"I can handle whatever you can dish out," he said, repeating her exact words, although his sexy tone made her think of hot, sweaty sex, which had her face heating rapidly.

When he leaned in closer, goose bumps broke out on Mia's arms. She hoped he didn't realize how much he affected her.

He obviously did if his next words were anything to go by. "You're competitive, are you?"

His mouth was against her ear, his breath hot against her cheek, his voice so low she could hardly hear him over the rain on the roof. Rather than say anything, Mia nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the buildings passing outside the window.

"Good. So am I. Want to put a wager on today?" he asked.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked as softly as she could.

"If I win, you have to come back to my condo for the night."

"And what happens then?"

"That's completely up to you. Your call."

Mia considered that for a moment and then surprised the hell out of herself when she nodded. "Fine. And if I win?" She didn't plan to lose.

"That's up to you."

"Okay. And what about Tarik? What if he wins?" She looked toward the front once again.

"Then you have to come back to the condo for the night," Tarik said smoothly.

"Are y'all ganging up on me?" The instant the words were out of her mouth, Mia wanted to crawl into the floorboard and hide.

Their only answer was a simultaneous gruff chuckle.

Oh, crap. She'd set herself up for that one, and she could feel her body temperature rise several degrees.

"So what'll it be?" Phoenix's words were still so low Mia barely heard them.

Turning her head a little so that her mouth was closer to his ear, Mia decided to return the favor, ignoring her rioting nerves. "I'll let you know when I win."

Phoenix laughed, a deep, sexy rumble that had her insides quivering. "When? Not if?"

"Exactly." Mia had no idea what he had in mind, and she knew it had been a really long time since she'd done anything physical like this - and the treadmill certainly didn't count - but she definitely wasn't about to turn down the dare. She wasn't built that way.

"I like your confidence," he whispered. When his lips brushed against the sensitive skin beneath her ear, Mia nearly came up off the seat. If it weren't for his hand coming to rest on her thigh, she might have. "In fact, I like a lot of things about you," he continued, his lips trailing the shell of her ear as the warmth of his hand penetrated her leg. "Like the way your hair smells like strawberries." Phoenix pressed his lips against her neck. "And the way your pulse quickens when I kiss you here."

She fully expected him to say something inherently sexual following that, so when he left the statement at that, her body tingled with anticipation.

"Five minutes," Tarik informed them, causing Mia to pull back abruptly, realizing that he was sneaking glances at them while he drove.

Oddly, the idea of Tarik watching them made her thighs tremble and her insides spasm with anticipation. She was losing her mind. That was all there was to it.

Phoenix evidently didn't care that they had an audience of one, because he continued to nuzzle her neck, his warm breath making goose bumps break out along her arms. She tried to ignore him even though she knew it was futile. Phoenix Pierce wasn't an easy man to ignore. Ever.

Thankfully, they arrived at the skydiving place a few minutes later. It wasn't until Tarik parked the SUV in a spot close to the building that Phoenix opened the door and climbed out. Mia noticed the sudden loss of his body heat, which left her feeling weirdly deserted although he was still close, still holding her hand as he helped her from the Escalade.

"Better hurry, little girl," Tarik said as he came to stand outside the door. "Wouldn't want you to get wet."

Mia heard the double entendre, but she did her best to ignore it, giving Tarik a knowing smile as she did, hurrying toward the door as the rain continued to pound down relentlessly.

"Have either of you done this before?" she asked them as they made their way inside, instantly greeted kindly by an energetic young man.

"A few times, yes," Phoenix admitted, pulling her close to his side as they moved to the check-in desk at the front, Tarik walking incredibly close behind her. Another chill danced along her spine, and this one had nothing to do with it being cold outside.

Mia watched Phoenix's interaction with the pretty woman behind the counter, noticed the way the girl eyed him and Tarik excitedly, likely wondering which one of them was available.

Neither, an insistent voice in her head announced.

Oh, brother. She was in big trouble.

A few minutes later, they were instructed to head up a set of stairs to the second floor. Once there, Mia realized there was a group of children, probably around nine or ten, who were talking and laughing as they watched someone who was already in the wind tunnel where they'd be flying.

Moving to the glass so she could see better, Mia focused on the older man hovering in midair. He looked as though this was possibly his first time. An instructor was accompanying him inside the wind tunnel, helping him to maintain the correct posture to remain airborne. It looked interesting, not like anything she'd ever done before, and Mia found the excitement was infusing her as well.

