Freefall (Santa Cruz Skydivers Book 1) (13 page)

“This here is Andi. Andi, these are the Jump Boys.”

“Hi,” I greeted them with a little wave. “Jump boys? Don’t you guys have names, or are you like some 90s boy band?”

They all laughed. “Yep, just like the Backstreet Boys, only more kickass,” said the guy who first greeted Levi. If I hadn’t been so attracted to Levi, I probably wouldn’t have been able to take my eyes off him.

“These boys are trouble,” said Levi. “You don’t need to know their names. The less you know about them, the better.”

We all laughed. “Fair enough.”

The cutie gave Levi a little shove. “LJ, are you sure you’re not talking about yourself? Andi, I’m Steve. This here is Matt, and the redneck is Jason.”

I shook all of their hands, but couldn’t help notice the whole time Levi kept his arm wrapped around my waist.

“That’s enough of the niceties, boys. Andi and I have a little competition we need to finish.”

“You mean
I
need to finish,” I taunted him.

“In your dreams,” he replied.

Steve slapped Levi on the back. “We’ll leave you to it then. Catch you later, Andi. And don’t take any shit from this guy.”

“I don’t intend to.” I replied, smiling up at Levi.

The boys left and Levi bought me a Caprioska, and himself Budweiser.

“I think Steve was flirting with you.” Levi said as he passed me my drink.

“Ha ha, you’re so funny. I doubt that big time.” I wish I had the guts to tell him I didn’t care about Steve. I took a large mouthful of my drink. Double shot vodka. Even the sugar and lime juice couldn’t hide that.

Levi suddenly got serious. His eyes reflected the same emotions as earlier. “I’m sorry about before. You know, outside. I just have a few personal things going on. It’s difficult for me to talk about.” He necked his drink, nearly finishing it.

I reached out, took his free hand, and squeezed it. “Whenever you need to talk, I’m here.”

“Thanks, Andi, that means a lot.” He squeezed my hand back and we smiled at each other. Not like a joking kind of smile, but the kind of smile that touches your heart and makes you feel warm all over.

Levi took a step closer to me, closing the gap between us. Our bodies almost touched, eyes never breaking contact. He wrapped his arm around me, his hand resting on my lower back, and pulled me in tight. My heart began racing and I sucked in my breath, parting my lips ever so slightly. My eyes were drawn to his full lower lip.

“Levi, where you been, man?” Phil yelled, and came running up behind Levi, wrapping his arms around him in a bear hug and shook him side to side.

“Phil, you mother fucker, can’t you see I’m busy with Andi?”

Right now, I think I was about to kill Phil.

Phil stopped shaking Levi and looked at me over his shoulder. He was just slightly taller than Levi, but not as broad in the shoulders, and not nearly as good-looking. He let go of Levi and pushed him away.

“Andi! You came.” It was my turn for the rag doll treatment. Phil grabbed me roughly around the shoulders, pulling me into a bear hug, managing to spill some of my drink onto the floor in the process, narrowly missing my shoes. “How’s the virgin going?”

He broke his embrace and turned side-on so he was facing Levi, but left his arm dangling loosely around my shoulder, his hand brushing across my breast. The back of my hand stung as I flicked his hand away from my chest region.

“I’m not a virgin anymore, thanks to Levi. He’s a very good teacher, you know.” I sounded like the ice queen.

“I’ve heard he is, ol’ lover boy here,” Phil slurred. He was oblivious to my anger. He grabbed Levi and pulled him into a three-person hug so our heads were all touching. Well, their heads were touching. Mine was touching Levi’s chest. “I love you, man. I’m gunna miss you.”

“Back at ya, buddy.” Levi’s voice shook with emotion. I was shocked. I didn’t take Levi to be a sentimental kind of guy. “That’s enough of the love-in. Hug me any longer and I’ll think you’re hot for me.”

Phil let out a loud whoop and dropped his arm from around me and then embraced Levi again, grabbing him by the ass and dry humping his leg. “Oh I’m always hot for you, lover boy.”

