by K. C. Lynn
“Jesse? You still there?” I ask nervously.
“You’re joking, right?”
I sigh, my excitement deflating. “I know how this looks. It’s crazy even to me but—”
“Oh, it’s more than crazy. It’s downright suicidal. Do you have any idea what Sawyer will do if he finds out?”
“He’s not going to find out. It’s just one date. No big deal.”
“It’s a very big deal. This is our brother’s enemy, Sam. And let’s not forget Dad and Mr. Crawford’s little rivalry they’ve had forever. How did this even come about?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I admit, feeling more conflicted by the second. “Oh, Jesse, I’m so confused. I mean, the guy drives me insane. One minute we’re yelling at each other then the next we’re tearing each other’s clothes off and having sex in the backseat of his truck.”
“Holy shit! You slept with him?” The high shrill of her voice has me jerking the phone away from my ear.
“Yeah…”
“My sister—my sweet, innocent, little sister had sex with Jase Crawford in the back of his truck?”
“Yes,” I repeat, letting out a soft sigh. “And if I’m being honest, it was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced.”
“Oh, I’ll bet. I have no doubt that cocky asshole knows exactly what to do with that dick of his.”
We both burst into a fit of laughter, my cheeks heating at the memory, but I sober quickly. “The thing is, Jesse. He’s not that much of an asshole. I mean, sometimes yeah, but…he’s been good to me. He was there for me one night when I really needed someone.”
“What happened?” she asks, concern thick in her voice.
I decide to share a little bit with her. Not all of it. They can never know how bad things were with Grant. “Grant showed up one night at Overtime and was a jerk as usual. Jase put him in his place.”
And broke his face.
“That bastard! I wish Sawyer would have done more than break his nose,” she seethes, talking about the time Sawyer paid him an unexpected visit.
“I’m just glad Jase was there. Grant wouldn’t take a hint but I think he has now.”
Considering he had a box shipped to me this week of a few items I had left at his place with most of it broken, I’ve taken it as a sure sign that he is as done with me as I am him.
“Well, I’m glad he was there for you too, but…”
“What?” I ask when she trails off.
“Are you sure he isn’t using you as a way to get back at Sawyer?”
“No,” I say, shutting down the suggestion right away.
It can’t be. He wouldn’t do that, and I know whatever this is between us, he feels it, too.
“It’s different than anything I’ve ever felt, Jesse. I know it’s reckless and crazy but…I need that right now. I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t have to. I can hear it in your voice. Something I haven’t heard in a long time,” she says softly. “Sometimes, crazy and reckless is a good thing. So despite my fear of our brother finding out, I’m telling you take this for all it’s worth and enjoy it. Especially if it means finding that Sam we haven’t seen in a very long time.”
“I’m finding her,” I reply on a choked whisper, emotion burning its way up my throat. “She’s almost back.”
“Good.”
A knock on my door breaks up our moment. “Jesse, it’s him. I gotta go.”
She sighs. “All right. Have fun and promise you will call me tomorrow with all the details.”
“Promise.”
“I love you, Sammy.”
“I love you, too,” I whisper. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
Hanging up, I shake myself of the heavy moment and do a quick check in the mirror, fluffing my hair. Then, with my tummy dancing, I head to the door and take a deep breath before opening it.
Jase stands on the other end, looking sexy as sin in a pair of well-worn jeans that hang just right on him and a black T-shirt that stretches across his broad shoulders. His dark hair that’s usually covered with a hat is unruly, yet still looks perfectly in place at the same time. My fingers curl with the urge to feel the soft strands between them again.
His eyes do some traveling of their own, sweeping down me from head to toe. By the way his gaze darkens you would think I was naked instead of wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top.
“Hi,” I greet him, trying to break the tension but sound ridiculously breathless.
He flashes me those perfect white teeth of his. “Hi, Peaches…or Sensible Sam,” he says, bringing a smile to my face. “Which one are you today?”
“Just Sam. I’d appreciate it if we kept it that way and not channeled the crazy Sam. Think you can manage that, Crawford?”
With a husky chuckle that does weird things to my insides, he steps in and hooks an arm around my waist before pulling me flush against him. “Yeah, baby, I think I can manage that.” Without warning, he claims my mouth in a mind-numbing kiss.
Sighing, I give into the rush of emotions and wrap my arms around his neck, relishing in the warmth that settles all the way down to my bones.
No holding back—not today.
Growling, he kicks the door closed behind him and lifts me off my feet with the arm that’s wrapped around me. “It’s been a whole week since I tasted this,” he says against my lips. “I missed it.”
His confession catches me by surprise. “Me, too,” I admit, even though I shouldn’t.
“We’re going to make up for it tonight,” he says, placing me back to my feet. “But first…” He hands me the small gift bag he’s holding.
“What on earth is this?” I ask, taking the bag from him.
“A gift. I don’t date but figured since I’m doing it this once I may as well do it with style,” he adds with a wink.
