Caught (3 page)

A small, soft gasp made its way through the phone line. His voice must have dipped at the end making his arousal apparent as he thought about everything he wanted to do to her if he got her alone on the aircraft. First on the list was joining the mile high club. He knew he could get her to make that sound again when he pushed his cock inside her willing body.

Adjusting himself again he turned to sit in his chair, his painfully hard erection pressing against the zipper of his jeans. He tried shaking his airplane fantasies away but only managed to replace them with ones involving his office. He could envision bending her over his desk and taking her hard from behind. She would have to stretch to wrap her hands around the front edge of the desk, lifting her ass a little higher to get just the right grip.

A groan slipped from his lips before he could stop it. Clearing his throat, he tried to cover it up.

“As I was saying, I have the perfect solution for your problem. I’m an aerial photographer and can get the shots you want. We’ve got Friday Freefall coming up. We can do it then.”

“What’s Friday Freefall?”

“Every other week on Fridays, the crew takes the day to work on freestyle maneuvers. The choreographed maneuvers we do for shows, demos and competitions.”

“And you think you can get the pictures I want? That could work. It’s definitely better than the idea I came up with. Do you want me to email a list of the things I’m looking for?

Oh no, she isn’t getting out of this that easy.
“No. I think it would be better for you to be here.”

“I don’t know. I’m sure a list would be fine. You can get other pictures you think would be good too, I’ll trust your judgment since I’ve never been in the air like that. You can send them to me and I’ll go through them. I’ll make sure you get photography credit too.”

“No. It’s best if you’re here with me so we can go through them together. I want to make sure I don’t miss anything. Besides, you can bring your camera and get pictures from the ground of the stunts and maneuvers. Might make a great addition to the book.”

“It would be nice to get a few more shots in. What time do you want me there?”

Score!
“Let’s see, I’ll be here around five. So you should be too.”

“P.M.?”

“No sweetheart, five in the morning.”

“You’ve got to be joking. It takes me an hour to get out there. Are you sure I need to be there that early?”

“A lot goes on before we head up. Think of it this way, you’ll get the fly on the wall view of what goes on behind the scenes. You didn’t see that part before.”

“Ugh! I’m warning you now. I am
not
a morning person, but I really want those pictures, so you’re on.”

“Great, I’ll see you this Friday.” Quin glanced at his watch. “I need to get going, its pretty late and I have an early morning.”

“I hate to break it to you, but it’s morning already. I’m sorry—again—for keeping you later than you planned. I guess I should head to bed too. Start storing up the sleep I’m bound to lose waking up so early Friday.”

“Night Laurel. Hope you sleep well.”

“Night. Oh, and Quin?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

The softly spoken words caressed his ears long after she hung up.

Thursday rolled around a lot quicker than Laurel thought it would.

During the week she worked on the layout of the book, narrowing down the images she wanted included and talking to the publisher about the extra photos she would be getting. She began research on her next assignment at the upcoming wedding expo. Finally, she got hold of Jason and got to hear all about his hookup with Sami, the leggy blond from the Chute Shack. Not that she asked to know the details, but Jason had a tendency to over share.

Laurel wasn’t too surprised to hear that Quin and Sami had been an item for years, and that only recently did they decide to break up for good. She had to squash the tiny leap of joy in her heart upon hearing that bit of news. She thought he may have made a sexual innuendo over the phone, but was sure if he did, it was something he didn’t even think about. It was probably as natural to him as walking or breathing.

What really surprised Laurel was how easy it was to talk to Quin on the phone after they got beyond the slow start. She only experienced a few minutes of panic when he basically demanded she come out for the jump and go over the pictures with him in person. She would have been fine letting him send her everything and sifting through it all after the fact. Actually, she probably would have been happier doing it that way, content to work on other projects and keep her mind off of him. Instead, she spent her days looking at too many pictures that included Quin, which led to her falling asleep with him fresh in her memory.

Hopefully, when she showed up Friday morning, none of those nightly dreams would show on her face and she would be able to talk to him as easily in person as she had on the phone. All without blushing or nervously biting her lip.

She was still getting used to her renewed awareness of Quin. In her mind, he was the one who got away. The guy who drifted into her thoughts, as she wondered what he was up to throughout the years.

It was best to focus on what she knew was going to happen. Quin was going to take aerial photos, they were going to go over them to make sure nothing was missed, and then she would say thank you and goodbye. That was it. Nothing. More!

Packing the rest of her gear, she lined the bags up by the front door next to the cooler of snacks she’d packed earlier. She was ready to go and desperately needed to head to bed, even if it was a bit early for her. Three-thirty came awfully early in the morning, and no matter how excited she was about completing the project…that was a horrible time to get up!

