Chapter Eleven
Jace
The question is. Am I ready? I can’t say I’ll ever be ready, but here goes. “Turn around.”
“If you insist.” She spins to face the wall. Her body is so tense if she fell to the ground, she’d shatter into a million pieces.
“Okay, beautiful couples.” Elise, our instructor, says in a breathy voice. “Our first step is to make sure the person catching their loved one is behind the person with their bodies straight, but with a little bounce in the knees and arms outstretched.”
I assume the position as she weaves in and out of us. “Wonderful job, Landon.” She pats my brother’s upper arm as he beams at her.
“Thank you.” The dimple on his left cheek pops. Kiss ass. He was always the straight A student.
“You’re welcome, dear.”
The longer I stand, the more uncomfortable it gets. I shift my head from side to side, causing my neck to pop. The instrumental music continues to fill the room, along with the flowery incense. It should be comforting and relaxing, but it’s not working.
Violet and her surfer boy laugh at something Elise says to them. Just get it over with. My jaw flexes as I try and steady my breathing. Getting irritated is not going to solve the problem. What was Landon thinking when he set this up? Trying to find a way to make my life miserable?
Get a free vacation on our dime. Sucker.
This is clearly punishment for all the years my actions caused him to stay up late worrying about my physical and mental well-being.
Elise approaches us and tsks. “That will never do.” She grabs my arm, yanking me forward. “You’re too far back. What do you want Zoe to do? Fall on her back and crack her head open?”
“No, of course not.” Heat floods through me, creeping up my neck, over my face, and to the tips of my ears. The rest of our group turns to watch us, adding to my misery. “Where do I need to stand?”
“Two steps closer. You want to be in line with Zoe so that when she falls, her head lands against your heart, and you can stare into each other’s eyes.”
Zoe groans. I don’t have to see her face to know she’s rolling her eyes. I’m close enough already. For fucks sake, she’s wearing a bikini, and the amount of skin that’s covered is painfully minimal. At least, she wasn’t involved in setting this whole thing up as an attempt to try and…. And what? Put the moves on me? Seduce me?
Please. If she had those feelings in the past, they’re long gone. I made sure she’d hate my guts, and I was damned good at my mission. As I move closer, the scent of her perfume swirls in my head. Vanilla, citrus, and…. I inhale again. Fucking heaven. The central air kicks on, causing goosebumps to raise the hairs on my arms.
‘Right. Like that’s the reason.’ My dick smirks as he hurls the insult.
All that golden skin. Smooth legs and arms. Her tight ass is covered in a strap of black fabric with tiny strips on her hips. My mouth waters as I force my hands to stay to themselves and not drag her into the bathroom. Or the nearest closet.
Or hell, right here on the floor is fine. If they don’t want to watch, they can be the ones to leave.
“That’s better. Now, study your partner. Watch as her shoulders rise and fall. Reassure her that you aren’t going to drop her.” Elise steps back and clasps her hands together.
“Now?” My voice sounds panicky, even to my own ears. That’s one thing about performing that I don’t miss. Being the center of attention and everyone waiting for you to screw up so they can gloat or toss insults.
“Yes, now.”
Zoe glances over her shoulder, and my tongue lodges in my throat. “Just get it over with. The air conditioning in here is freezing.”
“Right.” I cough and gather my bearings. “Zoe, I promise not to let you fall.”
Her eyelids flutter shut as she twists her head back to face the other direction.
“Ah….” Carly’s eyes get misty as she watches us. “It makes me happy to see the two of you getting along. It’ll make family dinners easier to navigate.”
No, it won’t. I can’t be in the same room with her and not want her. That’s not going to change because of some trust fall. It’s only going to make it worse.
“All right.” Elise claps her hands together, and I jump from the tension crackling in the room. “Let’s do this.”
She moves to the front of the room. “Trust fallers, I need you to take a deep breath, close your eyes, and fall backward as if you’re easing into an enormous pillow. You’re going to be landing against a soft object that will keep you safe and warm. Everything is fine.” Her voice is low and melodic. “And nothing bad will ever happen to you if you trust your partner to always have your back.”
Carly floats backward into my brother’s arms. He cradles her to him, spins her around, and soundly kisses her lips.
Jesus. This is a shitshow. I block everyone else out. “Okay, let’s do this.”
“Right.” Zoe nods jerkily and lurches backward.
Oh, shit. I stretch my arms out as she lands with a thud against my chest.
“Shit,” I gasp as her elbows shove into my stomach, and she shoots back up to a standing position. I rub my chest where her head hit like a torpedo being shot out of a warship.
“What?” She whirls around, slams her hands on her hips, and glares.
“You hit me with your head on my chest and then shoved your elbows into my stomach.”
“Dears.” Elise marches toward us with a pained expression on her face. “You both did it all wrong.” She waves her hand at the other participants in the group. “Go on. Take a break. I need to work with Zoe and Jace for a few minutes.”
As they file out of the room, Zoe taps the toe of her sandal on the floor. “What’re you saying? That I’m overweight?”
“No.” I inhale, straightening my shoulders, and return her glare. “I’m not saying that you’re overweight. I’m saying that you’re hardheaded and stubborn. Did you see how your mom floated down into Landon’s arms? You didn’t do that. You hurled yourself at me like you were hoping to hurt me.”
“I did no such thing.” Venom flashes in her eyes as blood splotches under her cheeks. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” My jaw flexes as anger settles in my gut. I’m angry at myself for being weak and wanting her. I’m angry at my brother for setting this up. Anger at–everything. Nothing in my life is going as I wanted. So why should this be any different?
Fuck. I need a drink. I slam my eyes shut and count to ten. I don’t need a drink. I can handle my emotions.
I inhale and slowly exhale while reopening my eyes.
“Yes, it is.” She crosses her arms over her chest, causing her breasts to flow over the tops of her arms, and threatens to give me a heart attack. I lick my lips. I have better control than this. “You didn’t catch me right. It’s almost like you wanted me to fall.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Let’s do it again.” Elise claps her hands and instructs our movements again.
As I catch her again, I growl under my breath. Seriously? I’m such a pussy that I keep doing this rather than walking out?
“Again!”
This time, Zoe’s body moves slowly toward me. As she nears my chest, I cradle her against me, and the air evaporates from my lungs. Her slender neck is close enough to kiss and it takes everything in my power not to indulge until we crumble to the floor and…. Shit. Wake up.
She glances over her shoulder, and the heat swirling in her eyes is a mixture of desire and regret. I suck down a gulp of air, taking in her scent, and my chest tightens. Shit. Get control of yourself. Her lashes lower, denying me access to her gaze. Was it desire? Or was that wishful thinking on my part?
Her body feels perfect against mine as I splay my hands along her taut belly. During the previous trust fall, her cover-up came untied and now her silken skin is under my fingertips. Every inch of my body zings with excitement. I want….
She scrambles upright while straightening her cover-up. The color on her cheeks makes her even prettier, which thirty seconds before, I wouldn’t have thought was possible.
“Well done.” Our instructor beams at us as if we’re her greatest success story. “Take a quick break, and we’ll meet back in here for the second portion of the session.”