Page 96 of Resilient Love

He playfully shakes his head, lowering his mouth just above my ear to whisper, “That’s my girl.” His words have goosebumps forming on my skin, and I have to shake off the sudden chill.

I suck a breath through my nose and turn to Santiago. “I think we’re ready,” I confirm, not missing the smirk he tries to hide. “If you two are done laughing at me, I’d like to get this over with.”

“Yikes,” Rafa says, but his deep-bellied laugh distracts me just enough that I don’t exactly remember why I’d wanted to stomp on his foot just a second ago. Unfortunately, the moment is fleeting as I step onto the edge of the platform on shaky limbs, wishing I were on flat ground, at his parents’ home makingmedialunathat would be entirely inedible if not for Catalina’s skill in the kitchen, or swimming by the waterfall like yesterday.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

MONDAY, JUNE 9

I haven’t feltthis light in years, and I only have Elise to thank. Who the hell would’ve thought that Coach’s spitfire daughter would also be the most tender and caring person I’ve ever known?

“Okay, Elise. The line has a steel spring brake toward the end so you don’t come to an abrupt stop, so just remember that if you want to slow down, you just pull here, but don’t do it too soon, or I’ll have to go out there and push you the rest of the way. All set?” Santiago asks her, sucking his cheeks in as he clips her shaking body to the line.

“Y-yep,” is all she manages.

“Can I talk to her real quick?” I ask him, and he nods, moving my clip so I can get closer to her. I wrap my arms around her waist and breathe in her sweet berry scent, nuzzling against her ear. Her quaking slows as she melts against me. I take the opportunity to whisper in her ear, keeping my words low and slow so Santiago doesn’t hear. “If you do this, I’ll make sure we find a nice place on the drive home for me to fuck your needy cunt, but if you don’t want to, we can always leave now.”

That gets her attention.

I don’t love the fact that she demanded she go first to get it over with. She probably doesn’t realise how similar this situation is to what happened to Carlos, but she swears it’s to her benefit that she goes first. After seeing all the safety mechanisms Santiago and his family put in place, I’m finally able to let go of the past and recognise that these situations are completely different. The people are different, as is the activity and the level of attention put into ensuring everyone’s safety.

Elise’s spine straightens as she gives me one strong nod. “I’m ready,” she squeaks out, and there’s no hiding the laughter rumbling in my chest.

She spears me with a glare, but when Santiago has me safely clipped back to the starting point, he pushes her forward, and I swear, every woodland creature and bird in the sky shuts up to listen to the bloodcurdling scream that Elise lets out the entirety of her way to the next platform.

My cheeks ache from laughter watching as she makes it to the end, tossing a hand up at me. I’m almost certain she’s flipping me the bird, but I couldn’t care less. I’ll pay for that later. All that matters is that true to Santiago’s word,she’s safe.

I expected my stomach to bottom out and my knees to feel weak seeing her make the jump, an unkind reminder of Carlos’s accident, but I’m surprised to find that it never happens. It onlytook a second before I was confident she was fine, and then laughter took over.

When it’s my turn, I take a deep, steadying breath, and as he pushes me over the edge, it’s like flying.

Exhilaration floods my body, an ultra-awake feeling taking over as adrenaline washes over my senses. The water gleams hundreds of feet below, and I can hear a rush of water from the falls to my left. Wind tickles my cheeks, and the faster I go, the more alive I feel. By the time I get to the end, my eyes are dry from the cool air, and tears prickle at the edges.

I hold down on the brake, slowing and coming to a controlled stop a foot in front of the platform. Santiago’s father greets me on this side, leaning forward to grab me by the harness and tug me the rest of the way onto the platform.

I grab Elise’s cheeks as she meets me with wide blue eyes and a smile that could rival the sun in its intensity. My lips descend upon hers, and she sags into my embrace, opening her mouth on a little gasp that goes straight to my dick.

Her tongue swirls against mine, sending electricity zipping up my spine. When we finally pull apart, Santiago and his father are standing nearby, openly smirking at us.

“We’re glad you enjoyed yourselves. Ready for the next part of the course?” Santiago asks, laughter spilling into his words.

Elise reluctantly completes the entire course, which takes seven sets of ziplines to get us to the bottom, where we’re unclipped and led down a heavily tree-lined path to our cars.

“Did you two have fun?” Santiago asks as he helps me unbuckle my harness, but when he tries to move to do the same for Elise, my inner Neanderthal comes out to play.

“I’ve got it,” I grunt, bumping him out of my way to unclip her harness.

Elise smirks, ignoring me as she says, “It was great, and thanks again for opening so early to give us a tour of everything.”

She set this upjustfor me? I figured she called ahead but hadn’t realised the extra attention and explanations were her doing. I thought it was standard protocol for them.

“It’s not a problem at all. I’m glad you both enjoyed yourselves. I—” he clears his throat, shuffling a bit as I hand him her equipment. “I was actually wondering if you’d sign something for me,” he says, scratching his head.

“Oh yeah, sure,” I tell him.

He clears his throat again, his eyes darting nervously between us. “Sorry, I meant her,” he clarifies, nodding to Elise. “My daughter is a huge fan, and even though you’re not playing professionally yet, she still begged me to pay for this subscription so we can watch your games. I’ve admittedly become a massive fan myself. I can’t wait to see where you turn up in the premier leagues and beyond.”

Elise takes this in stride, not even batting a lash as she gladly follows him to the desk to sign seven different Auclair items he’s purchased over the last year. I’ll have to help her look into trademark and licensing for these because I’m nearly certain no one is paying her any revenue for these things.

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