by Harlow James
“I know. Isn’t that the best feeling?” I taunt her as she rolls her eyes. “Tell me this. How can you be perfectly normal and at ease in a place like the ER where you never know what’s going to walk through those doors, but then the idea of doing something like zip lining, which is perfectly safe, scares you?”
She leans her head to the side in contemplation, taking a moment to really consider her answer as we wait in line to check in. “I guess with the ER it’s more of the fact that you can’t anticipate what’s going to happen. I mean, I know we get calls from the ambulances when they’re on their way with a patient, but it’s only a matter of minutes that you have to prepare and it’s someone’s life in your hands. But this,” she gestures around the room, “this you know is coming. I have time to imagine all the things that can go wrong or psyche myself out of it, if that makes sense.” She lets out a slight chuckle as we approach the counter.
“Yeah, I can see that. Well, in my defense, I didn’t really tell you where you were going. So think of it as an intense case of adventure coming through the ER and maybe that will help,” I tease her.
She lightheartedly smacks my chest and then peers up at me, silently asking me with her eyes to protect her. “I’ll try.”
Yeah, I’ll try to keep you safe too, Jess.
Once we sign our waivers and listen to the instructor demonstrate how to hold the rope, operate our hooks, and stop ourselves as we approach the landing of each station, us and two other couples suit up in our gear and head for the course.
“Now I see why we needed to wear comfortable clothing. This harness is tight.” Jess looks back to check her appearance in her harness, but I’ve been doing nothing but observing that since the straps squeezed her hips and ass and put her best asset on display.
“Everything looks good from what I can see,” I imply suggestively.
“Same here,” she replies and then dips her eyes down to my crotch where my package is highlighted by the harness as well. No biggie, but I sure am glad she’s as interested in what I have hidden beneath these clothes as I am with her.
We file out of the compact building and start to climb stairs and a few ladders, travelling to the highest station where we will start the course. The farther we get towards the sky, the whiter Jess’s knuckles turn as she grips the railing while looking over the sides of the platform, observing how high up we truly are.
“Stop looking down. All you’re going to be able to focus on is your fear. You need to look up.” My fingers find her chin and tip her head up so she can see the view of the mountains and sky around us. Her head swivels in both directions, absorbing the orange and pink hues of the sky starting to form as the sun sets. When I booked our appointment, I wanted this time of day on purpose, so we could get this exact view—a sunset on top of a peak overlooking the valley below us. It’s just about as breathtaking as the woman who joined me and is going far out of her comfort zone on account of me.
I watch Jess’s eyes bounce around, taking in the scenery, before she turns and locks on to mine. “This is amazing.”
“See? And you’ll miss it if you keep looking down.” I move behind her and place one hand on her hip while the lead instructor addresses the group.
“Alright ladies and gentlemen. We’re about to get started. Remember what we discussed—you don’t want to grip the rope too tightly or it will slow you down and then you’ll get stuck in the middle of the cable. It’s not fun, so trust your harness to hold you and let yourself fly. We will catch you at the end, promise. Any volunteers to go first?”
The couple behind us throw their hands in the air eagerly. I overheard their conversation earlier and this is something they’ve done before. Jess and I move out of the way on the platform to let them slide by, causing her to scoot closer to me, which I don’t hate.
“Just breathe and watch them,” I whisper in her ear as the man steps off the platform with ease and glides through the air, stretching his arms out wide and leaning back slightly, tipping his head up to the sky.
“This is nuts.”
I can’t help but laugh softly. “You say that now. But wait until you slide across the rope. I have a feeling you’re gonna love it.”
The man’s wife follows him similarly, and then Jess and I are next. “I’m going to go first so you know I’m waiting for you on the other side, okay?” She nods, reluctant to let go of me. “I know this is probably not the time to say this, but seeing you this nervous is such a turn on.”
She smacks my chest before curling her arms around my waist. “Just go so I can go and get this over with. I think once I get past the first time, it will get easier.”
“Definitely.” I ease away from Jess after planting a kiss on her cheek, and take my position at the edge of the wooden deck beneath us, waiting for the signal from the guide on the other side. His hand waves in the air and the tug of the rope tells me I’m free to go. I look back over my shoulder, flash Jess a wink, and then step off the platform, letting the harness hold me as I glide down the rope, surveying the surrounding scenery. The tops of trees are below and all around, the sun’s rays break through the holes in multiple branches as I race across the course, and the image of a few birds flying in front of me almost makes me forget to grasp the rope above me to slow myself down.
I make it to the platform with a punch of force behind me, the guide standing there waiting taking the brunt of it as I come to a complete stop.
“You’ve done this before?” He asks, unhooking me from the rope and onto another one that is attached to the side of the platform.
“Yeah, but she hasn’t,” I answer, nodding in the direction of the place I just came from as the guide signals that it’s safe for Jess to ride.
“Let’s see how she does.”