Opening the bag with a smile, I pull out a plain white box and slide it open to reveal a dainty silver bangle bracelet. The single glass peach charm dangling from it has me chuckling. “You have a strange fascination with peaches, Crawford.”
“Yeah, it seems I do.”
My eyes move to his, finding no amusement there. Instead, I find something else, something deeper that can’t be described.
“It’s beautiful, thank you,” I whisper, surprised and touched that he would buy me something like this.
“My mom told me to bring you flowers but there were no peach colored ones, only orange and that’s not good enough. Besides, flowers die anyway,” he adds, walking closer to put the bracelet on me. “So when I walked out of the flower shop, I passed by this boutique and low and behold there in the front window was this bracelet…with a single peach charm. Go figure.”
“Yeah, go figure,” I say, thinking about how some things happen at the perfect moment. “This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a really long time, Jase.”
“Well, that’s sad, Peaches. You deserve things like this every day.”
I stare up at him, my heart overflowing. “Sometimes, you’re really nice.”
“I’m always nice, just ask my mom.”
Smiling. I look down at my bracelet, fingering the glass charm. “I really do love it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Slinging his arm around my neck, he drops a kiss on the top of my head, the simple gesture warming my heart. “Come on, let’s get out of here. We have twenty-five minutes to be at our destination. Can’t be late.”
“Are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope but before we leave change your flip flops for running shoes and grab a sweater to bring, just in case.”
I do as he says, my interest piquing further. “Is the rest of my outfit okay?” I ask, bending down to tie my shoes.
A low growl penetrates the air. Looking behind me, I catch him staring at my ass. He rubs his clean-shaven jaw… “Yeah, baby. It’s fucking perfect.”
My stomach tightens at the low husk
of his voice.
This is going to be a long afternoon.
On the way to our destination, I plead for some sort of hint but he remains tight-lipped and enjoys every moment of my torture. Thankfully, it isn’t long until we arrive at the scenic tour station where you can explore mountain views from a gondola. Jase climbs out of the truck and comes over to let me out.
“You’re taking me on a gondola ride, Crawford?” I ask, excited at the prospect. I’ve lived here my whole life and have never done it.
“Yeah, something like that,” he answers cryptically. Grabbing my hand, he leads me to where a man is waiting for us outside the lift. “Jase, it’s good to see you,” he says, shaking his hand.
“You, too. Thanks for helping me out.”
“No problem.”
“This is Samantha Evans,” Jase says, introducing me. “Sam, this is Glen Perkins. He owns the place.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” he replies, shaking my hand before returning his attention to Jase. “The weather is perfect right now for you.”
“It is,” Jase agrees with a nod.
Their exchange has me even more curious.
“Bert’s waiting up at the top.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“You bet. Have fun and be safe.”
“I’m always safe.”
The older man grunts, clearly knowing Jase better than that.
With a chuckle, Jase leads me into the gondola.
“Shouldn’t he be coming with us?” I ask, feeling a little anxious as the doors close.
“No.” He takes a seat on the bench and looks at me with a frown. “You have been on one of these before, right?”
I shake my head.
“Never?” he asks incredulously.
“Pathetic, huh?”
He graces me with a sexy smirk. “Come here.”
When I take his outstretched hand, he pulls me down on his lap, and that’s when we begin making our climb. The first jolt catches me off guard and has me tensing.
“Don’t be nervous. We’re safe,” he says, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder.
I relax against him, finding safety in his strong arms. The view is breathtaking. The afternoon sun bounces off the white caps of the mountains, reflecting off their sharp peaks, displaying what God so graciously created.
“It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” I say, finding a new appreciation for what I’ve always taken for granted.
“Just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
I turn toward him, my arm curling around his neck. “You come up here often?”
“Yeah. Every chance I get.”
“What do you do?”
“You’re about to find out,” he answers, still refusing to tell me.
“Remember that small pep talk we had about not channeling crazy Sam?”
He chuckles, amused with my frustration. “Keep her locked up, baby. She can come out later tonight and play,” he says with a dirty grin.
The sexy bastard.
Once we make it to the top, Jase links his fingers with mine as if it’s the most natural thing and walks over to the man who is waiting for us. Tons of equipment circles his feet, one of them a parachute, which has my pulse kick starting.
“Jase!” he greets him with a handshake.
“Hey, Bert, thanks for meeting us up here.”
“You bet. Everything is here for you. Just give me a call with your coordinates when you land, and I’ll bring you your truck.”
Coordinates? Land?
My heart beats double-time, not liking the sound of this. I barely acknowledge the gentlemen’s brief greeting to me as he walks away, my eyes glued to all the things on the ground that look like death traps.
Jase drops down on his knee, sorting through the pile, oblivious to my inner turmoil.
“Uh, Jase. Can you tell me now what we’re doing?” I ask, noticing how dry my throat is.
He looks up at me, excitement lit all over his handsome face. “We’re paragliding.”
“We are?”
“Yep,” he answers, his attention returning to the scattered equipment.
“On this mountain?”
“Well, technically off the mountain.”
I stare at him, wondering if this is a cruel joke. “You want me to jump off this mountain?”
