Rebel (The Renegades)

by Rebecca Yarros

  “We’ll see you at the bottom!” I called out to Nick.

  He gave us a thumbs-up, and then Cruz backed up about fifteen feet with Nick. They said something to each other—man, I wished we were closer—and then Cruz took off at a run, shoving Nick with all his might at the edge of the cliff before skidding back himself.

  My heart lurched into my throat as the chair tumbled once, twice, and then the chute deployed, the sight allowing air into my lungs. “He did it.”

  “Hell yeah, he did,” Pax said softly.

  Cruz nodded to me—well, toward us, but I knew it was for me—and jumped off the cliff. He dove fast, and I found myself leaning way too far over the edge to watch him pass Nick and then pull his own chute.

  “Ballsy to wait that long,” Landon remarked.

  “He wants to land before Nick so he can help him,” I said.

  “He’s a good guy,” Pax added.

  “The best,” I said before I thought.

  They both looked at me, and I avoided eye contact. Rachel was right. It might get me bitten in the ass, but I was going to have to tell them. Keeping a secret like this from my best friends was wrong, no matter how much I loved Cruz.

  “Shall we do this?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “I’m going first,” Landon said, and I smothered a laugh.

  “Yes, you should do that.”

  “Same plan. Watch the curve of the canyon.”

  “Yes, Dad,” Pax drawled.

  “See you at the bottom!” Landon gave us a grin and then raced to the edge of the cliff and was gone.

  “You’re up,” Pax told me. “And hey, random, but you know you can always talk to me, right?”

  “Like, right now?” I eyed the drop-off.

  “Well, no. I mean, yeah, if you wanted to.”

  I patted him on the shoulder. “I hear you, and I love you for it. But I was thinking I’d jump off this mountain right now, if you don’t mind.”

  “After you,” he said, sweeping his arm toward the cliff edge.

  My heart galloped as I backed up, already feeling the rush of adrenaline through my veins. Restrained by the suit, I took as big of steps as I could and ran toward the edge of the cliff.

  Then I flew.

  No parachute. No engine. No sounds but the wind through my helmet and the rush of blood through my ears.

  Arms and legs spread, with the webbing of nylon that turned me into my own sail, I glided through the air, careful to watch the curve of the canyon. A single mistake up here would be my last.

  I flew past the falls, taking precious seconds to stare up at the sheer majesty of the breathtaking sight, and then focused fully on the flight, tracking Landon as he soared ahead of me. I dropped my right arm slightly to change course, avoiding the giant pillar of cliff that loomed, and headed toward the green vegetation that marked our planned landing zone. It was just beside the river, but treeless, so hopefully I wouldn’t end up skewered in the middle of Venezuela.

  Landon waved me down, having already landed, and I concentrated on my angle, speed, and descent as the field flew up rapidly to meet me. I ran through my landing, tripping on some of the foliage but catching myself before I ended up on a blooper reel.

  The flight was beautiful, life-affirming, empowering, and over all too soon.

  Landon whooped and gathered me into his arms, swinging me around. I was mid-swing when Pax landed, and we became a Penna-sandwich hug.

  “Thank you for this,” I told them as Bobby’s Jeeps drove over.

  “I’ll admit, I thought you were nuts when you suggested it,” Pax said as Bobby parked and the cameras rushed us. “But I should know better by now than to question your judgment.”

  A few quick interviews later, we were out of the wingsuits and headed to meet up with the BASE jumpers.

  I smiled at Cruz, but the three of us walked straight to Nick, who grinned wider than when he’d medaled in the X Games a couple years ago.

  “How do you feel?” I asked him.

  He looked at each of us in turn and then laughed incredulously, his expression torn between wonder, joy, and a touch of confusion. “Like a Renegade.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Cruz

  Venezuela

  There was nothing better than kissing Penelope. Except maybe making love to her.

  It was our last afternoon in Venezuela, and I was still high off yesterday’s jump and the ultimate adventure of loving this woman.

