“I forgot,” I tell Luca. “But I made plans with Aylee tonight.” It’s only a small lie. But I can’t be here.
“No karaoke?” He looks hurt and for a moment I consider leaning in again, taking what my body craves. But he lifts his hand, waving me off with a familiar smile, the one that makes the teenage girls in my bookstore giggle. But right now, no one is laughing. “I get it,” he says. “Rain check?”
“Sure, and I’ll call you later...” I start to back away, stepping off the curb and into the street, when Luca’s arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back onto the sidewalk. A second later wind whips around me from a bus that passes precariously close.
My heart thumps hard as I realize I almost got run over.
“Jesus,” he breathes out, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “You need to be careful.”
I’m trembling, adrenaline mixing with desire and frustration. I place my hands on his chest and push away. “Careful or brave?” I ask him. “I’m actually not sure which one you want me to be.”
“Both,” he mutters, but he sounds as confused as I feel.
I shake my head, this time checking both ways before I step onto the street and head toward Aylee’s car.
I don’t turn around, don’t glance over when I get in beside Aylee, but I know Luca is still watching me.
“What was that?” Aylee asks, brows raised.
“Me being brave...or stupid,” I say. “I’m not sure which.”
She chuckles as she pulls the car into traffic, leaving Luca behind. “What just happened? I’ve never seen Luca look so dejected.”
I groan, buckling up as Aylee pulls away from the curb. “I kissed him.”
“Finally!” She laughs. “You’ve been in love with that man since I’ve known you.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Not like what?”
“Sexy?”
“You’re telling me a man like Luca isn’t a good kisser? I don’t believe it.” She turns on the radio and a Taylor Swift song comes on. My belly flip-flops. “Luca wanted me to go to karaoke with him tonight.”
Aylee snorts. “And you blew him off to catch up on the Bachelorette with me? Are you insane?”
“I don’t know. I just. I got scared. I don’t think he liked the kiss as much as I did.”
“Oh, so he is a good kisser.” She grins, lifting her eyebrows. “So what exactly killed the vibe?”
My cheeks burn and I drop my head in my hands. “He thinks I’m this fragile thing. But I’m stronger than he thinks.”
“Then maybe you need to show him.”
“I tried, with the kiss.” A perfect first kiss. God, I want that man.
Aylee nods. “Maybe you need to turn it up a notch. Forget kisses, show him you mean business.”
An idea begins to take shape. I turn up the radio, ready to “Shake It Off.” All of it. My fears, my baggage, my insecurities. I’m going to show Luca he’s wrong about me. I may be a delicate butterfly, but I’ve got wings and I’m ready to fly.
Chapter Three
Luca
“I’m not sure what you’re so shocked about,” Nash says, leaning back in his chair at Adrenaline Rush HQ. “I’m just surprised you and Jo haven’t hooked up already.”
I sit on the edge of my desk across from his and drag my hands over my face. “We’re not hooking up. It was only a kiss.”
Nash grunts, and gives me a look, one that says I’m full of shit.
And the truth is I am.
Two days have passed since Jo left me on the curb, wondering what the hell just happened. Two days of going over every detail of that kiss. The way her lips pressed against mine, how her body molded into me. Everything about it felt right. And yet my head is screaming that this is going to end badly.
And maybe it was only a kiss for her. Maybe it didn’t mean anything. I’d pushed her. Again. I was always pushing her, even though I know I shouldn’t.
Fuck. There’s that war inside me again. The one that fights to protect her, and yet wants to see her soar, to break free of the cage she’s lived in most of her life.
Butterfly.
My butterfly.
I know she hates when I call her that. But it’s not because I think she’s weak. Hell, the woman is stronger than anyone I know. I watched her fight more battles than any kid should have to face, and she did it with a goddamn smile on her face.
“What are you afraid of?” Nash asks, studying me. The man was in the Marines before the four of us started the business, and I know he sees more than he lets on. Sometimes it’s unnerving how acutely aware he is of everything and everyone around him.
“Losing her,” I mutter, knowing there’s no sense lying to him, or myself. “And you know I’ll find some way to fuck up, or push her away. I don’t do relationships. Never have.”
“You ever think that maybe it’s because you were waiting for her?”
I glare at him, knowing he’s right, but not ready to admit it. “Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean I’ll be any good at the whole boyfriend thing.”
Nash sighs. “For a guy who jumps out of planes for a living, you’re acting like a pussy.” He stands and hands me a clipboard. “Here’s the list for this afternoon. Two jumpers. I’ve got Pax gearing them up and taking care of legalities.”
I shove the clipboard under my arm and mutter under my breath, “When you have any actual real-life relationship experience, then you can give me advice. Seriously dude, when’s the last time you’ve even been on a date?”
Nash shrugs. “The only reason I’m single is I haven’t found the right girl yet. But you have. And you fucking know it. You’re just too much of a—”
“Swear to God if you call me a pussy again—”
“Relax, man.” Nash chuckles and puts his hands up in mock defense. “I’m just trying to help.” He glances over my shoulder through the open door and grins. “Because I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”
“What’s that’s supposed to mean?” I follow his gaze and frown when I see Jo in the hangar, Pax harnessing her into a suit.
