Page 41 of The Wicked

But instead… Wait, were we lost? What if we’d simply gotten lost? Hmm, Charming didn’t seem to be checking a map. No, he was just staring at me.

“We’re goingskydiving?”

“Indoor skydiving. This place opened a few months ago.”

“Are you crazy?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Not as long as you do what you’re told.”

I was so, so sick of doing what I was told, but I could see how it might be necessary when my life was on the line. Garrett exited the vehicle, and when he walked around to the passenger side, I still hadn’t made up my mind whether to get out or not. Not to be deterred, he reached in and unclipped my seat belt.

“Take a chance.” His lips brushed my ear, and I jolted. “Interesting,” he murmured.

“Have you done this before?”

“Impulsively driven a woman to a town two hours away? Never.”

“I meant skydiving.”

“Indoor skydiving? No. Outdoor skydiving? Yes.”

“Like, from an airplane?”

He struggled to keep a straight face. “That’s generally what’s involved, yes.”

“Why? I mean, why would you do that?”

“Because I’m a US Marine, and it was a requirement.”

My eyes bugged out because that was the last thing I’d expected. The crowd he hung with, the expensive car… “You’re a soldier?”

“Absolutely not. Those pussies in the army aren’t a patch on Marines.”

“Oh.” I digested that for a moment. “So, how come you’re here? You’re on leave?”

“I haven’t been on active duty in three years. But once a Marine, always a Marine.” He held out a hand, and I took it hesitantly. “C’mon. Step out of your comfort zone.”

“You’ll go first?”

“Because if someone’s gonna die, it should be me?”

Was I that transparent? “Something like that.”

“Good to know where I stand. Yeah, Cinderella. I’ll go first.”

* * *

The instructor gently leaned me forward into the airstream, and I struggled to keep the smile off my face. Before my first try, I thought I’d hate this. Detest it. But here I was, on my third flight of the day, weightless and spinning, and I could grudgingly admit that Charming had done good. He, of course, had only required a quick rundown of the hand signals before he ventured into the wind tunnel, and now he was standing outside the plexiglass wall, watching me with the faintest smile on his face. I tried to wave and ended up flipping over instead. A shriek escaped my lips, and that smile turned into a full-on grin. Asshole.

But I survived. I survived, and what was more, I had a good time. Perhaps I could suggest indoor skydiving as an idea to Addy? Anything would be better than burlesque. Paulo was already making feathered fans, but thankfully, the instructor was booked up for the next two months, so I had time to think up an excuse not to go. At least if we all went skydiving, I’d be able to wear clothes rather than pasties.

When the instructor signalled that my time was up, I gripped the edges of the doorway and dropped my feet back to solid ground. This whole day had been surreal, thanks to the man who offered me a hand as I walked down the steps. Contact with Charming was becoming…not easier; that was the wrong word. More familiar? Every touch still sent sparks through me, but I was learning to accept the tension rather than constantly fighting it. And those darn kisses… His lips hadn’t touched mine, but they got everywhere else. My forehead, my palm, my knuckles, and now my hair as he pulled me tight against his side and pressed another kiss to the top of my head. A head that screamed at me to put a stop to all the liberties he took because this could only end in tears—my tears. Boy, I was a hot little mess of emotions today.

“Thanks for coming today, folks,” the instructor said. “Hope we’ll see you again.”

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