Chapter 12
My stomach drops as Kit’s feet leave the platform. Some baser instinct screams that I can’t lose him, and I hold my breath.
The feeling doesn’t subside until he pumps one fist in the air and lets out a triumphant yell. The air comes out of my lungs in a whoosh as he smiles. His arms are doing a lot of work, showing off the muscle and sinew beneath his skin. Sunlight casts them into dips and shadows. Suddenly I miss their heaviness around me, how safe he always made me feel.
His feet hit the destination platform with a firm thud, and he stands. Smiling as he chats with the attendant on the platform, he turns to look at me. I tug on my helmet strap as they pull the handles back up to me.
Kit puts his hands on his hips and beams. My knees wobble. A dangerous thing to do on a platform this high off the ground.
I make the mistake of looking down.
My head spins, and I clench my teeth. I grip the railing so hard my hands hurt as I close my eyes and attempt to take in a deep breath. Images of everything that can go wrong flash across my eyelids.
It’s not the height that terrifies me; it’s the falling.
Kit’s voice jerks me out of my spiraling thoughts. “Andie, if you jump, I’ll give you that damn pencil!” Everyone around us chuckles.
My eyes fly open to see him smiling. He looks so much like the Kit I used to know, my heart squeezes in my chest. He always knew how to reach me through my brooding.
And I’ll be damned if I let him know how much it affects me now. I glare at him, though he’s probably too far away to discern it. I haven’t needed him in almost a decade; I’ve taken all kinds of leaps without him. This is just one more, really.
I grip the handles of the zip line and shake myself out, hopping up and down a little. Kit grins wider, as if he takes pride in me facing this.
Ignoring the fluttering in my chest, I take a step back.
Kit’s smile falters. It feels a lot like being at the altar again, watching his thoughts play out across his face. Delight gives way to apprehension, which gives way to fear.
His shoulders heave with a breath as I jump. I squeal when my feet leave the platform, and I force myself to keep my eyes wide open instead of shutting the world out.
My breath leaves my lungs in a whoosh.
Kit whoops, jumping on the platform. Adrenaline spikes through my veins.
I rush toward him through the canopy of tropical leaves, looking like an answered prayer in the golden sunshine. I smile, thrilled by the leap, the speed, the freedom of letting go.
Kit doesn’t cede the edge of the platform, instead opening his strong arms and widening his stance. My eyes go wide as I realize he’s not teasing.
“Kit, what are you doing??” I squeal. My core aches as I try to turn my body, as if I can stop my momentum.
It’s no use.
I crash into him with an unseemly grunt, and he wraps his arms around me as he staggers back to absorb the hit. I squeeze my eyes shut, terrified of the fall. We stop moving with a jolt, Kit swearing with the impact.
Then it all slows down. Kit’s back is flat against the tree trunk, and he’s breathing hard. He readjusts his grip on me, pulling my legs around his waist. His fingers sink into the bare flesh of my thighs. I press my palms into the bark on either side of his head, my body shaking with breaths too big for my lungs.
“Andie,” he says in a low voice, just for the two of us, “you did it.”
I force my eyes open so I can see the light in his. The sunlight turns them caramel underneath thick eyelashes. I lick my lips. “I can’t believe you caught me.”
His smile crinkles the corners of his eyes. “I told you I would.”
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“No.” As if to emphasize his point, his hands slide ever closer to my ass. One of his fingers dips under the hem of my shorts.
My traitorous hand leaves the tree to rest on his bulging biceps. I gasp when our skin meets—he’s trembling. Not because he’s struggling to hold me, though. He hasn’t moved since I plastered him to the tree trunk.
“I’m proud of you.” His smile gives way to a serious look, his eyes falling to my mouth.
My hand slides from his biceps to his chest, where his heart rages against my palm.
Gravity pulls my face toward his, ready to cross every line I put in place to keep myself safe.
The truth of the matter is, even though I’m at a standstill, I’m still falling.
When our mouths are close enough that Kit’s warm breath skims across my lips, the plastic of our helmets clacks together. Stunned, my eyes find his. Then he laughs. It’s open and full and vibrating between my legs.
To cover the wave of heat that just rocketed through me, I snort out a laugh too. Remembering where we are and what we’re doing—namely that we’re filming a reality TV show—I attempt a joke for levity. “Is that a Montblanc in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
Kit laughs harder, throwing his head back so his helmet scrapes against the tree trunk. It exposes the lines of his neck, and heat slices through me anew. His fingers dig into my thighs with a delicious bite. If there wasn’t a camera crew, I’d be shamelessly grinding against him any second now.
Kit gives my ass a playful swat, ducking his head to press his lips to my cheek. With a sound that’s half grunt, half frustrated growl, he puts me down. His hands hold me close, so every bit of my body slides against every bit of his. The hem of my shirt creeps up when it catches on his fingers.
He meets my gaze with the intensity of the tropical sun as he slowly, deliberately pulls the hem of my shirt back down. When we step apart, I’m shocked by how cold I feel. My whole body wants to tuck back into his, where the world is quiet and still.
Kit breaks the spell with a pat on my helmet, shooting me a knowing look. “You did good, sweet potato.”
FIRST LOOK AT FOREVER
SEASON THREE
EPISODE FOUR
PRODUCER:
What happened between you two earlier? On the zip line course?
KIT:
[smiling] She jumped.
PRODUCER:
Was she not going to?
KIT:
She’s afraid of heights.
PRODUCER:
But you talked her into it.
KIT:
[shrugs] We made a deal.
PRODUCER:
Right, the pencil. Do you feel any closer to Andie now than you did a few days ago?
KIT:
I think … it’s hard for her to trust me.
PRODUCER:
Do you have any plans right now?
KIT:
[heavy sigh] I have no idea what to do. Anyone got any ideas?
[Crew laughing off camera]
FIRST LOOK AT FOREVER
SEASON THREE
EPISODE FOUR
PRODUCER:
Do you want to tell me what happened between you and Kit after zip lining?
ANDIE:
Nothing, really.
PRODUCER:
Did you get your pencil?
ANDIE:
[narrows her eyes] I can’t tell if you’re trying to make it a euphemism, but yes, he kept his end of the deal.
PRODUCER:
Do you think there’s a chance you could fall in love?
ANDIE:
Again? [frowns] I … don’t know.
PRODUCER:
So you were in love with him before.
ANDIE:
Sometimes I think it was love. Sometimes I think he was who was there when I needed to lean on someone.
PRODUCER:
Is there a difference?
ANDIE:
[stares contemplatively in the distance]