I counted off in my head the seconds until I'd pull my chute. The wind picked me up and I felt almost weightless for a moment. All too soon Gray squeezed my hand. He motioned for me to pull my chute cord. Angling my feet downward as I’d been told, I pulled the cord and steeled my body against the jerk I'd feel when the chute would open. He’d told me that it was like someone pulling on my jacket if I was running, abrupt but not painful. Nothing. I pulled again.
Seconds ticked by and I was falling fast. Panicking, I jerked my hand free of his, ignoring his shout, and tugged frantically at my chute cord until I felt a release. But no jerk came. In my hand was just the toggle on the pull cord, which had come off. I turned to show Gray and then the wind took the cord and whipped it away.
The ground was rising fast, almost a blur through the tears that had formed. The tears from the wind, not fear, I told myself. And then, in an instant, I embraced it. So this was it. Perhaps my story was one of tragedy. Married young, widowed young, died young. I spread out my limbs again. When I fell and hit the earth, I figured the impact would be instantaneous. Death had to come to all of us.
The wind rushed by me and even with my goggles, I could feel the sting against my eyes. There was peace here. But Gray. I’d known him only for a little time. If I’d had one regret, I wished I had kissed him harder, held him longer. The sensation of regret caught me unexpectedly, invading my peace almost as if a physical reaction had occurred. Then I realized it wasn't regret that had hit me—it had been Gray. His body wrapped around mine, his arms coming up from behind me, holding me almost in a loose headlock with one arm. With the other, he must have pulled his chute cord, because it deployed immediately. He pulled his body back with it.
The ground still rose quickly, but he held me fast. The only thing that kept me from becoming part of the dirt was his strong, firm, and steady grip. I hugged his arms to me and wondered why I'd been so ready to give it all up. Sobbing, now with relief, I clung to him as we fell rapidly to earth.
The impact of the ground jolted me hard although I knew Gray had taken the brunt of it, landing on his legs first. He curled me into a ball and we rolled for several feet, tangled in chute cords and nylon until we were completely wrapped up. I ended up with my head tucked into his chest. Our legs were entwined.
His breath was harsh and wracked in my ear.
"Jesus. Jesus. Jesus Christ," he panted.
I said nothing, only clutched him closer to me. As I began to shake uncontrollably in his arms, he whispered consoling words in my ear. “It’s going to be okay. We’re safe now.” But he wasn't immune either. I felt his body shudder against mine and we just clung to each other inside the cocoon of his parachute. His gloved hands smoothed up and down my body comforting both of us at the same time.
When he pushed my goggles off with one hand, I saw that his eyes looked wet. I'm sure mine were too. Pulling me against him, we began ravishing each other. He rolled us over until my body was covered with his. We kissed to make sure each other was alive. We kissed in celebration of our survival. We kissed because deep down, the emotions that we'd been trying to deny were overwhelming us.
He and I both knew that however temporary our relationship had been before, the fall had shaken loose our barriers and we were just raw nerves and emotion. I felt his erection heavy against me. I wrapped my legs around him and we pressed up against each other. We would've ditched our clothes and just fucked each other raw underneath the parachute if Jerry hadn’t arrived and interrupted us.
"Hoolee shit," I heard him exclaim. "You two okay?"
Gray pulled away from me immediately and rested his forehead against mine, trying to gain some composure. The mood changed as I saw his emotions flip from desire to anger. He pulled loose of my embrace and untangled us quickly, although I'm not sure how. I was trussed up in enough strings and fabric to keep me immobilized for at least a month.
"Her goddamn chute didn't open, you motherfucker," Gray roared at Jerry. If it wasn’t for the chute strings surrounding us, Gray would’ve been on him, beating the tar out of him. He began struggling with the harness.
"We check those chutes daily,” Jerry protested.
"If you did, then you'd have seen it was defective, Jerry.” Gray spit out his name like he couldn’t stand the taste of it. Gray sat me up and pulled the chute off of me. I hadn't the first clue what had happened. I only knew that it should’ve released when I pulled on it. “And you shouldn’t have let go of her. This was an accelerated free fall, and we both fucking hold her until the chute deploys.”
