Sweet Haven (The Sweet Series Book 2) by K.C. Lynn

tightens at the low husk of his voice.
    This is going to be a long afternoon.
    On the way to our destination, I plead for some sort of hint but he remains tight-lipped and enjoys every moment of my torture. Thankfully, it isn’t long until we arrive at the scenic tour station where you can explore mountain views from a gondola. Jase climbs out of the truck and comes over to let me out.
    “You’re taking me on a gondola ride, Crawford?” I ask, excited at the prospect. I’ve lived here my whole life and have never done it.
    “Yeah, something like that,” he answers cryptically. Grabbing my hand, he leads me to where a man is waiting for us outside the lift. “Jase, it’s good to see you,” he says, shaking his hand.
    “You, too. Thanks for helping me out.”
    “No problem.”
    “This is Samantha Evans,” Jase says, introducing me. “Sam, this is Glen Perkins. He owns the place.”
    “It’s nice to meet you.”
    “You, too,” he replies, shaking my hand before returning his attention to Jase. “The weather is perfect right now for you.”
    “It is,” Jase agrees with a nod.
    Their exchange has me even more curious.
    “Bert’s waiting up at the top.”
    “Great. Thanks.”
    “You bet. Have fun and be safe.”
    “I’m always safe.”
    The older man grunts, clearly knowing Jase better than that.
    With a chuckle, Jase leads me into the gondola.
    “Shouldn’t he be coming with us?” I ask, feeling a little anxious as the doors close.
    “No.” He takes a seat on the bench and looks at me with a frown. “You have been on one of these before, right?”
    I shake my head.
    “Never?” he asks incredulously.
    “Pathetic, huh?”
    He graces me with a sexy smirk. “Come here.”
    When I take his outstretched hand, he pulls me down on his lap, and that’s when we begin making our climb. The first jolt catches me off guard and has me tensing.
    “Don’t be nervous. We’re safe,” he says, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder.
    I relax against him, finding safety in his strong arms. The view is breathtaking. The afternoon sun bounces off the white caps of the mountains, reflecting off their sharp peaks, displaying what God so graciously created.
    “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” I say, finding a new appreciation for what I’ve always taken for granted.
    “Just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
    I turn toward him, my arm curling around his neck. “You come up here often?”
    “Yeah. Every chance I get.”
    “What do you do?”
    “You’re about to find out,” he answers, still refusing to tell me.
    “Remember that small pep talk we had about not channeling crazy Sam?”
    He chuckles, amused with my frustration. “Keep her locked up, baby. She can come out later tonight and play,” he says with a dirty grin.
    The sexy bastard.
    Once we make it to the top, Jase links his fingers with mine as if it’s the most natural thing and walks over to the man who is waiting for us. Tons of equipment circles his feet, one of them a parachute, which has my pulse kick starting.
    “Jase!” he greets him with a handshake.
    “Hey, Bert, thanks for meeting us up here.”
    “You bet. Everything is here for you. Just give me a call with your coordinates when you land, and I’ll bring you your truck.”
    Coordinates? Land?
    My heart beats double-time, not liking the sound of this. I barely acknowledge the gentlemen’s brief greeting to me as he walks away, my eyes glued to all the things on the ground that look like death traps.
    Jase drops down on his knee, sorting through the pile, oblivious to my inner turmoil.
    “Uh, Jase. Can you tell me now what we’re doing?” I ask, noticing how dry my throat is.
    He looks up at me, excitement lit all over his handsome face. “We’re paragliding.”
    “We are?”
    “Yep,” he answers, his attention returning to the scattered equipment.
    “On this mountain?”
    “Well, technically off the mountain.”
    I stare at him, wondering if this is a