Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Jackson
“ W hy in the hell did I let you talk me into this?” Maggie gripes as she secures her helmet and then double-checks the buckles on her harness. I love this particular frown from her—it’s adorable, and it means she finds the experience challenging.
“Because you know you wanted to do it. Quit messing with the harness. It’s fine.”
She’s been fiddling with the way it fits ever since she stepped into it.
I thought for sure she’d absolutely refuse to get out of the Jeep when we first pulled up at the adventure park that boasts the longest zip line canopy tour in the state.
But she climbed out and followed me inside and signed the endless release forms, even though her hands were shaking the whole time, entirely at odds with her Believe In You T-shirt.
“You do look terrified, though. Are you gonna freeze on me once we get started?”
The guide meets us before she has a chance to answer, and begins his spiel.
Maggie’s pulling at the leg harness the whole time, glancing around at the group of five women who are also on our tour.
They’re all our age, all fit, and decked out in athletic wear that’s more brand name than functional.
I’ve noticed one of them casting glances our way more than once, both in judgment and interest.
None of them hold a candle to Maggie. Knockout gorgeous, plus she’s a hell of a lot of fun.
I know she’s self-conscious about her body, but I wish she could see herself the way I see her.
She’ll settle in soon enough; I’ve just got to get her out of her head long enough to realize today is going to be a blast.
I notice the ringleader of the mean-girls squad giving Maggie the once-over again. What is it with women sizing each other up? Just like how that group of women at the wedding reception were judgmental. I step in front of her, turning my back on the group.
“Mags.” I take her hand to get her attention.
It feels weird touching her now. Over the last year or so, we’ve become casual touchers, so comfortable with each other I didn’t even notice it.
Now that it’s suddenly forbidden, I am hyperaware of how awkward it is between us because of that night.
But at the same time, it feels so right to take her hand.
“Are you gonna freeze on me?” Her fingers are limp in mine, so I give them a squeeze and dip low enough to get in her face. “Talk to me.”
Chocolate eyes dart to the group of women who are now getting their safety check from the guide. He’ll be on us in a moment, and once we start from the platform, there’s no turning back, so if she’s bailing, it has to be now. She tugs my hand and pulls me away from the group.
“What if this won’t hold me,” she murmurs, eyes swimming with fear. Holy shit. This really has her freaked out .
I take her by the shoulders, resisting the urge to pull her in for a hug.
She might think I’m unaware of how nervous she gets before we set out on any kind of demanding physical activity, but I’ve noticed every time.
At some point, she’s going to believe all the motivational shit she wears on her T-shirts for herself.
“I promise this will hold you. It will hold me. It’s safe. ”
Body rigid and eyes wide, she’s still radiating fear, but she nods, almost like she values my word above even the release form she signed ten minutes ago. I want to thump my chest in victory.
“Can we let them go ahead of us?”
“We can do whatever you want to do. I knew you’d be nervous, but you usually work past it. If I’d known you were this terrified, I wouldn’t have planned this.”
“You guys ready?” the guide interrupts.
“Are we?” I ask her, giving her one last chance to call this off. “It’s your choice.”
Maggie shakes her arms and torso loose, like she’s shaking out all the tension she’s been storing, then gives him a nod. “Yep. Let’s go.”
Hell yeah, my girl is ready to tackle that fear like the badass she is.
I motion for the others to lead the way.
Turning my back on the flirty look the last one gives me, I let Maggie go ahead as we climb the ladder.
At the top of the platform, the guide goes through the steps one more time.
We’re huddled in close together. With so many people, I’m forced to stand directly behind Maggie.
She takes a step back, and I place a hand on her hip to still her, but not before her back brushes my front.
If I wasn’t before, I am instantly aware of the way her leggings leave little to the imagination and the way her lush curves feel against my solidly growing cock.
Shit. She was the one worried about the way the harness fit before, and now I’m the one worried, because there’s no way she can’t feel my erection pressing into her ass. She glances over her shoulder at me, brows reaching her forehead. I shoot her a wink.
“It’s a great ass,” I murmur into her ear, because she’s there, and my adrenaline is already pumping at what’s to come.
