Harlequin Desire January 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 Maisey Yates (sad books to read .txt) 📖

He gently moved them forward, and now her feet weren’t touching anything. All she felt was a tug against her harness where she was connected to Ethan. What if he couldn’t open the parachute in time? She knew what was coming next, and that Ethan was waiting for her to use the safe word. She tried to take a breath, but she’d forgotten how to breathe. Her lungs were burning. Bridesnatcher! Bridesnatcher! Had she said the words out loud?

Ethan wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed tightly. “Trust me.” She took a shuddering breath, leaned forward slightly, and he pushed off with his feet. They went over the edge.

The air slapped her face and her skin felt like it would tear away. They were falling, rolling around uncontrollably, and she didn’t know for a second if her heart was even beating. She was supposed to do something, but she couldn’t remember what. She was going to die and kill Ethan with her because she couldn’t remember the body position for the free fall.

Then Ethan grabbed her arms and thrust his body forward to force her to arch, turning them so her belly was facing the earth. Now her body was flat against the wind and she was looking straight down through the clouds. The wind rushed into her face. Her heart was beating so wildly, she could feel it in her throat. Her mouth was open, but she wasn’t sure if she was actually screaming. All she could hear was the deafening sound of the wind in her ears, the sting of cold on her face and Ethan’s solid body on her back.

Everywhere she looked, the color blue stretched before her; she could barely make out where the sky ended and the water began. It felt like they were in free fall forever, even though they’d told her that it would be only a minute. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp tug between her legs as the parachute opened and the harness yanked her into position.

They slowed and she gasped at the sight before her. The glimmering waters of the gulf and Atlantic stretched out endlessly. A tiny line marked US Route 1, connecting the Keys with the rest of Florida. There were tiny specks of green land dotted with what she figured were houses and businesses. It was surreal, like she was having an out-of-body experience. In that moment, nothing mattered, not her family, not the decisions that lay before her, not even her life. The world spread out beneath her, full of possibilities.

“How do you feel?” Ethan said.

She tried to turn and look at him but could see only his hands holding on to the straps of the parachute. “I feel free. Like I can do anything in the world.”

She didn’t need to see his face to feel his smile. “The first time I did this was when I was a senior in high school. Buck’s dad owned a dive shop in Wisconsin right across the Minnesota border. He’d been doing it for years. There was this girl who I’d been in love with since ninth grade. She’d finally noticed me, and we were both headed to the same college. I knew now was the time to finally ask her out, but I was so afraid of rejection. Buck told me that after I did this, I could remember that I’d jumped out of an airplane and nothing seems scary after that.”

She laughed and they both shook in the harness. She had to admit that she’d never felt her heart beat as hard as it was now.

“I hope that the next time you’re afraid to do something, this experience gives you the courage to face your worst fear.” His words hit her deep in her solar plexus.

As they came closer to the ground, Ethan navigated the parachute and they could see the cars on the road and the runway they had used. The plane was lifting off. There was a green field with markings, and she knew that was where they were supposed to land.

“Remember how we practiced the landing? Raise your legs now.” Divya did as she was told, and it felt like the earth rushed up suddenly to meet them. But the landing was surprisingly soft. Ethan got his footing then lifted her slightly so she was also standing. The parachute floated behind them. He disconnected them and she turned and hugged him tightly.

Every cell in her body was alive in a way she’d never experienced. “Oh my God. That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

He grinned.

She stood on her toes and kissed him with everything she had. She’d just jumped out of a plane. Ethan was right: after this, there was nothing she couldn’t do. He held her close as he kissed her, and this time it was more than just her body that responded to him. Her soul reached out to touch him, to thank him for giving her this experience, to tell him just how much she cared for him. It felt like they were connected at a cellular level, like he knew her better than she knew herself, and she wanted nothing more than to give herself to him entirely.

Ethan finally broke the kiss. “Divya, there’s something I need to say to you.”

The catch in his voice sent a chill through her. Was this it? Was he going to tell her that they were going to part ways? They hadn’t discussed how long this would last, and he certainly didn’t owe her anything.

He cupped her face. “I know you told me not to go for girls who are unavailable. But I can’t seem to help it. I need you to know that when things end between us, I can’t be friends with you.”

He said when things end between us. Not if. He’d already given up on her.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“I got people coming in,”