Two things hit me square in the gut. One, the fact that the bastard has his hands all over her. Two, she’s all decked out in our company’s skydiving gear.
A low growl forms in the back of my throat, one that must be audible because I hear Nash laugh behind me as I storm out of the office.
Jo’s eyes widen when she sees me, and there’s a flash of fear in there before she blinks it away and tilts her chin up at me in defiance.
“You,” I say to Pax, pointing a finger at the other people who’ll be jumping today. “Go.”
The guy frowns at me, but he’s smart enough not to argue.
“And you,” I say to Jo when Pax walks away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Facing my fears.” She holds my gaze, and even though she’s about half the size of me, I can tell she’s digging her heels in for a fight.
And it’s a fight I’ll give her. “By putting your life in danger?”
“You do this for a living, Luca. And you’ve always told me it’s safe—”
“Safe for people without heart conditions.”
She crosses her arms. “My heart is perfectly fine. It has been for years. If you want to see my medical clearance—”
“I want you to be smart.”
“So now I’m stupid and a coward?”
I blow out a frustrated breath and drag a hand roughly through my hair. “That’s not what I meant.”
She places a hand on my arm, her touch like a flame that burns through me, wanting, no needing to scoop her into my arms and never let her go. But Nash was right, I am a pussy. It’s me who’s the fucking coward.
“If you’re trying to prove something,” I tell her. “Point taken.”
“Good.” She smiles up at me. “Then you can help me finish getting into this thing.”
“You’re not seriously thinking about still doing this.”
/>
“Of course I am.” Her smile is sugary sweet, and I have a feeling she’s enjoying this. “I’m jumping with Pax. He said—”
“Fuck that,” I tell her. “If you’re going, you’re jumping with me.”
Her smile broadens, and I know that was her plan all along. “Perfect.”
I grunt. “What am I going to do with you?”
“You could start with double checking my gear.” She licks her lips and it fucking slays me. She has no idea how sexy she looks in this jumpsuit and helmet.
I step closer to her, tightening the straps on her backpack. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” I admit, reaching for the zipper on her jumpsuit and pulling it up to her neck. It takes all my self-control to not run my hands all over her. Standing so close, remembering our kiss, it has me all riled up. “I’m sorry for being an ass. If you have your doctor’s clearance, then this is totally safe.”
She looks up at me. “Do I look okay in this?”
I grunt. “You know how hot you look.”
She twists her lips. “I like hearing you say it.”
“Yeah?” I run my knuckles over her jaw, wanting to kiss her again so damn bad. “Well you do, Jo. You always do.”
She looks away, and I wonder if my words are too aggressive. But God, how long is a man supposed to hold back from his true feelings? I want Jo, in every possible way. Today at least, I’ll have her in my arms, our bodies pressed against one another. Not naked in my bed, but as we’re diving through the sky.
“Don’t you need to get suited up?” she asks, looking me over.
I nod. “Wanna help?”
Chapter Four
Joanne
Stepping into Luca’s office, my heart flutters. I was hoping for this. For him to see me as more than a delicate creature, but instead as a brave and beautiful woman.
As he closes his office door, kicking off his shoes and reaching for a jumpsuit on the hook behind his door, my body warms with want for him. I wish he was stripping me out of my clothes, pressing me against the wall. Taking me the way I’ve imagined for so long.
The kiss wasn’t enough. It was a start, but I need more. I crave more.
Being alone with him now makes me bold. “So are we going to talk about the other night?”
He steps into his jumpsuit and I move closer, pulling up his zipper the same way he did for me. I want to spread my palms over his chest and breathe him in.
Luca smirks. “You mean how I killed it at karaoke?”
“Sorry for ditching you.”
“I’m sure you had better things to do than hang out with your oldest friend,” he says wryly.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be with you, Luca.”
“Then what was it?” he asks, that wounded look in his eyes as he puts on his helmet.
“I thought I messed up by kissing you.”
His jaw clenches and he shakes his head. “Are you insane?”
My eyes drop to the floor, but his hand is on my cheek, drawing me to him. “Fuck, that kiss changes things, Jo. We can’t go back to how it was before.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “I messed everything up. I thought you wanted—”
He cuts me off. Kissing me. This time it’s rougher, needier. And my helmet knocks against his, but he doesn’t care. His hands are set on my waist and I whimper, wanting this. All of it. Him and me, now.
“Hey, you ready? The training video just ended,” Pax shouts.
We pull apart, my lips swollen, my heart pounding.
“Shit,” he groans. “Fuck, I have to go.”
I smile. “You mean, we have to go.”
He smiles back, taking my hand. I have no idea what happens next - and not just because I missed the training. But because whatever is happening between Luca and me is all new territory.
* * *
I stand with the other first-time jumper, Arlo. Both of us have an anxious look in our eyes. Pax is reminding us to arch and lift our legs for landing, but it’s hard to focus on his words. Nerves course through me as the plane reaches higher altitude. It’s a ten thousand foot jump and I’m just glad I’m doing it tandem.
And not just any tandem jump. A jump with Luca. Tears prick my eyes, and he reaches for my hand. “You okay?”