I nod and hold my breath as Jess painfully steps off the edge of the station and begins to fly down the rope, her eyes appearing as if they’re closed. And as she gets closer, I know they were because the second she pops them open, I can see the awe register on her face and the amazement in her smile as she gets closer and closer to me. Her head pivots to the side while she glides, soaking up the vision of cascading above the treetops and through the forest along the side of a mountain, seeing a point of view of our town below us that she’s never seen before.
“Break!” The guide shouts as she closes in on the platform. “Break!”
Suddenly, terror replaces the elation on her face as she panics and reaches up to stop herself a little too late. You can hear the force as she collides with the guide, his stocky stature actually intercepting her small frame considerably as he manages to stay on his feet as she plows into him.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Jess looks flustered and embarrassed as she steps away from him, but the guide just laughs it off.
“Not the first time it’s happened, and it won’t be the last.”
“I was enjoying the view so much I didn’t realize how fast I was going and how close I was to the end.”
I chuckle and then reach for her hand, pulling her over to me and out of the way as the next person comes flying towards us. “So… how was it?”
Her face lights up, her eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen them, her lips so high and wide that her cheeks must be hurting from her smile. “It was incredible!”
“See? Sometimes you just need to jump.”
She nods in agreement and then pushes up on her toes to plant a brief kiss on my lips. And even though the touch is fleeting, I can feel the emotion behind it. “Thank you for making me do this.”
“Anytime, babe. Skydiving next, then?” I tease her as she rests her hands and on my chest and the last person arrives on the platform.
She cocks an eyebrow at me and then moves out of my grasp. “Don’t push it.”
As we make our way through the course, I stand in awe while I watch Jess’s confidence build, her exhilaration take flight on each segment of rope we careen across. She starts to lean back as she moves, looking up at th
e sky above her, and waving at me each time she arrives at the platform. I continued to go before her so I wouldn’t miss her reactions and watching her soak up every moment of our adventure.
By the time we’re done, the sun has almost set completely and Jess’s adrenaline is through the roof.
“My God! I can’t believe how fun that was!”
I laugh with pride as I shut her car door and walk around to my side to join her. “I’m glad you loved it.”
“I seriously did. It was like… it scared me, but in that intense way that you feel more in anticipation than fear. Does that make sense?”
“Absolutely.” I pull onto the main road and head for the restaurant I picked for dinner. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You get that moment of being scared, but then a part of you knows if you just push past it, you’ll get this once in a lifetime experience you can’t possibly regret.”
“I’m starting to understand. I still don’t think I’m ready to jump out of a plane, but zip lining was the perfect baby step to helping me conquer that fear, so thank you, Brooks.”
My hand finds hers and I brush my lips across her skin again, a move I’m becoming all too comfortable with. “You’re welcome. I hope you’re hungry now.”
“My blood is still pumping pretty hard. But I’m sure once I smell food, I’ll be starving.”
It takes a good ten minutes to arrive at The Rusty Bull, a steakhouse that Cooper actually recommended to me when I asked him about the zip lining course. Seeing as how I haven’t been around Emerson Falls in years, I wanted to see if he knew anything about the company or experience. Given that Clara is pregnant, they aren’t exactly taking part in any extreme sports right now, but he told me that he’s heard nothing but excellent reviews on the place. And then he added in that if we were venturing to Hyatt Lake, we had to eat here for dinner.
“This is one of the best pieces of meat I’ve ever had.” Jess’s mouth is full, but I manage to make out her words as she inhales her steak across from me.
I can’t help but cock an eyebrow at her, which only grants me an eye roll from her.
“Seriously? You would turn that into something dirty.”
I shrug and finish chewing my bite before taking a sip of my beer. “I’m a man. That’s what we do.”
Jess points her fork across the table at me with a fiery glare that makes me itch to reach across the table and pull her onto my lap. “Tell me this, Dr. Bennet. How is it that you are this serious and professional doctor at the hospital, but when we’re not there, I feel like you’re just a big kid?”
I lean back in my chair. “Honestly?”
“Of course…”
“When I’m not at the hospital, I try not to take life too seriously. You know how depressing that job can be. When we’re outside of those walls, all I want to do is focus on living, soaking up those moments that get cut short for a lot of people. You never know when your life can change in an instant.” My thoughts instantly veer towards my mom as Jess studies me.
“I love that you can live your life that way, Brooks. I’m jealous of you.”
“Really?” Her statement pikes my interest. “Why is that?”
“Well, obviously I have a hard time doing that. Hell, I’d never done anything even close to zip lining until today. As much as I hate to admit it, I feel like you arranging that date forced me to have some fun, and I can’t remember the last time I did that. It was mentally freeing for me as well. I’m always so focused on the future and what’s coming next. I think I need that reminder to just live in the moment occasionally. So, thank you again.”
“Jess, it was my absolute pleasure. Watching you come alive today was incredible. Your smile is infectious, sweetheart. You seriously made my day and this date more meaningful than I thought it could be.” It’s borderline frightening to me how enamored I am with this girl already.
Jess stares down at her plate for a minute, pushing her food around before she rests her fork on the side. “Brooks. I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to think you have to say yes, okay?”
