That’s my girl.She’d rallied, and when her instructor told her they’d be going first, she even let out a little whoop. Turning back to wink at me with the wind whipping through her hair, she called out just before they jumped.
“See you down there.”
I grinned, and then they were gone and it was our turn. We jumped after her, my heart pounding as my instructor launched us out into nothing.
CHAPTER26
SERENITY
Skydiving was the most exhilarating thing I’d ever done by a mile and a half. I’d been so scared and nervous about it until we’d reached altitude, and then it was like something just clicked into place for me.
I wouldn’t be going by myself, and the instructor had thousands of jumps under his belt. When I realized the plane had leveled out, a feeling of calm had come over me and it had been followed by a rush of excitement over doing something so many people would never get the opportunity to do.
It occurred to me that I was blessed and lucky to be on the plane, and that if I really wanted to push my boundaries, then I needed to push. Which meant getting up and getting it done.
As I soared through the air with the instructor strapped to my back, a loud scream ripped out of me at first. Then the terror faded and I noticed that the view was unlike anything I’d ever seen. With the rush of wind in my ears and the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I wondered why the hell I’d never done this before.
I also decided right then and there that I would definitely be doing it again sometime. Taking it all in was almost impossible, but I tried my best, taking as many mental snapshots as I could and wishing that I had a camera strapped to my head so I could relive this feeling over and over again.
At one point, I saw Bart not too far away, and he looked like he was having a blast. He had the biggest grin I’d seen from him on his face and his arms were spread out ahead of him like he was imitating a superhero.
An elated laugh tore out of me and I realized that I owed all of this to him. It was true that Leah had been trying to get me to do this for years, but I never would’ve taken the leap with her. He gave me the confidence to do shit I otherwise wouldn’t, and given how incredible this was, I really owed him big time.
Much too soon, we were coming in for our landing and then it was over. My instructor and I landed without even stumbling, and I still couldn’t stop smiling as he unhooked himself from me and told me he hoped to see me again.
Already off to do it all over again—the lucky bastard—he strode off and left me standing on the airstrip waiting for Bart to get unhooked from Owen. They were only a few seconds behind us, and then Owen was also headed back to the hangar. I ran toward Bart.
I’d only intending on launching myself at him in a big hug, but as he opened his arms and caught me, I found him lifting me off my feet and then we were kissing. Kissing like nothing in the world could tear us apart and I didn’t want it to.
I looped my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips, and he held me by my thighs as his lips crashed into mine over and over again. My entire being was yearning for him by the time our kiss came to a breathless end, and I decided to throw caution to the wind.
“We passed a hotel a few miles back,” I whispered against his lips. “Want to get a room?”
Heat flared in his eyes, but then he pulled back a little to look at me without setting me down. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life.”
He cocked his head at me, but I saw the grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “This isn’t just the adrenaline talking, right? You really are sure? Because if you aren’t—”
“Bart.” I took his face in my hands and held his gaze. “I’m sure. Now let’s get this gear off and find the closest hotel room we can get. The things I’m going to do to you…”
He groaned, screwing his eyes shut as he nodded and let me down. “Thanks for that. It’s not going to be easy to walk for me now.”
I giggled, grabbing his hand and dragging him back in the direction of the hangar where we had to return the equipment. “Good. Just keep thinking about it because I don’t want either of us to cool down.”
“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath, grinning as he caught my eye. “I’m not complaining, but who are you and what have you done with Serenity?”
“Empowered Serenity is taking over for today,” I informed him, winking as we got to the gear room.
Bart and I were both done in a flash thanks to the place being so busy, and he grabbed my hand as we rushed back to his car. “Where did you see this hotel?”
“On the main road,” I said. “Just a few miles back. You didn’t see it?”
“Nope, I was too busy worrying about whether you were really okay that I didn’t keep my eyes open for a place we could go fuck after.”
His words lit a fire in me. They weren’t entirely unexpected, but it was good to know he still said exactly what was on his mind when it came to sex. Very few people had mastered the art of dirty talk in my experience, but Bart got it. All he really did was speak his mind, but he did it with such confidence and meaning that I felt myself getting damp between my legs.
“Is that what you’re planning on doing with me, then?” I teased as his tires spun in the gravel and we peeled out of the parking lot. “Fucking me? I thought we were just going to make out a little.”