Livvy woke the next morning to bright Californian sunshine streaming through the blinds. She groaned and turned over, glancing at the clock. Shit! Midday. She never slept so late. She must’ve been so exhausted from the previous day. Plus she’d probably needed the extra rest since she hadn’t been able to fall asleep.

She grabbed a coffee and headed out onto the balcony. Thanks to Mark and the provisions he’d put in place to ensure she would be okay if anything happened to him, she could afford a decent place. She winced at the thought. The old saying was true: money did not buy joy. She’d happily live like a pauper if it meant that Mark and Daniel were still alive.

She had no idea what she was going to do when her visa ran out in three months and she had to go back to cold, bleak England. She wouldn’t get an extension—she’d already been told as much by the consulate office—and because worrying wasn’t going to change the situation, she mostly ignored it.

She switched on her cell and saw that she had three missed calls. Before she could check who they were from, Gabe texted her.

I can’t get a hold of you. Do I have to come there?

I’m worried.

G

Her skin tingled with delight. His intensity was overwhelming and absorbing in equal measure. She dialed his number, and within a few seconds, the ringtone sounded in her ear.

He immediately answered. “Livvy, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I overslept is all.”

“I was worried when you didn’t answer. I was about to get in the car and come over.”

Overprotective much? And if that was the case, why was she grinning like an idiot?

“There’s no need. In fact, I won’t be here. I’m heading to the gym.”

“Oh, okay.” Was that disappointment she heard in his tone?

“Why were you calling, anyway?” she asked.

“Do you have any plans for Saturday?” His voice was soft and tender, and an involuntary shiver ran through her.

“I don’t have any plans.”

“Good. Now you do. I’ll pick you up at eight a.m. Don’t be late. Dress comfortably, no skirts or dresses.”

Before she had the chance to respond or ask any further questions, he hung up on her.

With a shrug, she finished getting ready for the gym. She’d worry about what he meant later.

* * *

The next two days passed so slowly, and Livvy found herself wearing out the carpet, pacing up and down as she tried to figure out what Gabe had in store for her.

Dress comfortably, no skirts or dresses.

She ran through various activities in her head but couldn’t decide if any of them came close to what he had planned. She hoped he had something fun in mind. She tried to settle down with a book, but not even her favorite novel could distract her. She grabbed a juice from the fridge, wandered outside to the balcony, and flopped into one of the comfy chairs.

Her thoughts turned to her regular Skype call with Ches. God, by the time Sunday came, she would have so much to tell her. She wondered what Ches would make of the couple of dates she’d had with Gabe? She hoped her best friend would be happy for her.

As she got ready on Saturday morning, Livvy considered whether Gabe would bother turning up at all. On reflection, she doubted he would be a no-show—not because she thought she was an amazing catch and worth turning up for, but because Gabe struck her as the type of man who kept his word. If he said he would be somewhere, then he would.

At one minute before eight, a knock sounded on the door. Christ, he was punctual. She opened it to find Gabe leaning against the doorjamb, looking one hundred percent like the successful man he was. He was dressed head to toe in designer gear. A thin black sweater made his shoulders look even broader, and blue jeans clung to his hips and thighs before flaring out below the knee into a standard boot cut.

A warm smile played across his lips. “Have I passed?” he asked, gesturing at himself.

“You’ll do.” A warm flush spread over Livvy’s cheeks at how he’d caught her checking him out—and not for the first time. “Am I dressed okay?” She indicated her woolen pants and short-sleeved T-shirt.

His eyes slid over her. “Oh yeah.”

She hid another blush by bending over to pull on her sneakers. Fortunately, when she straightened, her skin felt less hot. Gabe was grinning as he held the door open. She grabbed her jacket and purse and shot through it as fast as she could.

As they walked towards the elevator, Gabe coiled his arm around her waist. Livvy twitched, but all Gabe did was pull her closer, and after a couple of seconds, she relaxed.

“So where are we going, anyway?” Livvy asked as Gabe opened the car door for her.

He tapped the side of his nose with his finger. “It’s a surprise.”

She grinned. “I like surprises.”

As Gabe pulled into traffic, Livvy rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. A song by Snow Patrol—one of her favorite bands—came on the radio.

