Exposed: Book One of The Love Seekers Series (24 page)

              “And that’s bad?”

              Emma sighed heavily. “Have you ever met someone that simply annoyed you by doing nothing more than opening their mouth? That’s him. Adam is…well, Adam. I could actually take myself to the doctor, but for whatever reason, my parents have asked him to take me when Ellie can’t. I think they’re afraid I’ll withhold information from them or something. I promise, I’ll call them tomorrow and as soon as they get off the phone with me, they’ll call whomever took me to the appointment and verified everything the doctor said.”

              “Got it. That’s kind of…” This time I paused to figure out the right word.

              “Annoying, irritating?” She supplied for me.

              I laughed. “Pretty much. Okay then. How about tomorrow afternoon?”

              “Why?”

              “Just asking.”

              “Depending on the doc and how many appointments, but I’m usually beat after my appointments and have to take a nap. Curley lies down with me and we cuddle.”

              Her smile took my breath away. Why did the image of her and me cuddling with her dog pop into my head? No, she was not my type. Trying to ignore the image and forget it, I cleared my throat and asked, “What time is your appointment?”

              “8:30.”

              “Would you be able to rest up and be up to doing something at say…around three in the afternoon?”

              “I guess. Why?” She seemed suspicious, and she had every right to be. I barged into her house unannounced, and now I was trying to make plans with her.

              I winked. “It’s a surprise.” She’d gone to a barbecue where she knew only two people, the same two people who showed up drastically late, she was attempting to push herself and her boundaries, and she helped me to loosen up. This was the most I’ve been since my plane landed. I wanted to do something for her. From one friend to another.

              She let a couple of minutes pass before she relented. “Fine. How should I dress?”

              “Casually. We’re gonna go out and have some fun.”

              Snickering, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Got it. As long as you don’t get me arrested, we’ll be fine. I mean if I need to help you hide a body, make sure we’re far enough away from any major roads, and we have to be way out in the country. A cornfield is best.” Her smile grew and became blinding. Or maybe that was her.

              This woman had listened to my gripes and kept making me laugh. “Nothing as dramatic as that…yet. I won’t completely rule it out though.”

              “How long are you in town, Bryan?”

              “Three more days, and I’m not look forward to more ‘
family time’
.”

              “So, I’m your escape?” Her eyes sparkled as if she was up to a lot of mischief.

              “Maybe. It’s either this or kill Mel and Rayne. I figured you were the safer bet.”

              Clucking her tongue at me, she tilted her head to the side and informed with a straight face, “Don’t bet on it. I’m the last person they would suspect of being a mass murderer. I mean, why would they think a disabled person did it?”

              My head flew backwards, and I howled with laughter until my sides hurt. Trying to control my breathing in that moment was impossible. When I finally regained control of myself, I swiped at one of my eyes and told her, “That is so true. I’ll be sure to keep all sharp objects locked away when you’re near.”

              She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing my gaze there for a brief second, and retorted, “People can kill without sharp objects.”

              “Should I be worried?” I couldn’t stop laughing. This was probably the most outrageous conversation I had ever had with anyone in my life, and Emma and I had had some interesting ones—6 foot dicks and giants came to mind.

              “Possibly, but I like you, so you’re safe for now.”

              “Good to know, but I guess that means if I piss you off in the future, I should fear for my life? I better make sure my will and life insurance policies are both up to date.”

              She nodded with a smirk. “Pretty much.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she started giggling with me.

              It felt good to laugh. To relax and not worry about my parents, my sister, or anything else. If Emma lived on the West Coast, I might have considered exploring more than friendship with her, but she didn’t and I really liked our friendship.

              She was so different, and while I knew she had demons to vanquish, she was stronger than she knew. I admired her for that. I probably didn’t understand a tenth of what she dealt with, but the parts I had witnessed for myself, the parts I’d gotten to know, showed me that she had an inner strength which few people possessed. Having her life changed overnight, without warning, of being no longer able to do everything she loved to do, and to have to use walkers and canes, devices typically reserved for older people—I didn’t think I could have handled it like her. I flew into warzones without hesitation, but I knew I couldn’t handle an illness like hers as well as she did. And while I didn’t know how she acted all the time, in my eyes, she fought her disease with dignity and grace.

              Her phone chimed, pulling me from my musings. I saw what appeared to be disappointment flash across her face when she checked her phone. Seeing that expression, I lifted a brow in question and asked, “Something wrong?”

              “Huh? Oh. Curley is ready at the groomers. I need to pick him up soon. Do you want to come or…?” Her question dropped off and hung between us.

              I felt a small thrill knowing she didn’t want our time together to end, and tried to bury it. “Nah. I should drop by Mel’s house. Or is it her office at this time? Then I’m supposed to meet up with some friends and we’re going out tonight. But don’t forget about tomorrow.” Standing, I walked into the kitchen and threw my water bottle away and then strolled to the front door. I heard the clacking of her cane and knew she followed me. When I got to the door, I pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. I didn’t know why I did that, but it felt right. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

              “Tomorrow.” Her quiet voice followed me out before I shut the door behind me.