He finally got the harness off of himself, and he turned to attack mine. He was spitting mad, but his hands were gentle as he handled me.
"What about the emergency cord?"
"Neither cord opened the chute,” Gray bit out. I wondered if his jaw would crack from the effort of not yelling at Jerry. Gray knew—somehow just knew—that if he yelled right in my face, I’d lose it. I was so close the edge of a breakdown. He pulled both cords and the chute remained stubbornly closed, an innocuous backpack-looking thing. He yanked viciously again and the emergency cord pulled away, frayed at the end. He threw the entire thing at Jerry, who stumbled back at the weight.
"You better get your house in order because the FAA will be there by the end of the day to run an inspection on your entire equipment supply." Gray jabbed his finger at the guy’s chest, his other hand fisted like he wanted to plant it in Jerry’s face. "You're gonna be grounded. You could've fucking killed her."
The adrenaline rush, the fear, the passion had all drained away and I felt weak. "Gray." He was still raging at Jerry. "Gray," I said louder. His head whipped around. His eyes were wide and his nostrils were flaring. I wanted to touch him so I could get him to calm down. Instead I said the words that I knew would penetrate his fear and disgust and anger. "I need you."
Immediately he turned away from Jerry and dropped to his knees. "Baby, I'm here. What can I do?"
I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled my nose against him. "Take me home."
Part of me wanted to rage too but mostly I wanted to go home and lie with Gray in my arms and revel in the fact that I was alive, no matter the faulty equipment. I'd done something very dangerous but I'd survived. I was glad to be alive.
Gray
I FELT SAM'S SLIGHT BODY against mine, her utter trust in me and felt a surge of something so strong that I almost fell backward. I firmed up the steel in my spine and picked her up into my arms. While I wanted desperately to beat Jerry bloody and then go inside SkyHopper and ransack the place, I wasn’t going to leave Sam trembling and shocky. “Get me some OJ,” I ordered Jerry. When he just stared at me like a dumb robot, I barked again in my best copy of my gunnery sergeant father. “Get me some goddamned orange juice or I’ll cut off your nuts with your car keys.” He got the message and took off toward the office building. One of the other jumpers came over.
“Need anything?” His hair was military short.
“Yeah, I need someone to file a complaint ASAP while I take care of my girl.” Sam was silent, burrowing her head into my shirt. I wanted to get her home like she’d asked. As I reached the parking lot, I noticed a number of expensive foreign vehicles in the “owner” slots. The guy obviously had money or was wasting it on expensive toys rather than careful maintenance.
“On it.” He gave me a smart salute and trotted off after Jerry.
I placed my girl tenderly into the passenger side of her Rover. I’d never driven it because Sam always seemed to enjoy being behind the wheel, but she was in no shape to pilot this vehicle back to her place. She curled up in the passenger seat, her big green eyes staring at me. The look in them, shit, made me feel like I was bigger than life. I knew some guys got into the military because they had a big old savior complex. They liked to be the hero, and going over and killing people that they were told were the enemy made them feel good inside. I'd never felt that way, but right now I got it. Sam was looking at me like I'd conquered King Kong a
s it was trying to devour the city
“Guess all those training jumps were good for something,” I joked weakly, brushing the hair out of her face. Her color was still pretty pale. Fortunately for Jerry, he appeared within seconds with a bottle of orange juice. “Drink some of this,” I commanded and then added, “please.”
She must have felt a little better because she rolled her eyes but dutifully took a small sip.
“A little more.” I winced as the request came out like another order. It worked though. The military guy came out with a form that he’d filled out. I signed it. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem. That was scary as fuck just watching it so I can’t imagine how you both feel.”
Jerry was long gone by then, which was probably a good thing because now that Sam was feeling better I wanted to go beat the shit out of him.
“I’ve had better days,” I admitted.