She has my attention, particularly because at this point, I feel like Jess could ask me anything and I would say yes. “Okay…”
“So, you know Piper, from work?” I nod, waiting for her to continue. “Well, she’s getting married in a few weeks. I’m one of the bridesmaids, but I don’t have a date. I guess I was wondering if you’d like to be my date?”
God, she’s so cute when she’s nervous. Why the fuck does that turn me on so much?
“Jess, I would love nothing more than to be your date to their wedding? Were you really afraid to ask me that?”
She lifts her shoulders up and down and then timidly smiles over at me, biting her lip again. “A little.” Her tone is playful, but all I want to do is yank her from this table and show her the real reason why we’re here—that her gorgeous face, her charming wit, and mouthwatering body make me hard as a fucking rock.
Patience, Brooks. This girl isn’t like the others. Don’t scare her off.
“I told you I’m interested, Jess, and that includes being your date to events. Actually, I was already invited to the bachelor party next weekend, so who knows… maybe one of the guys would have invited me first? Then we’d be in quite the pickle, wouldn’t we?”
Jess giggles across from me and then takes a sip of her wine. “I mean, if you’d rather go with one of the boys, I won’t stand in your way. But that might be hard to explain to their wives.”
I throw my head back in laughter as the waitress comes up and asks us if we need anything else. We’re both stuffed so we decline dessert, finish our drinks, and then I pay the tab before we exit the restaurant and jump back in my car.
Heading down the mountain at night is a completely different sight than the drive up was in daylight. Millions of stars fill the sky as I navigate the twists and turns of the road and Jess controls the radio. We take turns picking songs from our youth, alternating between classics and personal favorites that we loved while growing up.
About an hour later, we arrive back at her place, taking the same journey up the stairs of her apartment complex to her door that we did last week. And I know without a doubt that I’m going to kiss her again because I only feel it’s appropriate given the spectacular date we had today.
But I want this kiss to be different—not loaded with desperation or lust.
No. I want Jess to know that this kiss means more, because after today I can one-hundred percent say that she means more to me that she did just a few days ago. This woman is making her way under my skin, and I don’t even want to stop her. I’m firmly starting to believe that the best things happen unexpectedly.
“Thank you again, Brooks, for everything today,” she says gratefully as we stand in her apartment on the other side of the door. The night air was freezing, so I suggested we go inside. Now I’m thinking that was a terrible idea as I try to control myself from not taking things further.
“You are so welcome, Jess. I’m honored that you shared that first time experience with me.”
Her smile lights up as she stares up at me. “I’m glad it was with you too.”
My hands find her hips as she steps closer to me, eliminating the distance between us and causing our bodies to touch along our torsos. I can feel the hardness of her nipples pressed up against my chest, which may just be from the cold, or from how turned on she is. Either way I’m not complaining.
Our eyes dance back and forth as the sound of our breathing fills the silence. Her sweet scent hits my nose as my line-of-sight dips to her lips, and then I slowly close that gap between us while Jess meets me halfway.
The soft brush of her lips on mine ignites a spark that seems to only grow brighter each time we touch. Our mouths move but our lips stay sealed, nipping and brushing against one another, the softness of her lips intoxicating me with each pass over mine. And then a small swipe of her tongue tells me to deepen the kiss, urging me to meet her tongue w
ith my own.
So I do. I meet her halfway and immerse myself in the feeling of her in my arms, my hands in her hair, our connection growing stronger after experiencing that life-altering rush together today.
There are many moments in my life where I’ve done crazy things, like jumped out of an airplane or kayaked down a roaring river. And even though zip lining was mild compared to those, somehow it was more intense—and I think that’s because I did it with someone next to me that has become a stakeholder in my life.
I crave her, just like I can’t seem to get enough of her taste on my lips and tongue right now.
I think about her constantly, wondering how long I’m going to have to go without seeing her again.
I respect her and understand how extraordinary she is, this woman who is bold and strong on the outside to everyone else, but allows me to see the fragile parts of her when it’s just us.
She’s changing my world as I know it, and it’s scaring the shit out of me, but in the best way—the same way the fear hits you before you know you’re about to experience something that is life-changing—because that’s exactly what’s happening.
Jessalyn Harris is definitely changing my life.
Chapter 12
Brooks
“Come on, old man! Suddenly you’re about to have a kid and you can’t keep up with us anymore?” Cash is giving shit to Cooper as he huffs and puffs his way up the peak, his sneakers dragging beneath his solid body.
“Fuck you, Cash. You ever heard of pregnancy weight? It’s real, and not just for the woman, alright?”
Cash studies him with disgust as Cooper finally makes it to the top, hunching over to catch his breath while Ethan and I stand there and watch him.
“Don’t use Clara as an excuse.”
He stands tall and then points back down the trail. “Why the fuck aren’t you giving Luke, Kane, and Dean any shit?”
“Because they’re all dads and have been for a while. I expect that from them. But you’re my boy, Cooper. I’m not gonna let you get a dad bod on me. I know Kaydence will be here soon, but fuck man, you’ve gotta keep up your stamina. When Clara gets the green light for sex from the doctor after she gives birth, you’re not gonna be able to rock her world if you’re this out of shape.”