Every slide they came to, Garrett would go down first and wait below to catch her. And each time she came up for air, he’d give her a sweet kiss and a smile.
After braving the final fall, the hike’s remaining thirty minutes was spent walking in ankle-deep water down the middle of the riverbed. She and Garrett held hands the entire way, him helping to keep her steady as they traveled over the small, uneven rocks.
Back at the business’s main building, the group was instructed to turn in their lifejackets and helmets before walking a few yards across the lot to where their dune buggies awaited. With a quick restroom and drink break behind them, Avery went with Garrett and the others to their designated spot.
Two guides with heavy accents ran through their standard safety spiel before showing each pair which buggy was theirs.
“You want to drive?” Garrett asked with a smirk.
Avery barked out a laugh. “Uh…definitely not.”
She may have discovered a new, braver side of herself, but death by dune buggy wasn’t something she cared to experience.
Giving her a wide, ornery grin, he nodded to the passenger seat’s harness and said, “Better buckle up.”
Something in his tone kicked her nerves into high gear. But this man had kept her safe in the river, and she had no doubt he’d do the same now.
Buckled in and ready to go, Garrett flashed her a panty-melting smile before sliding his black helmet over his head and firing up the buggy’s ignition. Determined to live in the moment, Avery donned her second helmet of the day—this one covering her entire head—and settled back into her seat.
Positioned second to last in a trail of ten vehicles, they waited their turn before taking off. With one guide leading the group in the front and the other picking up the back, they began riding along a dirt road in the opposite direction from which they came.
“Woohoo!” Garrett hollered over the sound of the engine. Avery laughed, loving how much fun he was having.
And it’s only just begun.
Letting the buggy in front of them gain a good distance from where they were, the daring man behind the wheel waited for the exact right moment and then pressed the gas pedal down as far as it would go.
Avery let out her own loudwhoopand grabbed the safety bar in front of her as they began to fly.
The first part of the ride took them through the beautiful Dominican countryside. The narrow road snaked around a flat section of land with a gorgeous, peaceful creek running straight through the middle.
She watched from behind her helmet’s tinted shield as the vehicles in front of them took the small dip into the water. Once they were safely across, each one picked up speed, taking off down the road before disappearing around a sharp bend.
Garrett didn’t take the dip nice and easy. Instead, he exposed his adrenaline junky side and gunned the engine. They splashed through the cool water with such force it rained down on them in sheets.
“Ah!” Avery screamed and laughed as the entire vehicle became drenched.
Lifting the tinted shield on his helmet, Garrett slowed their buggy and turned his head toward her. “You doin’ okay?”
“This is so much fun!” she hollered over the engine’s rumble.
“It’s not too rough?”
Another dune buggy passed them by right as he spoke, and Avery waited for the noise to die down again before yelling, “What?”
Lifting his helmet off his head, he asked, “Am I going too fast or too rough for you?”
She shook her head vehemently. “This is great! Keep going!”
Garrett’s face lit up with a youthful grin and he leaned over to give her a chaste kiss. “Hold on tight, sweetheart. I’m gonna open her up and see what she can do.”
With a chuckle, Avery repositioned the helmet, and as instructed, she held on tight.
Over the road and around the bend, they became immersed in the long stretch of scenic beauty.
As they traversed the unfamiliar territory, Avery committed their surroundings to memory. She had the fleeting thought that she’d never had so much fun…or felt so free.
Looking at the road in front of them, she noticed the line was slowing down, and there was a row of buildings up ahead.