“Go home, get your girl into bed, and take a load off. I’ll see this is filed. I’m going to make a call to the FAA too. This place should be closed down within the hour.” The guy flipped open his ID and I saw it said “State Police.”
I blew out a breath of relief. “Thanks, man.” We shook hands and Trooper Jensen gave me his card so I could follow up.
By the time we got to the condo, Sam was getting back to her old self.
“That was certainly adventurous,” she said drolly as I was pulling into the parking lot behind her building.
The thought of her crashing into the ground because the goddamn chute wouldn’t release had me banging the steering wheel. I wanted to turn around and drive back and give Jerry a piece of my mind. “Good thing you stopped me from killing Jerry because there was a State Trooper who jumped before us.”
“I can’t say that I’m going to want to do that again anytime soon, but I’m not sorry that I went and I’m glad you were the one who took me.” She rubbed her palm along my stiff forearm.
“If I’d just checked that damn chute—”
She cut me off. “If onlys are a fool’s path. I know this from too many sleepless nights. Let’s go upstairs and celebrate the fact that we’re alive.” She pulled my chin around and pressed her mouth against mine. “Take me upstairs and make love to me.”
I can’t remember how we got upstairs and into her bedroom. I only know that we did. In the bathroom, I turned on the hot water and undressed her while the shower heated up. She allowed it, passively standing there all the while watching me with burning eyes. Somehow she sensed that I needed to take care of her.
When we were both nude, I tested the water temperature and then pulled her inside. Sam’s condo had no bathtub but the shower was incredible. There was a rainshower head recessed into the ceiling and another large spray head mounted on the side. I had turned them both on so that we could each be warmed by the streams of water. The one thing we were missing was a bench, but I’d make do.
I stood us under the rainshower head and let the soft drops of water fall onto our heads and shoulders and back. “Lean on me,” I urged and she did, dropping her head against my left pectoral muscle. She could probably hear it hammering but I didn’t care much now. Any defenses I had against this girl were bashed against the ground. I’d seen her falling from the sky, and my heart had gone with her. There wasn’t a calling higher than being with her, but I wasn’t sure how to tell her. Now wasn’t the right time, but soon.
I rubbed her head gently, kneading her skull and then her shoulders, keeping all of my touches above her waist and away from her breasts. That didn’t keep my cock from being stiff as a pike and poking her in the stomach.
She made soft sounds of pleasure as I rubbed away any tension she had left. Turning her so her back was to my front, I grabbed the showerhead off the hook to rinse off the soap in her hair. “Tip back,” I told her and directed the spray at the back of her head and then, cupping my hand protectively at her forehead so the soapy water wouldn’t stream into her eyes, moved the spray around the crown of her head.
“You’re really good at this,” she mumbled. “Think you should put down ‘I give good shower’ right after ‘I iron’.”
That made me laugh. “I’m building quite the resume.”
“You had the skills already. We’re just itemizing them now.” Turning around, she embraced me, and we stood like that for a moment, for maybe five or ten heartbeats, just holding each other as the water sluiced around us. My heart was about to burst when she raised her face to me.
“I love you,” she said. “I know you said it’s temporary, and this may send you screaming out of the shower, but I can’t keep it in anymore.” Reaching up, she brushed a thumb over my eyebrow and then traced a path to my temple, down my cheek to the other side of my mouth. When I opened it to tell her that I couldn’t live without her, she shushed me. “Don’t say anything. Not yet.”
On her tiptoes, she kissed my neck and then the underside of my chin. Hoisting her in my arms, I met her lips head on. So she wouldn’t let me say the words, but I could tell her how I felt with my kisses and my caresses. Twisting the knobs, I shut off the water. I draped a towel over her back but didn’t let her go. I could care less about the water.
“We’re wet,” she half protested, but her heart wasn’t in it. I tossed her down onto the comforter and crawled on top of her.
