Too Sweet (Hayes Brothers #3)(43)

“Thank you! I’m glad you didn’t let me back down!”

I dip my head and press my lips to her hair, only realizing what I did once the honeysuckle scent invades my nose.

“You did great. Long-haul to Europe will be a breeze.”

The parachute jerks about, swinging us back to front when she starts bouncing again. I take a long way down, circling longer than necessary.

Mia’s turning her head left and right, taking in the views. I want to prolong that for her as much as possible.

“Legs out,” I instruct when we’re about to land.

She gets in position, surprising me that despite all her fear she managed to focus on what the instructors were saying during the safety briefing.

When I land alone, I end up on my own two feet, but landing with Mia isn’t graceful. It’s a mess, if I’m honest. I’m trying to hit the ground first, so she doesn’t bruise that perfect ass.

It works. I bruise mine instead.

We’re on the ground on an uphill part of the field, quite the distance from the tarmac. I lay on my back in the longish grass, Mia on top of me, her back flush against my chest. I unbuckle the harness that straps us together when the parachute settles over us like a huge blanket.

“That was—” fun, I want to say, but she rolls onto her stomach, and those perfect, plump lips cover mine.

The kiss is short, sweet... nothing more than a peck. I’m sure the emotions she has no idea how to unleash are to blame, but I’m done.

I’m done the second her lips touch mine.

My fingers disappear in her hair when she tries to move away, and I pull her back, seizing the moment as I sweep my tongue along the seam of her mouth, begging for more.

She opens for me on cue, making me groan. She tastes like candy. Sweet. Too sweet. Fucking addictive.

My heart threatens with a coronary, pounding so hard it resonates in all directions. And I swear the world stops spinning on its axis when I bite her lower lip, sucking it into my mouth the way I imagined for weeks.

Mia’s fingertips gently press into my cheekbones. The featherlight touch annihilates the noise that’s layered my thoughts for years. It’s never been this quiet in my head.

There’s nothing there save for Mia. Save for the softness of her hair under my fingertips, the plumpness of her lips working with mine, and the weight of her warm body.

She ghosts one hand lower, tracing the column of my throat until she grabs a handful of my t-shirt. I grip her jaw, steering her gorgeous face, devouring that sweet mouth over again, but I can’t get enough. I’ll never get enough of her.

This is more than I imagined.

More than I ever hoped for.

I drape one hand around her back and grip her waist, ready to flip us over, so I’m on top, dictating the pace, but Theo’s amused voice booms somewhere on my right.

“Shit, are you okay there? That looked like a hard landing.”

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

His words bring a reality check that hurts more than if he hit me square in the jaw. The world beyond the parachute canvas didn’t exist for a moment.

Now, it seeps back in, unwanted.

My eyes fly open, my head far from quiet. In fact, there’s so much going on I feel the tendrils of a badass headache setting in. Mia’s still on me, her cheeks deliciously pink, the green of her irises almost wiped out by blown pupils.

Shame washes over me like some biblical hurricane when reality settles in.

What have I done?

What have we done?

What the fuck has she done?!

I still hold her face with one hand, my thumb sweeping her bottom lip. My stomach wrenches with a mixture of nerves, longing, and shame. God, I want her.

Mine.

My girl...

Cody’s.

“We’re okay,” I say, swallowing hard.

Theo tugs the parachute, trying to pull it off as more footsteps approach. I move Mia to my side, my mind all over the place. Even though I’m the biggest asshole, I want that sweet mouth of hers back on mine so much it feels like I’m walking against the strongest blizzard, fighting not to kiss her.

I’m shaking, but that might be because I’m mad at Mia, myself, Cody, and karma.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, her cheeks deliciously pink, lips even plumper—swollen from my kisses.

She doesn’t sound like she means it. I should apologize too, but I definitely wouldn’t mean it, so I don’t.

Besides, it’s Cody who deserves an apology, not her.

Theo pulls the parachute away, and the first person I see is the one with a metaphorical knife in his back. He’s smiling. And it feels like he’s kicking me when I’m already down.

“You jumped!” Cody cheers, dragging Mia to her feet. “I’m so proud of you! Did you like it? Was it fun?”

“The scariest and happiest moment of my life.” Mia beams and then turns to me. “Thank you. That was amazing.”

I can’t even be mad at her for not feeling guilty about kissing me. She and Cody aren’t together. I’m the one to blame. I’m the asshole here.

She’s innocent. Oblivious to Cody’s feelings.

Theo grips my arm, hauling me up while Conor and Colt help Mia out of her harness. She moves her attention to me, and the piercing gaze of those emerald greens peels all the layers protecting my mind. Skin, soft tissue, and bone. And she’s there... where I don’t want her. In my head. Holding every thought hostage at gunpoint.