Once we are far enough from the shore, Drake stops the boat and starts setting up the chute, while I hook us up to the crossbar.

“Come here,” I say sitting on the back platform with my legs spread wide.

“You can go. I’ll just stay down here and watch.”

“But that doesn’t work for me. Come here, Jaci.” I add steel to my voice to get her compliance. She is stubborn though; I can see the wheels in her head spinning. “You want to go up. Do you know how I know?” I reach for her hand and pull her slowly towards me.

“How?” She licks her lips, and I want to follow the same path her tongue takes with my own.

“Because you’re here, and you let me put you in a harness with a life jacket. Someone who really doesn’t want to go up wouldn’t have gone that far.”

“Maybe I’m chickening out.” She nervously pushes a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

Her lips part with shock, “Mark Twain said that.”

“Yes, he did. Come on. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

I pull her down between my legs and clip her harness to mine, before attaching us both onto the crossbar. Drake has the chute ready to go and has finished strapping us in. Checking everything and connecting the ropes.

Jaci’s breathing is coming in pants. Her hands are gripping my thighs and her nails digging into my muscles. I wrap my arms around her waist, but she feels rigid against me. Without her noticing, I give Drake the signal to get ready to send us up.

“How about after we finish here, we go back to my shop, and I put ink on your virgin skin.” She turns to give me a scathing look, which distracts her long enough for Drake to take off.

“Oh my God. Oh my God.” She reaches up and clings to the straps.

“Just relax. I’ve got you.” I reach for her hands, but she won’t let go. “What kind of tattoo should I give you? Better yet, where should we put it?” I pull her back against me. We are about three hundred feet off the water now. The view is incredible with the sun setting over the shoreline. Pinks, oranges, and yellows paint the sky behind the city, while darker blues and purples sit over the Atlantic.

“If I get a vote, I’d put it on your breast or maybe on your hip, right on your panty line.”

“You’re crazy. I’m not getting a tattoo.” She doesn’t realize that her hands aren’t clenched as tightly, but I did. I’m taking her mind off flying, and she is no longer rigid or riddled with nerves.

“You weren’t going to go parasailing either, yet here we are.” I take her hands from the straps and stretch her arms out, so she can feel the wind moving around her. “Besides jumping out of a plane, this is the best way to feel like you’re flying.”

It takes a few more minutes until she is comfortable enough to start looking around and enjoying the ride. When the sun has fully set, Drake reels us back into the boat.

“That was awesome.” I can feel the buzz of her adrenaline radiating off her as if it is my own. The smile on her face is on full blast and showing off the cute dimple in her left cheek, “Now all you need is a tattoo.” I wink at her, and she rolls her eyes.

“Why are you so sure I don’t already have one? It could be where you can’t see it, like in one of those places you mentioned.”

“Call it gut instincts, Sweetheart. Your skin is as virginal to ink as you are too—” Her hand shoots out and covers my mouth, her face flaming red with embarrassment.

I pull her hand from my mouth while letting her feel my lips and breath caressing her hand. She shudders, her eyes wide with desire and fear.

“You two eye fuck any harder, and you’ll burst into flames. Flames and boats don’t mix, so keep that shit under wraps until we are back at the dock. Unless you want me to join in.” Drake jokes.

Jaci pulls back, and I want to punch my best friend’s face. That fucker better watch out next time we shoot hoops because I’m going to foul the shit out of him.

“Get us to the shore,” I grumble as I take a seat next to Jaci, who is looking up at the sky and out over the water. Drake and I fold the shoot; then I put the equipment away while he gets us back to the marina.

The ride back is mellow and silent. Jaci has all but retreated into herself. She looks everywhere but in my direction. Drake studies me, which I ignore as I studied her.

Women throw themselves at me most of the time. No point in denying it. My dirty blonde hair is long on the top and buzzed on the sides. While my beard is long but well kept, tattoos cover my chest, back, and arms, which leave every woman screaming for more. Everything about my physical appearance screams bad boy, and women can’t help themselves when it comes to taming the untamable. When you add in the fact that I ride a bike, panties seem to incinerate when I’m around. I’m not ashamed to say that I take full advantage of it.

Jaci is unlike any other woman I’ve ever been around. She's a complete contradiction and a puzzle I feel compelled to solve. It is that compulsion, which has me putting the brakes on before it goes any further.

When we get off the boat, I tell Drake I will see him later and walk Jaci back toward the parking lot. I’ll see her safely to her car and then head for the shop. The date is over, and my commitment to Nadine is fulfilled as promised.

I see her small SUV parked at the very back of the parking lot and away from everybody else’s car, but she was right under a light. Her car is on its own and easily seen. She was going for safety when she parked. Good girl, I thought to myself.

“It was nice meeting you, Jaci. I hope you had fun, and the offer still stands about a tattoo. I love popping ink cherries. Lots of fun canvas to work with.” I let my eyes trail down her tight curvy body. My dick has been semi-hard since the moment she walked into the coffee shop, so I’m on borrowed time before my balls fall off from severe neglect.

“It was fun, but I think I’ve had enough excitement for tonight.”

I couldn’t help myself by reaching up and tucking her flyaway hair behind her ear. My knuckle brushes against the soft curve of her cheek.

“As I said, the offer stands.” I wait as she gets in the car but stop her from shutting the door. “Life should always have a little excitement, Jaci. Otherwise, what’s the point of living?” I shut her car door and watch as she drives away.