"You wanna go first?" Tarik asked, stepping up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders, his broad chest against her shoulder blades while Phoenix came to stand at her side.

She glanced over at Phoenix to gauge his reaction. He didn't seem to care that Tarik was touching her so intimately. In fact, she was pretty sure that was a flame she saw burning in his heated gaze.

Surprisingly, Mia was comfortable with Tarik's touch, and despite her lingering trepidation, she welcomed it. Something about him made her feel safe. More than it should have, she knew, but she wasn't going to think about that today. Today she was going to enjoy her time with them, see where things went. Alex had told her to go for it, so here she was.

It was time she let herself go. This was the time she was supposed to be finding herself, figuring out who she really was. And this seemed like a damn good starting point.

"I'll let one of you go first," she told him, her eyes still glued to the man in the tube. "How long do we get to fly?"

"There aren't many people here this morning, so you'll get a few minutes," Phoenix informed her. "If you want to go again, I'm sure I can work something out."

Nodding her understanding, Mia continued to watch until another employee approached, letting them know he was ready to assist them into their flying gear. Minutes later, Mia had shed her jacket, pulled her hair on top of her head, put on a purple jumpsuit, goggles, and a helmet. Phoenix and Tarik both did the same, only their jumpsuits were blue and they looked far sexier in their outfits than she did in hers. She tried not to stare as she admired the two of them, hoping they wouldn't notice.

The sinful grin on Tarik's face told her he noticed, all right.

Forcing her attention away from him, she followed the employee into a room adjacent to the wind tunnel and sat on a bench that he directed her to. Phoenix took a seat on one side, while Tarik moved to her other side. They watched as the last of the kids in the group climbed in, a little girl who was laughing uncontrollably as the man helped her to get her feet out from beneath her.

Butterflies took flight in Mia's stomach as anticipation fizzed in her veins. She'd never been the adventurous type before, and as she sat patiently waiting her turn, she had to wonder why that was. Granted, catching air in a tunnel was a far cry from actually jumping out of a plane, but still, Mia found her heart rate skyrocketing.

Once the little girl exited, the man motioned for Phoenix as he stepped out of the tube, leaving it empty. Phoenix offered Mia a smile as he got to his feet and, without preamble, launched himself into the tube, surprising her with his agility. Yeah, there was no way this was his first time. She found herself laughing at his antics, enjoying the way he'd clearly mastered this as much as he mastered everything else.

"So, he really has done this before," she said to Tarik while her eyes continued to follow Phoenix.

"A time or two, yes."

"Has he jumped out of an airplane before?"

"Yes."

"And you? Is this something you enjoy doing?"

"It is," he said, his voice rather loud so she could hear him over the wind noise.

When Phoenix's time was up, Mia got a little nervous, but the instructor managed to calm her down as he helped her into the tunnel and into position.

Within seconds, she was flying.

The feeling was strange yet exhilarating. A weightlessness she'd never known before. She tried to stay focused, realizing she was grinning so much that her cheeks hurt as the wind blasted her, keeping her off the ground. She couldn't hear anything except for the roar of the wind and her own heartbeat. Her laughter was drowned out, a mere echo in her head, but she loved every single second of it. And when it was over, Mia couldn't stop smiling.

She wasn't sure she would ever stop smiling.

Chapter Nineteen.

PHOENIX NEVER TOOK his eyes off Mia the entire time she was airborne. She was so beautiful, even with most of her face covered by her goggles and the helmet over her head. Her smile... Phoenix would have to admit that her smile was the most radiant thing he'd ever seen. He was drawn to her in every way, and when she laughed, he laughed.

Of course, watching Tarik master the wind was an erotic sight all its own. The man moved so easily, so effortlessly that Phoenix found himself admiring every move, every nuance of his facial expressions. The guy was physical perfection.

"He's good at this," Mia said as they watched Tarik take his turn.

Yes, he definitely was. He was good at a lot of things, Phoenix thought to himself.

It wasn't long before those few minutes were up and they were exiting to the main waiting area where they'd originally been sent.

"So, how was it?" Tarik asked Mia when he met up with them.

"Incredible," she said breathlessly. "Is it really like jumping out of a plane?"

"Not exactly." Phoenix glanced down at her as he studied her. "Why? You interested?"

"Maybe one day," she told him, her eyes locking with his. "You never know what you might enjoy until you try it."

