Oslo Overtures (8 page)

Anjelica leaned against her car, and Kyle flopped beside her, pressing his back against the hard metal. Alone at last, but he didn’t have much time. “So…you and Erick…you’re pretty close?”

She swept the hair away from her face. “We’ve known each other a long, long time. We’re practically family.”

Practically family? How? Like brother and sister? Husband and wife? He wasn’t getting the answers he sought. Perhaps he didn’t want to delve too deep. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her while he still had the chance.

Instead, he leaned over, unzipped Luke’s bag and pulled out her paperback. He looked at it for one last time.

“My book.” Smiling, she reached for it. Their fingers touched. “I was worried I’d lost it.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to tell you all day that I had it…to give it back to you…but we haven’t exactly had time alone for me to do that.” He clung to the novel, reluctant to let it go. Reluctant to let her go.

She looked up at him with those big blue eyes, and Kyle knew he was about to lose his resolve. He moved closer, bringing his face down to hers.

“Whoop!”

Their heads snapped up in unison at the shouts of Luke and Erick in the distance. They watched first one, then another body tumble from the rooftop. Moments later, colorful chutes opened, like a double rainbow after the storm.

Should he claim a kiss in their remaining seconds alone?

Kyle released his hold on
The Lucky One
and took a step back.

~*~

Regaining custody of her paperback, Anjelica watched Kyle’s kiss slip away as he withdrew. Nooo…

What wretched timing.

Couldn’t the guys have waited a few more minutes before jumping?

She should just grab Kyle and kiss him anyway, take the lead like she’d done all day. If only she were that brave. “There goes the peace and quiet.” Anjelica unlocked her car and opened the door. “I should get the engine ready to roll, just in case they’re pursued.”

“Do you think that’ll happen?”

“I doubt it. There’s not much pursuing happening tonight.” Would he know she no longer spoke of their friends?

Flicking her hair back, she hopped inside, slid the key into the ignition and turned it. The car roared to life then settled into a purr as Erick and Luke touched down in the drop zone, much to the surprise of those taking a late stroll in the park. She stared through the windshield as they gathered up their chutes and sprinted toward the car.

Without a word, Kyle slipped into the back seat, leaving the front open for Erick as he’d done on their journey into the city.

She felt her seat move. Kyle grasped each side and leaned forward, his breath warm against her ear. “I’m sorry, Anjelica.”

“For what?” she snapped.

He breathed deep. “For kissing you last night…for my comment the night we met…for everything I’ve done to offend you.”

She swallowed hard, torn between fury, hurt, and confusion. Her knuckles tightened around the steering. She didn’t move. “I don’t know what you think you know about me, but you really should take the time to find out before blowing me off with a kiss.”
Or no kiss.

The doors flew open on the other side of the car. This conversation was over. For now. But she’d get to the bottom of his reluctance. Clearly, he was attracted to her. Something prevented him from taking the next step. Only one answer kept surfacing. Erick.

~*~

For the second night in a row, sleep eluded Kyle. He couldn’t get Anjelica out of his mind. She’d looked so beautiful tonight—like a field of cosmos shrouded in mist. And how cute was she with her fake tummy? He could’ve kissed her right there and then. It had taken all his strength to stop at sliding his arm into hers. It startled him how soon he’d forgotten the pastor’s advice, and his own convictions. He’d come so close to kissing her at the car. What would’ve happened if they’d not been interrupted by Luke and Erick’s jump? He huffed and rolled over again, fluffing his pillow once more.

“Sheppard…try counting sheep,” Luke moaned. Sleep thickened his voice. “I can’t go without shuteye for another night.”

Kyle rolled onto his back, shoved his arms behind his head, and looked up into the darkness. He’d think about home with its rolling green sheep-laden hills.

One. Two. Three…ninety-nine…

This wasn’t working. The fluffy white animals had become tiny white squirrels that flew through the air, long blond hair swirling smoothly in the air like a photograph of a babbling brook taken on long exposure.

Anjelica.

He’d put his foot in it again. She’d seemed upset with him on the drive home. But why? He’d apologized, done the right thing by exercising restraint.

