Page 63 of Nitro

“Kitten, you’re going to love it.”

“You owe me for this. A lot.”

I lean forward and press my lips against her ear so that she’s the only one who can hear me. “I’ll eat that sweet little pussy all night after you do this for me. It means so much.”

“Well, when you put it like that.” A wicked grin spreads across her face.

I kiss her before turning to our jump partners. “Let’s do this!”

The plane ride up doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Seeing the Earth from above always gets to me. When I’m flying, it’s like I’ve left all my worries behind. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to skydive. I should have done it years ago. On the other hand, I get to share this with Holly, which makes it worth the wait. I hope she has fun because I can already tell I’m going to want to do it again.

When we reach cruising altitude, Mike maneuvers us into position. The opening on the side of the plane is about three feet wide. I look out and spot areas of vibrant green farms alongside tan stretches of barren land. The contrast between life and death is stunning. I can’t wait to take in the view as we’re falling.

Mike gives me the thumbs-up sign, signaling we’re about to jump. Then we’re flying over the edge, and it’s better than I could have ever imagined.

Chapter 18: Holly

I’m going to fucking die. And if I somehow manage to live, then I’m going to kill Nitro. Unless he dies, in which case I’m going to find a way to bring him back to life so I can kill him myself. This is so dumb. We’re in a perfectly good airplane and—

“Ahhhh!” I scream like I’m being murdered as Jackson pushes us out of the airplane.

I squeeze my eyes shut for the first few seconds of the freefall, then crack them open. The Earth looms beneath me, just waiting to break every bone in my body. I can’t believe I let Nitro talk me into this. He’d better make good on his promise as soon as we get home. I’m going to need all the stress relief his mouth can give me after this is over.

Wind pushes the skin on my face toward my cheeks. They flutter as we plummet through the air. Jackson assured me he’d pull the parachute cord after about forty-five seconds, but it feels like we’ve been falling for hours. My lungs are frozen in place. There’s no way I’m going to breathe again until the parachute deploys.

When it finally snaps open, a rush of air bursts from my chest. I suck in much-needed oxygen. The lightheadedness I was experiencing fades. Since we’re not falling nearly as fast, I try to relax enough to enjoy the view. I’m only doing this once, so I’d better pay attention while I’m up here. If Nitro wants to do thisagain, then that’s fine. I’ll wait for him on the ground where it’s nice and safe.

I spend the first two minutes trying to slow my racing heart. By the time I’m calm enough to enjoy the view, we’re more than halfway to the ground. An ironic laugh builds in my chest. After all that panicking, the chute held up, and we haven’t died … yet. I feel a bit foolish for being such a drama queen. Nitro was right. These guys are professionals. It’s in their best interest to keep us alive.

I enjoy the scenery and try to ignore the fact that it isn’t over. The open field we’re supposed to land in is rushing up at us. The safety video warned us that we had to stick our legs out or risk breaking them on impact. Jackson didn’t tell me to put them out yet, but I want to be ready. I extend my feet as far out in front of me as I can at a ninety-degree angle.

“Not yet,” Jackson yells.

Close enough. I’m not going to risk a shattered femur to prove my compatibility with Nitro. This whole situation felt like a test. Maybe he didn’t consciously think of it like that, but if I’d refused to jump, would it have changed our relationship?

Before I can go down that rabbit hole of negativity, Jackson hollers, “Feet out!”

I lock my knees and we land without incident. I try to stand, but my vision goes dark and the world spins around me.

“Whoa. Hang on there. Let’s sit for a second,” Jackson says.

“I’m so dizzy.”

“Some people crash after the adrenaline rush. It’s normal. You did great. If you ever want to jump again, call me. I’ll give you my number before you leave.”

“Unless you want my boyfriend to pound you into a pulp, that’s probably not a good idea.”

“Point taken.” Jackson grins, letting the rejection roll right off him. He probably gives out his number to all the women who jump with him.

I wait for him to unhook us. When he’s done, I walk across the field to join Nitro.

“Babe! That was the most badass thing ever! Let’s go again,” he says.

“Right now?” There’s no fucking way I’m getting into another plane for at least a month. And I’m not skydiving again.

“Today, tomorrow, whenever. What did you think? Did you love it too?”

“Uh, yeah, no. Hated it.”

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