Both boys laughed at Phil’s outburst, and Levi gripped onto Phil and faked an orgasm Meg Ryan style. “Oh yeah, Phil, do me hard.”

Their moment was short-lived. The three Jump Boys came running and launched themselves on top Phil and Levi, each and every one of them laughing and throwing punches at each other, reminding me of my brothers. Levi, puffed and flushed in the cheeks, managed to break free from the fray and pulled me away from them over to the bar, ordering himself another drink.

“Looks like you guys are all very close,” I remarked.

“We’re like family.”

“What’s Phil’s story? He’s completely wasted. I can’t make up my mind if he’s a good guy or not.”

“Phil’s not a bad guy. The last few months for him have been pretty well fucked up.” Levi’s eyes turned sad as he took a mouthful of the drink the bartender had just handed him. “Phil’s fiancée died about five months ago when they were BASE jumping off El Capitan in Yosemite. Her chute didn’t open and he saw the whole thing. Worst thing about it, he couldn’t do a damn thing. I didn’t know her or Phil personally back then. I was based at our company headquarters in LA when it happened. She loved adrenaline sports as much as the rest of us. She was a real thrill-seeker, loved pushing boundaries, and apparently had a heart of gold. His wounds are still healing from that, and now his mom has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, so he’s moving back home east to help take care of her and his younger sister. The doctors have given her six months, if that.”

“Wow, poor guy. That’s so tragic.” I looked at Phil through different eyes. I couldn’t imagine losing my mom. We had come close to losing my dad after his heart attack. Thank God he had pulled through, but it hadn’t come without challenges to our family, in particular me. It had changed the whole course of my life. I had given up college for my parents, so they could use my funds to help support us while he healed and recovered. And I would do it again in heartbeat if it meant saving him or my mother.

We both stared at Phil for a moment, and I thought back to him in the plane earlier today and how he looked asleep for most of the ascent. Every time he jumped, he must be thinking of his fiancée. I shuddered at the thought of our parachute not opening today. Sometimes, being boring wasn’t all bad. At least it was safe.

“Does that happen often in your line of work? Chutes not opening?” I asked, breaking our thoughtful silence.

“Not as often as you think it would. We go through a really rigorous training before we can parachute solo, plus, we do regular safety checks on all our gear. It’s just what they were doing is a whole new level of thrill-seeking. She was actually a few years older than Phil and more experienced in BASE jumping. But, you know, shit happens sometimes. What are you going to do, though? Sit back and let life happen around you, or do you want to live it to the fullest while you can? You never know what’s around the corner, just like Phil’s mum and her tumor. She doesn’t know how long she has left. Life is to live.”

His philosophy struck a chord with me. I had been boring for far too long, waiting for life to happen. Create my own destiny. Now I understood what Fran had been saying.

“You’re right,” I agreed.

“Of course I am,” he said with a broad smile. “I’m always right.”

“And so modest, too.” I smiled back. “Do you think Phil’s heart will ever heal?” Now that I knew Phil’s background, I felt guilty for judging him so harshly.

“Time heals everything. But like most deep wounds, there may always be a scar.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

He shrugged and took another drink, emptying his beer. “Everyone has been hurt at some point. Haven’t you ever been in love so hard it hurt?”

I shook my head. “Never.” But I was starting to feel that way.

He looked shocked. “Never? Not even first love? I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. I’ve had loads of crushes, but no one has ever returned the feelings. Unwanted, poor old me.” I felt like palming my forehead. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this stuff.”

What was I doing? It must be the alcohol talking. I needed to shut my mouth before I told him something I regretted. After all, it wasn’t like me to reveal my inner insecurities to just anyone, and I didn’t want to make a habit of it now.

“So, are you looking?” He gave me the once-over, his eyes scrutinizing my face for a clue.