              I already anticipated the next time we would see each other and the expression on her face when she figured out my surprise. She deserved this, and to find the man of her dreams.

Chapter 24

Emma

Yesterday after Bryan left, I had a slight fangirl moment. I blushed, and touched the top of my head where he kissed me. It took me another thirty minutes before I composed myself and left to pick up Curley, who bounced off the walls as soon as I picked him up, and crashed as soon as we walked in the door. My poor dog got tuckered out at the groomers.

I kept thinking about his surprise. As I read, Bryan transformed into the book boyfriend, or if he didn’t, I compared him to the character in the book. As I worked on some of my writing, my male character started to resemble Bryan, and I had to erase him because this was a fanfiction based on a Japanese anime. Bryan in no way resembled an Asian person. As I cooked, as I brushed my teeth, as I showered, as I…everything. No matter what I did yesterday, I thought about Bryan and what he had up his sleeves, and I couldn’t wait for yesterday to end.

Today, I hadn’t been able to sit still at all. I bounced with nervous energy that my neuro–muscular specialist noticed immediately. “Are you all right? Do you have another appointment?” He treated my myasthenia gravis for me, and could tell with one glance my good days from my bad. Today was a good day.

“No. I’m just a little nervous about my labs,” I replied. It wasn’t a complete lie. The last time I had labs drawn, my white blood cell count, platelets, and few other numbers were out of normal range, and the doctor was slightly concerned. This time, he had me do bloodwork early so that he would have the results when I came in today. So, I hadn’t lied, however, I didn’t want to say anything about the real reason I seemed to be full of energy today. If I said anything about Bryan, his visit, or our future plans, blabbermouth Adam would have it spread across town before we left the doctor’s office.

My doctor smiled. “Don’t worry. They’re fine this time. I want you to be careful about the people you’re around. With your weakened immune system due to the autoimmune diseases and the medicines we have you on, it doesn’t take much for you to get sick.”

“I know.”

“Good. Then do you have any other issues?”

The rest of the appointment went textbook. He asked about issues. I told him about how the number of days I had to use a walker had increased. He did his normal exam, testing my reflexes and strength. And then he refilled the prescriptions he was in charge of and sent me to the front desk to schedule a follow–up in four months.

              Adam tried to ask me about my excess energy, but I refused to tell him a thing. I would not spill my guts to him, I hadn’t told anyone about my plans for the afternoon. I didn’t know what we were doing, and it was not a date. So what was there to tell? This was two friend who were going to go out and have a good time. Nothing else could be seen or read into the situation.

              If only my racing heart agreed.

              The moment he arrived and helped me into his navy blue Jeep Wrangler, my palms began to sweat, and my heart felt like it would either beat out of my chest, or race up my throat and out of my mouth. And that all happened before he blindfolded me. To enhance the experience, make my anticipation grow, and prevent me from guessing our destination too soon, he tied a black blindfold over my eyes and temporarily took away my sight.

              No joke.

              Here we were racing down the highway and I couldn’t see anything. The top was off, the wind blew with force across my face, and I was as blind as a bat.

              I may have been blind, but everything else intensified without my sight. The feel of the wind blowing across my face, whipping my hair back and forth as strands beat me from the intensity, cooled my overheated skin. Sounds rushed by me, but odors surrounded me. Someone was cooking barbecue, a car needed some work because I could smell its exhaust, and I smelled Bryan. That clean and yet alluring fragrance tickled my nose.

              I trusted Bryan completely.

              The Jeep pulled to a stop, and I could hear something loud in the distance. A new smell assaulted my nose. It seemed familiar, and yet, I couldn’t quite place it. Something on the fringes of my memory tried to make sense of my surroundings, but the memory remained out of reach. “Bryan? Where are we?” Nervousness invaded my voice. I trusted him, and at the same time wanted answers.

              I heard the smile in his voice when he responded. “It’s a surprise, which by definition means I can’t tell you.”

              “A hint?”

              “You have all the hints I’m going to give by the sounds and smells in the air.”

              “Not fair.”

              “Life isn’t fair.” He chuckled. The sound of his deep baritone voice as smooth and silky as chocolate, enveloped me, and my breath caught in my throat. Was it wrong to want to forego our afternoon and return to my place for other activities? I didn’t think he would agree with my new agenda though.

              The vehicle shifted as I heard and felt him get out of the Jeep and walk somewhere. I heard his footsteps get further away and then closer, and then he appeared right next to me. His smell was even more pronounced than it was as we drove, and it made me want to breathe him in deeply, cementing the smell in my memory forever.

              “Ready?” He grabbed my left hand, giving it a squeeze.

              “For?” I prompted.

              His hand let mine go and he slid his arm behind my shoulders as the other one slid under my knees. “Hang on tight.” As he lifted me into his arms, I yelped and threw my arms around his neck.

