Page 60 of Broken Deal

My traitorous little heart wants to leap out of my chest at the thought that he’s willing to do something like this for me. If it were any other person, I would be running as far away as possible. But Lorenzo has brought down my walls low enough, and I can’t help but feel thankful.

We sign the waivers as the guy at the front desk briefly explains what all the equipment is for. Our tandem instructors—which I learned is what they call the people who are going to jump with us—will go through everything and give us step-by-step instructions. The desk employee guides us to the plane we’re going to be using, and there are two guys waiting for us.

A tall, long-haired blond guy strides toward me with a bright smile. “Hey, Sophia, right? I’m Matt. I’ll be the one assisting your jump today.”

I nod, giving him a soft smile. “That’s me.”

“Are you nervous?” he asks as he guides us to a table where he starts checking the equipment. Lorenzo is with his instructor at the table next to ours.

I shake my head. “I honestly thrive on chaos and adrenaline. It has always been a dream of mine to do this.”

His gaze locks onto mine, scanning my face. An unexpected pang of disappointment hits me as I realize it doesn’t stir the same feeling as when Lorenzo looks at me. “Wow, it’s not every day I meet a beautiful woman who’s not afraid of skydiving. You’re a total badass.” He winks.

I give him a small smile. He’s flirting with me, and while I don’t mind the attention, it still doesn’t give me the excitement it used to. Much less the same stomach-dropping feeling I get every time Lorenzo flirts with me. The thought is jarring, and I hate it.

“Why, thank you,” I reply with a small, forced laugh.

He laughs, his hand reaching for my helmet. “I’m just making sure it’s secured.”

I nod, glancing over to where Lorenzo is standing. He’s watching us, shoulders tense. When I frown at him, his jaw clenches, and he practically shoots daggers at Matt with his eyes.

“Are you from around here, or just vacationing?” Matt asks.

“I’m here for work, actually.”

“Yeah? For how long?”

I shrug. “Not sure yet. Could be some days or a week.”

He nods as his eyes roam every inch of my body, making me visibly uncomfortable. But before he can say anything, Lorenzo strides toward our table and stands in front of me, giving me his back and completely blocking the guy’s view. “Would appreciate it if you could stop flirting with her.”

I take a step back, gaping at him as I tap his shoulder. “Lorenzo, what the hell are you doing?” I hiss.

He completely ignores me and crosses his arms impatiently. The shirt he has on today hugs his broad back and shoulders perfectly, and I can’t lie, the energy oozing out of him right now makes him look dangerously sexy.

Matt laughs nervously. “Hey, man. I didn’t know she was your girl. Sorry about that.”

Lorenzo doesn’t bother to correct him, instead, he bites out, “Even if she wasn’t, you shouldn’t be flirting with customers. You’re clearly making her uncomfortable, and I don’t appreciate it. Go find another employee, because you’re not about to jump with her.”

“There’s no one else.”

“Then we’re switching,” Lorenzo barks, turning around. His eyes are wild and a dark shade of brown I’ve never seen. “Go with the other guy, Blue.” He tilts his head to the other table.

He’s pissed, and I don’t know why that gives me a sense of satisfaction. Without a word, I go to the other table where there’s an older guy.

“Gotta be careful what I say around you, I don’t want to get your boyfriend mad.” He extends his hand to shake mine. “I’m Harold.”

I thin my lips, holding back a laugh. Instead of correcting him, I say, “Yeah, he’s very protective.” I shake his hand. “I’m Sophia.”

There’s no harm in living in a short fantasy where Lorenzo is more than whatever he is right now, right? What even are we? Friends seems like a looser term these days.

We go through the safety list, and once everything is ready, we hop on the plane. When it takes off, I close my eyes and exhale. If Mom were here, she would pass out from the anxiety. This is one of the things I can never tell her about.

“Okay, listen up,” Harold’s voice cuts through the plane engines. “When we get to the door, I need you to cross your arms over your chest, like this.” He demonstrates, and I mimic the motion, arms tight against my chest. “Keep them there until I tap your shoulder. That’s your cue to spread them out like you’re flying. When we jump, keep your head back against my shoulder, and your legs tucked behind you. It’s important for stability, so we stay aligned during free-fall.”

I look up, my eyes finding Lorenzo. Matt is giving him the same instructions, but he has a scowl on his face, looking at Matt with a bored expression. The look on his face makes me laugh, but I try to keep it in check while Harold keeps talking.

“Once we’re stable, I’ll tap you, and you can open your arms. Just trust me and enjoy the moment,” Harold finishes, giving me a warm smile.

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