Babysitting a Billionaire #3 - Taking Control(19)

And every single day he'd waited for a call.

A call that never came.

So he'd done what he always did and ignored his feelings, locked them up inside and immersed himself in what he had to do.

Of course, now he knew that she'd gone to see his father. Something his dad had failed to mention and one day soon they'd have a discussion about that. But maybe his dad had done the right thing, because if Jess had called, he would have gone running. And as she'd pointed out, they'd have been a disaster together.

So keep that in mind. This was about closure. And sex. Christ, he wanted her again. He wondered whether her idea of fun this morning would involve them getting hot, naked, and sweaty together. He hoped so, but considering the location, somehow he doubted it.

He climbed out of the car and glanced around. In front of him was the huge white dome of the arena. In front of that, a small crowd milled around what looked to be some sort of bright orange crane device that reached high in the sky. He searched for Jess in the crowd, but couldn't see her until a movement to the side drew his attention. She was walking across the space between the building and the crane, wearing black jeans and a matching long-sleeved T-shirt. She caught his gaze; her face was pale and her lips held in a tight line. 

He strode across, came to a halt in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" She scowled. "Actually, I've just puked up my breakfast."

"Rough night?"

"No. Rough morning. Or it's soon going to be." She glanced at the crane behind him and swallowed. "Why the hell did I agree to this?"

He turned slightly and followed her gaze. "Just exactly what is 'this'?"

"You haven't guessed? Well, I hope you like heights because we're going bungee jumping. Off that." She nodded toward the crane. It looked pretty high. "One hundred and sixty meters," she said.

"Are you kidding me?" But his gut tightened at the thought. And not in a bad way.

"Wish I was. It's for one of Dani's doggy charities. I agreed to do it in a drunken moment."

"And where do I come in?"

"I just checked, and they'll let us jump together. They even have a name for it, a tandem jump." She looked him up and down. "And is that your idea of casual?"

He glanced at his black pants and black sweater. "Yeah."

She snorted. But he ignored the sound. A grin tugged at his face. He'd never done a bungee jump before. He looked from the crane back to Jess. "Fantastic."

"Fantastic? You have to be kidding." She shook her head. "We're going first because otherwise I'm going to lose my nerve as well as my breakfast. Come on. We need to get weighed."

She stalked off toward the small crowd and he followed. There were a group of guys wearing black sweatshirts with "Bungee Team" across the back. Jess halted in front of them. "Let's get this done."

One man led them to a weighing machine. He weighed Jess twice, wrote a number on the back of her hand, and called the weight out to his friend. He repeated the procedure with Declan and then waved them to the cage at the bottom of the crane.

Declan studied Jess's face as a second man ran through the safety procedures while he fastened a harness around their waists and ankles. Jess checked each of the fastenings, tugging at the leather.

"Are you sure it's tight enough?"

The man grinned. "I'm sure. We've never lost one yet."

"There's a first time for everything," she muttered.

"Okay, into the cage," he said, gesturing to the orange cage. Jess bit her lip and then shuffled over, Declan followed.

"Right, for the jump you're going to be close together. As close as you can get. Jess, wrap your arms around Declan's waist and tuck your head right in against his neck. Declan you hold her around the shoulders."

Declan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, felt her arms come around his middle and hold him tight, so she was plastered against the length of his body. She burrowed her face in the curve of his shoulder. A tremble ran through her.

He hadn't thought she was scared of anything. He couldn't decide whether to laugh or to throw her over his shoulder and carry her to safety. Then the gate was closing, shutting them in, the cage jerked beneath them, and they were rising into the air.

"Oh God."

He rubbed a hand down her back, then looked around him. One of the bungee team guys was in the cage with them, but Declan zoned him out as they rose. The view was amazing. Three-hundred-and-sixty degrees over the city. For once the sky was blue, the sunlight sparkling on the dark water of the river now far below them. Jess's head was once again shoved in his shoulder.