Flipping the light off in her room, she eased beneath the cool covers on her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow and she closed her eyes, images of Quin filled her mind. She was no longer surprised when it happened. She let the fantasy of him slowly making his way down her body drag her under into sweet oblivion.

Overly loud music yanked Laurel from her dreams. Quin was just about to bring her to orgasm when she jolted upright. Clutching her hand to her chest, she tried to steady her breathing.

“Fuck, right when I was about to climax!”

She flopped back and waited for her heart to stop racing before rolling out of bed. Stumbling to the bathroom, she got ready for what was bound to be a long, hot day. A day that started too damn early for her.

Thirty minutes later, a piece of peanut butter toast was consumed; a cup of coffee downed, a thermos of coffee brewed and the car packed. All that was left to do was lock up and head out.

Butterflies took flight in her stomach the minute she sat behind the wheel of the SUV. The thought of seeing Quin so soon after he rolled out of bed and knowing she would be working with him all day made her light-headed and giddy. She’d never spent any real time with him when she’d been on the drop zone before. The one and only encounter they had was when he almost landed on her. She was so out of it, concentrating on getting shots of everyone as they landed, she didn’t even realize she was in danger of being landed on.

At the last minute he was able steer clear of her, landing a few feet away. He told her to watch it as he walked past her, irritation clearly written all over his face. After that, she made an effort to stay far away from him and the other jumpers on his crew.

She spent the entire drive out to the Chute Shack going over the shots she wanted, prepping what she was going to say to him, and convincing herself to keep it professional and not let on that the only jumping she wanted to do involved him being naked and willing.

Pulling into the parking lot at five o’clock on the dot, she parked next to one of the huge black and gray trucks bearing the Chute Shack logo. At least she knew someone was here.

Hopping out of the SUV, she snatched her thermos up before grabbing her gear bags and cooler from the back. Making her way to the front door, she was sidelined by one of the twins before she could even knock.

“Hey Laurel. Front door is still locked. Come around this way.”

Revlin or Kegen, she really wasn’t sure which one, held open the chain-link gate door the employees usually used.

“Thanks. Um…”

A slight grin tipped the corner of his mouth. He took the gear bags from her and motioned for her to go through ahead of him. “Revlin.”

The heat of a blush climbed up her cheeks with the knowledge that he knew she didn’t know which twin he was. “Thanks Revlin.”

“Please call me Rev. Only my mom called me Revlin and, sweetheart, you don’t look anything like her.” He gave her a once over as she moved in front of him. “I have to admit, I was a little surprised when Quin said you’d be coming out here today. I thought you were done with the pictures.”

“I thought I was too but there are a few shots I didn’t get that I really want. Quin offered to get them for me and insisted I come out so we can preview them together in case something got missed.”

“That’s cool. You couldn’t have picked a better aerial photographer than Quin. He’s really mastered all of the ins and outs of it.”

“So not everyone does the videos and pictures?” She assumed all skydivers did actually. With all of the new camera systems out, it had to make things a lot easier. She really should have known better than to assume. Anyone could pick up a camera and take a picture, but not everyone could capture a moment and have emotion shine through.

Rev chuckled behind her. “Hell no. It takes a lot of time to become a skydiver and even more to learn the photography portion of it. You have to really multi-task and master getting just the right shots. You can’t be too far in front, above or below. Not to mention making sure you don’t run into anyone when they’re doing aerial maneuvers. You can’t really use your hands either. You need those to keep stable while flying through the air.”

“Wow. I didn’t know. There’s a lot more that goes into it than I ever thought. It’s pretty impressive he can do it all.”

“What’s impressive, honey?” Quin’s deep voice had her stopping on a dime, causing Rev to plow into her.

Quin jumped forward, catching her before she went face first in the dirt. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes travelled from his bare chest and up his throat before landing on his lips. Lips she spent many a night dreaming about. Without thought, she licked her own. The groan vibrating through Quin pulled her gaze up to his face, snagging on the look of desire in his eyes.

Rev cleared his throat behind her. “I’ll just take these inside.”

Laurel barely noticed when Rev slipped the cooler and thermos of coffee from her hands, too caught up in being engulfed in Quin’s strong arms. Her nipples beaded, poking at the thin cotton of her bra. No doubt showing through her shirt as well.

She never imagined she would be in this position, dreamed about it yes, but never thought she would be up close and personal with Quinton Ferris. It was a high school fantasy come true. The teenage girl in her was hoping things would go a little further, maybe a kiss. The adult in her was telling her to keep it professional.

“You okay, honey?”

“Hmm?”

