CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
JORDAN
“When I was on Love Island, I learned a few things,” Max said once we were in the elevator going up to the sky deck of the Stratosphere. “One.” He crooked his finger in his jeans and faced us. His white shirt was plastered on his body and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that he was beautiful to look at—when he wasn’t speaking, that is. “Scary situations create an emotional attachment.”
“It’s weird when he uses big words,” Colton whispered under his breath.
“Heard that.” Max crossed his arms. “Now, since these two kids are getting fake hitched and, well, since my brother’s entire career depends on good publicity . . .” Max took a deep breath while Reid rolled his eyes and reached for my hand. “I’ve come up with a solution.”
The elevator doors opened.
I clung to the railing and stayed glued to my spot in the middle of the elevator. That was ride enough for me.
“SkyJump!” Max shouted.
I started hyperventilating while Reid pried my hands free of their tight grip. I molded my body against his and shivered.
“See, man?” Max pointed at me. “Already working.”
“Yeah, and if she pees her pants, bonus points or what?” Becca rolled her eyes. “Men. And I’ll have you know the scariest thing Max did was climb a damn rock.”
“Wait.” I gulped. “Why isn’t Becca in her gear?”
Becca gave me a knowing grin. “I told Max I’d make it worth his while if I could skip out.”
“No fair!” I shouted. “It’s not like we can give the cruise director sexual favors!”
A few curious people looked at me.
I ignored them.
Max rubbed his hands together and laughed. “You’ll be fine. Just make sure they attach you to the thingy before you launch yourself off like a flying pterodactyl, feel me? Nobody wants to see you go splat.”
I gulped as my hands started to sweat. Double vision made me unable to even walk in a straight line as I held on to Reid like he was my lifeline.
“You’ll be fine,” he whispered in my ear. “This is fun.”
I looked down. “No, no. Nothing about this is fun. This is suicide!”
Reid grabbed me and pulled my body against his as we watched someone walk out onto the small ledge and jump. “Look, no tears, and you don’t even fall that fast.”
“But you still fall,” I pointed out.
“Hmm . . . I was afraid this would happen.”
I stiffened in his arms. “Meaning what?”
He turned me to face him. “The uptight skirt-wearing little crab would make an appearance.”
I clenched my teeth. “I’m not uptight.”
Reid ran the back of his hand down my face and then grazed my breast with his knuckles. I trembled beneath his touch. “Really? Because I’d love to see what happens when you go wild. I’m sure it’s sexy as hell.”
I gulped.
“Jezebel, you’re up!” Max called.
“So what will it be?” Reid’s gaze challenged mine. “Did you bring the skirts with you or the big-girl pants?”
“Damn you Emory men,” I muttered, stalking off toward the attendant. He fired off instructions, but really all I heard was, blah, blah, blah, you could die, blah, blah, blah, try not to puke, blah, blah, blah did you sign the consent form? Pretty sure I should have written my will before this trip.
“Do you understand?” the attendant asked as I tried not to glance down at the ground. Milo and Colt had already jumped—if they were dead we’d know by now? Right?
“Do you understand?” the attendant repeated.
“Huh?” I blinked, seeing two of him. I’m sure he was a nice man—he had a salt-and-pepper beard and was wearing a beanie. His shirt said “Get High.” I would have killed Max—actually thrown him off that building—to be high or drunk enough not to actually remember what was about to happen.
I trembled and gave him a weak nod. “So, I’m all tied in, all secure? I can jump?”
“You’re good.” He chuckled. “You just walk the plank and . . .” He made a jumping motion with his two fingers. I’m sure he meant it as encouragement, but all I could focus on was the sound effect of splat running through my head.
Reid was the only person I could still see, the only person I wanted to see.
In that moment I realized something.
I was in Vegas.
With friends.
And maybe that was pathetic, but . . . I had friends, albeit crazy ones, but we were all together. And I had Reid.
Reid! My client.
Reid . . . who was so much more than that.
You got this, he mouthed and gave me a thumbs-up.
I gave him a weak nod and then turned back to the attendant. “You promise I’m all secure?”
“You’ve been secure for a while now.” He patted my back. “Now, keep walking and then do your thing. Remember the instructions. Arms out, legs out, no flips or anything wild like that.”
“Ha, I’ll try to restrain myself from flipping.” I swallowed as hot air hit my face. It was getting louder and louder as I made my way slowly out the side of the building. And then I was at the edge, the toes of my Nikes peeking over the ledge.
I’d never done anything crazy in my life.
Ever.
One time I bought a pencil skirt in lime green.
That was my crazy.
Buying Otis special dog food. My brand of crazy.
Three drinks instead of two on a weeknight? Crazy.
Jumping off a building.
Maybe, just maybe I needed more crazy.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then jumped.
The feeling of falling was almost immediately replaced with an intense amount of hot air as wind whipped around me. I managed to crack open my eyes, and then as my stomach dipped, I opened my mouth.
