Page 24 of Inevitable Love
“What if I fall?”
We are literally six feet off the ground, and there’s a net two feet below us. If she fell, she’d be fine, but I can’t make her comprehend that.Or she could break her neck or hit her head and be paralyzed.“You won’t.”
“Jax…”
“Would it help if we did this together?”
“Maybe?” It’s a pitiful whine, and I’m forced to smother a grin. I shouldn’t be laughing in the face of her fear, but she’s fucking adorable. She’s only doing this for me, and if she does fail, I’ll never hear the end of it. But she’s not going to fail, and she’s not going to get hurt. Not on my watch.
“Okay. Can you step off the platform and get to me? I’ll wait for you.”
Her cheeks puff out before she blows a breath and takes a death grip on her safety line.
“That’s it. Just like that.” I keep my voice low and soothing.
She steps onto the log and sets it swaying. One foot on the log, and one foot on the platform. “Good girl. Now, push off with that back leg and bring your feet together. No. Don’t look down.”
Of course, she already is by the time I get the warning out, and she squeaks my name.
“Eyes on me, Mags.”
Wide, terrified eyes meet mine, and her chest heaves with exertion. Or fear.
“Good job. Now, come to me.”
She brings her feet together and sets her log swaying. Before she loses control and falls, I hook an arm around her waist and pull her close. “I’ve got you.”
Our chests are pressed together, and I feel every ragged breath she takes. But as our gazes lock and hold, the fearbleeds away. Shifts into something far more dangerous than a simple fall into a net.
Her eyes drop to my mouth, and her tongue peeps out to wet her lower lip. It takes every ounce of willpower I possess not to lower my head and taste those lips. I have to get us across this bridge before I make a fool of myself and ruin this otherwise perfect day.
I clear my throat and wrench my gaze from hers, scanning the route ahead. “Okay, here’s how this is going to go…”
We’re loading up after a stop for road snacks before heading home when Maggie says, “Thanks for an awesome day.”
I hand her the bag with the extra candy I snuck behind her back and crank the Jeep. “I knew you’d love it once you got past being scared.”
She scoffs. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
“I think you loved the ropes more than the zip line, going by the way you laughed till you cried when I got hung up in that net,” I tease. “You just wanted a chance to touch my butt.”
“That was pretty epic.” The snicker starts and morphs into another full-on belly laugh. “I can’t decide if it was the pants around your ankles or your Red Hot Chili Peppers boxers that got me.”
I grin. “My favorite part was where you finally got the guts to do the bridge.”
“Well, the ground was lava, and I didn’t want to die.”
“You didn’t, though, did you?” But only because I caught her. If I’d known I’d spend the day fighting my attraction to Maggie, I definitely would’ve worn tighterunderwear.
Maybe in another life, if I were any other man, a better man, I could fall for Magnolia Simmons. She’s adventurous and brave and so much fun to be around.
We’re both laughing when the phone rings through the car’s Bluetooth and Alice’s name pops up on the screen. Tamping down the warning bells that ring in my head at seeing her name now, when Maggie and I have had such a great day, I click to accept the call. “Hey, sis.”
“Guess who just got the reunion gig!” Alice yells into the phone.
“Oh my gosh, that’s awesome.” Maggie grins from the seat beside me.
“Maggie? Is that you?”