The underlying meaning of those words hit Phoenix like a twenty-ton hammer. Based on the way she held his gaze, he knew what she was getting at. He wasn't sure he was going to make it through the rest of the day if she kept that up.

The young man who'd helped them to suit up showed them where they needed to go next. Once they had removed the flight suit and other equipment, Phoenix led Mia and Tarik back down the stairs, where they were greeted by the girl who'd signed them up initially. A few minutes later, Tarik took Mia's hand and led them toward the main doors. Feeling incredibly bold, Phoenix decided to take her other hand, walking alongside them. When Mia didn't flinch or bother to look around to see if anyone noticed, he smiled.

Yes, this was definitely working out better than he had planned.

"So, who's the winner?" Tarik asked as he helped Mia into the SUV after they'd made a run for it in the parking lot. The rain hadn't let up yet, proof in that he was getting drenched just standing there.

"That's a tough one," she told him, glancing over at Phoenix briefly. "I'm gonna have to say Phoenix."

"I agree," Tarik said, grinning from ear to ear as his eyes met Phoenix's.

They were standing so close, the rain coming down heavily, and Phoenix could feel the heat of Tarik's body, smell spearmint on his breath. Neither of them moved for a long moment. A foreign sensation simmered inside him, urging him to take the plunge, to lean in and kiss Tarik right there. The knowing look on Tarik's face, the cocky, crooked grin was the only thing that stopped him.

Yes, he was going to give in, even he knew that much. But for now, Phoenix was going to make Tarik work for it.

Tarik turned away, and Phoenix inhaled deeply as he jumped into the car, brushing the water from his hair and his coat.

"It's your turn to pick a place to go," Phoenix told Mia when Tarik darted around to the driver's side.

She was examining him cautiously, but she didn't seem put off by the moment he'd shared with Tarik. Phoenix had absolutely no idea how she would react if and when he told her that he was as interested in Tarik as he was in her. He wasn't sure he was ready for that reaction. If she rejected him, he wasn't sure he'd survive it.

"Do you play laser tag?" she inquired sweetly, still gazing up at him as he tried to dispel more of the water from his hair.

"I know how, yes."

"You?" she asked, looking to the front toward Tarik, who had jumped into the driver's seat and was doing the same thing. His shirt was plastered to his back - the guy had a passionate dislike for coats, so he'd gone without one, as usual - and Phoenix did his best not to stare at him as he got situated in the front seat, flipping the heater on high.

"I've played."

"Are you good at it?" She was eyeing Tarik intently as she waited for him to answer, and Phoenix fought the urge to draw her attention back to him and kiss her.

"I can hold my own."

"And you? Do you excel at that, too?" Mia asked Phoenix, turning back to him once again.

"You'll have to find out," he stated, putting his thumb on her chin, curling his finger beneath.

He couldn't resist the desire to kiss her, so he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. When her small hands came up and rested on his chest, Phoenix leaned in closer, enjoying the warmth of her touch, the sweetness of her lips, the fruity scent of her shampoo. The woman affected him in more ways than one, and he didn't think he'd ever been quite so aware of another person in his entire life. Except maybe Tarik.

The kiss was slow and gentle, a languid melding of lips, an unhurried mingling of tongues.

"So, laser tag then?" Tarik called from the front seat, and Phoenix was forced to release Mia's lips.

"Sounds like a plan," Phoenix responded before returning his mouth to hers.

Pulling her closer, he slipped his hand behind her neck, cupping her head and tilting it slightly for a better angle. The leisurely slide of tongue against tongue didn't last long, and the next thing Phoenix knew, he was kissing her hard, driving his tongue into her mouth, desperately wishing they had a little more room because his hands itched to touch her. He wanted to pull her onto his lap so he could feel her warmth against his entire body.

"You haven't won yet," she said softly when they broke for air.

Tarik laughed before backing out of the parking space. If Phoenix had to guess, the other man had been watching. The idea had Phoenix's cock hardening even more.

Mia was smiling, a glimmer of mischief flashing in her brilliant blue eyes.

Hell, he wasn't even keeping score, but he wasn't going to let her know that. At the moment, getting to spend the day with her made him the automatic winner. If they made it back to his condo tonight ... he couldn't promise he'd be able to control himself. "If you say so," he replied.

"I definitely say so. We'll talk more after laser tag."

Phoenix laughed, he couldn't help himself. And then he kissed her again, pulling her as close as he could, crushing his mouth to hers and tasting her energy, her excitement.