  She arched beneath me, her fingernails biting into the skin of my shoulders as I thrust inside her welcoming heat. Better. Hotter. All-consuming. Every time I took her, she took me somewhere I’d never been in a relationship—a place where the physical and the emotional met on some kind of ethereal plane that never ceased to amaze me.

  God, she was perfection. There was nothing I would change about her. I thought about everything I wanted to share with her back in L.A. My favorite restaurants, her favorite coffeehouses. We had a whole life waiting for us as soon as we got off this boat in exactly ten days.

  Until then, I’d keep her here as much as possible.

  “Faster,” she begged, her teeth on my earlobe.

  So much for distracting myself to make this last longer.

  I kissed her as I increased the pace, bringing her knees up so I could slide deeper. Fuuuuuuck, she was going to be the death of me in every way possible.

  She writhed under me, seeking something I wasn’t willing to give her yet.

  “Tell me what you want,” I ordered, locking gazes so I could see the moment she surrendered.

  “You,” she said, her neck arching, her head thrown back.

  Her hair spilled out around her, and those pink lips were swollen from my kisses. She’d never looked so beautiful.

  “You have me. What else do you want?” I asked, holding back just enough to keep her from hitting her edge.

  “Deeper,” she ordered. “Harder.”

  “Like this?” I asked, sliding in another fraction.

  Her eyes snapped fire at me. “I love you, and I adore when you make love to me…”

  “But?” I asked, watching her fight to say what she was really thinking. I halted my moves entirely, resting inside her. My dick throbbed, protesting, but my brain knew exactly what she needed and had no problem pushing her to it.

  Penelope held back in zero places in her life. Our bed wasn’t going to be the start.

  “But?” I repeated.

  She grasped both sides of my face and rocked her hips back into me, taking me deeper, and I groaned softly, unable to keep completely quiet when the jolt of pleasure hit me. “But I need you to fuck me right now.”

  God, yes. Yes to all.

  I slid out of her, and she whimpered. “Not helping,” she said.

  Then I flipped her over, and she landed on her knees in front of me, that gorgeous ass in the air. “Grab the headboard.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Do it, Penelope, so I can fulfill that little demand of yours.”

  A tremor raced through her as I ran my fingers down her spine. She crawled up my bed and grasped the headboard with both hands.

  I moved between her knees, lined up my cock to her entrance, and thrust home.

  She whispered my name as I slid deeper than I’d ever been within her. Then I set a rhythm that had her keening, whimpering, begging. Her body tensed beneath mine, her back arching.

  I kissed her shoulder, gently raking my teeth across her skin at the same time I reached around her body to put pressure on her clit, and she bucked back. I felt the ragged intake of her breath, the clench of her body around mine, and I covered her mouth with my hand when she cried out, her orgasm taking her.

  I followed immediately, surrendering to the mind-blowing ecstasy that only Penelope could give me.

  Collapsing, I pulled her to my side. “When we get home to L.A., I’m keeping you in my bed for a week. Then I’m going to make you scream so loud your voice will go hoarse,�
�� I promised.

  “Ten days,” she said, smiling dreamily up at me. “Then we can go public.”

  “As public as skywriting.” God, I couldn’t wait to claim this woman as mine.

  “I’m going to have to tell the guys, first. They deserve that much. I hate that I’ve kept it from them this long.”

  My stomach tied itself in knots, but I brushed her hair back from her face and forced a smile. “I trust you. If you think you need to tell them, then I will support you.”

  “Could you be any more perfect?” she asked.

  “Sure, I could not be your professor.”

  “Eeew, you made it all porny again,” she said, sitting up, her beautiful breasts swaying gently. “Mind if I use your shower? I have math in about an hour.”

  “Can I join you?”

  A wicked gleam danced across her eyes. “Absolutely.”

  “Good.” I glanced at the file on my desk and took a deep breath. “Can you get away tonight for a bit? I want to tell you some stuff about Cuba before we get there.”

  “Sure, I’d like that,” she said.

  Maybe not when you realize what I haven’t told you.

