Chasing Air (11 page)

Finally, he knew her story. It all made sense to him. She was in witness protection. He needed her to trust him to keep her safe while he put together a plan to take out Donati.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Present time...

“Thank you for the wine. I needed to relax.”

“I’m glad you’re here, regardless of the reason that brought you back to me.” He brushed the stray curls behind her ear. It was a tender gesture and she didn’t turn away.

He opened a beer and sat down beside her on the couch. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Brody’s got a crush on your girl, you know.” He gave her a sheepish smile.

“She needs someone like him to protect her. Such a beautiful girl. Why do guys think they can just beat women up?”

“I don’t know, babe. It happens more than any of us know, that I’m certain.”

Makenzie put her head down on a pillow in his lap. He threaded his fingers playfully through her long dark hair.
As long as I’m breathing, I won’t tire of touching her
, he thought to himself.

It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. He slipped out from under her to grab a quick shower. While in the shower, he heard a noise and killed the water. She was screaming. He grabbed the towel off the sink as he ran to her and found that she was having a nightmare.
Damn the man that hurt her
, he cursed to himself.

“
Makenzie, you’re safe with me. You’re safe, sweetie, wake up.” He wanted to touch her, but had been trained to avoid touching until the person became fully awake. He wasn’t certain if that was the best advice, but he didn’t know what else to do except to talk to her.

Once she was awake, she tried to brush it off. “Bad dream, sorry to scare the shit outta you.” She tried unsuccessfully to laugh it off. “I’d have done it sooner if I knew I could get a look at you in a towel.”

He knew what she was doing so he played along. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs and into bed.”

“I want to sleep with you. Get me a t-shirt.”

“Okay, sure.” Looking straight into her dark brown eyes, he recognized the stubborn look from the first night he met her. She meant business. He settled her in his bathroom with everything she would need for her shower and found her a t-shirt.

He pondered taking another shower himself, a very cold one. It was going to be difficult to sleep with her and not make love to her.

He loved her. He was certain of that. He was grateful that she was there with him, safe.

When she came out of the bathroom, he was already in bed with his iPad, just reading. She climbed in bed and snuggled up beside him, without talking. He held her. The room was quiet, it was what they didn’t say that spoke the most. He turned out the light and held her in his arms until they both succumbed to a deep slumber.

She remembered him muttering something about “my girl” right before she drifted off to sleep.

***

When Ryler woke up the next morning, it was to an empty bed. However, he could hear Makenzie in his kitchen humming. He stood at the doorway wearing only his blue silk pajama pants and watched in admiration of her gorgeous legs extending out from his t-shirt while she was making breakfast. She seemed more rested and energetic than the day before.

“Good morning, my girl.” He beamed. “What’s the news today?”

“Rachel is being transferred to a private room today and the hospital arranged for private security. She doesn’t know that he’s in custody, but I hope you’re right and have the correct asshole locked up.” She let a heavy, cast iron skillet slam against the stove out of frustration. “They’re expecting you this morning for her statement. The staff said she had a good night and Brody stayed with her. That’s a secret, we aren’t supposed to know that.” She smiled big at him.

“I love that smile of yours. Glad to see it back. Hey, you look great in my t-shirt, but, do you have anything on under it?” He was teasing her seductively, as he approached her slowly.

“Hmm, no. But don’t get any ideas, mister.” She put her finger in his face. He simply pulled her hand down and lifted her on the bar and kissed her.

“I like mornings with you. You taste deliciously like oranges.” He licked her lips.

“That’s because I just ate your last one,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

“What’s the plan for today?” He looked into her dark brown eyes and saw life glimmering back at him, finally.

“I don’t have one. I took the next two days off to work on my lecture, but I finished it early so I’m free and I think I like it,” she smiled. He noticed the twinkle in her eyes as she spoke, the sadness gone for the moment.

“Then spend the time with me. If you want, you can join me while I get Rachel’s statement. Having you there would be calming for her. I’ll work the rest of the morning at the station and then take some time off. Sound good?” He ran his finger up and down her arm and she shivered at the connection.

“I need to go home to change. I just realized my car is still at the hospital.”

“I’ll take you. I had you captive, but I think I behaved, didn’t I? So that should score me some points?”

“Um hm, the perfect gentleman, I suppose.” She winked at him.

“Suppose, my ass. Do you know how hard it was on me last night?” He sighed.

He wanted her. It
had taken everything he had not to make love to her the night before, to spend time relishing in every inch of her flesh, to taste her, to take her over the edge and back again.

He finally had the woman he craved in his bed and all she wanted was to be held. He realized that making a move would only send her running away. He was certain that she wanted him, but he needed her to trust him even more. He knew the rest would happen in due time.

They went back to the loft for her to change and grab her things. His mind drifted to the sight of her in his t-shirt, naked underneath. The thought made him stiff in his jeans.
Get your mind off it man
, he uttered to himself.

“Hey, whatcha say we do something fun and completely challenging this afternoon?” He shouted out to her while she was getting dressed.

“Sure, what do you have in mind?”

“Skydiving.”
He heard a loud crash. “Mak, you okay?”

No response.

“Makenzie?”

Silence.

He ran to find her standing in her bathroom naked, and even more beautiful than he had fantasized. The crash he heard was her makeup hitting the floor. Her eyes were big and her face set like stone. She just stared at him.

“God, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined.” He was in awe of her in all of her unpretentious glory, naked in front of him.

“Did you say skydiving?” She was singly-focused and completely unaware of what he had spoken.

“You’ve got a banging’ body, Makenzie. I can’t wait to touch you, taste you.” He tried to tease her, but he knew she wasn’t listening by the way she stared off into space.

