Page 28 of Never Always
Practicality wins. “Not here.” Honesty seeps out. “Anywhere but here though.”
His fingers are still on my skin and it creates a hot and cold sensation. He pulls away suddenly. “Can I jump out now then?” He leans over to peek at the ground from the basket. Grange slides his jacket up and looks at his watch. “We’re high enough for a hop and pop.” The watch is also an altimeter. I knew that before because I’d asked, but I never thought of it again.
“Please tell me you’re not serious.” My voice is louder this time, and it draws the pilot’s attention. He makes a noise behind us. During the lifetime of his career, I have to wonder if he’s had anyone quite like Grange up here. I want to scream, has anyone ever jumped out of your baskets? But that would draw more attention to us and that’s the last thing I want. I read that most of the time there are multiple people in a basket. A single couple ride like this isn’t the norm which is why this basket is so large. “Seriously,” I say. “You would probably go to jail if you leave this basket. Or die. Whichever you think is worse. Go with that option.”
My heart switches gears. It goes from beating against my chest with a fiery passion, to the flutter of utter terror. I say his full name. Twice. His amused gaze meets mine. “Using that full name to distract me again are you? Not sure how many times that’s going to work. Might want to save them up.”
“Don’t.” My stomach flips. “This is child’s play. Everything is going smoothly. Look,” I say, pointing to the air. “It’s not blowing at all. There’s no need to be so… rash.”
“What if it’s not about being rash, and more about having fun?”
“Am I not fun?”
Grange laughs, eyes twinkling. “I’m not sure fun is a descriptor I’d tag you with, Fire.”
I groan. “Don’t start this now. A minute ago you were talking about…” my sentence drags. “Politics.”
“I’m a Renaissance man. I can do a whole bunch of shit. Much of it at the same time.” He waggles his brows. “I can have a hard-on and sky dive. In fact, that’s a combination I might find exhilarating.”
“You’re serious,” I deadpan.
He checks the straps and the movement forces me to glance at the pilot. The man is dutifully ignoring us completely. “What if I can come on adrenaline alone?”
I throw a face. “What if your cum ends up in your face. Wind velocity, Grange.” Crossing my arms, I shake my head. “This is my date. I’m not allowing you to leave this basket until we’re on the ground. Why don’t we play a game instead.”
His interest piques at the mention of a game, and I know I’ve got him. Men are sort of like animals. You can lure them anywhere with a raw piece of meat, change their mind at the mention of food, and tempt them with competition. Isn’t that by definition a dog? “Truth or dare, but no dares, just truths.”
“That sounds like an inquisition. You want to rapid fire questions at me.”
I hold up a finger. “And vice versa.”
“Fine. I go first.” Grange tilts his head in thought. “What do you see in Grey? Other than the fact he’s the male version of you?”
I swallow hard. I didn’t want to play from this angle. Better eat my crow. “That’s what drew me to him. He’d understand how my mind works because his is similar. There wouldn’t be that weird disconnect because I’m not normal. I guess I was drawn to him because it would be a relief to not have to try so hard to connect with someone.”
“Was it that hard to connect with me? Seems you’re yourself with me and I’ve already seen your… politics face.”
Grange takes me back into his arms except now we’re facing each other. “That was two questions. I’ll answer because it’s in the same vein and I don’t want to talk about Grey anymore. It’s depressing.” The reasons spoken out loud make me cringe. “I never tried to be someone else with you because I wasn’t trying to be anyone but me. I didn’t think I had a chance romantically. Guys like you go for women like my sister. Like Sierra. And don’t think I’m being derogatory because there is nothing wrong with being beautiful and being able to get things in life just because a shirt hugs your body a certain way. It’s that I’ve always derived my worth from my brains. I don’t care what I wear or about hair and makeup or social standing, or how many friends I have.”
He narrows his eyes. “You realize by disassociating yourself from them that you’re most certainly being derogatory. When you categorize like that, you’re the one drawing lines. They aren’t.”
“I never thought of it that way.”
He holds the side of my face in one hand. “Big ole’ muscle heads can have good ideas too.”
“I never called you that,” I sling back.
“Not in so many words. You implied that I’m the type of man that likes a certain type of woman. The kind that you have disassociated yourself from so I can only conclude you view me in a negative light.”
I shake my head. “Out of my league. That’s different. Also, we’ve spent far too long on this question. It’s my turn. Is anything off-limits? I’m giving you your secret space. Like you asked.”
Grange does his best to keep a straight face. He won’t bring his secrets up. “I guess not. Give me your best shot.”
“This is going to sound dismal, but bear with me. It’s a two-part question.”
He nods. I put my hands in his jacket pocket. “Tell me the worst thing that’s ever happened to you.”
Grange raises both brows once. “You hold no punches.”
