by Brooks, Abby
“You don’t understand. I can’t do this.”
“Sure you can. You’re the girl who figured out how to make her own biscuits when she didn’t have a lot of money for food. How to drink coffee from a bowl when she didn’t have a mug. How to support herself when no one else would. You most definitely can do this.”
“Yeah, but what if I can’t? What if I get to the door and stare out into the sky and I just can’t?”
“Well, then we’ve found the one thing you can’t do.” He pulled into a parking spot in a nearly empty lot. “But listen. You can do this. I have faith in you.”
Those words—I have faith in you. They rattled around inside her and satisfied a need she didn’t even know she had. Something hard and forgotten in her heart started to soften.
Ian reached across the car and took her hand. “Do you trust me?”
She nodded, not sure she could trust her voice.
“I need to hear you say it.” His face was open and he held eye contact, calm and strong and totally willing to wait until she had herself under control.
Juliet took a breath. Found strength in his eyes. “Yes. I trust you,” she said at last.
“Good. Then come with me, my friend. I promise, life will never be the same.”
Ian was a frequent flyer of the facility and knew the owners well. Apparently, he’d called after their first date to block off an entire day, so he and Juliet were the only people going up…
…and coming down.
Holy shit, I’m going to jump out of an airplane!
As she listened to her instructor, Dillan—an excited man whose trim frame wasn’t big enough to contain so much exuberance—her nerves began to transition into expectation. Doubt gave way to certainty.
“You’re not gonna get that roller coaster drop feeling. You know the one I’m talking about?” Dillan barely had time to see her nod before he started talking again. “It’s not like that at all. It’s comfortable. You’re gonna feel supported, like you’re floating, because the air’s gonna put just a little bit of pressure on your body. It’s the closest you’re ever gonna get to flying, girlie. There’s nothing like it.” Dillan bounced from foot to foot, waiting for a response that never came. She was still too nervous to trust her voice and all she could muster was a curt nod.
Ian took her hand. “You’re gonna do a tandem jump with Dillan. He’ll literally do all the work. And lucky you, you get a crazy leprechaun strapped to your back, pulling the strings and telling you what to do.”
“What about you?” There was no way she could do this without Ian.
“I’m jumping solo, hot stuff. I’ll follow you out after a few seconds, but I’ll catch up quick. If you’re doing okay, I might even be able to take your hand for a bit and we can fly together.” His eyes danced with excitement, and it gave her the strength to squash the last of her fear.
She nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
The next hour or so was lost to a stream of information and instruction. Before she knew it, she was on a plane, zipped into a jumpsuit, cruising about eleven thousand feet above the ground.
“You ready?” Dillan yelled over the drone of the engine.
“Yep.” And surprisingly, she really was.
“How brave are you?”
His question started her heart on a rampage. “What?”
“How brave are you?”
There she was, sitting in an aircraft with the sole intention of jumping out. “I’d say I’m pretty brave.”
Ian patted her leg. “Yeah, she is.”
“Awesome! I’ve got something in mind for you.” Dillan told her when it was time to jump, she should walk to the very edge of the plane and instead of jumping, he wanted her to lean out until she started to fall and he’d take care of the rest.
And then suddenly, the doors on the airplane were open.
Her toes were on the edge.
The sky stretched out in front of her, and the ground seemed lightyears away.
The giant hangar where she’d spent the morning was nothing more than a tiny spec below.
Her heart was in her throat and Dillan was strapped on her back. Despite what Ian said, Dillan was nothing like a crazed leprechaun at that point. He was calm and confident and kept reminding her of everything she’d learned in training.
She took a breath and stared at the ground so far below. Took another breath. And then, without waiting to think, she did it. She leaned forward, ducking her head like she’d been instructed and holy shit! She was falling! Somehow, Dillan flipped them so they stared up at the plane as they fell and Julz got to see Ian step up to the doors. He waved and she could have sworn she saw pride wash over his face for a second before Dillan flipped them over again, so they faced the ground.
Dillan was right. This was nothing at all like a drop on a roller coaster. It was exactly the way she’d imagined it would feel to be a bird.
Out of nowhere, Ian zoomed past, a human torpedo, and then he straightened his body to slow his fall. With Dillan’s help, they maneuvered through the air until they were, indeed, close enough to hold hands. It took every bit of courage in Juliet’s heart to peel her hands off the straps around her chest and reach for Ian, but she did it. And when her hand was safely wrapped in his, she looked into his eyes and knew she’d truly never be the same. This experience had life changing event written all over it.
When it was time to open the canopies, they maneuvered away from each other and Dillan pulled the cord. Juliet braced herself for what she feared would be a massive jerk as the parachute filled with air—even though Dillan and Ian both assured her it wouldn’t be bad.
Of course, they were right.
It was no worse than jumping feet first into a pool of water. The four-minute trip to the ground was an adrenaline-fueled meditation session. She’d never been more in the moment. Ever.
No worry.
No stress.
No anxiety.
She just…was.