“Not wet enough,” I said and spread her legs open for my mouth. I’d been down here before and loved it, but this time I went slow, savoring every scent and flavor her body exuded. My tongue lapped gently, caressing every sensitive inch. Her lips were pinker closer to her body, and they were flushed and plump with arousal. The droplets dotting her pussy weren’t just water, but tasted of a special tang only her body could produce. The small offering only whetted my appetite.
“You taste so good, baby,” I told her before plunging my tongue directly into her channel to gorge. Her hands threaded into my hair and pressed me closer.
“Don’t stop,” she panted.
“Won’t. Ever.”
Her thighs closed around my head, and I had to push one away so I could maintain my contact with her delicious cunt. As she climbed closer to her release, her body began to quiver, and her hips began undulating. I used both of my hands to keep her right against my mouth. I could spend hours down here, eating her, licking her, savoring her. Blood pounded in my groin as my body screamed for its own release, but I ignored it because there was nothing I wanted more in that moment than to have her come all over my tongue and face.
“Ohhh…God…please.” Sam’s body thrashed, her back arched like a bow off the bed. I bit her, gently, right on the clit and she started screaming. “Gray, Gray, Gray…” It was the best damn music I’d ever heard. I lapped all her juice as she quivered, her walls contracting rhythmically and then more sporadically as her orgasm shuddered on. Keeping my mouth over her cunt, I licked tenderly at her engorged flesh, trying to soothe her. Her screams turned to whimpers and then to sighs.
Sitting up, I wiped the back of my hand across my face and took my painfully erect cock in hand. “You ready, baby?”
Glassy-eyed, she nodded. Easing into her, we both gasped as I felt the bare flesh contract around the tip of my penis. Shit, I wanted to be inside her without anything between us. I’d never wanted that, not since Carrie. It was shocking but felt right.
“You on anything, Sam?” I heard the faint pleading note in my voice and shook my head in wonder.
Her face was crestfallen when she answered in the negative. “No, I’m so sorry. I’ll get on it right away.” Then she turned her face to the side as if she remembered that my time here was coming to an end. But it wasn’t the end for us. I slid another inch inside her and nearly cried at the amazing sensation.
Turning her head back with one hand, I pinched her chin lightly. “Yes, go on the pill so that when we see each other, we can do this anytime, anywhere.” I pushed all the way in, until I was seated up to my balls inside her hot, wet, tight cunt. The feel of her walls clenchin
g around me made me want to shoot all I had inside of her until she was filled with nothing but my come. I wanted to experience her orgasm against my naked cock more than I wanted anything else at that moment. I had to restrain my lower body. Staring at the wall above her, I started counting the bricks until my head cleared enough to withdraw. It was painful coming out of that hot sheath and the urge to shove back in almost did me in. “We’re not done yet,” I told her. “We may not ever be done.”
Her eyes widened in understanding and a smile broke out that lit up the entire room. I heaved myself off the bed while I still had an ounce of self-control left and went to find my shorts. Tucked in my buttoned back pocket, I had three condoms. I might need all of them before we were done here. It was, after all, only mid-afternoon.
“I’m sorry,” I told my dick. “But hang in there, someday we’re raw dogging her until we both can’t see straight.”
“Are you talking to your penis?” Sam called from the bed. She didn’t sound nearly breathless enough. I hurried back and flopped down beside her, my erection hitting her on the hip.
“Yup, I’m consoling it and telling it to stay inside the condom.”
She giggled and then reached down to squeeze me. It still felt good. Hell, any contact with her felt good at this point.
“So you’re going to come back and see me?” Her eyes were serious, belying her light tone.
“I want to,” I confessed. Smoothing her hair back, I told her what I’d been wanting to say since I caught her in the air and tumbled to the ground with her. “I love you, baby. I don’t want this to be temporary. I don’t want it to end.”
Her eyes became wet with tears, and before I could do anything, she was leaking all over the place. I swiped as many as I could with my fingers but they were falling fast so I leaned in and started kissing her. She pushed me away.
“These are happy tears.” She laughed and then used the back of her hand to dry her face off.
Unraveled (Woodlands) Page 19
