The thrill of being in such close proximity rattled her bones. Leaning ever so slightly, she let her upper arm graze his as she sat. It felt oddly naughty so she pulled back. Clearly, she must have tensed because Dane gave her a soft, panty-melting smile.
“This really clears the head. Trust me.”
“Wait, so you’ve done this before?” She couldn’t manage to keep the tinge of awe out of her voice.
“Sure. Several times.”
He leaned back, looking awfully pleased with himself. On anyone else, the expression would have irked her, but it suited him.
“Are you telling me this is nothing special for you?”
That caught his attention, and he snapped to look into her face. The ardor in it made her breath catch, but he quickly mellowed it, settling into something more intimate.
“Trust me. This time will be special to me.”
The intensity in his eyes made Aurora blush, and she looked away for fear she’d tumble headlong into them.
This guy is smooth. Is it wrong that I like it so much?
“So what was your first time like,” she asked. His face registered a kind of startled bemusement, and she hastened to add, “Jumping! What was your first jump like?”
“I know,” he said with the tiniest wicked smirk. Then, he leaned back as if trying to remember something from decades before. “Honestly? Terrifying. Invigorating. I was in a low spot and it made me feel powerfully alive.”
As he spoke, his whole body seemed to vibrate with the memory. She allowed her eyes enough license to wander over him for a moment before centering herself again. More than just his frame drew her, though his subdued power made her tingle in funny places. It was the fact that he had obliquely admitted to some sadness he carried. Peeks like that seemed rare in men like Dane.
“I just hope it knocks something loose inside my head. This case—”
“Hey, hey, hey,” he interrupted, laying an unexpectedly warm hand on her knee. “The whole point of this was to get you to relax. It’s all going to work out.”
I can’t see how.
His hand lingered, and as good as it felt, Aurora needed a modicum of professional distance. Shifting her posture, he seemed to take the hint and gently took his hand away. She immediately missed it, but it was the right thing to do. The proper thing.
“Hensley and Rhonelle, tandem jump. You’re up!”
Aurora surged to her feet before her brain could catch up, looking blankly at the sturdy looking man holding the clipboard.
“Tandem jump?” she asked, looking up into Dane’s hypnotic brown eyes. For a moment, they flashed a richer, more vibrant hue
“Of course,” Dane said, rising to stand beside her. “You didn’t think I’d make you jump the first time alone. Did you?”
She swallowed hard, only just coming to the realization of how close their bodies would be. Suddenly her mind couldn’t think of anything else.
They stepped into a pair of very unsexy harnesses, and the mundane functionality of the gear settled her just a bit.
“Okay, now face each other.”
“Excuse me?” She looked into the thoroughly bored face of the technician strapping them in.
“Face each other. We’ll secure the link up.”
And just like that, Aurora’s heart was in her throat. She stood facing Dane, closer than she ever thought she would—at least, while they were respecting professional boundaries. They were clipped together and the straps were pulled surprisingly tightly, pressing their bodies firmly together.
My goodness, he’s firm. No! Keep it together.
“Now, don’t go getting any ideas, friend,” he said, mischief sparkling in his smile. “The tighter we are, the safer we are.”
You got that right.
“Step to the edge.” The technician was all business as he fixed the cord to their ankle harnesses with an almost perfunctory air.
While Aurora was sure it would be secure, her stomach still danced with anxiety. Or maybe it was because she was bound so close to this handsome wolf that she could feel every ridge and contour of his body. And she knew he could feel hers. That only sent her insides spinning harder. It was the single most intense feeling she’d ever experienced, and mastering it was going to take every ounce of her strength.
“Ready?” Dane’s eyes were warm, and he placed his hands on her ribs.
Burning with the power of it all, she swallowed hard and nodded. With a gentle lean, they sailed out into the air. The sudden, shocking rush of the wind in her ears shifted reality. Her whole body went cold and she clung to Dane, digging her fingers into his back. He held her in return, enveloping her in his arms and howling with laughter.
Aurora realized she was laughing too. Hard. The bottom of the airship rocketed away from them at an incredible pace, and the blue sky above their feet seemed impossibly vast. Time seemed compressed and elongated all at once.
Then, looking up—or rather, down, since they were hurtling toward the sea head-first—she saw the water racing up to meet them. Her stomach slewed as the cord pulled taut, and for a suspended moment, she and Dane hung within a foot of the water. So close she could have reached out and brushed it. The sense of effervescent energy fizzing away inside her threatened to shatter her with joy.
Her body went numb and tingly again as they shot away from the surface of the sea. It was impossible to say how many times they bounced before easing into a lazy swing not far above the water. Not that it mattered.
Aurora’s throat was raw from scream-laughing, and her sides ached. Only then did she realize that Dane’s arms were still holding her tightly. And hers were returning the favor.
Even after that terrifying, exhilarating leap, she felt safer than she ever could have imagined, and it was because of Dane. Not only would she never have done this kind of thing without him, but he’d managed to make her feel completely secure through it all.
As the blood rushed to her head, she found him watching her with that same, gentle, hungry look on his face, even though she must have looked dreadful with a red face and hair literally standing on end. None of that seemed to bother him, though. Without warning, he leaned in, but then seemed to check himself. She waited, hoping for the inevitable but not daring to make that move herself. He leaned in again, and this time their lips met.
Whatever dizzying, vertiginous sensations had been roiling inside her were child’s play to what that kiss inspired. Like a hurricane had broken out in every cell of her body, her spine sizzled from end to end, and she pushed harder against his mouth. Their lips parted, but she didn’t dare flick her tongue forward, and he kept his back as well.
He’s letting me lead.
That only drove her madder for him.
In that crackling moment, Aurora’s whole world turned upside down, and not just because they were hanging headfirst over the Sanguine Sea. The typhoon inside her had its dark edges as well.
So much for “no benefits.” What am I doing?
She was breaking every promise she had made to herself about how things were between them. On their first outing as friends, they had left that line in the dust. Not only that, but the professional parameters were a complete jumble. After all, he was one of the judges on her first case!
But his lips feel so good!
All at once, the kiss ended. She could breathe again but was drowning from missing his mouth. Their faces were still so close. She could dip in for more if she wanted. So could he. The air between them was molten with tension, and the spark between them snapped out into the open. Even the breeze stopped. The water below their heads seemed to churn and boil. Whatever strong emotions were percolating inside her sought release. Was it possible for fireworks to break out under the sea?