Page 7 of A Little Bit Wild

“It wasn’t excitement. It was terror,” she grumbles, and I laugh as I start to fill out the paperwork that Huck slides my way.

“I just need you two to fill out these forms. I’ll be taking you up myself. You’ll be tandem jumping with Kye,” Huck tells Aria, and she nods, gripping the pen tight as she starts to write down her information on the form.

I pass the clipboard back to him, and he nods towards a side room.

“Gear is in there. I checked it myself, but I know that you’ll want to double-check it,” he says, and I clap him on the shoulder before I head over to where the parachutes are waiting.

“It’s okay. You’re in good hands with Kye,” Huck tells Aria, and I can’t help but peek back at them as he tries to reassure her. “He’s done this stuff a million times.”

She nods, seeming a little less like she’s walking to her death, and I smile as I double-check the bags and gather up the harnesses and glasses.

“All set?” Huck asks, and I nod.

I take Aria’s hand in mine as we walk out the back door and over to the waiting plane.

“I’ll let Kye here tell you what to expect while I do my check,” he says, and I nod as he walks over to the little Cessna plane.

“You’ll have to put this on,” I say, holding open the harness for her to step into.

I pull it up her legs, trying not to get turned on as I go, and then tighten it around her waist. I pull my own harness on, and she glances around.

“It’s pretty. I guess I won’t mind dying here,” she says, and I laugh.

“We’re going to be fine. I’m going to hook you up to me once we’re in the plane. You’ll have to wear the glasses on the way down.”

She nods, taking them from me as we head toward the plane.

“There’s going to be a bench in the plane. We’ll sit on that with our legs on either side. Once we’re in the air, I’ll hook up our harnesses, and then when we hit the right altitude, I’ll open the door, and we’ll sit on the edge like this,” I tell her, hopping up into the plane. “Then I’ll count to three, and we just fall out.”

“Uh-huh,” she says, looking a little queasy.

“All set?” Huck calls as he climbs into the plane.

“Yep.”

I jump down, boosting Aria into the plane before she can protest. She sits, looking down at me slightly, and I smile, gripping her hips.

“If you change your mind, it’s fine. We don’t have to do any of this.”

I know she’s been joking around a lot and obviously scared, but I can see the determination in her eyes too. She wants this.

“Okay,” she says, and I smile.

She crawls into the plane, and I jump up, sliding the door closed and joining her on the long wooden bench.

The plane engine roars to life, and she jumps.

“Take slow, deep breaths,” I advise her, and she nods.

We can’t talk much more than that. It’s hard to be heard over the plane, but she reaches back, gripping my hand as we start to taxi.

“I’ve got you,” I yell as I scoot closer to her on the bench, attaching our harnesses.

She nods, gripping my hand tighter, and I squeeze hers back.

It takes almost no time at all for us to take off and reach our jump height. I wrap my arms around her waist and look over her shoulder at her.

“Still want to do this?” I yell, and she takes a deep breath.

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