Whipped (Hitched #2)(19)

I turn in his arms, facing him instead of the vista before me. He's just about as breathtaking as the view. "You've outdone yourself. I fear you've set up our relationship to fail, though," I tease, my hands on his muscular chest.

"How so?" he furrows his brow in mock-worry.

"What could compete with this? You should have started small. Halfway decent pizza with some live music that didn't quite suck. Work your way up to the magical. But now, you've blown your wad on the best date ever. We have nowhere to go from here but down." I twist to look below us. "Literally."

He laughs. "Babe, if you think I've blown my wad…" he presses his hips into me, and I feel his hard cock throbbing beneath his jeans, "…then you don't know me very well."

"That's true," I admit. "I don't know you well. This is, after all, only our first date."

He grazes my cheek with his long fingers and smiles down at me. "The first of many."

We spend an hour in the sky, and before we get ready to descend, Lachlan pulls two flutes and a bottle of champagne from his bag. He pops the cork and pours our drinks. "To us," he says.

We clink glasses, and I sip the bubbly drink as the last of the darkness is pushed away by the sun.

***

I'm reluctant to leave the otherworldly magic of the balloon. Lachlan grins and reaches for my hand, leading me back to the car. I turn and wave at Clint. "Thank you," I say. "This was amazing."

He smiles back at us. "Glad to help! You should come see the horses some time."

I nudge Lachlan and grin. "Thank you too, for this most amazing date."

"You're very welcome. Thanks for trusting me." He stops and caresses my face. "I know it's not easy for you, and I appreciate it."

His words melt me and by the time we arrive home, I'm horny. I want him bad. But he tsks me. "You have work, and this is only our first date. We have two more before sex can happen, remember?"

I groan. "You were serious? You of the perpetual one night stand? Seriously?"

He kisses my forehead. "Babe, you're not one of my perpetual one night stands. That's the point."

"Fine," I say, pulling away with a grin. "But I get to plan the next date. And I know just the thing."

He raises an eyebrow. "Very well, mistress. I'm open to being wooed by my woman. When shall I be ready?"

"Tomorrow night," I say with a smirk. Because that third date needs to happen.

Fast.





CHAPTER 12





LACH


Paintball. That's Vi's idea for our next date. So I'm dressed in camouflage. Not sure if the designer was trying to create clothing or an oven, because I'm slick with sweat. My head's covered in a helmet that recreates the experience of being blind. It makes breathing hard. I feel like Darth Vader.

Vi's dressed the same, but the uniform hugs her curves in just the right way. I wish I could see her better. She shows me how to load my gun with paintballs. There's so many colors, I feel like I'm about to shoot people with skittles.

She escorts me out of the office building and into the arena. It's a giant pit of sand covered in sporadic blocks and hollow houses. The sun is bright. It burns my eyes and destroys the remaining bits of vision I have left. That's fine. I don't need to see, right? There are a few dozen people with us. No way I'm f*cking counting them. The supervisor divides us into two teams. Reds and blues. Vi and I are red. The supervisor goes over the rules. All I remember is, if you're shot in the torso or head, you're out. Before the battle starts, we're allowed to take positions on opposite sides of the arena. Vi and I hide out in a one-story bunker.

"How do we win?" I ask.

Her voice is muffled. "We kill them all."

"Great. So, how do we do that?"

She points at a building near the center of the arena. "We advance to that bunker. From there, we shoot everyone."

"Sounds simple."

Vi scoots toward a window. "You go first. I'll cover you."

I'm reminded of a war movie. "I can't leave you behind."

"I'm the better shot. I'll be fine."

She's got a point. I have no idea how to shoot. "Fine. I'm going."

Vi nods. "Ready. Set. Go."

I turn a corner and charge toward a bunker, yelling at the top of my lungs. Things whoosh through the air. I assume people are firing at me. I hear Vi yell behind me. "You shoot at my man? Take this, you motherf*ckers!" And I may be imagining this, but I feel like her voice sounds more and more like Arnold Schwarzenegger by the second.

"Lach, get down!" Okay. That one was like a perfect Arnold impression. I’m almost waiting for her to tell me to "get to the chopper!"

I dive forward, landing in the bunker. Sand shoots up around me. Some gets in my mouth. Helmet, what the f*ck are you good for?

As I climb further into the bunker, something bites my leg. What the f*ck? Snakes? Vi did not tell me there would be snakes. Wait… I notice the yellow paint on my foot. Someone shot me. Motherf*cker. It hurts. I massage my foot.

A shadow fills the doorway. What the—

The enemy jumps out a few feet in front of me. I close my eyes and fire.