Chapter 3

The wind whipped against my face and I spread my arms as I free-fell through the air, another skydiver attached to my chest by a harness. As normal as this was, I still felt an adrenaline rush every time I skydived.

My goggles let me see without the wind whipping in my eyes. I pointed out a beautiful view to the man strapped to my chest as we free-fell from the sky.

In the air, I felt weightless, invincible, like nothing could touch me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins.

I guided us in a circle so the man could have a full view.

My co-worker, Joey, had another diver attached to his chest and they free-fell near us, having the same experience.

At the altitude where I needed to deploy the parachute, I signaled at my diver to expect it. He flashed me a thumbs up.

I yanked the cord. The chute deployed and my stomach jolted as we were yanked up when it caught the wind. Business as usual, but it still felt a little thrilling.

I used the handles to steer us to a safe landing. As we descended, I pointed out more scenery for the diver.

Tandem divers were instructed to land in a “butt slide” where the instructor slows the parachute and it pulls us both to a sliding stop on our rears. If something went wrong and we had to make a standing land, divers were instructed to pull their legs up and out of the way for the instructor to take over.

Luckily, the wind was calm, and we could butt slide our landing.

Joey and I both landed safely.

He was in his early 50s with short silver hair, which I could see when he took his helmet off.

I loved skydiving. The thrill of free-falling got me out of bed some days. I lived for the adrenaline it gave me.

A van with an airplane and the company logo “Airplayne Adventures” painted on the side was parked on the edge of our landing field to transport divers back to the airport afterward. Between clients, one of us would drive the van out with the other following them in another car to leave the van and drive back together.

Joey and I put the deployed chutes and our helmets in the back. And, of course, we took a picture of the divers in their jumpsuits and goggles beside the van logo as a keepsake.

After we took the divers back and repacked the parachutes for the night, Joey led me out of the airplane hangar to introduce me to the newest employee.

“This is our new booking coordinator, Amantha,” Joey said. “No ‘S’ at the beginning, just Amantha. Amantha, this is Zion.”

A pink-haired woman sat behind the reception desk. She turned her head to show us that she spoke on the phone, then she smiled and held up a “one moment” finger to finish her call.

I licked my lips as my eyes trailed over her upper body. She was flirty, her lips were pouty, and her blue shirt showed the perfect amount of cleavage. The woman looked hot. I'd bet she was a tigress in bed. I wondered if I could...

Joey cleared his throat. “Hands off,” he warned in a low voice. “If we have to fire her because things get awkward between you two, we're only hiring men from here on out.”

I grinned. “That won't deter me.” As long as the person turned me on, I didn't care about gender. And I loved to irritate Joey.

Joey shook his head. “Whatever. Don't touch her.”

I made a serious face. Solemnly, I raised my hand and positioned my fingers in the Star Trek Vulcan salute. “Don't worry. I'll be a priest.”

Joey laughed. “Priest of what?”

I grinned again but didn't answer. Guess I'd used that before. I lowered my hand and stuffed my fingers into the pockets of the jumpsuit.

“Hands off her. I'm serious.” He snapped his fingers as the idea came to him. “Senior men. That'll throw a wrench in your game. Wrinkly, saggy balls and limp dicks. They'll be hired next.”

Small wrench. I rolled my eyes. “Fine. I'll behave.”

“You'd better.” Joey eyed the wall-mounted clock across from us. He gestured toward the hangar, which had changing rooms complete with showers. “Sorry to leave you guys early, but I'm going to hop in the shower. I have to be at class in half an hour to prepare for a presentation today.”

Despite his age, Joey took evening classes at the local college to earn a new degree. He planned to retire from skydiving soon and wanted to get a desk job to stay busy.

“Okay. See you tomorrow. Good luck.”

Joey nodded and pointed at me, mouthing “hands off,” then headed toward the hangar.

I pulled my hands out of my pockets, bringing a pack of Reese's cups in one of them, and took a seat in the chairs across from Amantha's desk. I waited to introduce myself to my newest co-worker. In the meantime, I opened the pack and peeled a wrapper off a Reese's cup to munch on it. They were my favorite candy. The hangar had a vending machine with them so I also had easy access, a huge plus to working there.

Amantha hung up her desk phone and beamed as she turned her attention to me. “Hi! Zion? It's so nice to meet you.”

A smile stretched across my lips. This woman's confidence amplified her gorgeous features. Her positivity was contagious. “Amantha. Interesting name. Not very common.”

“Same to you. How long have you worked here?”

“I've been a jump instructor for almost two years.” I used my free hand to gesture to the jump suit as though it explained everything.

Amantha's eyebrows raised. “You’ve leapt out of planes for that long?”

I nodded. “Part time. Three days a week for the past two years. My schedule’s pretty sweet. Monday through Wednesday here, Thursday and Friday off, then Saturday and Sunday at the mud racing track. Of course, I do fun stuff on my days off, too.”

“Fun stuff...” Amantha’s eyes trailed over me and she nodded. “You're a thrill seeker... Maybe an adrenaline junkie. You do whatever you can to get your heart pumping.”

I tilted my head to the side as I weighed the statement. I hadn't thought about it that way, but it was true. Not that I would admit it.

I ignored the statement and jutted my chin at her. “What do you like to do?”

Surprise crossed her face. “Me? I'm pretty predictable. Work, exercise, read, sleep, repeat.”

“A reader, huh? What do you read?”

“Smut. Absolute smut,” she answered with a straight face.

I laughed in surprise. I hadn't expected such a direct answer. Refreshing.

I said, “Nothing wrong with that. You know what you like. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

“Maybe I can.” She wiggled her eyebrows back.

I chuckled. She had spunk.

Amantha's desk phone rang.

She said, “Back to work. Nice to meet you, Zion.”

“You, too, Amantha.”

She smiled at me and answered the phone. “Airplayne Adventures, how may I help you?” she asked the caller.

I stood from my seat and walked to the hangar. As I did, I unwrapped the second Reese's cup and bit into it. Maybe I'd listen to Joey and keep Amantha around a little longer.