“Skydiving? Answer me, is that what you said?”

He laughed out loud and pulled her in to him. His kisses left her breathless. She tossed the cosmetics she was clutching onto the counter and scrunched her hands in his hair. Her kiss back fueled his craving even deeper.

She was feeling her own heat rise even higher. Her skin prickled at his touch. Every nerve she had in her body was completely stimulated.

Ryler reached down and grabbed her legs, cradling her in his arms as he carried her to the bed. He hovered over her while he stroked the curve of her breast with his finger and his lips traced down her neck in restrained hunger.

His teeth nibbled bites on her chin, her lips, leaving a stimulated trail. She moaned against his advances with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He traced the outline of her lips with his tongue, dragged his finger down the hollow of her throat. Her body reacted to his touch with a racing pulse, chased by tremors. She was on fire.

With eyes wide in excitement, she smiled, “I want more.”

“More?” he questioned.

“Yes, I want more of you.”

“Music to my ears,” he said while giving her a cocky grin.

With permission granted, he explored her body, instilling pleasure with every nip, kiss, or touch. He tasted her and was hooked on a sweetness he’d never known before. He took his time pleasuring her. He didn’t want the experience rushed.

What he would have given to have protection with him to be able to have her completely, but at that moment he made certain she was satisfied.

Makenzie was completely dazed in bliss. The way he made her feel, the pleasure he provided, took her body to a whole new realm she had only read about. Completely unselfish sexual gratification he gave to her. As she rested in his arms completely sated, she was curious why he only gave her pleasure and took none for his own. “What if I still want more?” She teased him.

He ran his finger quickly down her nose. “Greedy girl, aren’t you? More will come later, I promise. First, we have that errand to run before we go have some fun. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about skydiving and you’re not using sex to get out of going. It’s a perfect day for it. You’ll thank me later.”

“I can’t. I’m afraid of heights,” she said, pouting.

“I don’t care, you’ll get over it. You’re safe with me,” he said while trying to pacify her.

He prodded her off the bed and rubbed her rear end. “Get dressed, we need to get a move on.” He figured he’d have to urge her or she would’ve dragged her feet because she didn’t want to go. He guessed she would’ve used sex to stall if she had to.

He made the call while she dressed and scheduled their dive. He knew she would love it after it was over. It was a huge gamble, because if she didn’t, she was going to murder him.

After the jump, he had planned an evening of seduction and she would finally be his.

***

With the statement from Rachel completed naming her ex-boyfriend
as the assailant, Ryler was able to file formal charges and work to see to it that he was tried in court and put away for a long time. Rachel tried to come to grips with what had happened, but as long as she faced full recovery, Makenzie could relax a bit and the hospital could release the security. With a room full of family, Makenzie and Ryler excused themselves.

“I’ll be back shortly to pick you up. Don’t try to hide or run out on me, or I’ll use all tactics to find you. Skydiving is the most exhilarating thing you can do. It sets you completely free, you’ll see.”

“Ry...” He shushed her with a kiss.

“You asked for more, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“Two hours tops, Makenzie, and then you’re all mine.” He whistled as he left her.

Time to make some plans, he thought, as he rubbed his scruffy chin. He phoned a friend. “Hey, it’s Ryler. I need a favor. Can you provide a private room for me tonight?” He paused while listening to the party on the other end. “Yes, she’s very special, but I’m the lucky one.” He smiled with personal satisfaction knowing that by the end of the night, Makenzie would be melting in his hands in a very good way.

When he knocked on Makenzie’s office door two hours later, she was waiting with baited breath, her body full of nerves. She had hoped he was just kidding and had something else completely different planned, like a picnic in the park, something safe, and on the ground.

Was she ever wrong.

The drive to the airport was quick, which didn’t give her long to dread her fate. “Have you even done this before?”

“Eh, a time or two?” He sported a cocky grin on his face.

“How many times, exactly?”

“Too many times to count. I’m a certified Master Skydiver. My brother and I own the company. We also own a private air charter service for business travel.”

“Just great, the two of you against one. Just my freakin’ luck,” she said.

Makenzie was just about to flip out when Ryler’s brother, Trey, came out to Ryler’s car to greet them.

“Hey, pretty lady. You letting this old geezer talk you into jumping out of
a perfectly good airplane?” The guys laughed, but she didn’t even smile.

“Well, some things remain to be seen.” She gave them both the gritty eye.

“Come on, we’ll fill out your health questionnaire and go through a short training session first,” Trey said as he led the way.

“I bet you love this and become addicted,” Ryler called to her.

“I’ll take that bet,” she countered with an almost hateful bark.

“Fine. Loser picks up dinner.”

“You know I’m only doing this because you challenged me, right.”

“Um, hm. We’ll see.”

After the training session was over, the three of them boarded the plane with another couple. Everyone was experienced jumpers except for Makenzie. She and Ryler were going to do a tandem jump, fastened together with just one parachute that he controlled.

The plane reached 12,000 feet and Trey opened the door. Makenzie was absolutely terrified. Her stomach rolled over in a heap of nausea. She wanted to cry but she couldn’t give Ryler the satisfaction.

Ryler held her face in his hands and shouted over the plane’s engine, “You told me once that you felt like you were always chasing air. Let’s go chase air together. Ready?” He kissed her sweetly.

Trey was the first to jump so that he could video. When Ryler pushed them out of the plane, Makenzie screamed and squealed and before she realized it, she was experiencing the most freedom she’d ever known and the best ten minutes of her life... Chasing air, and chasing it with Ryler.