Had she wanted him to kiss her?

Before the sun set on yet another day, he’d find time alone with her, ask her why.

8

Early that morning, Anjelica drove herself to the airfield. The air was cooler than it had been since they’d arrived. She felt a pang of regret that the heat wave seemed to be passing.

Jeremy was there, preparing for the day’s flocking practice, and she ran her idea by him.

As they walked toward the Skyvan, excitement welled inside her like the rising sun. How would she contain herself and not give anything away before the flight? She turned to him. “So you really think it’s a good idea?”

“Angel, I think your idea is brilliant. I’m peeved at myself for not thinking of it first. A flickering star at the top of the tree…” He turned to her and pinched her cheeks lightly. “Brilliant.”

“Jeremy, let’s keep this between us. If Erick or Kyle gets wind of this, they might not approve. Let me show them what I can do.”

“Of course. But are you confident you can pull this off? I don’t want you putting your life in danger.”

“Absolutely! Barrel rolls are one of my favorite moves. I’ve practically rolled down the cliffs of Stryn.”

Jeremy laughed. “You mean flew down with barrel rolls? If you rolled down in the sky, like you’d do on a grassy hill, you’d be dead.” His eyes widened. He put his hand to his mouth. “Oh, Angel, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… Kristoff must still be a sensitive issue.”

Anjelica’s chest tightened. Offering a weak smile, she put her hand out, grasped Jeremy’s and squeezed. “It’s OK.”

They walked the rest of the way to the plane in silence. The area was deserted except for the aircraft pilots and ground crew.

“I’ll wait inside the cabin for the team to arrive. I needed to get here early to run this by you.”

“They’ll be along in thirty minutes.” He walked on toward the cockpit door. “Angel,” he called over his shoulder. “If you’re not comfortable with this, you don’t have to do it.”

“No. I want to. I’m ready.” As was the plane. Ready and waiting. Anjelica jumped inside and flopped down on the floor, propping herself up against the cold metal side.
Lord, help me do this right. Keep me safe.

The thirty minutes spent in prayer went by too fast. At the sound of approaching voices, she opened her eyes.
Amen.

One by one, the members of the three international teams in their group filled the cabin. Anjelica greeted them as they boarded, waiting for that familiar face—the one she was still a little mad at, who’d short-changed her out of a kiss last night. When she saw him coming closer, her anger vanished like the mist that had hung over the runway when she’d arrived. She greeted Kyle and Luke as they took their places beside her.

“Angel. Thanks again for last night. That was great.” Luke beamed as if he were the rising sun himself.

Kyle elbowed him in the ribs. “Maskil, watch what you’re saying,” he whispered. “Do you realize how that could be misinterpreted? You’re putting Anjelica’s reputation at risk.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

Seated beside them, Anjelica heard every muffled word.

Eyes wide, Luke curled his bottom lip down and shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry…”

She wasn’t sure if the apology was directed at her, or Kyle.

Kyle turned to the team. “Guys, give a hand to Luke and Erick for sneaking onto the roof of the Plaza Hotel last night and completing a successful BASE jump. One more thing to tick off Luke’s Norwegian bucket list before we go home to New Zealand.”

A round of applause rose inside the cabin.

“And they couldn’t have done it without the help of an Angel.” Kyle gestured to Anjelica and began to clap his hands. Applause rose again, along with whistles and cheers.

“Thank you,” Anjelica mouthed to Kyle.

He tipped his head at her before sliding his helmet on.

She followed his lead.

Soon the green light blinked and the belly of the plane opened. Time for this little star to shine.

The flight couldn’t have been more smooth or perfect. With the entire flocking group’s positions established and the drop zone coming into view, Anjelica knew it was time. She checked her altimeter. Three barrel rolls at a safe enough height before deployment, but low enough for those on the ground to see her as a flickering star. That’s what she and Jeremy had agreed upon to start with. Tomorrow she’d start at a slightly higher altitude and try for five.

She closed both arm wings partially before twisting her torso and legwing to the right. Her body tumbled around. The first rotation complete, she reopened her wings, and checked her altimeter. Still good.