“Can I turn it up?” she asked, already reaching for the volume.

Gabe nodded. “Go for it.”

Livvy cranked the sound up high. The car gently rocked her as she turned her face towards the sun, relishing the warmth as it shone through the windows.

About forty minutes later, Gabe turned off the main highway. “Almost there,” he said as he glanced sideways, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Livvy fed off his enthusiasm but couldn’t help the bite of nervous tension clawing at her insides. What if she didn’t like what he’d planned? Would she tell him or just go along with it?

The concrete road eventually turned into a dirt track, which they traveled along for a minute or so before Gabe pulled into a gravel parking lot. Small aircraft were dotted around, and as Livvy peered through a metal gate to her right, she spotted a runway.

She turned to Gabe and frowned. “Are we flying somewhere?”

“Yes and no.” He climbed out of the car.

Livvy unclipped her seat belt and got out too.

Gabe met her gaze over the roof of the car, his expression unreadable. “We’re going skydiving.”

Livvy’s heart began thudding in her chest, and she couldn’t stop her mouth from gaping. This had to be a joke—a very bad joke. Her stomach cramped with nerves, and she blinked rapidly while Gabe stood there, watching her growing panic with a mixture of uncertainty and determination.

“I-I,” she stammered, unable to get the bloody words out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she finally found her voice, she didn’t hold back. “Are you insane? There’s no way I’m going to voluntarily jump out of a perfectly functioning aircraft.”

“It’s safe.”

“I don’t care. Jesus!” She dragged her hands through her hair, tugging when she reached a knot. She brushed the torn hair to the ground. “What happened to a normal day out like bowling or the cinema or shopping, for goodness’ sake?”

Gabe analyzed her, his keen gaze reading her panicked expression. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’m fully trained, and you’re going to be absolutely fine.” He chuckled. “It’ll definitely bring some color to your cheeks.”

Livvy planted her hands on her hips. “So would makeup,” she said, drawing another laugh from him. “Look, how can I put this in one-syllable words so you understand? I. Am. Not. Doing. This.”

Gabe strolled to her side of the car. He placed his hands around the top of her arms, his grip firm and mildly comforting. “I’ll take you through the process from start to finish. It will be an amazing experience, one you will never forget, I promise you. Let’s go inside, and after we’ve been through everything, if you really don’t want to do it, then we will walk away.”

Although she was terrified, his rationality was her undoing. Her knees trembled as adrenaline coursed through her body, but as she looked into his eyes, she couldn’t help but notice the raw desire for her to do this with him.

“If I’m unhappy with anything, it’s not happening.”

“Done. Now come,” he said, taking her hand in his.

Like a prisoner being led to the gallows, Livvy shuffled behind Gabe as he towed her towards a hangar. As they entered, a tall, rather reedy-looking guy greeted them. He thrust his hand out to Gabe, who dropped hers to shake his.

“Hey, Gabe. Good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“Hi, Ryan. Yeah, I’ve been overseas. This is Livvy Hayes. We’re gonna do a tandem jump today. It’s her first time,” he added, probably to explain to Ryan why Livvy was standing there with her knees knocking and sweat beading on her top lip.

“Hi, Livvy.” Ryan gave her a firm handshake. “Nervous?”

She swiped a finger over her lips. “Incredibly.”

“You don’t have any reason to be,” Ryan said. “You’ll be jumping with one of the best in the business. Let’s take you through the safety briefing, and then we’ll get you harnessed up.”

Gabe and Livvy followed Ryan to a table with a mountain of gear piled on top of it, none of which meant anything to her. Ryan chattered away, explaining in minute detail what was going to happen and what her part in it was. Livvy forced herself to concentrate as Gabe examined the equipment. The biggest thing she took from the safety briefing was that she should try not to puke. Yeah, she could have figured that out for herself.

“Ready?” Gabe asked when Ryan finished the briefing.

“Nope,” she replied.

He grinned, picked up a harness, and held it out. “Come on. Step in.”

It didn’t take long before Gabe and Livvy were in their harnesses. Gabe explained they would be strapped together, and the only thing she had to do was enjoy the view.

“Time to head over to the plane, Livvy,” Gabe said.