They touched down without issue and as soon as Juliet was free from Dillan, she raced into Ian’s arms. “Oh my God, thank you! Holy shit! I can’t believe I just did that!”
Ian did his best to hold her tight as she wiggled with excitement. She totally understood Dillan’s attitude when they first arrived. And this was his job. This was how he lived.
“Yep. You did it. I totally knew you could.” Ian grinned.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this…” She looked around, searching for the right word. “Powerful. I’ve never felt this powerful before. Like I can take on anything.”
Ian exchanged a knowing look with Dillan. “And just think, you haven’t even done it by yourself, yet.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ian
Powerful. That was exactly how Ian wanted Juliet to feel. Safe. Capable. Not only taken care of, but strong in her own right. He wanted to build her up and heal the pain he saw hiding under the surface. He wanted to see that same spark in her eye every day.
As adorable as she looked in her flight suit, she looked even better out of it, where his hands could touch her skin and his eyes could roam her curves. She chatted non-stop as they walked to his car and kept going as he put it in gear and headed toward Bliss for lunch. It was nice to see her toss her practiced smile out the window and just be herself.
“Wait a minute.” Juliet interrupted herself. “I thought you said you didn’t fly anymore.” Concern and confusion creased her delicate face.
“I didn’t fly that plane today.” He knew what she was driving at, but it was fun to play with her.
“You know what I mean,” she said, rolling her eyes and laughing lightly. “You were up in the air. In a plane. And then you jumped out said plane. Which has to be worse than driving one.”
“Driving one, huh? That’s the word you’re going with?”
She slapped him playfully on the arm, widening her eyes. “Yes, that’s what I’m going with and you know what I’m trying to ask. So spill,
Lieutenant.”
Watching Juliet’s face transition from playful to fearful as she realized that not only had she just hit him, but she’d also given him an order broke Ian’s heart. That wouldn’t do at all. He wanted her comfortable enough to be herself around him.
“Yes, ma’am. Orders to spill received and understood.” He winked and the fear on her face receded. “You’re right. After the accident, I didn’t want to fly again. I wanted to keep my ass on the ground. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that was fear talking, because there was never a time in my life that I didn’t need to be in the air. Since I refuse to let fear rule me, I started skydiving—to get myself up there again. In an effort to battle down the crazy shit I had in my head when I came home.”
Ian still didn’t like talking about the accident, but if Juliet asked, he’d keep sharing. If he expected her to be completely open with him—and one day soon he’d start pushing for more information about what happened in New York—then he needed to be just as open with her. He waited for another question about the accident, but Juliet sat quietly, staring out the window.
“That’s the kind of answer I’d expect from you,” she finally said, just when he started to think she wasn’t going to speak again. “Strong and capable. Filled with willpower and self-awareness. I wish I was like that.”
“But you are.”
For the most part, he finished in his head.
She carried around so much self-doubt.
So much latent sadness inside.
It held her back from truly believing in herself and the decisions she made. But she had the strength to get past it, and what she didn’t have, he would give her. The first step was confidence.
Juliet gazed into her lap. “No. Not like you.”
“Yes. Just like me. Look, I’m not going to pretend to know what caused you to need four states and almost a thousand miles between you and the city, but that took guts. Just you and your little dog, in a car heading off to who knew where.”
“Yeah, but it was stupid. Doing it without a plan, just rushing off as soon as I was brave enough,” she responded almost immediately.
That was the first time she’d even come close to acknowledging the fear he’d seen in those pictures of her online. Ian placed a hand on Juliet’s thigh which caused her to jump, her eyes still faraway. “I expect you had good reasons to make the choice as quickly as you did.”
“I did.”
“And you don’t think it took guts to go through with it once you knew it was time to leave?”
She thought for a second, the darkness on her face lightening. “It did,” she said, nodding. “But it was still stupid.”
Ian put his hand back on the wheel but turned to catch her eye. “Are you saying you’re not happy here?”
Shock washed away the self-doubt on her face. “Oh, no! I’m happier than I’ve ever been!”
Ian believed she meant it. “And are you saying that you don’t like where you are?”
“I love it here.” The look on her face was like dawn breaking. Understanding and realization relaxing the tension from her body and dropping her shoulders from her ears.
“Then it sounds like there was nothing stupid about what you did. Whatsoever.” He enjoyed the surprise on her face for a second. “And I’m glad you’re happy. And I love that you love it here.”
Juliet fell quiet and Ian knew he’d given her a lot to think about, so he took over the conversation and chatted away while she digested what he’d said. The radio was on and the sun was shining and he could actually see stress falling away from her, like she was letting go of something heavy. They stopped to eat, and by the time they finished with lunch, Juliet was beaming and animated as they talked.
She dabbed at her mouth and dropped her napkin on her plate. “What a fantastic day.”
It was time to push her boundaries—just a little. “I can’t argue with that. But I’m ready for you to show me how grateful you are.”
Her eyes lit up and she leaned toward him, lowering her voice. “You ready for that blow job?”
“I’m in the mood for a whole lot more than a blow job.” He looked toward the hall that led to the bathrooms in the back of the crowded restaurant. “Meet me in the ladies’ room.”