I nod, a lump in my throat. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
He smiles, having no idea how attractive he looks in his custom jumpsuit, fitted so nicely to his butt. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
We look out the window, the blue skies breathtaking. I’ve been on commercial airplanes before, but never something like this. Small and intimate. Only ten people on board.
“Okay Jo, Arlo - listen up. Luca and I are going to double check your harnesses to ensure they’re hooked up properly and secure, then we’ll open the doors, okay?”
I nod, looking to Luca for affirmation. He gives it to me in a mega-watt smile and I can’t help but grin. I am literally overcoming my fears. Not just with this jump ... but in telling Luca how I feel. The heat from his lips against mine still makes me dizzy with excitement for what is to come. And I know there is more. There has to be. As he checks my harness one last time, the intensity between us grows, his eyes are on mine, and I feel every inch of my skin prickle with excitement.
The doors of the plane open and I watch as Pax and Arlo jump. I gasp, watching as they freefall.
And then, before I can back out and reconsider, Luca tells me it’s time. We step out of the plane and the world explodes into a million bursting colors. I scream, not in fear, but in a pure and absolute rush of happiness.
Luca has me, I’m safe in his arms, and the free fall seems to last forever, but in reality, it’s only sixty seconds, maybe less. I hold onto the straps of my pack, knowing the free fall is reaching speeds of a hundred twenty miles per hour. But it doesn’t feel like I’m falling. My stomach doesn’t drop – instead, it’s a burst of pure adrenaline.
I spread out my arms, letting the sky catch me as Luca’s fingers thread with my own, and together we soar. It takes my breath away and I can’t stop smiling - grinning. It’s the most unfiltered moment of my life. I can’t hesitate, pull back - right now, I am all in. Brave in a way I’ve never been before and more free than I’ve ever imagined.
Luca deploys the parachute and he loosens my harness. “Oh God,” I shout, but he just chuckles. “I got you, girl. Just take it all in.”
And I do, the three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the sky and mountains, the valley below, stretches before us. My cheeks hurt, I’m smiling so wide, but I can’t help it, this moment with my best friend is undoubtedly the most exhilarating experience of my life.
Ahead of us, I see Pax and Arlo landing and my heart pounds, hating the idea of this coming to an end. I want to stay here, in the sky with Luca.
But we can’t stay up here forever, and Luca guides us in a flying pattern toward the ground. “Lift your legs, Jo,” he tells me, his mouth on my ear, my belly fluttering with want. “That way we can slide to the ground, okay?”
I do what he instructs, not wanting to injure myself, and we land on the grass below. He unclips himself from my pack and he rolls over, on top of me. The sky the backdrop for a moment I will never forget. “You did it, butterfly. You flew.”
I shake my head. “No,” I say, pulling his mouth to mine. “I soared.”
Chapter Five
Luca
When she kisses me, my cock leads the fucking way because all I can think about is sleeping with her.
“What?” she asks as we pull apart. “What are you thinking?”
“You’ll make fun of me,” I say, pulling up from her, and taking her hands to help her stand. I know Pax and Arlo are waiting for us to do a debrief of the jump.
“I won’t, I promise,” she says as we walk toward the warehouse where our company is located.
“I was thinking about that phrase those girls at the bookstore used? A.D.I.D.A.S.?”
She laughs, smacking
my ass and I grunt, wanting her to so damn bad. “Really?” she asks. “And who are you dreaming about, Luca?”
I shake my head. “You want me to spell it all out for you?”
She stops, facing me, her hands on my chest, eyes on mine. “Yes. I want you to spell it out, explicitly. I don’t want to get it wrong, assume something I shouldn’t. I want to know what you want.”
“You,” I tell her. “I was dreaming about having sex with you. Only you.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows lift.
“Pretty sure you could feel my hard-on when I was on top of you.”
She covers her face, groaning. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“Good. Because neither do I.”
I kiss her again, this time it’s soft. Holding a promise. Of what I don’t know - except for this: I won’t hurt her, ever. Jo is my one true thing, and nothing is going to ruin that.
* * *
She tells me she’ll meet me back at my place but the moment she pulls her little red Mini Coop out of the Adrenaline Rush HQ, my stomach falls. I’m doubting myself in two seconds flat because Jo is Jo - and me? I’m not the type of guy I know she’s had her heart set on. She may be playing it cool right now, but deep down, Jo wants the happily-ever-after she loves to read about in her romance novels. The kind I can’t and won’t give. It’s not my style, and why would it be? All I’ve ever seen are relationships ripping people to pieces, breaking hearts and breaking apart families.
I’m not the guy you take home to meet the family - especially not her family. They’ve always had issues with me, to say the least. I’m a bad influence with a motorcycle who’s never learned how to rein it in.
But as I get on my motorcycle and head home, I decide it’s up to Jo how she wants tonight to go. I’ve known for a long time that she’s tired of feeling like she’s been wrapped up in a cocoon. And I don’t want to be the man who holds her back, if only she understood that it is because it would fucking kill me to see her fall. And I sure as hell don’t want to be the reason she has a crash landing.
A.D.I.D.A.S.: Get Some Series Page 2