Page 43 of Catching the Mistletoe

And we leapt.

The world slowed the moment our feet left the wooden platform. The wind roared in our ears and my stomach catapulted into my throat as we plunged downwards. It was like being swallowed whole by the sky, the ground rushing up to meet us like a hungry maw. I felt Arabella’s body pressed tightly against mine, her scream merging with the wind into a symphony of adrenaline and fear.

For a few seconds that felt like an eternity, we were in freefall, tumbling through the air in a dizzying whirl of sensation and emotion. And then I threw the chute into the air. It burst open above us, jerking us upwards with a force that left my shoulders aching but my spirit soaring. We were floating now, drifting gently downward like a leaf caught on a breeze.

I guided us toward the landing track Rick had pointed out earlier.

“Lift your knees.”

She obeyed instantly and my boots touched the ground first, absorbing the impact as I bent my knees. A second later, Arabella’s feet hit the earth, and we stumbled forward a few steps before coming to a stop.

Now that we were safe on the ground, the adrenaline that had poured into my system had nowhere to go, making my heart pound and my limbs feel weak and heavy. I undid the harness that connected us together as the parachute flailed behind me in the wind. The moment she was free, Arabella turned to me. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and shining.

“Oh my fucking god, Mack!” She laughed, throwing herself at me. I caught her, barely having the chance to brace myself, when she shoved her fingers into my hair and dragged my head down, crushing her lips to mine.

I knew I should stop her, push her away from me. But right now, she was a force of nature that I didn’t have the strength to resist. So I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her closer, and opened my lips to hers. The moment I did, her tongue tangled with mine, deepening the kiss until my blood was roaring in my ears.

I could have stood there, kissing Arabella Snow for the rest of my life, I swear. But she came to her senses, gently breaking the kiss, sliding her hands over my shoulders as she stepped away.

“I guess we have to walk all the way back up there now?” Her voice was perfectly calm, her hands steady, as though she hadn’t just blown me away with that kiss.

Dragging in a lungful of air, I forced a steadiness into my voice that I was far from feeling. “I guess we do.”

We gathered up the equipment and, without a word, turned and headed back toward the bridge. The air was cool and crisp; the sun throwing its pale winter light over us. Slowly, my heart rate returned to normal. I couldn’t say if it was leaping from a bridge hundreds of feet above a canyon or kissing Arabella that had thrown it into overdrive.

Walking next to her, I felt the pull of her and it was almost overwhelming. Just as I was thinking that, she flicked me a little sideways glance. It was tinged with uncertainty, as though she felt the need to check up on me. On how I was feeling. Fair, considering how I’d reacted the last time we kissed.

Something had shifted since then, though. Now, I wanted to bask in her light, use her beautiful, vibrant energy to wash away all the darkness inside me. That wasn’t fair to her, though, and since I wasn’t a complete asshole, I was going to have to find a way through all of this without hurting her.

CHAPTER18

Arabella

Mmm, I could so get used to this. Waking up with a strong, strapping cowboy wrapped around me, with his scent filling my head and his muscles hard against me. The cold Colorado air never stood a chance against Mack’s heat.

Every night, we played a cute little game of charades, where we both slipped into our side of the bed and said a polite good night. And every morning, we woke up like this. The best was when he had his hand on my ass. Man, I loved that. I sighed, wriggling a little bit, just to see if he would shift his hand lower. Nope, he was out to it, all relaxed and heavy next to me.

I was wide awake now, though, no chance of going back to sleep despite the early hour. Maybe I should get up and get a start on breakfast. Or something. Or how about nothing, except just lying here snuggling? Yep, that was a good plan.

So I just lay there, letting my mind wander. It had been three days since we left Twin Falls and, all in all, it had been pretty good. We’d stopped in Salt Lake City to visit a school, which was a bit of a change up from the other places we’d visited. We’d been able to donate some much needed electronic equipment, and we’d fully stocked the art room. On top of that, we’d brought piles and piles of presents for the kids. It was weird being kept in the dark as to how much money we were raising, but since we were still on the road, with no mention of the trip ending, we must have been doing pretty well.

Honestly, I didn’t want the trip to end anytime soon. I really felt like Mack and I had found a groove, living, driving and working together. So much had happened between us in such a short space of time that it was hard to get a hold of it all. Reno and the drive to Twin Falls were so fucking intense. There’s no way you couldn’t feel closer to a person after sharing all that stuff. Then…Mack’s fade out. The memory had me swallowing back tears. I forced my thoughts onward, since the last thing Mack needed was to wake up to me, crying all over him.

Of course, next on the timeline was base jumping. So fucking amazing! Jesus, the way my blood was pumping after we landed. Throwing myself at Mack was sort of inevitable. Let me tell you, jumping from a bridge five hundred feet above a roaring river was nothing compared to the thrill of kissing Mack.

It was just lucky I’d come to my senses enough to break away before he pushed me away. I don’t think I could have handled a replay of what happened at Yosemite. Nor could I give up the closeness we’d found with each other now. I felt really seen by him, in ways I never could have expected. In ways no one else had ever seen me.

So I’d played it cool ever since, doing my best not to let on how much I wanted him to touch me. To kiss me. To…you get the picture.

Ahem. Just thinking about it had heat curling in my belly, making me squirm. Mack stirred a little and there it was, his hand on my ass. So perfect. Unable to resist, I trailed my fingers lightly across his back. He stirred some more and the way his muscles rippled had that heat building and my blood humming. I just loved the feel of his body against mine and I could only imagine how much more I’d love it if we were both naked.Jesus, fuck. Don’t do that to yourself!

Mack shifted and, oh god,squeezedmy ass! As though it had a mind of its own, my body moved closer to him and I hooked my leg higher over his hip. His hand left my ass, so sad, but then he slid it under my top, stroking my back with his calloused palm.

His eyes were closed, his face relaxed, as he trailed his fingertips down my spine. God, such a simple touch, but it felt so good. Instinctively, I shifted my hips, biting back a whimper when I felt his cock harden against me. I had no idea what was going on, but I was here for it.

Unless…oh shit, unless he was asleep? Dreaming about someone else, thinking I was her. Fuck. “Mack.” My voice was barely above a whisper, but he opened his eyes instantly. The heat swirling in them shot straight to my core and without thinking, I moved my hips again, rubbing against his erection, fucking loving the sound of his breath hitching in response.Kiss me.

I wasn’t bold enough to ask outright, but maybe he heard me, because he did just that, closing the whisper of distance between us and brushing his lips to mine. A teasing little touch that made me want more. Closing my eyes, I sank into him, opening my lips, revelling in the feel of our tongues tangling. Jesus Christ, he could kiss.

---