Driving to her house on my moped, I think about waking up with her this morning. Her warm body splayed across mine, her hair in my face. That’s when it wasn’t a sleepover anymore, and we fucked twice before I had to peel myself away to get to the airport on time. Thinking about her naked body underneath mine, our sweat mingling, and the sounds of our breaths and skin slapping makes me harder than stone. Swallowing hard, I park next to the palm tree, take off my helmet, and ring her doorbell.
Malena opens the door before the doorbell is finished ringing. “Hi,” she says, jumping into my arms. “I missed you so much.” I fold her into my arms.
“You took the words out of my mouth. How was your day?” I ask.
Malena tells me about an event she worked and her short shift at the store. She doesn’t spare details. I get everything. I love that about her. I’ll never wonder, that’s for sure. I’m glad she’s getting to do what she loves. Event planning might not make a lot of money in the big cities when there are several hundred people vying for the same jobs, but here? Malena has the corner on the market. It’s just her. Weddings are extremely popular because of the picturesque scenery and small-town feel.
“Enough about me,” she says, smiling. There’s an ease about her now. This carefree beauty that wasn’t there until I helped her mother. She is stunning. So beautiful I worry about other men going after what is so obviously mine. “What’s this surprise you were talking about?” she asks.
It brings me back into the moment. Grinning, I release her and cup her cheek. “I’d rather show you how my day was. If you’re brave enough.”
“What’s that mean?” she asks, furrowing her brow. Realization dawns a second later, as her mouth opens to form an O. “Skydiving?” she croaks.
My stomach flips as I remember the first time I jumped out of an airplane. It was after BUD/s training. You have to go tandem, attached to an instructor, until you get enough jumps and training under your belt. I loved skydiving so much that I went on to be a jumpmaster. Now I am able to jump with people, dogs, and equipment strapped to my chest. Aidan and I are the two jumpmaster at our current command. “With me,” I say, palming my chest. “I have the pilot waiting for us.”
“I’m going to puke,” Malena says, eyes wide. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’m not sure I’m made for it. I’m a scaredy cat!” Her words don’t match up with the excitement in her eyes. They’re glowing with adventure, the chance to take life by the horns. Literally and figuratively. Technically, I’ll be in charge of her life.
Swallowing hard, I say, “Do it now. It will splash in my face if you do it when we’re in the air.”
“Has that happened?” She wrinkles her nose. “I’ll go with you? Strapped to you?”
“Yes. That okay?”
“Totally.” Her tone is gleeful. “Let’s go.”
There’s a black glittery helmet in the basket of my moped for her. She puts it on and slings her leg over the back. “What I’m wearing is okay?” she asks, on second thought. Small jean shorts and a backless top that makes my mouth water are perfect, I think, and make me recall just how sweet her ass looked in the reflection of my mirror this morning while she was riding my cock.
“Perfect,” I say. Starting up the moped and turning onto the road. I hear her laugh anytime I turn, and it sends a pang to my heart. That organ that has been dormant but for keeping me alive until now. Until Malena. The sun sets completely, leaving us in the dark, but for my headlight guiding the way. I make the turn onto the dirt road that leads to the airport.
“I wonder if Caroline will be out,” Malena says once we’ve parked near the hangar that houses our gear and small aircraft. I tuck the moped inside. Not because I don’t want anyone to know I’m here, but because I’m not quite ready to share Malena with the guys yet. “I bet Tahoe is here. She’s been talking about him non-stop.”
“Tahoe is far gone in Caroline land, too,” I say. “I didn’t tell you that, though.”
The pilot rounds the corner and halts when he sees Malena—his eyes darting up and down her body. “Hey man. Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll be in the plane double-checking everything and getting online to comms.”
Meeting his gaze, I make sure he sees my irritation. “Good deal,” I reply.
Malena bounds over and offers her hand. “I’m Malena. I’m so excited. Thank you so much for this,” she says to him, then turns to me. “This has to be some after-hours stuff he doesn’t have to do.”
The pilot shakes her hand and backs away. “Don’t mention it,” he replies, ignoring my heated stare. “See you on the other side.” He disappears into the black night.
“I thought you were scared,” I say to Malena while gathering the harness and parachutes we’ll need. When I jump by myself, I can use a chute with a smaller diameter. When jumping tandem, a larger chute is required to balance our weight. “There’s nothing to be scared of, though. I’ve done this hundreds of times. Thousands by myself.”
She blows out a long breath. “I am scared. I can’t let him know that, though,” she explains. “I’m trying to be brave through falsification.”
I laugh out loud, my voice a booming echo in the hangar. “Is that even a thing?”
“Easy for you to ask. You’re not scared of anything. You were born without fear or the ability to be scared.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I’m scared all the fucking time, Malena. I use it differently than most people, though. Some let it cripple them. I harness fear as power and make myself better for it.”
“Okay, well, the only harness I’m interested in is the one you have in your hand. Give me the lowdown.”
Shaking my head, grinning, I give her the basics of skydiving, the harness she’ll wear that attaches to my chest, and what I’ll expect of her when we’re in the air. I tell her what I will do and how everything will happen. It’s a step-by-step process that makes her more comfortable the more I speak, so I continue on, giving her details that are meaningless unless you do this on a regular basis. I keep talking as we walk toward the plane, a small flashlight lighting the pavement in front of us. She nods her head and asks questions every so often. A little V forms between her eyes when she’s deep in thought. Though I can’t see it through the black night, I know it’s there. The fact scares me, but I’m not harnessing it as power. I lied. It’s something completely different when it comes to her. Love. Love. Love. Love. That’s what my subconscious screams at me anytime I try to make sense of my feelings. When I agreed to not fall in love with her last night, it was easy. What I didn’t tell her was that I already was there—I love her.
The pilot has the engines running. He saw us approach from the hangar. It’s a smaller plane, not the bigger ones we use when we’re flying anywhere a long distance away. It will be harder for her to hear me when we are closer to the engine, so before we board, I halt her, both my hands on her shoulders. The smaller lights on the plane illuminate her face. Grinning, I say, “You’re ready.” She nods, her face a mask of horror.
“I’m ready!” she shouts out. “If you were a serial killer, this would be the perfect time to kill me!”
