Page 47 of Guarding The Phoenix: Vol. 1

“Have a little faith, beautiful. You know I’d never do anything to jeopardize your life. I’ve jumped multiple times. I did it in the Marines all the time. Trust that I know what I’m doing and won’t fail you. Besides, we’re jumping together. You won’t have to do anything but hold on to me.”

My body relaxed slightly at the news. He wouldn’t leave me to conquer this feat alone. It made me like Chase even more. Especially after everything I had faced by myself. Chase’s unexpected presence didn’t remove my fear, but it lessened it.

“And what do you think about Chase’s idea, Axel?”

He glanced momentarily in the rearview mirror. “If you don’t want to jump, I’ll turn the car around and take you home right now. But Chase is the best at skydiving. And he knows if anything happens to you, then we’ll kill him.”

I laughed at his deadpan statement. He couldn’t be serious, right? “You wouldn’t really kill him, would you?”

When we stopped at a red light, Axel stared in the rearview mirror until our gazes locked. “I don’t think you realize how important you are.”

I sucked in a breath. His meaning was clear. I mattered to him. My heart melted into a gooey puddle. While Axel might be a total badass, he was a marshmallow with me. And when he said things like that, it made me want to cuddle him and keep him.

“What he said. I’ll protect you with my life,” Chase murmured as Axel pulled the armored SUV into a small, private airstrip.

Beset by nerves, I hid my shaking hands from the guys. They didn’t need to know that I was past anxious and heading toward hyperventilating.

But I wouldn’t back out. I needed to do this. Prove to myself and them I could take an enormous risk and win. My badly bruised confidence desperately needed to defeat this challenge.

Once Axel parked, Chase emerged first. With his swimmer’s build, he was sexy as hell with his aviators, black tee that hugged his ripcord muscles and jeans that cupped all his parts. He projected confident badassery as he surveyed the area and ensured they did not follow us. When he decided the coast was clear, he opened my door and held his hand out.

I took it without question. Deep down, I knew he’d protect me with his life. That they all would. And it was why I agreed to this baffling idea. Because I trusted them. Chase wrapped an arm around my waist, steering me toward the building.

I liked our interplay and the way he made me feel—like I could do anything. Even something as death defying as skydiving. And his belief in me mended some of my broken pieces.

“What about Axel?” He still sat behind the wheel with the engine running. I didn’t want to leave him behind. What if something happened to him? He was a big guy, but he wasn’t invincible.

“He’s staying with the vehicle. With Santos in the area, it’s too risky to leave it alone. It would be far too easy for his goons to plant a bomb or cut the brakes. This way, Axel will take them out before they ever have a chance.”

Threats of car bombs and vehicle tampering swam in my head. How was this my life? “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“No. It’s a great idea. For the next hour, you’re mine.” He squeezed me against his side.

How twisted was I? Lightning bolts of lust struck my body at his words. The energy cascaded through me, and my panties went damp. I wanted Chase. Ever since I’d received their permission to have sex with each of my bodyguards, my body had taken their approval to heart. Chase made me want to shove him into the nearest closet or storage area and climb him like a tree.

It didn’t matter that I’d experienced my first menage or that I’d screwed Gideon in the shower this morning. I had turned into a sex addict. And my bodyguards were my drug of choice. Because I wanted them all.

Inside, we checked in with Cali Flights and then Chase helped me gear up into the protective suit. After speaking with the instructor about his qualifications, that he wanted us to dive together, he inspected and repacked the parachute.

“Here, we need to have you put this harness on.” Chase turned with the tandem harness.

“And what will this do?” I asked as we fitted the harness around my upper thighs, hips and shoulders.

“This is a special harness designed to connect us together at four points. Two at the hips and two at the shoulders. Those four points will ensure the maximum safety and comfort of our jump. When it's connected, we’ll both be facing forward. And when I jump, you jump with me. We’re in this together.”

“So you’re really not going to leave me alone up there?” Relief coursed through me that he hadn’t changed his mind. I had been let down far too many times in my life. My husband would say he would do things with me only to back out at the last moment.

“Nope. Like I told you, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

We sat through the skydiving instructor giving his safety spiel. Through it all, Chase never stopped touching me. We sat side by side and he just held my hand, like we were an actual couple. The simple declaration filled my heart with the quiet serenity I’d yearned to find. And I wanted to lean into him.

But the instructional portion of this experience was over far too quickly. Because then we were on the tarmac, heading toward the plane. My pulse spiked. I worried I would be sick.

This was dumb. Seriously, the stupidest idea ever. Who was silly enough to jump out of a moving plane?

I was overreacting because Luka Santos gave me a scare today. Any other time, I would have told Chase no way in hell.

With Chase’s firm hand on my back, I boarded the plane. Inside, we took our seats and got our headgear on. My breath shuddered out of my lungs as the plane taxied down the runway. As the plane left the ground, rising into the air, climbing toward ten thousand feet for our jump, panic induced flutters rippled through my body.

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