Quin chuckled. “Are you okay from when Rev rammed into you pitching you forward?”

Laurel nodded her head and urged her body to move out of his arms, but it just didn’t happen. “I’m fine. It was my fault anyway for stopping in front of him like that. I hope I didn’t hurt him.”

“I’m sure he’s fine. Running into you will probably be the highlight of his day and will be nothing compared to slamming into the ground if and when he lands wrong. He seems to fly a little freer at times. He and Kegen like to hot dog it up there a bit too much on days like this.”

“Oh, if you say so.” As much as she wanted to stay in the warmth and comfort of his arms, it wasn’t appropriate; especially after giving herself the ‘
keep it professiona
l’ talk. “You can let go of me now Quin. I promise I won’t fall.”

He sighed like he really wasn’t interested in letting go, but did anyway.

Laurel pushed her hair behind her ear. “Thanks for catching me.”

Quin grinned at her and it did a funny thing to her heart. “Anytime, Laurel.”

She cleared her throat and lost her will to keep eye contact, she looked around before her gaze landed back on his bare chest.

“Do you always run around without a shirt on, or was that just for my benefit? I would think it is a bit early and chilly to be stripping down.”

Quin laughed as he rubbed a hand down his chest. She was riveted to the movement, tracking its progress over the taut, smooth skin. She sucked in a breath and forced her focus back to his face.

“No. I generally have clothes on. Kegen managed to spill his coffee on me this morning. I was in the middle of finding a shirt when I heard you pull up. That’s why Rev went out to get you instead of me. I was just wondering what was taking him so long to bring you back here.”

Quin grabbed her hand up, lacing his fingers with hers. She wasn’t quite sure what made him do it and any minute she would protest and pull her hand away, which she didn’t. Next she knew they were locked away from his brothers in his office. He pushed her down into an office chair before he took another.

“So, let’s talk about the photos you want.”

“Um, Quin? Don’t you want to put on a shirt?” Not that she wanted him to cover up but if she wanted to get her mind back on the job, then he needed to be clothed. All that tan flesh was tempting her to lean forward and take a lick. Or better yet, a bite.

“Huh.” He looked down at his chest then back at her. “Am I distracting you?” The cheeky grin on his face was enough to make her roll her eyes.

“No, not a distraction,” she lied. “But I’d hate for you to catch a cold or something while sitting around here half naked.”

“Don’t you like my half naked state, honey?”

Laurel’s mouth dropped. If he only knew what thoughts were going through her head. She’d like him fully naked and served up for her to eat. Licking her lips again, she let her gaze travel over Quin’s hard body. The things she wanted to do to him. He must have gotten a clue to her thoughts, turning away suddenly to grab a shirt off the bookshelf behind him.

Laurel averted her eyes, embarrassed by her brazen move and made a determined search for a pen. Finding one next to the computer, she snatched it up along with a pad of paper.

Without raising her head she addressed him. “So, here’s what I was thinking for the photos.”

***

Quin glanced down, pinpointing his landing spot once again. He didn’t plan on it when he exited the plane and shot the last of the images of his brothers, but seeing Laurel standing on the drop zone glowing with happiness, he made his decision. He was going to land as close to her as possible and finally get that kiss he was aching for.

All day long he worked side-by-side with her looking over the images in his office, discussing what else she should have, and just getting to know her. The need to constantly touch her anytime she was near just about drove him nuts. He found himself sitting closer, brushing against her arm or leg. He even plucked imaginary lint off her shirt one time just to keep her with him a few seconds more.

The longer he spent with her, the more he found he wanted her. Preferably naked and underneath him but, at this point, he’d take what he could get.

She was funny, witty, and nowhere close to being that painfully shy girl from high school. She had turned into a beautiful, self-confident woman who had a passion for photography that lit her up from the inside.

She laughed at his brothers’ ridiculous jokes. Cleaned and bandaged his pilot JD’s finger when he cut it on a knife while fixing lunch. And pretty much bonded with everyone in the Shack. She fit in without trying, something that was hard to do if you weren’t part of the group.

Sure they were friendly with their customers, but she was different. He didn’t know how much he wanted her to fit in until he realized she already did.

Touching ground ten feet away from Laurel; he whipped off his helmet while striding toward her, the parachute dragging behind him. Once he got up close he saw the surprise on her face. Not wanting to give her too long to protest, he cupped the side of her face with one hand, caressing her cheek with his thumb, then dove in for a kiss.

The second his mouth touched hers, he was lost. The soft, silkiness beneath his lips lured him to increase the pressure. When she didn’t respond, he instantly panicked and started to pull away. It never crossed his mind that she wasn’t feeling the same need and pull as him.