  She kissed me soundly and then headed for the shower, shutting the bathroom door behind her.

  I cleaned up and headed to join her.

  A knock at my door brought me up short.

  “Who the fuck?” I muttered. “Just a second,” I called out, and tossed on a pair of gym shorts. No point in traumatizing my super unsocial roommate.

  I opened the door and blinked. “Lindsay?”

  “Hey!” She smiled, way too chipper. “I’m so sorry to barge in on you, but I remembered you saying something about me joining your Cuba excursion that first day and I wanted to ask you a question. Am I keeping you from something?” she asked, looking over my shoulder at the closed bathroom door.

  “Yeah, I was just getting in the shower,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.

  “Oh, of course. I’m sorry. I’ll come back—”

  I heard the door open behind me, and before I could slam this one in Lindsay’s face, or get word to Penelope, I heard her voice. “Hey, I thought you were—”

  Fuck me, Penelope was right behind me, wrapped—thank God—in a towel but nothing else.

  I met her horrified eyes, her mouth slack, and turned slowly to see the same expression mirrored on Lindsay’s face.

  “Oh my God,” Lindsay whispered.

  “Lindsay, this—”

  “Let me guess, this isn’t what it looks like?” she shouted, backing into the entry hall of the suite. “You’re not sleeping with a student?”

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuuuuuck.

  “She wasn’t a student when we first met,” I said, trying to explain, to say anything that would keep Lindsay from ruining everything when I was only days away from saving Elisa.

  “And that makes it better? You…she…you can’t. Oh my God.”

  “If you’ll give us a second,” I started.

  “Oh, it looks like you’ve had more than a second,” she said, eyeing Penelope. “Miss Carstairs, I’ll see you in class. Cruz…Dr. Delgado, you’ll hear from the dean.”

  She spun and left, slamming the door on the way out.

  “What are we going to do?” Penna asked, her voice breaking.

  I closed my door and turned, taking her into my arms and holding her against my chest. “This will be okay. It’s all going to be fine.”

  “She’s going to get you fired.”

  “Probably.” My mind raced, but I couldn’t think of any solution that would get us out of this. Holy shit, we’d been stupid. Complacent.

  She jumped out of my arms and started throwing on her clothes. “Get dressed. Now.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “We need help. Get dressed.”

  I grasped her shoulders after she tugged her shirt back over her breasts. “Penelope. We’re in the wrong. I’m in the wrong. I took advantage of a student. I crossed the ethical and contractual line. I’m at fault here. Lindsay is the right one, and I’m the wrong one. There’s no hiding from this.”

  “I am not going to stand by and watch them fire you! Ruin your reputation! Now put on a goddamned shirt so I can do something!” Tears brimmed in her eyes, turning the ocean-blue color crystalline, and I sighed. “Okay. Just give me a second.”

  I put on my shirt while she pulled herself together. She wiped her tears away, slipped on her sandals, and lifted her chin with a steadying breath.

  She was the kind of woman you didn’t let go, that you fought for until your dying breath—and that was my intention. No matter what happened in the next few hours, Penelope was worth it.

  But then I thought of Elisa, and my heart shattered.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Penna

  Venezuela

  I would save Cruz. I had to. I was the one who had pursued him in the bar, in the elevator, on the ship, everywhere. I was the instigator. I was to blame.

  Me. Me. Me.

  Pushing back the panic that threatened to overtake every ounce of logic in my body, I opened the door to Wilder’s suite with my key and found the production team gathered around the dining room table. Cruz followed me in, the backpack he’d refused to leave behind slung over one shoulder.

  “Get out,” I said, my voice soft but deadly.

  Bobby looked up at me, his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry?”

  “I need to talk to my brothers. Get out. Now.”

  Pax took one look at me, and Cruz standing behind me, and stood up from the table. “You heard her.”

  “We’re allowed to be here by contract,” Bobby started.

  “If you use that contract word one more time I’m going to shove it up your ass,” Landon said, standing next to Pax.