“Okay.” Her voice was so small that Gabe leaned closer so he could hear her. As he did, she caught a whiff of his cologne. “I like your aftershave,” she blurted, immediately overcome with embarrassment. “God, sorry. That makes me sound like an idiot, but I’m freaking out here. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Gabe laughed. “You’re far from an idiot, and the nerves you’re experiencing are normal. Try to relax. You’re safe with me, darlin’.”

Livvy nodded briefly, too anxious to say anything else. Gabe took her hand and set off towards a small plane. As they got closer, Livvy’s breathing escalated. Her heart began to pound, and she briefly wondered how many beats a minute a twenty-nine-year-old could take before her heart gave out.

“Am I too young to have a heart attack?” she asked, causing a gruff laugh to come from Gabe.

“Stand in front of me,” he said.

Livvy frowned. “Why?”

“Well, unless you want your first jump to be solo, I need to strap us together.”

An involuntary shudder coursed through her. This would be the closest she’d been to a man since Mark, and she feared her own reaction. She might be grieving, but she still had a pulse, and Gabe was very attractive. She instinctively knew her body would react and her head would revolt.

She did as he asked and squeezed her eyes closed. His fingers skimmed over her body as he fed several straps through buckles and tightened them. Warmth spread through her core at his touch, even as a simultaneous slug of guilt made her chest tighten and tears prick her eyes. After the trauma she’d suffered, she had honestly never expected to find herself attracted to another man again, yet she couldn’t lie to herself any longer. She was definitely attracted to Gabe Mitchell.

“Okay?” he murmured, his breath feathering the back of her neck. Livvy broke out in goose bumps as she nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Gabe eased her forward. “Let’s go.”

As they climbed up the metal steps and onto the plane, her limbs began to tremble, and her heart almost punched out of her chest. Even Gabe’s supreme confidence didn’t reassure her that she would be fine.

The plane engines roared to life, and Gabe shouted something to the pilot, but Livvy paid no attention. She chose instead to concentrate on managing her escalating pulse and on taking deep breaths through her nose.

The plane launched down the runway, and as it reached optimum take-off speed, the wheels lifted. Livvy’s stomach sank as the ground disappeared beneath her. As the plane ascended, she peered through the tiny window at the patchwork of green fields below them.

“Great view, huh?” Gabe asked. “It’ll be even better when we jump.”

Livvy grimaced. “I prefer it from in here.”

Gabe laughed, and Livvy realized she was beginning to crave the sound, looking for ways to amuse him so she could hear it again.

“Trust me. When the parachute deploys and nothing except beauty and silence surround you, I bet you change your mind.”

“Don’t bank on it,” Livvy muttered as her heart started banging against her rib cage once more.

Gabe must have sensed her growing unease because he moved his mouth right next to her ear. “It’s okay, Liv. Relax. I promise you on my life nothing is going to happen to you.”

Her head bobbed in agreement even as her mind screamed, Are you crazy?

At about three thousand feet, Gabe pointed. “Look. You can see the LA skyline.”

Livvy glanced out the window, and saw downtown LA in all its glory. The often-present smog didn’t give her a clear view, but she could just about make out the US Bank Tower, the seventy-three-floor skyscraper situated in the heart of the city.

Too soon, they reached their jumping altitude of ten thousand feet. As the door was opened, wind whistled through the plane. Fuck. This is it. Livvy began to pant. I am so not ready for this. Regardless, it was going to happen. Like being on a rollercoaster that had already left the platform and was climbing to the first drop, the only way she was getting off now was when the ride finished.

The noise inside the plane was so loud, Gabe had to shout to make himself heard. “Ready?”

Livvy shook her head. She felt Gabe’s smile against her neck.

“Too bad. Only one way down.”

“That’s not true,” she shouted.

Gabe laughed as he shuffled towards the huge gaping hole in the side of the aircraft, taking Livvy with him. Every fiber of her being was telling her that this was madness. Stupid. Dumb. Fucking crazy. Her blood migrated south, leaving her light-headed. Christ, she was sick with fear. She’d never been so scared in her whole life, not even when she was trapped in the car after…

Gabe had moved until they were right in the doorway. He was holding on to the sides. “This is it, Livvy,” he hollered.

Before she could reply, he jumped.