Private Show (The Private Series) (13 page)

“OH MY GOD! ARE YOU SERIOUS?” She screams as soon as we pull into the airfield and past a big sign:

SKYDIVING OPEN TODAY

“Are we really going skydiving?” Man, she is really excited! Any other woman I know would have a hissy fit.

Arms around each other, we start making our way to the field’s office.

“Hey, Kristen, how are you?” I ask the counter woman and manager of the of the flight field. She has been here since I started skydiving, and she is pretty badass.

“Ben! It’s about time you got that ass back in here! Where have you been?”

I grab Tess’s hand and kiss it. “Oh you know, work and life.” I give Tess a little wink.

I introduce them.We get done with the whole rules, safety run-through and equipment check with the guys from the team. I watch from a short distance as Roger gets Tess all strapped in and she is laughing with him. I know I can trust Roger, because he is married with three kids. I couldn’t ask for anyone better to secure my girl… okay maybe myself, but still. They give each other a nod and she walks back to me… whatever that was about.

When we get a moment alone before boarding the plane, Tess asks me. “So is Kristen another one of your
pasts
?”

I am perplexed, where did that come from? “What? No! I met her when I started coming here, but I have never slept with her Tess. Not every woman I introduce you to is someone I have shagged.”

“I’m sorry, it just happens quite often.”

I take her hands and kiss them, “I know and if I could take them all back, I would. If someone were to tell me I would find you one day I would have saved myself.”

She takes my hand as we get in the plane and take off. Once we are at the proper altitude, she gets strapped to the front of my body.

I am strapped to Ben’s chest with me facing out, he has his arms wrapped around my waist when the pilot announces that we are altitude.

It’s time to jump.

I turn my head and meet my lips to his.

“Ready?” Ben yells to me over the plane’s engine.

I take in a deep breath as my adrenaline starts to pick up and I feel all my muscles tighten. I hope this teaches him a lesson. “Are you?” I yell back.

Ben nods to the open door and we jump.

I begin to count just as Roger told me… twenty-eight… twenty-nine… thirty.

I pull the cord which separates myself from Ben, I layout my body as instructed by Roger and I a few seconds later I pull my parachute cord. I look to my far left to see Ben doing the same and we both shoot up before falling to the earth.

When I land on my two feet Ben is running up behind me screaming. But I am laughing hysterically. I am on a mega rush right now and I can’t believe I just did that! Man he is going to be outraged!

“What the hell Tess?” Ben yells as he closes in on me.

I am in a fit of giggles and in a playful mood and I detach my chute and run away.

“Tess! What are you doing? Get back here!” Ben sounds confused and a little upset.

I turn my head around and show him how happy I am. He smiles back at me and chasses me across the field. The cold air starts to get the best of my breath and I can’t run no more, so I drop and roll around laughing. Ben drops down on top of me, pinning me. His eyes are searing with a mix of emotions.

“Why did you do that?” He urges.

“What?” I playfully reply.

“Don’t give me what.” His face is right over mine.

My laughing subside and I tell him exactly why, “I love you, but I will never depend on you.”

We start off to the car, after handing off our gear and I am shaking from the adrenaline. I can’t even begin to express how amazing that was and to get to do that with Ben. Hell, sex with him is an adrenaline rush… man, too bad you can’t combine the two. Could you imagine that climax? Damn.

“So how was that?” Ben asks as we walk back to the prep building.

“That was amazing! Thank you!” I jump up into his arms with my legs around his waist and all the guys in the area start laughing. Once at the car his phone rings and he sets me down.

“Hello?” He is listening to whoever it is on the other end and responds, “Yeah, we aren’t that far we will be there in about twenty minutes.” And he hangs up.

“Who was that?”

“My dad, he wants us all together to talk about something. Looks like part two of the surprise must wait…”

I throw my hands up in the air. “You just took me skydiving! How could you possibly surprise me any more than that?”

He leans in and deepened his voice, his hot sexy as liquid hot dark chocolate of an English accent tells me, “Oh, I have my ways.” And he lays a hard, fast smashing kissing right on me. My adrenaline hikes back up and I can feel my head spin and my knees go weak. He must have felt my body weaken too, because he pulls away ever so slightly so he can lift me up into his arms and walks me to the front of the car. Setting me down on the hood he steps between my legs. I grab at his hips and draw him in closer.

