[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
minute he had. Occasionally, his lover convinced
him to try new things& like this.
See, now you re more relaxed, Diego
crooned. Good thing, too, because it s time to go,
lover, he added, right before nipping Zachary s
earlobe lightly.
Just that fast, Zachary s nerves spiked again. At
least, that meant he didn t need to jump with a
97
Charlie Richards
boner, although Diego s sucking kisses on his neck
definitely kept him half hard. Couldn t we just
land? Zachary asked, tilting his head, offering
more room. Maybe he could distract his lover long
enough that they d miss their jump window.
Diego pulled away. His dark eyes twinkling, he
smirked. Naughty Zach. He chuckled. It s our
turn. Diego unbuckled his belt and stood, sort of,
since he had to hunch awkwardly.
Couldn t we wait until
We re already last, Diego cut in. He held out
his hand. Trust me.
Zachary nodded. He did trust Diego. One thing
he d learned since bonding with his lover was
Diego always had his best interests in mind. He d
never do anything to put him in jeopardy.
Unbuckling his belt, Zachary took Diego s hand
and allowed his mate to pull him to his feet. It felt
like it happened in seconds, getting their
harnesses hooked together, shuffling to the plane s
open door& then they were falling.
The cold wind whipping past Zachary s face
made it difficult to take a full breath, let alone
scream, which he totally would have if he could.
He d seen videos of people sky-diving and they
always whooped and hollered. Nope. Not him. He
could barely catch his breath.
You okay? Diego shouted into his ear.
How the hell could he talk? Zachary managed
to nod even as fear still pulsed through his veins.
98
Soothing the Zebra s Fears
Here we go!
Weren t they already going? Suddenly, they
jolted, and Zachary finally found enough breath to
scream. Then, they slowed and he realized Diego
must have pulled the handle for the parachute.
Their descent slowed. Zachary swallowed hard
as the earth below them finally came into focus.
He couldn t even fathom how high up they were,
but he spotted trees and meadows and streams.
The thing he didn t see, was the airstrip.
Isn t this amazing? Diego yelled, obviously
enjoying himself.
Where s the airport? Aren t we supposed to
land at the airport? Zachary called back. He
craned his neck, struggling to look behind him,
but he couldn t see around Diego s big body.
Easy, Zach, Diego urged. We re not landing
at the airport like the others. We re landing in a
clearing over to the left.
With his hands on the steering handles, Diego
couldn t point, but Zachary saw how he jutted his
chin. Looking in that direction, Zachary spotted a
large meadow next to a lake. Oh, Zachary
mumbled. As they drifted on the air currents, he
spotted a bright red and blue blanket spread out
under the trees near the edge of the space. What s
that?
A picnic, Diego told him. I had a few of the
guys set it up. He chuckled, the sound rumbling
from his body, vibrating into Zachary s. As it
99
Charlie Richards
turns out, a few of them have quite the romantic
streak in them.
Zachary snorted. Are you sure? Maybe Payson
just gets off on the idea of people having sex out in
the open.
Diego barked a laugh. You could be right.
Smiling, Zachary thought of Kontra s gang as
Diego continued to maneuver them toward the
meadow. Needing something to keep his mind off
the bile threatening to surge up his throat who
knew he d be so afraid of heights Zachary
hollered, Did you know Kontra bought a house?
Two of them!
Really? Diego responded. Why? Where?
He bought an empty, rundown lodge in the
mountains. It used to be a bed and breakfast,
Zachary replied, remembering Payson and Land s
words. The hyena had ended up with a nice head
wound from the battle with the witches and had
spent a day recovering at Zachary s home. He d
become pretty good friends with the loud-
mouthed shifter. He and the gang are fixing it up.
Kontra wanted Tim to have a place close to his
father, since Luc is settling here with his mate,
Dylan.
From the corner of Zachary s eye, he caught
Diego s nod. Kontra settling down. Who d have
thought? I hear he s been on the road for decades.
Oops, hold on, he called right before they dipped
and turned.
100
Soothing the Zebra s Fears
Zachary felt sweat bead on his forehead. He
fixed his gaze on the picnic blanket below them
and forced himself to take slow deep breaths.
After a few seconds, their floating evened out
again. Still, a shiver worked through him, his skin
feeling clammy where his clothes stuck to him and
the harness chafed.
Damn, you really aren t enjoying this, are
you? Diego murmured. I m sorry, sweet mate.
We ll be down in a minute.
Clearing his throat, then swallowing hard,
Zachary replied, Not your fault. I didn t realize I
didn t like heights so much.
Tell me about this other house, Diego urged,
probably sensing Zachary s need to think about
something other than the fact that he was floating
through the air. Where is it?
I guess they left a number of their friends in
Oregon, Zachary stated. Then, something clicked.
Hey, didn t you used to lead a pack in that
state? They d talked about Diego s past and his
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]