Having her pressed against me is just a bonus.
She huffs a laugh and shakes her head at me like I’m ridiculous, but I catch a blush turning her cheeks pink before she faces the launch platform.
I am instantly intrigued. I swear I’ve seen that hue before, but after that night, it means something entirely different now.
Is it possible Maggie has been hiding an attraction to me? Or have I been a dumbass worried about hiding my attraction to her, and we are both fighting a losing battle?
My sister hangs between us like a wet blanket, but despite the threat of Alice’s wrath, a little flirting never hurt anyone. And if my flirting results in more of those blushes, I’ll consider it a win.
One by one, the women step off and begin their flight. And then it’s Maggie’s turn. She looks at me one last time, and my chest clenches. She’s scared to death and still doing this anyway. I’m so fucking proud of her.
This is what makes me come back time after time to do adventures with her. She might be scared, but she faces her fears and owns them.
Her shoulders hitch like she’s taking a breath, which makes me hold mine.
She’s doing her calming-breath thing, but is she really going to take flight?
Or am I going to back down this ladder with her and buy her a vat of her favorite ice cream and let her pick a movie to make up for this epic way I’ve challenged her.
She exhales a gush of breath, and then she flies.
I wait an extra second after the guide clears me to take my turn, because Maggie is whooping and laughing, the sound taking flight and echoing through the valley. I couldn’t stop the stupid grin on my face even if I wanted to.
She’s waiting for me at the next platform and jumps into my arms as soon as I land, her voice shrill in my ear as she exclaims, “That was awesome.”
And for a brief moment, all is right in the world again.
She’s here, in my arms, and so fucking happy.
I hold on longer than necessary. The way she vibrates with energy and joy is such a fucking turn-on that I don’t care if I don’t do another run, as long as I get to see her beaming with exhilaration like this.
A throat clears behind us, and she withdraws slowly. Our eyes lock, holding for an agonizing second. My gaze falls to her lips, to the smile that still lingers, and I’m struck by the overwhelming urge to kiss her.
I drag my eyes away, focusing on the edge of the platform. The longer we keep that connection, the more she’ll see.
“You want to go first this time?” she asks.
What I want is to be in two places at once—on this side as she gets ready to fly, and on the other end waiting to catch her. It’s that promise that has me nodding.
The payoff is actually seeing the joy on her face as she nears. Hell yeah. I fucking put that smile on her face.
I catch her at the next landing, as high from the full-body contact as I am from the actual zip-lining.
We ride the zip line system for a solid two hours, alternating who goes first. Every time I hear her shout in excitement, every time she meets me at the next platform, is better than the last. I can’t remember a time I’ve felt this light.
Not even the pranks Cal and I play against Kate and Leo at the station bring this much satisfaction.
“You guys want to continue the fun?” the guide asks as he leads us back to the main office. “We can add in a ropes course.”
I give Maggie my best puppy-dog eyes. She knows how much I fucking love ropes courses. And my girl doesn’t disappoint. She gives me exactly what I wish for.
“Jax, I can’t.”
We’re standing on yet another platform, facing a rope bridge of sorts, and she’s back to letting her fears control her. “Mags, babe. You’ve totally got this. You’ve ridden all those zip lines. Why are you freaking out now?”
“Because…” she squeals.
I can’t fathom how this is any different from what we’ve spent the last few hours doing, but she’s shaking like a leaf. “Would it help if I went first?”
The rickety-looking suspended bridge is kind of daunting, so she’s not wrong in being intimidated.
But she’s battled every fear she’s had today, and I’m not letting her back down now.
I take two steps out onto the bridge, wait for it to stop shaking, do a quick assessment for safety, then pivot to her.
“Just take it nice and slow. Trust me. Trust yourself. You’ve got this.”
“What if I step onto it and can’t balance?”
“You can.”
“What if I fall? ”
We are literally six feet off the ground, and there’s a net two feet below us. If she fell, she’d be fine, but I can’t make her comprehend that. Or she could break her neck or hit her head and be paralyzed. “You won’t.”
“Jax…”
“Would it help if we did this together?”