 

 

"Come on, Jess, take a look. You're missing all the fun."

"Fuck off," she mumbled.

He chuckled, and she lifted her head and glared. At least her eyes were open, though they fixed on him not the view. Maybe time to try and distract her. He pressed his hips against hers, letting her know his cock liked having her wrapped around him so close.

Her eyes widened. "I can't believe you can do that at a moment like this."

He chuckled again, but his dick was becoming painful and he shifted a little away from her.

"So have you done this before?" he asked.

"Are you crazy? Do you think I'd be here now if I had?"

"But you knew you were scared of heights?"

A visible shudder ran through her. "Yes. I've jumped out of planes during training."

"And you were okay?"

"Of course I wasn't okay. What sort of normal person jumps out of planes? I puked before and after."

"So why are you doing this if you're afraid of heights?"

"I told you, it's for charity. Plus, I was somewhat under the influence when I agreed. But … "

"But … ?" he urged.

"I think you need to face your fears head-on. It's the only way to defeat them. But I swear if the rope breaks, I will never forgive Dani."

He peered over the edge. "No, probably not."

She followed his gaze and went a little greener. "Holy shit."

He smiled. "I'll hold on to you."

"You might change your mind if I throw up on you on the way down."

"You won't. You're the bravest person I know."

The cage jolted to a halt, and she gave a little squeak. She really was scared and he was filled with an overwhelming urge to protect her from her fears. Make them go away. "We don't have to do this, Jess. We can just ride back down. I'll match whatever you're raising from the jump. Your friend's doggies won't lose out."

Her spine stiffened, her jaw clenched. "No way."

The gate opened, and they were teetering on the edge. The ground looked a long, long way away. He felt a flash of fear and grinned. At least he wasn't bored. Maybe Jess didn't fit into his world, but she certainly made it a brighter place.

"Oh. My. God."

She clung to him like her life depended on it. He liked the feeling.

"You want a push?" the bungee guy asked. "Or are you going to jump?"

"We'll jump," he said.

Pulling her even closer, he stared out at the view, the world laid out before him, Jess in his arms. His gut churned; his adrenaline spiked. "You ready?" He felt the slightest nod against him. 

Taking a last deep breath, he leaped out into open space. Then he was diving head first toward the Earth. Jess's arms tightened around him, her fingers digging into the skin at his waist, her scream muffled in the curve where his neck met his shoulder. And in that moment, free-falling through the sky, the hard ground racing toward him, he knew he didn't want to ever let her go.

He had a split second to brace himself for the jolt, but it never came. The deceleration was smooth, and then they were rising again.

Bouncing on the end of a rope, his woman in his arms, it occurred it him that life with Jess would never be boring.

She thought they were getting each other out of their systems. She was wrong. He just had to work out the right time and place to explain that to her.

Finally, they stopped moving, someone grabbed his shoulders and lowered him to the ground. Jess wriggled free. Her face was white, and he leaned toward her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "That was fun. You want to go again?"

She curled her lip in a snarl. "Bugger off."

Chapter Ten

Declan had changed after the jump. There had been something in his eyes she couldn't recognize, but it had made her twitch. Determination? But what was he determined to do?

Anyway, it made her nervous, but not enough to stop seeing him. Rather it had made her more desperate to get as much as she possibly could of him before everything went to shit.

It was five days since the jump, and they'd had sex every one of those days. Lots of sex. Quick sex, slow sex, at his office, in his apartment. She couldn't keep her hands off him. Though she refused to spend the night, which he said was a pain because he wanted early morning sex with her all sleepy and tousled.

But that was getting into dangerous territory.

She needed to get a little distance, but more than that, she needed to prove to herself that she could control this thing between them. Because there was something between them. Even if it was only sex, it was there. Drawing them together.

All the time in his presence she sensed him watching her, wanting her. It made her body twitch with need, until her dreams were filled with Declan and each morning she awoke, hot, bothered, restless, and ready for more sex.