are not dead, like
they were supposed to be—but soon. I'll wait until they get to know
each other better; then it will be my turn to have some