Lip Service. Сьюзен Мэллери

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      THE PRIVATE AIRFIELD catered to the rich and adventurous. T. J. Boone qualified for both, Izzy thought as she walked toward him. He’d called the previous afternoon to invite her to join him skydiving. She’d accepted to see how far he would take the game.

      As she took in his chiseled features and easy smile she asked herself if that was really her only motive. Was she actually interested in T.J.? He looked good both on paper and in person, which was normally more than enough for her. But this guy was different. This guy might be playing her and Skye in a big way.

      She was here to find out who he was and what he wanted. Part of her wanted to prove she was right not to trust him. Part of her wanted to protect Skye, however much her sister might not believe her.

      Self-sacrifice was both new and uncomfortable, she thought. She must remember not to do this sort of thing again.

      T.J. pushed off his BMW M3 and walked toward her. “Scared?” he asked.

      She looked past him to the small plane that would take them skyward before they jumped back to earth.

      “I’ve done this before. It’s no big. The real danger isn’t from the falling, it’s the landing that can kill you.” She stared into his blue eyes. “What’s the plan? You’re going to try to keep up with me? Not likely.”

      “You say that now,” he told her, then smiled. “I’ll prove myself.”

      “And then what? You want to compare me to Skye? Doubling up on your odds? Does Jed not care which of his daughters you take, as long as you claim one of us?”

      He continued to smile at her. “You’re very cynical.”

      “I’ve known Jed a long time. He’s not the warm and fuzzy type.”

      “Neither am I. Isn’t that what makes life interesting?” He jerked his shoulder toward the waiting plane. “Come on, Izzy. You know you want to.”

      She did want to jump. It wasn’t silent, like everyone said. It was loud, with the air rushing by and the sound of her heart filling her ears. For those few minutes, she was totally free and out of time. She could imagine what it was like to have everything she wanted, to be both connected and alone.

      They walked into the flight office and signed the necessary paperwork, then suited up. She half expected T.J. to make a move as she stepped into the jumpsuit, but he left her alone. Then they were on the plane, waiting to take off.

      “You do this sort of thing often?” she asked over the roar of the engine. They spoke into microphones, with headphones so they could hear each other and the pilot.

      “When I get the chance. I like the rush. What about you?”

      “I enjoy it.”

      “I’ve heard there’s a lot you enjoy. Rock climbing, cave diving.”

      “Swimming with sharks, mountain climbing, white-water rafting. Want to see my scars?”

      His gaze never left her face. “You’re going to have to trust me.”

      “Why? You didn’t pack my parachute. You’re just a guy, T.J. I haven’t figured out your game, but I will. I meant what I said before. Hurt my sister and you’ll be in a world of hurt yourself.”

      “You think you could take me, little girl?”

      “I’m a Titan. I have staff to take you.”

      That made him laugh. “I’m not afraid.”

      “In the immortal words of Yoda, you will be.”

      The plane took off and soon they were soaring into the blue sky. She’d jumped in several parts of the country and had done some mountain climbing in the Himalayas but nowhere else was the sky the color that it was in Texas.

      “Maybe I like you,” he said, his voice coming over the headphones.

      She looked at him. “You don’t know me well enough to like me. Are you dating my sister?”

      “No.”

      She’d been around powerful men enough to recognize that she’d asked the wrong question. “Do you and Skye have a date planned.”

      He barely hesitated. “Yes.”

      “May the best woman win?”

      He shrugged. “Like you said. I don’t know you. Yet.”

      “So you’re going to see which one you like best before picking?”

      “I already have an idea about that.”

      She supposed she was supposed to infer that he was leaning toward her. Big whoop. For all her success with her foundation and as a single mom, Skye was a baby when it came to the real dating world. She didn’t understand that men like T.J. would do whatever it took to get ahead. And she wasn’t going to listen to Izzy on the topic.

      Unless Izzy had proof of T.J.’s sliminess.

      The problem was she didn’t dislike him—she just didn’t trust him. Which left her confused. She was once again forced to ask if she was doing this to save her sister or to help herself to some good-looking guy.

      Izzy hated self-awareness nearly as much as she hated sitting still. Fortunately the plane had reached the right altitude. They stood and adjusted their parachutes, then got into position, leaving their headsets behind.

      “You really going to do this?” T.J. yelled.

      “Of course.” She elbowed him out of the way, walked to the open door, waited for the thumbs-up and jumped.

      The sensation of plummeting toward the earth thrilled every part of her. The air rushed by so fast, she had trouble breathing, but that didn’t bother her at all. It was just her and the day and invisible forces of gravity pulling her steadily down and down and down.

      She laughed from the joy of the moment, from the pleasure of being exactly where she wanted to be. Right now she didn’t care about T.J. or his motives or anything else. She spread her arms and turned in the air, pumped on the adrenaline rush.

      Seconds later, reluctantly, she braced herself and the parachute popped open. The free fall ended in a quick upward jerk, followed by an easy back and forth drifting to the landing spot.

      As the ground raced toward her, she bent her knees and relaxed so the impact wouldn’t hurt, then settled on a spot of brown grass.

      T.J. landed a few feet away. He laughed as he unfastened his parachute, then stalked over, grabbed her and kissed her.

      His mouth was firm and sensual, taking as much as offering. “What a rush,” he said when he released her. “Nothing beats it.”

      She stayed where she was, trying to gauge her reaction to the kiss. It had been fast but nice. She wouldn’t say no to another one, but she wasn’t dying to repeat the process.

      “Some things beat it,” she said. “You’re obviously СКАЧАТЬ