the slope. She’d never prayed, not to anyone other than Max
anyway. There were perks inherent in having an angel as a brother,
but she felt a small prayer on the edge of her lips. A prayer to
keep her heart.
“So tell me again, why am I following you to the
edge of a cliff?” Subtlety wasn't her style.
He stopped abruptly and she slammed into him, but
this time gravity took over and he was scrambling down the slope,
fast. No. This couldn't be happening. Lifting up her dress,
she ran down the slope. She could see every jutted rock on the
ground, every tangle of brush, and the rushing cliff waiting to
meet them.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” Jake cursed, trying not to fall
on his ass, scrambling to get a hold of a branch, an outstretch
limb that to Gabby seemed to move away from him.
Fuck it. She lunged at him at an angle, so
instead of dropping past the edge of the cliff, they skidded
sideways to a narrow clearing and fell in a tangled heap. They
rolled once and came to a stop with him on top of her, cradling her
head, his arms under her waist, drawing her close.
His chest was against hers, and she could feel the
pounding of his heart. He was human. He had to be.
“You saved my life,” he whispered.
For a brief moment everything grew quiet. The sounds
of the forest receded. Nothing mattered but him. And then he leaned
in and kissed her.
A bolt of energy coursed through her. She opened her
mouth to him, feeling the heat of him, his tongue rimming her lips.
Unable to deny him, she dug her hands in his hair, pressing him
harder. She wanted him, needed to feed off of his heat, his energy,
his passion. He pulled away and trailed his finger along the hollow
of her neck, his eyes taking in all of her, breathing her in.
Steady vibrations coursed through her, from the tips of her fingers
to the pit of her stomach.
His finger slid along her chin, her face, and into
her hair. Her breathing calmed, and she felt her insides tense. His
dark hair fell in loose curls around his perfect face, his green
eyes seemed to sparkle in the waning light, and his perfect body
pressed her into the ground.
“You better get off me before I suffocate,” she
said, though her lack of breathing didn't have anything to do with
his weight. He stood up and took her hand, helping her on her feet.
She smoothed out her dress which was now a mess.
“Thanks,” he said.
“For what?”
“Saving my life.”
She almost laughed out loud. It wasn't her job to
save lives, that was Max's job. But she found she couldn't move—
she couldn't speak.
“This is the part where you say you're welcome,” he
added.
“Yeah, um, it didn't really dawn on me that I was
saving your life.” Yeah, that went well. “I mean, yeah, I woulda,
but...” Jumping off the cliff seemed easier than this.
His lips curled into a smile. He so knew he was
getting to her. She was glad when he turned and took a few steps to
the cliff edge. Gabby followed. The view was breathtaking. They
were above the river. The waves crashed against the cliff. The
spray of water hung thick in the air. It felt clean.
“It's beautiful,” Gabby managed.
“I'm jumping it tomorrow.”
Chapter Eleven
A Warning
The expression on Gabby’s face was priceless. Jake
would've taken a snapshot if he’d been quick enough with his
phone.
“What?” she asked.
He scratched his chin, leaned over the cliff, and
examined the landscape. The river lay beyond a seven hundred foot
drop, where the land met the water in a shape of a steep bowl. “I'm
jumping off of it.”
She shook her head. “You're nuts!”
“It's called base jumping. I jump with a chute and
glide the river.”
Still shaking her head, she opened her mouth to say
something, but then closed it.
Not the reaction he expected and it pulled on his
heartstrings. She cared about him. Leaning into her, he planted a
deep kiss on her soft
anyway. There were perks inherent in having an angel as a brother,
but she felt a small prayer on the edge of her lips. A prayer to
keep her heart.
“So tell me again, why am I following you to the
edge of a cliff?” Subtlety wasn't her style.
He stopped abruptly and she slammed into him, but
this time gravity took over and he was scrambling down the slope,
fast. No. This couldn't be happening. Lifting up her dress,
she ran down the slope. She could see every jutted rock on the
ground, every tangle of brush, and the rushing cliff waiting to
meet them.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” Jake cursed, trying not to fall
on his ass, scrambling to get a hold of a branch, an outstretch
limb that to Gabby seemed to move away from him.
Fuck it. She lunged at him at an angle, so
instead of dropping past the edge of the cliff, they skidded
sideways to a narrow clearing and fell in a tangled heap. They
rolled once and came to a stop with him on top of her, cradling her
head, his arms under her waist, drawing her close.
His chest was against hers, and she could feel the
pounding of his heart. He was human. He had to be.
“You saved my life,” he whispered.
For a brief moment everything grew quiet. The sounds
of the forest receded. Nothing mattered but him. And then he leaned
in and kissed her.
A bolt of energy coursed through her. She opened her
mouth to him, feeling the heat of him, his tongue rimming her lips.
Unable to deny him, she dug her hands in his hair, pressing him
harder. She wanted him, needed to feed off of his heat, his energy,
his passion. He pulled away and trailed his finger along the hollow
of her neck, his eyes taking in all of her, breathing her in.
Steady vibrations coursed through her, from the tips of her fingers
to the pit of her stomach.
His finger slid along her chin, her face, and into
her hair. Her breathing calmed, and she felt her insides tense. His
dark hair fell in loose curls around his perfect face, his green
eyes seemed to sparkle in the waning light, and his perfect body
pressed her into the ground.
“You better get off me before I suffocate,” she
said, though her lack of breathing didn't have anything to do with
his weight. He stood up and took her hand, helping her on her feet.
She smoothed out her dress which was now a mess.
“Thanks,” he said.
“For what?”
“Saving my life.”
She almost laughed out loud. It wasn't her job to
save lives, that was Max's job. But she found she couldn't move—
she couldn't speak.
“This is the part where you say you're welcome,” he
added.
“Yeah, um, it didn't really dawn on me that I was
saving your life.” Yeah, that went well. “I mean, yeah, I woulda,
but...” Jumping off the cliff seemed easier than this.
His lips curled into a smile. He so knew he was
getting to her. She was glad when he turned and took a few steps to
the cliff edge. Gabby followed. The view was breathtaking. They
were above the river. The waves crashed against the cliff. The
spray of water hung thick in the air. It felt clean.
“It's beautiful,” Gabby managed.
“I'm jumping it tomorrow.”
Chapter Eleven
A Warning
The expression on Gabby’s face was priceless. Jake
would've taken a snapshot if he’d been quick enough with his
phone.
“What?” she asked.
He scratched his chin, leaned over the cliff, and
examined the landscape. The river lay beyond a seven hundred foot
drop, where the land met the water in a shape of a steep bowl. “I'm
jumping off of it.”
She shook her head. “You're nuts!”
“It's called base jumping. I jump with a chute and
glide the river.”
Still shaking her head, she opened her mouth to say
something, but then closed it.
Not the reaction he expected and it pulled on his
heartstrings. She cared about him. Leaning into her, he planted a
deep kiss on her soft
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