Page 4 of Forbidden Bond

He looks young; he can’t be that much older than me. Then again, he drives a car that’s worth a jillion dollars, so I can’t be sure about his age. I can’t help but wonder what he does and who his family is. I’m curious, but it wouldn’t benefit me to dwell on a man like him.

“Maybe I’ll see you around.”

My gaze is locked forward as I say, “I doubt it.”

Considering I have no plans of ever accepting rides from handsome strangers again.

CHAPTER 2

Topher

Growing up, my mom would always say to me, “Christopher, why must you make me worried all the time? You need to be careful, figilia mia. Learn how to look before you leap.”

I’ve always hated those words. And unfortunately, the only thing my mom’s advice ever succeeded in doing was making me want to do the complete opposite. So my philosophy in life is “leap first, look later.” Impulsiveness is in my blood. I can’t count the number of times I’ve done incredibly insane shit without thinking it through. But now, as I stand in the opened door of a helicopter, looking down at the expanse of land thousands of miles below, I can’t help but think this is one of those moments I should actually consider mamma’s advice.

I’ve never been suicidal, but this certainly feels like it’s veering into that realm.

Someone claps my back and I turn to glare.

“What’s wrong, Toph? Getting cold feet?” Max asks on a laugh.

Maximus Cornelius Terra the Third is a twenty-three-year-old asshole with light blue eyes and shaggy blonde hair. He’s just as obnoxious as his name sounds. The guy is set to inherit the Terra empire, and he never lets anyone around him forget it. Sadly, he’s also the closest thing I have to a best friend. Although I’ve never really been in the business of making friends; I just pick up a few stragglers here and there. Max is the one who’s stuck around the longest.

“Shut up, man,” I mutter, staring down at the ground, which is getting harder and harder to see from up here.

We’re being safe. My parachute is already strapped to my back and a safety instructor spent the last thirty minutes teaching us what to do. Still, I can’t seem to quiet the racing in my chest. I mentally start counting the people that would shed a tear if I ended up dead. The list is unfortunately short.

My mom would cry, of course. She’d be devastated. My sister-in-law Daniella might shed some tears. My brothers are more likely to shoot someone than cry. The first thing on their minds would be revenge, but there’s no revenge to be had when I’m the finisher of my own fate. Ultimately, they’d be disappointed in me.

But that’s something I’m used to already. They’ve been disappointed in me for as long as I can remember.

I take a huge breath and turn to the instructor.

“Hey, gorgeous. Remind me again, how many times have you done this?” I ask over the loud whirring noise of the helicopter.

Her lips pull into a soft smile. “Five times. Each time more exhilarating than the last, Mr. D’Angelo.”

“Exhilaration sounds fun,” I agree. “Death does not.”

“You won’t die,” she says on a short laugh.

I smirk. “Tell you what, if I make the jump and somehow survive, you’ll give me your number?”

Beside me, Max scoffs. I’ve only got eyes for the instructor, though. She’s hot, with perky boobs, long brown hair, and pretty eyes.

“How about you survive first and I’ll give you an answer?” she says, batting her eyelashes.

I grin. I might die today, but I’ll die knowing I’ve still got game. Beside me, Max prepares to jump. I get into position, as well.

“Just close your eyes and do it,” I say mostly to myself.

Then I notice Max’s hand shaking as he holds onto the parachute backpack, and I almost chuckle. He was trying so hard to keep up his bravado while being scared shitless. The cruel part of me wants to push him out, but since I don’t want his death on my hands, I motivate him instead.

I take a deep breath and the whir of the helicopter fades away. Everything falls away except myself and this moment. A beat, another breath, and then my body is propelling down to the ground. The wind is in my ears and in that moment, it feels like I can do anything.

The instructor was right. It’s absolutely exhilarating.

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