And screamed.
It wasn’t pretty.
In fact I’m sure that anyone taking a picture would think I was actually trying to swallow my own head.
And then suddenly.
I slowed.
And stopped.
Just above the ground.
“No splat!” I shouted, pumping my legs back and forth.
“You lived!” Milo shouted. Oh, good, they really were alive and it wasn’t a figment of my imagination brought on by the trauma of jumping off a building.
Once I was out of my gear, I waited for Jason, Max, and Reid, who all came tumbling down like it wasn’t a big deal at all. They yelled and pushed one another like guys do when they have too much testosterone rolling around their systems.
Reid stopped in front of me and smirked.
“I did it,” I yelled.
“Yup.” His grin widened.
“Holy shit.” Max stuttered to a stop. “Looks like your hair had more fun than you did!”
I reached up and patted my head.
Naturally, only half my hair was in its ponytail; the rest of it was puffed around my face in a rat’s nest that out of the corner of my eye looked like horns coming from my ears.
“Stop.” Reid grabbed my hands and pulled me into his arms. “It’s cute.”
I huffed. “I look electrocuted.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “You look . . .” He kissed me softly. “Invigorated.”
“Yeah?” My voice was a bit breathless—then again, I was kissing Reid Emory, the newest heartthrob to hit Hollywood, the man who had a body like Ryan Gosling on his best day.
“I like it.”
I like you, that’s what I wanted to say. Instead I just nodded like a total lovesick sap and then rested my head against his chest.
“See?” Max came up next to us. “Works every time. Emotional bond secured. You’re welcome! Now on to item number two!”
I cringed. “Well, at least we don’t have to go on that scary-looking roller coaster thing.”
Reid winced.
Max chuckled.
While the rest of the crew started marching back into the Stratosphere.
“Crap,” I muttered. “We’re doing all the rides, aren’t we?”
“Every last one.” Reid kissed my head. It was new, this whole kissing my head thing, holding my hand, making sure I was okay. And I hated to think of what would happen when he suddenly wasn’t there anymore to give me encouragement.
Encouragement is one of those things you don’t think you need until you suddenly have it, and then you wonder how you survived your entire life without it.
That’s what Reid was good at. Staying positive, being encouraging. He owned his positive attitude.
And by association it rubbed off.
Because as I walked hand in hand with him and got back into that stupid elevator, all I kept thinking was, I can do this.
Because he made me think I could.
Except . . . this wasn’t a romance novel, no matter how many times Max joked about it.
Eventually, fame would get to Reid like it got to every one of my clients, and he’d be gone and I’d be stuck watching him on Jimmy Fallon while I ate a tub of ice cream.
Because he was different. I wouldn’t be cheering him on while he married some hot model and had ten kids.
I’d be depressed.
“Hey, it’s only three more rides.” Reid tugged me closer to him. “Besides, after this Max scheduled dinner and drinks.”
“As long as we don’t have to parachute out of an airplane to get them,” I joked.
Max snapped his fingers. “Now there’s an idea I’d like to explore.”
“Explore this.” Reid flipped him off.
Max grinned. “Just look at you two, already joined at the hip. In another life I could have been a relationship expert.”
Becca gave him a patronizing pat on his back while she mouthed, yeah, right to us.
The elevator ride was again too short.
“Freaked out?” Reid whispered in my ear.
“A bit.”
“Hmm.” He tugged me back, then quickly turned me around, and his mouth met mine in an urgent kiss. I opened my mouth only to have his wicked tongue slide right past my lips. Shivering, I tugged him closer as his hands roamed across my back, while his tongue drew slow circles around mine.
When we broke apart, the doors were closing again.
Max shoved his foot in between them. “Hurry up, kids.”
“What”—I heaved—“was that for? I mean . . . there weren’t any cameras.”
“There weren’t cameras in my apartment either,” he pointed out. “And maybe”—his mouth met mine again, his lips peppering me with light, soft kisses—“I did it because I wanted to. Ever think about that?”
“But why?” And seriously why did I care that he was kissing me? He was kissing me!
“I like you.” He pulled back.
The doors shut again.
Max’s foot wedged its way through as a loud beeping sounded. “Seriously, guys, this is getting embarrassing, you can kiss on your own watch!”
My cheeks heated. “I like you too.”
“Great!” Max shouted. “We all like each other. Awesome. Can we go now?”
“Tonight.” Reid tugged a piece of my hair forward, then wrapped it around his finger. “After dinner, you and me . . . dancing . . .”
“Just us?”
“No cameras. No publicity stunt. We only have to hit those three clubs, and we can do that tomorrow, right?”
I nodded dumbly.
“Good,” he whispered. “Our second date.”
“Great guys, real great. Do you realize you can get arrested for this shit? Just holding up an elevator because you can’t keep your pants on and—”
“Coming!” Reid called and grabbed my hand as we got off the elevator.