“Not jump, baby. Glide,” he explains, as if that makes it better.
“I don’t think I can do this.”
The small tremble in my voice finally brings his gaze back to mine. Realizing my fear, he stands and moves for me. “Hey, Sam, it’s okay,” he says, grabbing my shoulders.
“No. It’s not. I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t have the slightest clue what to do.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to. You’re going to be strapped to me.”
“Strapped to you?” I repeat slowly.
“Yeah. You don’t have to do anything. I do it all and I’ve done it a million times. I swear, it’s safe.”
I look behind him, unable to see what’s over the ledge and not wanting to either.
Can I really do this? Do I want to? Is Jesse right and he’s just trying to get back at Sawyer and his plan is to kill me by making it look like a paragliding accident?
Okay, Sam. Settle down, I berate myself for the ridiculous thought.
His warm hands cradle my face, bringing my gaze back to his, regret reflecting back at me. “I should have thought more about it. I wanted to do this with you because it’s probably one of the coolest things you will ever experience, but I should have asked you first. It’s not for everyone.” His voice is soft and gentle with understanding. “I’ll put in a call to Bert and tell him we’re coming back down.” Brushing a kiss to my lips, he reaches for his phone.
“No, don’t. It’s okay,” I protest, feeling guilty after he went to all this work.
“I’m not going to take you if you’re that scared. It’s fine; we’ll go back down and head to our next spot. I still have other things planned.”
“No, really, Jase. I’m all right.”
He stares back at me for the liar I am.
“Okay, I’m nervous,” I admit. “Like, really nervous, but I don’t want that to stop me from doing it, especially when I will probably never get the opportunity again.”
He pulls me against him, his body heat melting away the icy fear freezing inside of me. “You sure? Because it’s not a big deal for us to go back down.”
“I’m sure. Just…promise me you won’t crash us.”
His lips quirk in amusement. “I promise. You’re safe with me. I’d never let anything happen to you.”
I believe that with my whole heart. That’s why I’m going to do this, even though I’m terrified out of my mind.
“Come on.” He leads me over to the equipment and makes me put on my thin hoodie before suiting me up. Starting with the harness and finishing with the helmet. He goes over a few simple instructions with me as he finishes with himself. After spreading out the parachute behind him, he extends his hand to me. “Trust me, Sam.”
My heart stalls in my chest, something familiar tugging at the dark recesses of my mind. Shaking myself of the bizarre feeling, I put my hand in his and allow him to drag me in closer. After hooking me up to his harness, he hoists me up. My legs wrap around his waist and arms around his neck, as I cling to him like a koala bear. My nerves begin to settle from the feel of his strong, warm body.
“No passing out on me, Peaches,” he jokes, but his voice is gruff, letting me know he feels the same current I am. The same one that always seems to pass between us.
“You need to be more concerned about me puking on you,” I grumble.
I’m rewarded with a deep chuckle. “I’ve been through worse. Just hold on to me and you’ll be good.” Bending down, he grabs the two black handles then brings us back to full height. “You ready?”
I let out a terrified breath, feeling close
to losing my lunch. “No, but I don’t think I ever will be.”
“I have you, I promise.” He backs up a little then starts running like he explained he would do earlier.
My arms tighten around him as we approach the edge, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. I close my eyes; unable to bear watching us go over.
A whoosh of air hits me before I feel the jerk of the parachute catch. I squeal in fear and bury my face into his neck. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.”
“We’re up!” I barely hear him through the blood rushing in my ears. I cling to him even tighter, not daring to move. “Babe, you’re choking the shit out of me,” he says on a strangled laugh.
“Sorry.” I loosen my grip around his neck but tighten my legs on his waist.
“Take a look, Sam.”
“That’s okay. I’m good.”
“Come on. Don’t miss out on this.”
Releasing a shaky sigh, I summon the courage to lift my head and slowly open my eyes. My breath immediately locks in my throat with a gasp as I take in the sight before me.
Oh my god.
This pales in comparison to seeing it down below. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Instead of looking at it from afar we are now a part of it. A part of the breathtaking world we always take for granted.
“It’s amazing,” I whisper. The cool wind whispers over every bare inch of my flesh, blowing a few strands of hair from my ponytail as we soar across the clear blue sky. “It’s like we’re really flying.”
“That’s because we are.”
I finally tear my gaze away from the incredible view to look at Jase and find him watching me, a soft smile on his handsome face that has my heart tumbling in my chest.
I place a kiss on his lips, my thumb smoothing over the soft flesh after. “Thank you. Thank you for taking me here and convincing me to do this. It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever done.”
“You’re welcome.”
Smiling, I turn my head forward again and enjoy the rest of our time together. Living in one of the most incredible, freeing moments of my life.
*
Later that evening, we’re parked at a remote spot in the mountains—out in the middle of nowhere—sitting in the bed of Jase’s truck with a pizza between us that we picked up after meeting Bert for his truck. Birds flock and chirp across the pink lit sky as the sun slowly sinks beyond the horizon, creating the most beautiful glow.