Stabilizing for a few seconds, she repeated the action a second time, then a third with plenty of time to spare. She was tempted to try for a fourth roll when a black shadow swooped beneath her.

What was Kyle doing, taking lead position?

Anjelica swallowed hard. She guessed that was his way of saying he was not impressed.

He closed one arm wing and rolled over onto his back, re-opening the wing. The movement was fluid from years of practice—not a flicker of instability. Anjelica was sure his eyes burned as dark as the shades that covered them. He rolled back into position and clicked his legs together three times before breaking away from the group.

Safely away from the others, he deployed his chute. It was black, like his wingsuit, and it floated down to earth like an ominous cloud.

~*~

Kyle fumed as he waited for her to land. He bulldozed his way to her as she pulled in her chute.

Anjelica yanked off her helmet, loosened her ponytail, and shook her head, allowing her hair to flow free. A gentle breeze tousled several strands, making them take flight. Everything about her was soft. Everything except that icy stare. Same look she’d given the first time he met her.

The best form of defense was attack, and Kyle intended to get in first. So, she was mad. He was madder. “What do you think you were doing up there?”

She dropped her chute and helmet and shoved her hands on her hips. “Let me see, last time I checked, I think they called them barrel rolls. I would think that someone of your caliber would know what they were.”

Kyle took the last few strides until they stood inches apart. “I know what they are. Let me tell you what they aren’t... They aren’t in the flight plan.”

“They are now. And tomorrow, there’ll be more.” She bent over to retrieve her gear.

He wasn’t about to let her dismiss him this quickly. He placed his hand firmly around her arm. “Do you realize that maneuver requires a huge level of control and skill?”

“And you think I don’t possess such control?”

From what he saw, she probably did, but he wasn’t about to capitulate. “Still, it has to be second nature. There’s no room for instability, no room for error.”

“Was I unstable in my performance?”

She wasn’t, and Kyle could tell she knew that. So did he. Still holding her arm, he took a step closer. “You can’t fly—”

Her eyes flashed. “I can’t? Why? Because the skies aren’t pink today?” She yanked free of his grip, grabbed her gear, and marched off before he could stop her. “Argh.”

You can’t fly like that, I meant.
Why had he allowed her to cut him off and assume what he was going to say? Kyle caught up in a few strides. He reached for her. At his touch, she swung around. Before she could argue with him any further, he’d dropped his chute and wrapped her in his arms.

Like the first time, she responded fully to his kiss. But this time, she didn’t run away.

~*~

Anjelica lost herself in Kyle’s kiss, determined to claim what she’d been denied. She didn’t care who looked on as she wrapped her arms around him, feeling the strength of his back beneath his wingsuit, and the softness of his hair as her fingers trailed the strands. Her cheek bore the brunt of his stubble, but she took no notice. It was pain with a beautiful gain.

She breathed in deep. Was he wearing cologne? Had he put it on especially for her?

A moan escaped his lips. He pulled away. Closing his eyes, he turned his head.

Anjelica felt her desire turn to ire. This wasn’t a game. She wasn’t some daisy to be plucked, its petals thoughtlessly discarded.
I’ll kiss her. I’ll kiss her not. I’ll kiss her…

Faster than an adder, her hand struck his cheek.

His eyes flew open and his gaze bored into hers—the depths of the earth meeting the highest heavens. Kyle rubbed his cheek. “What was that for?”

“I’m tired of playing games. Make up your mind what you want, because I’m done tip-toeing on the edge of romance. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve a plane to catch, an act to perform.” With her head held high, she turned and strode away.

~*~

Kyle was confused. Had she just confessed, in a manner of speaking, to being interested in being romanced by him?

But what about Erick?

Leaving his chute on the ground, he ran after her. He needed to kiss first, ask questions later, or he was going to lose her. For the second time, he stopped her in her tracks. This time his grip on her tightened, afraid she’d slip away again. His mouth came down harder, with more passion than he knew he possessed. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? When he’d finished kissing her, he nuzzled his face into her hair, ignoring the whistles and cheers from passing wingsuiters. Could he trust himself to speak? He had to let her know how he felt. “If I fly on the wings of the dawn you are there…”