“Two…”
I took a deep, shaky breath and tried not to think about my impending fall.
He said it wouldn’t hurt, right?
“Three…”
With a silent prayer to a god I didn’t believe in, I tipped my weight backward until the platform disappeared from beneath my feet. Then, I plummeted, my stomach shooting into my throat.
It didn’t take long, a couple of seconds at most, before I hit the safety net. The breath I’d been holding was knocked out of me, and my eyes flew open as I tried to get my bearings.
The net shifted beneath me as Daze hurried over, and his face popped into my field of vision. “That was pretty good for your first time.”
I thought he might offer a hand to help me up, but he plopped down next to me, causing the net to wobble jarringly again. There was enough tension in the rope that he didn’t roll on top of me, but my entire right side pressed firmly against him.
Lolling my head to the side, I met his eyes and forced a smile.
“First and last time,” I corrected. “I willnotbe doing that again.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
DAZE
“Come on, it wasn’t that bad.” I laughed at the way she scrunched her nose. “Was it?”
She quirked her lips to the side. “Okay, it was slightly better than the motorcycle cage.”
“Ha! I’ll take it.”
We lay there motionless for a second, in the middle of the safety net, staring at one another. My mind was whirling, unsure what to do now that I had her exactly where I wanted her.
Did I roll and place my hand on her thigh? Did I just lean over and kiss her?
It drove me crazy how I never seemed to know what I was doing when Arina was involved. I’d never second-guessed myself so much when it came to pursuing someone.
Hell, I still wasn’t even sure that’s what I was doing.
Nerves knotted my stomach and indecision played in my mind. Before I could make a move, Arina shifted next to me, trying to sit up.
“Where are you going?” I asked, my stomach sinking. Clearly, I missed my chance to do anything.
She was unsteady for a moment, trying to adjust to the net beneath her, but quickly got the hang of it. I thought maybe she was going to try and find her way down without help… especially since she wasn’t thrilled I tricked her into getting up here in the first place. But she slung her leg over me and straddled my hips a second later.
My train of thought crashed, burned, and disintegrated all at once. Instantly, my hands went to her bare thighs, gripping her supple skin as her weight settled on me.
“You said I could make you pay.” She grinned adorably, clearly pleased with herself. “But you didn’t say how.”
“I did, didn’t I?” I cocked a brow at her before she leaned down, pressing her chest flat against mine. What a shame I’d chosen tonight of all nights to wear a shirt.
She stopped with only millimeters between our lips.
Fuck.
Heat sank straight to my dick, and it throbbed against her weight. My breath stuttered as she batted her long eyelashes and refused to close the distance.
“It was also pretty rude to tease me,” she said, her voice low and breathy. “Not very nice.”
She dipped to brush her lips against the corner of my mouth, and I slid my hands up higher on her thighs. My fingertips brushed the material of her shorts, and another spark of heat sank through me as my mind wandered.
