Sweet Haven (The Sweet Series Book 2) (9 page)

“My mom told me to bring you flowers but there were no peach colored ones, only orange and that’s not good enough. Besides, flowers die anyway,” he adds, walking closer to put the bracelet on me. “So when I walked out of the flower shop, I passed by this boutique and low and behold there in the front window was this bracelet…with a single peach charm. Go figure.”

“Yeah, go figure,” I say, thinking about how some things happen at the perfect moment. “This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a really long time, Jase.”

“Well, that’s sad, Peaches. You deserve things like this every day.”

I stare up at him, my heart overflowing. “Sometimes, you’re really nice.”

“I’m always nice, just ask my mom.”

Smiling. I look down at my bracelet, fingering the glass charm. “I really do love it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Slinging his arm around my neck, he drops a kiss on the top of my head, the simple gesture warming my heart. “Come on, let’s get out of here. We have twenty-five minutes to be at our destination. Can’t be late.”

“Are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope but before we leave change your flip flops for running shoes and grab a sweater to bring, just in case.”

I do as he says, my interest piquing further. “Is the rest of my outfit okay?” I ask, bending down to tie my shoes.

A low growl penetrates the air. Looking behind me, I catch him staring at my ass. He rubs his clean-shaven jaw… “Yeah, baby. It’s fucking perfect.”

My stomach tightens at the low husk of his voice.

This is going to be a long afternoon.

On the way to our destination, I plead for some sort of hint but he remains tight-lipped and enjoys every moment of my torture. Thankfully, it isn’t long until we arrive at the scenic tour station where you can explore mountain views from a gondola. Jase climbs out of the truck and comes over to let me out.

“You’re taking me on a gondola ride, Crawford?” I ask, excited at the prospect. I’ve lived here my whole life and have never done it.

“Yeah, something like that,” he answers cryptically. Grabbing my hand, he leads me to where a man is waiting for us outside the lift. “Jase, it’s good to see you,” he says, shaking his hand.

“You, too. Thanks for helping me out.”

“No problem.”

“This is Samantha Evans,” Jase says, introducing me. “Sam, this is Glen Perkins. He owns the place.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” he replies, shaking my hand before returning his attention to Jase. “The weather is perfect right now for you.”

“It is,” Jase agrees with a nod.

Their exchange has me even more curious.

“Bert’s waiting up at the top.”

“Great. Thanks.”

“You bet. Have fun and be safe.”

“I’m always safe.”

The older man grunts, clearly knowing Jase better than that.

With a chuckle, Jase leads me into the gondola.

“Shouldn’t he be coming with us?” I ask, feeling a little anxious as the doors close.

“No.” He takes a seat on the bench and looks at me with a frown. “You have been on one of these before, right?”

I shake my head.

“Never?” he asks incredulously.

“Pathetic, huh?”

He graces me with a sexy smirk. “Come here.”

When I take his outstretched hand, he pulls me down on his lap, and that’s when we begin making our climb. The first jolt catches me off guard and has me tensing.

“Don’t be nervous. We’re safe,” he says, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder.

I relax against him, finding safety in his strong arms. The view is breathtaking. The afternoon sun bounces off the white caps of the mountains, reflecting off their sharp peaks, displaying what God so graciously created.

“It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” I say, finding a new appreciation for what I’ve always taken for granted.

“Just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

I turn toward him, my arm curling around his neck. “You come up here often?”

“Yeah. Every chance I get.”

“What do you do?”

“You’re about to find out,” he answers, still refusing to tell me.

“Remember that small pep talk we had about not channeling crazy Sam?”

He chuckles, amused with my frustration. “Keep her locked up, baby. She can come out later tonight and play,” he says with a dirty grin.

The sexy bastard.

Once we make it to the top, Jase links his fingers with mine as if it’s the most natural thing and walks over to the man who is waiting for us. Tons of equipment circles his feet, one of them a parachute, which has my pulse kick starting.

“Jase!” he greets him with a handshake.

“Hey, Bert, thanks for meeting us up here.”

“You bet. Everything is here for you. Just give me a call with your coordinates when you land, and I’ll bring you your truck.”

Coordinates? Land?

My heart beats double-time, not liking the sound of this. I barely acknowledge the gentlemen’s brief greeting to me as he walks away, my eyes glued to all the things on the ground that look like death traps.

Jase drops down on his knee, sorting through the pile, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

“Uh, Jase. Can you tell me now what we’re doing?” I ask, noticing how dry my throat is.

He looks up at me, excitement lit all over his handsome face. “We’re paragliding.”

“We are?”

“Yep,” he answers, his attention returning to the scattered equipment.

“On this mountain?”

“Well, technically off the mountain.”

I stare at him, wondering if this is a cruel joke. “You want me to jump off this mountain?”

“Not jump, baby. Glide,” he explains, as if that makes it better.

“I don’t think I can do this.”

The small tremble in my voice finally brings his gaze back to mine. Realizing my fear, he stands and moves for me. “Hey, Sam, it’s okay,” he says, grabbing my shoulders.

“No. It’s not. I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t have the slightest clue what to do.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to. You’re going to be strapped to me.”

“Strapped to you?” I repeat slowly.

“Yeah. You don’t have to do anything. I do it all and I’ve done it a million times. I swear, it’s safe.”

I look behind him, unable to see what’s over the ledge and not wanting to either.

Can I really do this? Do I want to? Is Jesse right and he’s just trying to get back at Sawyer and his plan is to kill me by making it look like a paragliding accident?

Okay, Sam. Settle down,
I berate myself for the ridiculous thought.