              “Wait! What about my walker?” Since waking up earlier, my legs had been less than cooperative and forced me to use my walker today.

              “You won’t need it.”

              “But—”

              “Don’t worry so much. I got you covered.”

              My body hummed with his words. If only it were true in the more physical sense. I desperately needed to stop with my line of thinking. This crush was in no ways healthy for me.

              I breathed deeply again, in an attempt to calm myself and tried to reason with him again. “You can’t carry me all afternoon. I’m heavy and you’ll get tired. What if I have to stand or use the bathroom? Or what if—?

              “First, you’re not heavy. You have to stop putting yourself down. Second, I told you, I got you covered and I do. Just relax and enjoy.”

              His hard chest pressed against my side. I loosened my grip, but did not relinquish my hold around his neck. It felt too good to have his arms hold me close. I relaxed as much as I could, and gave him silent permission to carry me anywhere.

              And when he finally set me down in a chair and removed the blindfold, I found myself completely dumbfounded. My hands flew to my mouth as my eyes widened and I gasped. “Skydiving? Are you serious? Are we really going skydiving?”

              He wore the biggest smile on his face that I had ever seen on anyone, and nodded. “Yeah. I thought you might like to jump with me.”

              “Yes!” I almost threw myself at him, but behaved. Instead, I bounced in my chair unable to contain my excitement.

              “I thought you might.” He chuckled.

              “Who will I be strapped to?” I inquired, looking around the small room searching for another person.

              “Me.” The pink tinge on his cheeks deepened into a blush. He’d shaved since I’d seen him the day before, and he couldn’t hide his slight embarrassment from me.

              “You?”

              “Problem with that?” His tone didn’t sound as harsh as his words did, and even if it did, I wouldn’t have cared.

              Did I? Hell no. However, me strapped to him…my body found the prospect of such an occurrence pleasant, and a tingle built low in my body. “Uh, no. Not at all.”

              “Good.”

              “Can I trust you though? Do you have experience?” I taunted him, and almost laughed at his gobsmacked expression. “I mean, just because you know how to fly a plane, doesn’t mean you know how to jump out of one.”

              He leaned in closely so that our noses almost touched. “Honey, I’m fully trained to be a skydive instructor. You aren’t the only one that lives to get an adrenaline rush by jumping out of an airplane.”

              My jaw dropped and probably hit the floor. His smile was panty melting, and the way he called me honey ignited a fire deep within me. If he’d requested it, I would’ve stripped for him right then and there and begged him to take me. As it was, I tried my best to regain control over my body, but I didn’t think I succeeded. “You didn’t tell me that. You said you flew planes for your rush.” My tone sounded accusatory as I tried to distract myself from my sexual urges.

              “And I do, but I had to learn how to jump out of a plane for those situations that are classified as ‘in case of emergency’, and I liked it. So are we doing this or are you going to continue to ask questions and stall?”

              “Oh hell yes!” I wanted this more than ever before. My body sung with anticipation, the rush already building. Jumping out of a plane while strapped to a gorgeous man. It was a contender for best day ever.

***

Bryan

As we began our ascent into the air, Emma reminded me of a kid in a candy store who had just been told she could have anything and everything in the store. And seeing her face lit up, made arranging everything for our skydiving trip worth it.

When I had visited the day before, I never planned on asking her to go jumping out of an airplane with me. Hell, my original plan never included showing up at her house unannounced. But everything happened as I sat on her couch, laughing, relaxing, and having a good time, I asked about her plans before I could stop myself. When I blurted out my question, I thought,
‘Shit. Now what the fuck am I going to do?’
But before I panicked, I remembered one of our earlier conversations, and called one of my buddies as soon as I left her house. With his help, I arranged an afternoon of skydiving. I owed my friend for this one.

I knew she would love the surprise, and I didn’t mind carrying her from place to place. After she described how tired she got after her appointments, I figured she would have to use her walker today, and it only made sense to carry her. It would have gotten in the way. She couldn’t take it on the plane, nor could she jump with it. That said, I could picture her jumping with the walker, losing her grip on it, and the walker landing on some poor unsuspecting person, killing them in an instant.

With Emma, I felt at ease, like I could drop all pretense and be myself. I didn’t have anything to prove to her, and I certainly wasn’t her Prince Charming, but I wanted to do this for her. I had a desire within me to see her happy and smiling. I wanted her to be on top of the world…as a friend.

Strapped together for our tandem jump, we were ready to dive as soon as we reached our required altitude. When the altitude was achieved, the doors slid open, and we were given the signal to jump. Together we walked to the edge and began our free fall. Up there, nothing touched us except the air. Nothing bothered us. Our worries and cares fell away. It felt as if we could reach out and hold the world in the palm of our hands.

Wind rushed by, making our skin sink and flap with the pressure, but there was no other feeling in the world like the rush of skydiving, of seeing the land below you and the sky around you. Only up there, unhindered by windows or anything else, were we able to see what we missed with our feet planted on the Earth. Nothing held us back…we flew.