I couldn’t tell him the truth. That since I had met him, he was all I could think about. That before him, I hadn’t thought it possible to feel the way I felt. I thought love and romance was only written for fiction and never happened to people like me. That since I’d met him, my anxiety had eased, and my depression lifted. Instead, I laughed like he had just said the funniest joke I had ever heard. Covering up my emotions was something I was really practiced at.

“Are you kidding me? Unwanted, remember. I gave up looking a long time ago. Besides, it’s clear you don’t know much about me. I’m a goodtime party girl. You said it yourself, life is too short to be tied down. What about you?”

“Party girl, let me introduce you to party boy, or as I’m known in these parts, lover boy.” He winked then shook my hand formally, like we were meeting for the first time.

Laughing, I shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you.” Looking over Levi’s shoulder, I observed Ben enter the room, “Oh, look, it’s Ben.”

Ben stood in the doorframe, looking around the room with a scowl etched on his face. I hadn’t realized Levi had invited Ben along tonight. I tried not to let my disappointment show. I had been hoping I would have Levi all to myself tonight.

Levi pivoted quickly to look, then turned back to me and spun me around so we were now both facing the same direction.

“Fuck. Let’s move before he sees us.” Levi put both of his hands on the tops of my shoulders and pushed me forward, guiding me toward the back of the room, the opposite direction of where Ben was standing. “Did he follow us?” Levi asked as soon as we were partially hidden by a large potted plant in the corner of the room.

I turned, my back now against the wall, and peered around him. “Um, I don’t think so, I can’t see him. I thought you guys were friends?”

“We are, but it’s complicated.” The tone of his voice and guarded look cut me down with finality, ending that conversation.

“I get it.” I crossed my arms across my chest. I was pissed. “So, it’s fine for you to ask questions about my personal life, but I’m not to know anything about you.”

He looked at me, his green eyes burning intensely. I returned his gaze, not backing down.

“Fuck, Andi.” He looked away from me and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s hard for me. I’ve got trust issues.”

I grabbed his arm to get his attention. Goddamn it, his biceps were huge.
Stay focused, Andi.
“You can trust me. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here. I’m a really good listener.”

He looked back at me, his face pensive, biting on his lower lip in thought. I stood strong, even though my insides had turned to Jell-O. Oh God, how I wanted to bite that lip of his. He reached over, gently tucked back a stray piece of my hair behind my ear, and cupped my face. I froze as he leaned in to me, our faces only inches apart.

“Andi, I...”

“Yo, there he is. Levi,” Phil called out loudly as he walked toward us. He lifted his hand, greeting Levi, and somehow managed to stumble into a chair and table, but righted himself before he fell over. He was as drunk as a pirate, right down to even having to shut one eye to keep his vision unblurred. My heart went out to him now that I knew his story. Following close behind him was Ben, dressed like he had been at another black tie function and looking completely wasted.

Levi cussed under his breath, and spun around to face the room, looking back over his shoulder at me. “Stay there, this isn’t going to be good.”

Ben charged. “You fucking asshole,” he yelled, and then threw the first punch.

Levi’s head snapped back as Ben’s fist connected with his face with a loud crack. All hell broke loose. I screamed and began to grab at Levi’s shirt to pull him away, hoping Levi’s face wasn’t broken. Levi stood firm, tucking his body over in a fighter’s stance, his fists up high to protect his face from the flurry of punches Ben was throwing at him. Levi didn’t even try to throw a punch. He just stood there taking hit after hit. I screamed louder, yelling at Ben, yelling at Levi. I tried to get around Levi to push Ben away, but Levi somehow managed to sandwich me between him and the wall so I was unable to move. Amidst the fracas, security ran into the room, pushing apart a growing crowd of spectators, and grabbed Ben roughly by the back of his black suit jacket, dragging him out of the room, and I’m guessing, tossed his ass on the sidewalk.

As soon as they were gone, Levi turned to me, blood dripping down his face. A cut had opened up underneath his eye and was beginning to swell.

“Andi, are you okay?” He held me by the top of my shoulders and examined my face intensely, concerned for my well-being like I was the one bleeding from a cut to the cheekbone.