Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 by Nikki Lane (old books to read txt) 📗

the airport hangar, having a training lesson with the instructor. The nervousness had been manageable then. It had still kind of felt like this was all a prank. Then, when it was time to board the plane, Jacob would turn to me and yell “Sike!” We’d laugh and then leave for the real birthday surprise.

But when it was time to get on the plane, we’d actually got on it.

Jacob was in front of me in the turbine-equipped plane. Actually, his jumping partner was in front of me, and Jacob was in front of him. Strapped. Just like me. And I’d almost wished I could be strapped to Jacob instead, even though neither one of us had a clue what we were about to do.

The pilot had announced we’d be at full altitude in just fifteen minutes. But that felt like hours ago. Was it possible for your heart to actually explode?

Jacob looked back at me without an ounce of fear on his face. This was the same guy who couldn’t jump off the high dive at the community pool. I was convinced he was on some kind of sedative. But that couldn’t be because he definitely would have shared with me.

Wild Bill shouted something in my ear. All I heard were the words, “Get ready to jump.”

“Okay,” I shouted back.

The guy Jacob was strapped to edged near the open airplane door. Jacob looked back at me and gave me a thumbs-up. I nodded and just like that he was gone. And it felt like my heart had flung itself out of the plane to go after him.

Wild Bill performed a final safety check and then coaxed me toward the open door. I swallowed over the boulder in my throat and did a silent prayer that I wouldn’t die, because how ironic would that be?

Wild Bill counted down from three. I shut my eyes at one and felt the push, the floor of the plane slipping from under my feet. I forced myself to open my eyes, feeling the effects of freefalling toward the ground at almost 122 m.p.h.

At first, I couldn’t see Jacob. I whipped my head around and finally spotted him a little ways below us. He looked up and spotted me, too. His smile was inflated from the speed in which we were falling. He gave me another thumbs-up, and I laughed, returning the gesture.

I wouldn’t ever be able to describe the feeling of the rush of air beneath my body. Almost like floating, but not really. I had spent most of my life trying to avoid falling flat on my face. Now, I was plunging toward the earth and unable to do anything to stop it. I had to surrender to the moment, embrace the unknown of what was waiting for me down below, and trust…trust that everything would work out the way it was supposed to.

Wild Bill gave the signal that he was going to open the chute. I tensed a little and scrunched my eyes shut before feeling the jerk of the parachute open.

Thank God.

We glided softly through the blue sky, and for the rest of the way down I was too enraptured with the view to think, or worry, about anything else. When our feet touched the solid ground, I was a little disappointed the experience had ended, but relieved to have survived it in one piece.

Wild Bill couldn’t detach my harness quick enough. I sprinted toward Jacob, just as he became free from his own partner, and jumped on top of him, wrapping my arms around his neck and securing my legs around his waist.

He stumbled back a little. “Whoa,” he said with a laugh.

“Thank you,” I said into his ear.

He ran a hand over the crown of my head and down my hair. “Anytime.” His voice was low and soft.

I pulled my head back and planted a kiss on his lips as he held me in the middle of the field. I knew we probably had an audience, but it felt like we were alone. I was lost in that moment with him and never wanted to be found.

* * * *

When Jacob had mentioned he had more planned for the day, I had a hard time believing it. But at that point, I was game for anything. I was still reeling from the high of jumping from an airplane. Nothing but sweet relief had hit when the first person I saw after we’d landed safely was Jacob.

I scooted next to him in the truck, wanting to be as close as possible to his body. My arm wrapped around his middle, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. The feeling of contentment was overwhelming.

“This has been the best birthday ever,” I said before kissing him on the cheek.

“The day’s not over yet,” he said.

I kissed him on his cheek again and then worked down his neck. I couldn’t stop. The smell of his skin, the happiness that was bubbling inside of me, it just made him the sexiest thing to me.

“Maeve,” Jacob said. “Keep that up and I might accidently run off the road.”

I continued to run my mouth up and down his neck, using my free hand to graze the area around his lap, adding a little pressure when I got to a certain spot.

Jacob jerked the wheel. “Maeve, I’m serious.” His mouth upturned in a half-cocked smile. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

I had plenty idea what I was doing. I unzipped his fly and slipped my hand inside. He let out a little groan.

“Pull over,” I said.

“What? Why?” He sounded a little panicked.

“Just pull over.” I glanced out toward the heavily wooded road. Dusk was settling over the sky.

Jacob pulled the truck over, making sure to get as close to the tree line as possible. I wasted no time in unbuttoning my jeans and slipping them off.

“W-What are you doing?” Jacob asked, wide-eyed.

“What does it look like?”

“Here?” He gulped.

“I want you, Jacob. And I can’t