Juliet’s jaw fell open and her eyebrows almost ejected themselves off her face, but he could see she was considering it. He watched her eyes grow hungry at the thought.
“You like that idea, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” She drew the word out and a blush flared across her cheeks. “But I don’t know if I can.” She looked into her lap. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Juliet Lane.” He waited for her to meet his eyes. “First of all, you can’t disappoint me. Everything about you surprises me and makes me happy. And second of all, you just jumped out of a freaking airplane. And you didn’t think you could do that, either.” Ian waited patiently for her to consider his point and watched the aura of personal power bloom inside her again.
She bit her lip and stood, her eyes never leaving his. She stood there for a few seconds, worrying at her lip and blushing, and Ian started to wonder if she’d end up sitting back down.
But that would teach him to underestimate Juliet Lane.
Damn if she didn’t turn away, saunter back toward the hallway that led to the restrooms, and disappear around the corner.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Juliet
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!
She was going to have sex in the bathroom of a crowded restaurant on the very same day she jumped out of a perfectly good airplane!
Who the hell was the girl in the mirror? Because she sure wasn't boring old Juliet Lane.
Not even Willow—her best friend and closest confidant—would believe it when she told her. If she told her. Okay, when she told her because there was no way Juliet could keep that day bottled up to herself.
At least the bathroom was clean. And, it was one of those single deals where they’d be able to lock the door. Even with that door closed tight, she could still hear the clink and clank of forks on plates and the murmur of conversation coming from the restaurant. And if she could hear the people out there, then they could hear her, and she’d never been very good at keeping quiet.
Especially with Ian.
When she realized she was pacing she stopped, grasping the edges of the sink with both hands while she stared in the mirror. If Ian didn’t show up soon, she’d lose her nerve, and she really didn’t want to lose her nerve.
She wanted to do this.
For him.
But also, for her.
She wanted to nurture the feeling of power he was fostering inside her. That feeling of bravery. Plus, her body went on high alert the second he mentioned what he wanted.
Maybe she was more daring than she gave herself credit for.
The door swung open and Ian slipped inside, pressing it shut behind him and turning the lock to send the bolt home. She straightened and couldn’t take her eyes off him, couldn’t help the smile that stretched wide across her face. In fact, she realized with horror, she was only a second or two away from breaking into nervous giggles.
Nothing sexy about that.
Nothing sexy about that at all.
But then Ian reached for her and she crossed the space into his arms, his mouth hungry and eager on hers, his tongue caressing her lips until she opened her mouth and let him in. Her body burned for his. She needed him inside her, filling her, stretching her. She needed the release he’d bring, the muscle sagging, can’t-walk, leg-quivering pleasure only he could give.
But first, she had a promise to fulfill.
She dropped to her knees and pulled on his belt, her eyes on his. He sighed through closed lips and there was that feeling of power again, charging around inside her. She wanted to feel him grow harder in her mouth and know that she was the reason. She fiddled with his pants until he sprung free, steel covered in velvet. She swirled he
r tongue around the tip, smiling as she tasted the drop of moisture that beaded there.
She kept her lips tight as she brought him to the back of her throat, then softened the muscles and pushed him deeper until she couldn’t breathe and had to pull back, gasping for air. She looked up and found him watching her, lust burning in his eyes, and it only made her want to do it again. And again.
“You’ve gotta stop,” he whispered. “I need you. All of you.” Ian pulled Juliet to her feet, lifting her shirt as she stood, and kissed her breasts, pulling on her taut nipple through the lace bra with his mouth. She fought against a moan and kept her hands on his dick, stroking him, egging him on. He pulled her bra down and sucked on the delicate white flesh of her breast. He sucked so hard it almost hurt—in the best possible way—and when he pulled away, a mark remained.
“Mine,” he whispered, fanning the flames of desire at her center. She stared at her breast, Ian’s mark clear against the pale skin inside her tan line.
His. Oh, God, yes. His.
Ian pulled at Juliet’s waistband and she kicked off her shoes and socks, then stepped out of her shorts. He smiled his approval before lifting her up to perch on the edge of the sink. She wrapped her legs around his hips and clutched at his back, feeling the long strands of muscle flexing and working as he entered her in one quick thrust. Her mouth flew open and she gasped loudly, unable to keep from making the sound.
“You’re gonna have to do better than that,” he whispered and thrust his hips forward again. And again. Her breath hitched and she bit her lip, letting her head fall back. “Look at me, Juliet.”
He moved slowly, teasing her, and the sound of her name on his lips made her moan in pleasure. When she met his eyes, he shook his head and put a finger to his lips as he began to build speed.
“I can’t stay quiet,” she managed, her words stuttering with her sharp intakes of breath.
“You have to. Now be a good girl and do what I say.”
And then, without breaking eye contact, he put one hand firmly over her mouth and sheathed himself deep inside her, pushing harder and faster, giving her more of what she needed while consistently hitting that spot. The one that no one before Ian had ever reached.
