Page 68 of Mine to Ruin

“Fuck,” he says and cups his neck. “You’re messing with my head.”

“Am I now?” I flirt back, loving how confident I feel, sexy, playful.

“Angel.” It’s the undercurrent of a sexual threat emanating from him, as if he barely keeps from backing me into the wall and taking me. I hope his surprise is worth losing the chance of him bringing my body to the highest peaks.

I cover my mouth to hide a yawn as he opens the door to his sports car, and we leave the underground garage. The veil of darkness stretches over the infinite sky as Kian speeds up. He takes the exit to the airport, and I send him a questioning look. He stops the engine next to a big white building, and we enter through a side door. We make our way to a counter where a brunette woman is standing. She looks up and smiles.

“Mr. Reyes, welcome. Please follow me. The helicopter is ready.”

“Thank you, Sabrina.”

I wrap my hands around his arm. Emotions swirl inside as we step outside where a matte green and black helicopter awaits, with an “R” imprinted on the side.

“Surprise.”

I blink at him and then the helicopter.

He lifts me up and places me inside then tugs at the harnesses, buckling me up. He walks around the helicopter, his face transformed by concentration then he gets in. I bounce up and down and he says, “I have to do a system check first but then we’re off.”

He winks at me, and I push through the nerves and excitement scraping at my belly, saying,

“I have never been in a helicopter before, so if this is you encouraging me, you’re going to have to do better.”

“I’ll hold your hand the entire time,” he assures me.

“Who’s going to fly this thing, then?” I shout, and he laughs, shaking his head at me.

“Let me focus. I have to get the instruments working.”

When he’s finished, I breathe slightly, relieved. I hug myself, and Kian seeks my eyes.

“Do you trust me?”

“This has nothing to do with trust. My self-preservation instinct is kicking in right now.”

“If you’re not comfortable, I can think of something else to do,” he says, features drawn in thought.

“Don’t you dare.”

With a grin, he passes me a headset while he puts one on himself then he starts the engine. The blades spin, and the sound is deafening. I can’t even understand what he’s saying, even through the headset. My heart pounds in my ears as we take off, and my entire body shakes with adrenaline. But when we’re in the sky, with the unobstructed view, I forget my initial panic.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

His lips arch into a gorgeous smile, and the tension that gripped me slowly ebbs away. His hands maneuvers around the stick and my eyes dart to him.

“How long have you been flying?”

“Six years now.”

“You must be good at setting priorities.”

“Oh, I am,” he says in that deep voice of his, while his dimples make an appearance. He exudes power and confidence, and the whole package is strikingly fascinating.

“Kian,” I whisper, my voice raspy.

The Grand Canyon comes into view, the sun peeks over the horizon, and my eyes glisten with emotions. My hand flies to my chest while I try to take everything in—the red rocks, and sandstones, and the remote and desolate desert landscape. He flies around, and I memorize as much as I can, snapping imaginary photos with the lens of my heart.

After we land at the bottom of the canyon, the dream-like experience increases with breakfast surrounded by the cliffs. When we’re done, we take a walk, our hands clasped together, and every step reminds me of the preciousness of this land. It has something sacred to it, the lonely, sunbathed rocks shining in a hundred copper colors. I could almost hear the beats of my heart echoing around the valley. I lift my glance to the sky, gratefulness washing over me.

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