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I give him a cold stare, pursing my lips in distaste.
“If you want to leave, I’ll take the fall,” he whispers before pressing tiny kisses along the shell of my ear. His words cause my eyes to bug wide, but he shakes his head and laughs. “Not literally. I’ll fake a stomachache or something. I can blame it on those pancakes you made me this morning.”
I gasp and push his arm, but not with enough force to move him. I’m in no hurry to leave the comfort of his arms. “My pancakes were delicious, thank you very much.”
“I know, baby. You did such a great job adding the water to the mix.” He nibbles on my ear again, and I smile.
The more time I spend with him, the more he seems to come out of his shell. I like the serious side of Chase, but I really like this relaxed version of him too.
“I think you’ve been spending too much time with me. You’re getting a little sassy.”
He grunts in response and turns me in his arms, then grabs my face and holds it mere inches away from his.
“I don’t think I could ever spend too much time with you,” he says, dark eyes serious. There’s something there, something under the surface that I can’t quite decipher.
It’s more than lust, less than love, and even if he doesn’t have the words to say aloud, I can see them etched along his features. I grin up at him and place a kiss on his scruffy jaw.
“So listen,” he says. “I could stand here looking at you all day long, but Jason might appreciate it if we hurry things along.”
I turn to find our young adventure guide leaning against the railing, arms crossed, a devilish grin dancing along his face. So far, he’s been easygoing and likeable, which I suppose is important when you’re asking people to trust you with their life.
I groan into Chase’s chest and pull away, then I start pacing in circles, giving myself a silent pep talk to get my shit together.
I jump up and down a few times, trying to justify my racing heart on physical activity rather than the fear of imminent death. I wind my arms back and forth, then stretch into a deep plié. When I raise my head, Jason sends me a gentle smile.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Uh, one second,” I mutter.
Chase chuckles as he steps closer to the jump-off point and asks Jason a question about something that I really don’t want to hear about, because who needs to hear the details of their death right before it happens?
I take a few deep breaths, pushing my pelvis into a wide lunge, then pulling myself back up into a tree pose. It’s been a while since I’ve done yoga, but if I’ve ever needed to focus and find my chi, it’s now.
After a few repetitions, I’ve calmed my frantic heart and open my eyes to find their two sets pinning me in place—Jason’s patient, Chase’s amused. Jason speaks up first.
“So, this is the first and longest zipline of the tour. We’re roughly two hundred feet up, and the line is fifteen hundred feet long.” He holds up a pair of binoculars.
“If you want to take a look, you’ll be able to see Susan waiting for you on the other side. She actually owns the company with her husband.” He pauses and one corner of his mouth quirks up. “She’s also my mom, so if you want to tell her what a great job I’m doing, I wouldn’t be mad about it.”
I laugh. Even if his speech was rehearsed, it’s still cute. Chase extends his hand out to me, so I take a few steps closer, allowing our fingers to latch onto one another.
“What do you think, Addison?” Jason asks. “Would you like Chase to go first to show you how it’s done?”
“Hell no! I’m doing this!” I say, not quite feeling as confident as my words project.
“All right.” Jason holds up his hand for a high five, and I smack his palm with so much force I flinch. “Okay, so I’ll attach this to your harness, and just like it looks, you can hang on to this bar and enjoy the ride.”
“Okay.” I nod, probably a bit too frantically. After he attaches the bar on either side of my harness, he directs me closer to the edge of the jump-off point. My steps are short and wobbly, but they get me there all the same.
Jason raises onto his toes so he can grab the carabiner on the line, then pulls it closer to us, hooking it onto the bar attached to my harness. I try to focus on the feeling of Chase’s hand on my back, rubbing in soothing circles.
“I’ll have you step closer to the edge here, okay?” Jason urges. I do as he asks, lining up the tip of my tennis shoes with the edge of the platform.
I allow my eyes to fall downward, landing on the greenery below. A wave of dizziness hits me, and I snap my eyes shut. My fingers are tingly and my chest is tight, so I focus on the air flowing in and out of my lungs to keep myself upright.
Jason waits patiently while Chase stands a few steps behind me, neither one rushing me or making me feel silly for my hesitation, which fuels my confidence more.
“Now, whenever you’re ready, I want you to bend your legs slightly and rest your weight a bit on the line. Not all the way, but just enough to cut out the slack.”
I turn until I find Chase. When his smiling eyes lock on mine, giddiness rolls through me. I grin back and relax, doing as Jason says. While I sit back on the line, it takes the weight off my legs.
“Yeah, just like that. Great,” Jason encourages. “Now, whenever you’re ready, just step forward and let your body go. There’s no rush, though. Take your time.” He lets go of the line and takes a step back.
Closing my eyes, I take one last deep breath, focusing on the sound of the blood rushing in my ears and the feel of my erratic heart beating in my chest. Even my wrists feel the frantic pulse warming my skin.
I came to Colorado for a change, to break out of the confines of my life and relationships back home. I came for adventure.
I want to get back to a place where I feel like I’m living rather than merely existing, and here Chase is, handing me an opportunity to do just that.
All I have to do is jump.