His warm hands cradle my face, bringing my gaze back to his, regret reflecting back at me. “I should have thought more about it. I wanted to do this with you because it’s probably one of the coolest things you will ever experience, but I should have asked you first. It’s not for everyone.” His voice is soft and gentle with understanding. “I’ll put in a call to Bert and tell him we’re coming back down.” Brushing a kiss to my lips, he reaches for his phone.

“No, don’t. It’s okay,” I protest, feeling guilty after he went to all this work.

“I’m not going to take you if you’re that scared. It’s fine; we’ll go back down and head to our next spot. I still have other things planned.”

“No, really, Jase. I’m all right.”

He stares back at me for the liar I am.

“Okay, I’m nervous,” I admit. “Like, really nervous, but I don’t want that to stop me from doing it, especially when I will probably never get the opportunity again.”

He pulls me against him, his body heat melting away the icy fear freezing inside of me. “You sure? Because it’s not a big deal for us to go back down.”

“I’m sure. Just…promise me you won’t crash us.”

His lips quirk in amusement. “I promise. You’re safe with me. I’d never let anything happen to you.”

I believe that with my whole heart. That’s why I’m going to do this, even though I’m terrified out of my mind.

“Come on.” He leads me over to the equipment and makes me put on my thin hoodie before suiting me up. Starting with the harness and finishing with the helmet. He goes over a few simple instructions with me as he finishes with himself. After spreading out the parachute behind him, he extends his hand to me. “Trust me, Sam.”

My heart stalls in my chest, something familiar tugging at the dark recesses of my mind. Shaking myself of the bizarre feeling, I put my hand in his and allow him to drag me in closer. After hooking me up to his harness, he hoists me up. My legs wrap around his waist and arms around his neck, as I cling to him like a koala bear. My nerves begin to settle from the feel of his strong, warm body.

“No passing out on me, Peaches,” he jokes, but his voice is gruff, letting me know he feels the same current I am. The same one that always seems to pass between us.

“You need to be more concerned about me puking on you,” I grumble.

I’m rewarded with a deep chuckle. “I’ve been through worse. Just hold on to me and you’ll be good.” Bending down, he grabs the two black handles then brings us back to full height. “You ready?”

I let out a terrified breath, feeling close to losing my lunch. “No, but I don’t think I ever will be.”

“I have you, I promise.” He backs up a little then starts running like he explained he would do earlier.

My arms tighten around him as we approach the edge, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. I close my eyes; unable to bear watching us go over.

A whoosh of air hits me before I feel the jerk of the parachute catch. I squeal in fear and bury my face into his neck. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.”

“We’re up!” I barely hear him through the blood rushing in my ears. I cling to him even tighter, not daring to move. “Babe, you’re choking the shit out of me,” he says on a strangled laugh.

“Sorry.” I loosen my grip around his neck but tighten my legs on his waist.

“Take a look, Sam.”

“That’s okay. I’m good.”

“Come on. Don’t miss out on this.”

Releasing a shaky sigh, I summon the courage to lift my head and slowly open my eyes. My breath immediately locks in my throat with a gasp as I take in the sight before me.

Oh my god.

This pales in comparison to seeing it down below. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Instead of looking at it from afar we are now a part of it. A part of the breathtaking world we always take for granted.

“It’s amazing,” I whisper. The cool wind whispers over every bare inch of my flesh, blowing a few strands of hair from my ponytail as we soar across the clear blue sky. “It’s like we’re really flying.”

“That’s because we are.”

I finally tear my gaze away from the incredible view to look at Jase and find him watching me, a soft smile on his handsome face that has my heart tumbling in my chest.

I place a kiss on his lips, my thumb smoothing over the soft flesh after. “Thank you. Thank you for taking me here and convincing me to do this. It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever done.”

“You’re welcome.”

Smiling, I turn my head forward again and enjoy the rest of our time together. Living in one of the most incredible, freeing moments of my life.

*

Later that evening, we’re parked at a remote spot in the mountains—out in the middle of nowhere—sitting in the bed of Jase’s truck with a pizza between us that we picked up after meeting Bert for his truck. Birds flock and chirp across the pink lit sky as the sun slowly sinks beyond the horizon, creating the most beautiful glow.

I didn’t think anything could compare to the stunning scenery I’d already experienced today but I was wrong. The sunset paints the sky in stunning shades of gold, pink, and blue. If there was ever something prettier, it’s this right here.

“How did you find this place?” I ask softly.

“My dad and I came across it a few years ago on a camping trip.”

I smile, loving that he decided to share it with me. “Do you guys camp often?”

He shakes his head. “Nah. We used to but not anymore. It’s hard with my schedule at the station.”

“When did you decide that you wanted to be a firefighter?” I ask, wanting to know more about him, especially about his job. After my time at the station, I’m fascinated by what they do and also find it very admirable.

He glances over at me, his expression thoughtful. “You know the saying, you don’t pick the job, the job picks you?”

I nod.

“Well, in my case, I think that’s true. Firefighting is what I’m meant to do. I can remember as a kid, we lived down the street from the station and whenever the sirens went off I would rush over to the window and watch as the trucks headed out. Even back then my blood would rush with excitement and the need to want to be a part of it.”

“That’s how I feel about teaching. When I was a little girl, I would wear my grandmother’s big black-rimmed glasses and make my brother and sister be my students. Sawyer always got in trouble and earned himself detention,” I tell him with a laugh, but it softens into a smile as I remember the things my brother would do to appease me.

“That doesn’t surprise me, he’s always been an attention whore,” he says, biting back a smile but we both know he means it.