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Before he could answer, a woman let out an ear-piercing scream. The assembled group erupted in a collective cheer. Heavenly tensed and reached for the blindfold.
Beck gripped her wrists to stop her. “Trust me, just a minute more.”
“But that woman sounds terrified. What’s happening?”
He skimmed a soothing palm down her back. “She’s excited, but she’s fine. Everyone is. Do you still trust me?”
“I-I…”
The pulse point at the base of her neck thundered like a jackhammer. Adrenaline must be careening through every cell in her body.
“Heavenly?”
“Yes.” She finally nodded. “I’m nervous, but I trust you.”
In moments, he’d find out if that was true.
“I’ll take the blindfold off soon,” he promised. “But let’s get you some water first.”
Beck reached into his pack for fresh agua. She jumped slightly when he pressed the bottle to her lips, but he was pleased she didn’t try to hold it herself. Instead, she tipped her chin back and drank from his hand.
“Better?”
“Yes,” she said as she finished. “Thank you.”
“It’s time to get you set up for your surprise. Just relax. I promised to keep you safe, and I never break a promise. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”
“What is it?”
“Just a little more patience…”
He led her under a massive beige awning and pulled her to a stop, then nodded to Chet, a familiar twenty-something guy wearing a logoed tank and carrying a clipboard. “We’re ready.”
“Excellent.” Chet smiled, and Beck raised a brow when his gaze lingered for a moment too long on Heavenly.
Then the guy was all business, and Beck spoke to her in gentle, soothing tones while Chet secured the full-body harness. Heavenly didn’t protest or ask questions. She simply jerked a few nervous nods in response to Beck’s queries. As he was strapped into a matching contraption, he caressed her arm and maintained the nonstop verbal reassurance.
After Chet snapped the last buckle in place and turned away, Beck pulled Heavenly to his chest. “When we were at the art gallery, you said you wanted to really experience life. Remember that?”
“Yes.”
“There aren’t many better ways than what we’re about to do…” He removed the blindfold, watching as she blinked against the bright rays of sunlight. “Welcome to the Bridge to Nowhere.”
She slapped a hand to her mouth. Her eyes flared saucer-wide as a teenage boy not three feet from them let out a war cry and leapt off the bridge. With a strangled gasp, Heavenly peered over the edge at the crinkled bungee cord and the tethered jumper.
Beck tugged her closer to the railing as the recoil lifted the teen back into the air before gravity slammed him down once more. Everyone on the bridge cheered at his successful leap.
Beck looked away from the jumper and focused on Heavenly. She looked afraid…and more than slightly curious.
“Ever bungee-jumped before?”
“No! Never. And you have?”
“All the time.” He gestured to the guy in the tank. “Chet, here, knows me well.”
“Oh.”
As if suddenly aware they were perched a hundred feet above the San Gabriel River, Heavenly tore herself from his grasp and stumbled away from the railing. Her face went ghostly white as she pressed a palm to her stomach. “I should have mentioned sooner that I’m afraid of heights.”
Beck mentally kicked himself in the ass. He eased in front of her and brushed the wisps of hair from her face. “If this is too much for you, we don’t have to jump. We can head back down the mountain and get some—”
“No.” She shook her head slowly at first, then with more conviction. “I think…I want to do it. I mean, when will I ever have another chance?”
Even as she said the words, she looked ready to pass out.
“Anytime. We can do it whenever you want.” He skimmed his knuckles down her pale cheek, half expecting to see her eyes roll back in her head before she crumpled toward the pavement. “I didn’t bring you here to scare you.”
“I know.” A tiny giggle rolled from her lips. “When you said you had a surprise, you weren’t kidding.”
He grinned as a peach hue slowly returned to her cheeks. “So you’re up for it?”
“Nothing will happen to me, right?”
“You’ll be fine. I wouldn’t promise you that if it wasn’t true.”
“Let’s…do it.” She darted a nervous tongue over her lips. “I’ll warn you now, you might have to push me off the edge.”
He laughed. “How about I just drag you with me?”
“You mean we can jump together?”
“Or you can go by yourself.”
“No!” She grabbed his arm and clung. “I’d rather do it with you.”
“Good. Doing it alone isn’t nearly as much fun.” He smirked.
“You’ve done it alone before?”
“More than I care to admit,” he confessed with a laugh.
“You two ready, Beckman?” Chet asked.
Heavenly blanched. “We’re doing this now?”
Beck nodded. “Why wait? If you hang out up here, you’ll only talk yourself out of it.”