“Yeah! Get it, man!” Roger yells from across the lot.

I want to die.

Ben pulls back right away and smiles at me, but in an apologetic kind of way. He knows I am embarrassed, but that it was kind of worth it.

When we pull up to the house, we spot Caroline on the front steps with her sketchpad. She jumps up and hugs us. I can’t help check out her hair.

“So, do you know what this is all about?” Ben asks.

“Not a clue.”

“Well, let’s go find out.” Ben says and ushers us inside. We find Jack and Gwen sitting at the dining room table with cups of coffee and smiling. That’s a good sign.

After another round of hugs and greetings, Ben jumps in: “You don’t typically call me over unless there’s some big news.”

Jack gestures for us all to sit around the large dining table, and Gwen delivers a tray of coffee and mugs. Jack takes Gwen’s hand and gives her a warm smile. “Gwen and I would like to announce that we have picked a wedding date.”

Each of us sits in silence for a quick moment before Caroline speaks up, “I don’t care when! I just want to design the dress!”

“Of course Caroline!” Gwen rushes out in an excited breath.

Ben clears his throat. “So when is the big day?”

In unison the couple speaks. “Thanksgiving!”

The three of us gasp. “Wow, that soon?” Ben asks.

I excitedly clap my hands. “Oh, this is so exciting! I’ve never been to a real wedding.” And now the attention is turned to me. “What?”

“You’ve never been to a wedding?” Ben asks.

I shake my head no. Gwen is smiling at me like a fool when she looks at me, “Well then, now you’re in for a surprise. I want you and Caroline to be my bridesmaids.”

I feel my mouth gape open and Caroline squeals. Then I feel Ben’s hand beneath my chin and he closes my mouth for me, causing my cheeks to pink.

“Oh, Tess!” Caroline jumps up and reaches around my shoulders from behind and gives me a tight hug. “This is going to be so much fun! And you can help me design our dresses! The plus of having a designer in the family… no horrible bridesmaids’ dresses!”

“So why the rush?” Ben asks his father. There is a note of doubt or disbelief in his voice.

Jack shifts in his seat to look his son dead in the eye. “Gwen’s pregnant.”

And I nearly spit out my coffee once again.

“Kidding!” Jack exclaims, as soon as he see the color drain from Ben’s face.

“Fuck, Dad!”

“Ben!” Gwen scolds.

Laughing now, Jack leans back and starts to explain. “Well, Caroline goes off to New York the first week of December until March. We don’t want to wait that long and we can’t see pulling her out of school for the wedding. It’s going to be held here and very small, nothing fancy. But I want you to stand as my best man.”

Ben sits in silence for a moment. Then: “Why?”

“Why? What Ben? You are my son and I want you to stand with me on my wedding day.”

“I never thought you would remarry for one, so this is a shock as you know. But I really never thought you would ask your disappointment of a son, either.” Ben looks down at my hand on his leg and puts his hand on mine, He is holding on to me to really hold on to himself.

Jack takes in a deep breath. “I know I gave you grief about your career choice. I know I pulled you out of your home as a teenager to come here. I know you didn’t have the best teen years and I know I didn’t make anything easy for you.”

Ben opens his mouth to speak and closes it. He opens it again and finally lets it out. “I can forgive you for all of that, as long as from this day forward you can accept every decision I make. What I choose for my life. Yes, I may make mistakes, but this is me. If you can do that from this moment on, then I will stand with you on your wedding day. Because my future is looking more beautiful with every passing day and I don’t want you to ever doubt it again.”

Jack stands up and holds out his hand to his son, “You have my word, son.” With that Ben stands to meet his father’s incredible height and extends his own hand, once in his father’s Jack pulls him in for a big hug.

“I know you have an amazing future ahead of you, Ben, especially with Tess in your corner.”

I blush at the man’s nice words and Ben can see it, so he wraps his arm around my waist and give me a squeeze.

When Ben looks down at me, he speaks to his father, but his eyes never leave mine. “I know.”

We stay just long enough for Caroline to take my measurements for my bridesmaids dress.

Ben asks me what I want to do for the evening, and while I have many ideas, I propose, “How about we stop at the market and make dinner together?” I can barely cook, but I know he can and I would much rather spend time in his kitchen than in a restaurant.

“You got it.”