The Knocked Up Plan(23)

When Nicole finishes her swing, the instructor helps her regain her footing on the platform. The look on her face is pure exhilaration. She’s breathless, her cheeks are flushed crimson, and her red hair is wild.

“Oh my God, that was amazing!” She swats my arm. “I want to see you do that upside down.”

I scoff. “Piece of cake.”

She rolls her eyes. “Oh yeah?”

“I used to cover scary-as-hell wide receivers.”

She laughs. “I love that you’re actually trying to equate college football with flying like a squirrel.”

“Squirrels are pretty amazing. So are strapping safeties.”

She shakes her head, amused.

Callie, the pipsqueak instructor with the high blond ponytail, chimes in, talking to Nicole. “You’re very natural on the trapeze. I can’t believe you’ve never done anything like this.”

“I’m naturally daring,” Nicole says with a wink.

Truer words.

“That is the best trait,” Callie says, then she regards me. “Do you want to try catching her? I hear you were some kind of superstar safety.”

Nicole’s mouth turns to an O. “Whoa. She’s calling you out.”

“I was on defense. We didn’t catch that often.”

“Surely you caught interceptions?” Nicole asks, lifting her chin, challenging me.

I scrub a hand over my jaw, gesture widely to the acrobatic setup, then back at my pseudo date. “So you’re daring me to catch you?”

She gives me a tough-girl bring-it-on look, going gangster with her hands. “You’re afraid to catch me?”

I toss my head back and laugh. “Woman, you have no idea.” I cup her cheek and give her my best smolder. “I’m going to catch you so fucking good.”

Her laughter ceases, and she drops her voice. “How the hell did you just turn that into some kind of come-on line?”

Callie is fixated on her sneakers.

“It’s my special talent.” I bring my mouth to her ear. “Plus, I think you might have nothing but sex on the brain.”

She gasps. “How could you say such a thing?” Her voice drips with mock shock.

“Admit it. All you’re thinking about is stripping me down to nothing.”

Callie shuffles farther away from us. Smart girl.

“Why would you ever think that all I want is your . . .” Nicole pauses, slides her lips up my neck, and whispers, “cock.”

One word from her red lips and my dick responds as it fucking should. I yank her closer so she knows. “I have no idea where I got the idea that you were into me for my body only,” I tease.

A murmur falls from her lips when she presses against my erection. “I’m into your body for so many reasons, Ryder.”

I nip on her earlobe. “My date is counting down the hours till she can get me naked.”

“By my estimates, I think that in about sixty minutes, I can get these pesky pants off you,” she says, running a hand down the fabric of my workout pants. That’s what the trapeze lessons call for—exercise clothes.

I sigh heavily as if I’m dejected. “I’m nothing but a sex object to you.”

A throat clears.

“Oops,” Nicole whispers to me. “Guess we’re too dirty.” She raises her voice. “Sorry, Callie. He’s going to try to knock me up later tonight. We might be a little frisky sometimes.”

Callie’s expression morphs instantly from embarrassed annoyance to sheer joy. “That’s so exciting! I love babies. You two are going to have such beautiful babies.” Then worry seems to strike her. She steps closer to Nicole and clasps a hand around her arm. “Is there a chance you’re pregnant now? Because you shouldn’t be flying.”

Nicole waves off the concern. We planned the trapeze date for our first one for just that reason. Get all the bouncing, flying, falling, and jumping out of the way before Nicole might be in the family way.

“Nope,” Nicole says to the instructor. “We’re starting tonight. This is our foreplay. Can you tell?”

Callie sighs with relief. “The last minute might have been a tip-off.” She gestures to the swings. “Are you ready?”

“We’re ready to behave now,” I say, my tone deadly serious.

I climb down the ladder and walk to the other side of the net. God bless the huge net. The only way newbies like us could fly through the air is with the cushiest, safest, biggest net below us. As well as waivers. Lots and lots of waivers. And tons of harnesses. You can’t really get hurt here unless you try hard.

As I reach the top of the opposite platform, Callie’s counterpart on this side gives me a quick hello. His name is Mitch, and he has a camp-counselor brightness to him. Once I’m attached to the harness, I chalk up my hands.

“Are you having a good time?” Mitch asks with a big smile.

“A great time.”

“Best date ever?”

Briefly, I think of Maggie and our dates. My ex was outdoorsy, but not daring. She liked to head out of the city and hike in the woods. Since we loved movies, we spent many nights at the cinema. But trapeze was never in the cards, nor trampoline, nor rock climbing. I haven’t taken anyone here since my divorce, either. Honestly, I haven’t dated much since the split, and I wouldn’t be here if Cal hadn’t said my ass was on the line.