A Leap of Faith

January 14, 2014

A Leap of Faith

The old plane rumbled so loudly that I could barely hear myself think, which allowed me to give most of my attention to my lurching stomach. I swallowed thickly wondering if I was going to be able to jump when the time came.

Mr. Kadam was in the front of the plane talking with the old pilot and, seated across from me, was Kishan. His golden eyes studied me and his unasked questions made me nervous.

I unbuckled my seatbelt with the intention of talking with Mr. Kadam in the front when suddenly we rolled, banking to the left and I stumbled right into Kishan’s arms. He softly growled and sat me down next to him then made a great show of buckling my seatbelt.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed before we even save Loverboy?”

“No,” I spat. “I just wanted to see how long we had left until we reached our target.”

“We still have ten minutes or so.”

I nodded and lowered my head into my hands, momentarily overcome by air sickness. Kishan rubbed my back and the warmth of his hand distracted me.

“I’m fine,” I murmured. “You don’t need to do that.”

“I want to help, Kells. If you can’t jump, then stay on the plane. We’ll meet up with you later.”

“No. I need to be there. The plan won’t work without me.”

He shrugged. “We’ll adapt.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

After a moment, he said, “There is another option, you know.”

“What option?”

“Jump with me. In tandem. Like we did in practice.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Kelsey—”

“No! You’re too…touchy feely when we jump together.”

He folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes while I lowered mine, my face flaming.

“I have never behaved inappropriately.”

I gave him a look and he gave me a half grin and said, “Very well, I admit to enjoying the feeling of holding you in my arms.”

“Don’t forget about kissing my neck and shoulder.”

He grinned outright then and rubbed his jaw. “What can I say? Your bare neck was irresistible.” Tilting his head, he remarked, “You’re just being overly sensitive, bilauta. You feel guilty for reacting to my touch.”

Kishan was right about that. I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed the feeling of being close to him as much as I wished it weren’t true.

“Will you jump with me if I promise to limit our…contact?” he asked.

“No.”

He sighed. “Kelsey, don’t let your stubbornness cause an accident.”

“The only accident would be letting you get your way.”

Kishan laughed. “If I was getting my way, we wouldn’t even be here now.” He captured my hand and pressed a lingering kiss on my bare wrist. Leaning in closer, he said, “If I got my way, I’d whisk you far away from here to a warm beach where we could play in the water and the sand. We’d let the cares of the world slide from our shoulders like a worn shirt and find delight in the freedom of being together.”

The vision Kishan shared was entirely too tempting. It was easy to imagine standing in the sand with waves lapping our feet while he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me to his very nice bare chest. With a start, I realized I was about five centimeters away from kissing him which made me angry all over again.

I jerked back under the gaze of his twinkling golden eyes and he smiled as if he’d been reading my mind and was satisfied with the images found there. To prove a point, I yanked my chute closer and put it on, determined to show him not only my utter dedication to saving Ren but also my resolve to keep him at a distance.

When I sat back, he sighed and put on his own chute, resigned to my decision. Mr. Kadam came out then and said we were ready. The back of the plane opened and, with a wink, he jumped out. I peered down and saw his chute open.

Kishan stood behind me. “Your turn, Kells.”

I bit my lip nervously and felt my leg muscles clench and soften as I tried to summon the courage.

Kishan cupped my cheek and turned my face to his. Lightly, he kissed my cheeks one by one and said, “I’ll be waiting if you change your mind.”

Before I even allowed myself to consider the impact of his promise, I took two steps and leapt through the back of the plane. As my body spun in the night sky his words echoed through my mind.

I’ll be waiting…

This entry was posted in Bonus Material, Tiger's Quest.

Colleen Houck

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A Leap of Faith

January 14, 2014

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Colleen Houck