  “Leave or stay, I don’t care,” Pax said to Bobby. “We’ll just go to her suite where you’re not allowed.”

  “Damn it,” Bobby muttered. “Clear the room!”

  “That means you, too,” I told the other Renegades lounging in the living room.

  Leah came down the stairs from Pax’s room, Rachel in tow. “Everything okay?”

  “They can stay,” I told Pax.

  The room cleared, and soon it was just Pax, Landon, Rachel, Leah, Nick, Cruz, and me gathered at the table, awaiting the confession they didn’t know was coming.

  “Maybe we should sit down,” Pax suggested.

  “No, I need to stand, but you might want to sit.”

  “Jesus, is it always like this? I should have come aboard earlier,” Nick said.

  I shot him a glare.

  “I’m in trouble,” I said, and the atmosphere of the room changed instantly.

  “Okay. What do you need?” Pax asked. No questions or accusations. He didn’t know if I’d cheated on a test or killed someone and needed help burying the body. He was in before I told him what I’d done, and I loved him for it.

  “I’m in trouble,” Cruz corrected, standing next to me.

  “Okay, we’re in trouble.”

  “Trouble. Got it,” Pax said, leaning in.

  “We’re?” Landon’s eyes narrowed.

  “Here we go,” Rachel mumbled.

  “Remember when I got arrested in Vegas for jumping off the High Roller?” I gripped the back of the chair.

  “Yes, as does every lawyer who represents our company,” Pax drawled.

  “Right. Did Brandon ever show you the paperwork? Tell you who I was with?”

  Pax’s eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head. “No. We were busy, and I trusted that he took care of it.”

  “It was me,” Cruz said.

  Every head swung in his direction.

  “What?” Landon snapped.

  “I’m the guy from the bar in Vegas. I jumped off the Ferris wheel with her.”

  “You were the one found in bed with her?” Pax asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

  “Pax…” I warned.

  “Oh, Brandon f
illed me in on that bit, but I figured I sure as hell wasn’t one to judge who you chose to…” He shook his head. “And since you’ve been on board?”

  “We’ve been together,” Cruz said.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Landon seethed.

  “Seriously, Landon? You’re the last person to lecture anyone about falling in love with someone you shouldn’t. Even Leah was off-limits to Pax. I’m just following suit here.”

  “Leah was my tutor. Not my teacher,” Pax corrected.

  “Lay off her. I take full responsibility for our actions.” Cruz subtly stepped in front of me.

  I scoffed, moving to the side. “No. I’m an adult. I wanted him, went after him, convinced him, fell in love with him. Got it? Does anyone else need any other details or want to berate me for my choices? Because I’ve had a hell of a lot less sex than any of you three. Sorry, girls.”

  “No offense taken,” Leah said, sitting back.

  “God, this explains so much,” Pax said, raking his hands over his face. “The way you knew things about him, how comfortable you are around each other, the way you’ve been sneaking off when we’re in ports…”

  “Yup, guilty and guilty. Anything else?”

  Paxton’s gaze flickered between Cruz and me before he finally sighed. “What do you need? What’s happened, besides…the obvious?”

  “Dr. Gibson just walked in on me coming out of Cruz’s shower wearing nothing but a towel.”

  “Now that’s an image I’m going to have to scrub out of my head,” Nick chimed in.

  “Fuck,” Paxton seethed.

  “Did you admit to anything?” Landon asked.

  “She saw me practically naked,” I threw back.

  “Doesn’t matter. Did you admit to anything?”

  Cruz and I locked eyes for a second in silent conversation. Had we? She’d implied we were sleeping together, but he’d never agreed.

  “No. I said that she wasn’t a student when we met, but that was it.”

  “Okay, then the only evidence she has is a student in your bedroom, which…you know…is pretty damning, but it’s your word against hers.”

  “I’m not calling her a liar,” Cruz snapped. “Not to save myself.”

  “Not to save Penna’s reputation? Because she’s in the middle of this goddamned documentary, and your shit is about to hit the fan.”