Page 9 of Getting Off

If Brooklyn gripped the “oh shit” handle any harder, she was likely to rip it off. She’d never been so terrified and exhilarated before in her life.

She should never have come. This was crazy. But she couldn’t help but give a whoop of pure joy as the truck hit some air. Not too much—a couple of feet at most—but when they slammed down again and kept right on racing, her heart was pounding fit to burst.

It was as if she’d been removed from this kind of raw, visceral living for so long that when she suddenly found herself immersed in it once again, her mind and body didn’t know what to do with the flood of sensory information. It was overload, and she loved every single second of it.

“That’s it,” Dylan urged. They had moved off a dirt track into a jouncy area with more pits and rocks and slopes. “Just ease the tranny back into second. That should get us up over this section. You should be able to feel the way the tires grab in the steering.”

He was talking to Lucas, but that didn’t matter. Brooklyn loved the sound of Dylan’s voice as he gave instructions. He never got upset. Everything was always fine. Just fine. And for some reason, the certainty in his tone soothed her fears in ways she hadn’t known possible.

She should’ve been more terrified, yelling for them to take her back to the clubhouse. Her mind realized this. But instead, she was so excited she was nearly breathless.

The view through the windshield changed as Lucas steered the truck up a rocky slope.

The landscape was filled with hills, dunes, and craggy plateaus that rose out of nowhere in the darkness.

The rocks gradually took shape, each bit of road unfolding only as quickly as the truck’s lights could reach it.

Lucas’s hands were clenched on the steering wheel as he piloted them over rocks that shouldn’t have been navigable.

As much as Brooklyn hated to admit it, she admired his guts.

He remained perfectly at ease no matter what suddenly appeared in front of them.

With a few instructions from Dylan, Lucas fearlessly took on any challenge.

It was something Brooklyn could not help but wonder at.

This rich, distractingly handsome bastard who’d made her last week hell by continually lingering in her mind didn’t hesitate to charge out there and live .

“Damn!” Lucas said. “Look at the size of that. Do I go around?”

“Nah.” Dylan had a huge grin on his face. “Hug the left side on this one. Straddle it. Go up on the bank. We’ll be fine.”

The vehicle lurched as they entered what appeared to be an enormous washout area.

The tire tracks suddenly seemed to disappear into two cavernous ruts pitted with rocks.

Lucas smoothly guided the truck to the left of the obstacle.

The huge tires seemed glued to the terrain as the Bronco crawled up onto the left bank with its right side tires perched between the ruts.

Brooklyn’s perspective shifted violently as the whole truck went up on two wheels.

She gave an involuntary squeak as Lucas hit the accelerator to increase their momentum.

The Bronco plugged its way up and through.

Her body was pressed against Dylan’s firm body.

There was absolutely no trying to stay in her spot with all the jostling, despite the harnesses.

She’d given up on the idea of personal space twenty minutes ago.

There wasn’t much room in the cab for three adults, especially with two of them being men.

The guys didn’t seem to mind. But now the only thing keeping her from tumbling into Dylan’s lap was her five-point harness.

“Hello, there, Doc,” Dylan said in a low voice filled with good-natured humor. “If I’d known this was all it would take to get you to fall for me, I’d have had Bubba up on two wheels an hour ago.”

Brooklyn didn’t know whether to laugh or hit him. “I’m sorry. I can’t— oof !”

She bounced into Lucas this time as the Bronco rocked on its springs. Lucas’s body was as firm as it had looked. She could attest to that.

“Sorry about that,” Lucas called over the dull roar of the engine. “Are we taking this hill?”

“Yep. There’s a crazy awesome view from the top of the plateau,” Dylan explained. “Just keep to this trail. It gets super steep at the top. You’ll need first gear for the last push. Don’t give it too much at once though.”

“Got it.” Lucas’s concentration seemed to intensify as he kept going.

Dylan put a hand on Brooklyn’s thigh. “Doing okay there, Brooklyn?”

She didn’t even care that they were all apparently on a first-name basis now.

It seemed ridiculous to use last names or titles in the middle of the desert at night on this crazy ride.

They were in what amounted to a crash cage and were racing through rough terrain, but she felt safe without really understanding why.

Was it because she was with these two men?

“I’m great!” She gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Both Dylan and Lucas laughed but not at her. She liked their laughs. They were different, but right now, they shared the same love of life and thrill of living as she felt.

“Look at that!” Lucas’s voice was filled with taut excitement splashed with a good bit of awe. “I go up and over?”

“Hell, yeah. Go for it,” Dylan nearly shouted as he gripped the bar on the front of the vehicle.

Brooklyn followed suit, her eyes going wide at the steep grade of the upward slope they were about to tackle.

It was nothing but stark shadows and brilliantly lit dirt that seemed to rise out of nowhere straight in front of them.

She felt Lucas’s hand near her knees as he downshifted and hit the gas.

The engine roared, and they lurched up the steep grade as though Lucas were determined to launch them over the top like a rocket.

For a second, they were flying. Brooklyn’s belly gave a tumble as she gasped.

Adrenaline poured into her bloodstream, and she felt so very alive in ways she had not experienced since childhood—since Colin, her brother.

She gave a whoop of joy as they hit the top of the plateau hard, and the lighted path seemed to shudder and bounce all over.

The truck careened to a stop in a torrential cloud of dust that plumed all around them.

“Yes! That was freaking awesome!” Lucas shouted as he hit the top of the steering wheel with excitement. He turned to look at Brooklyn. “Did you see that?”

“How could I miss it?” She was laughing now. She couldn’t help it. You would’ve thought that Lucas had discovered a way to fly. He looked nothing like the cool and reserved billionaire in his tailored suits and perfect ties. Excitement made his dark eyes seem to blaze in the reflected lights.

“Pull off the road a bit,” Dylan urged. “We’ll shut the lights off and get out and have a look at the view. It’s amazing.”

Lucas eased the truck back into gear and pulled off the path. Then he shut off the engine and the lights. Dylan opened the passenger door and hopped down. Dust billowed from beneath the heels of his boots.

Brooklyn scooted to the edge of the seat and stared down at the rather long drop between her and the ground. She’d forgotten her mountain climbing gear.

“Here you go, sweetheart.” Dylan reached up and took her hands. “I’m not going to let you fall.”

She reached out and put her gloved hands in his and let him ease her down from the big truck. His strength was incredible. When her boots thudded on the ground, she hardly noticed the impact. She was too busy staring up at the man still holding her so gently in his arms.

Dylan let go of her only long enough to gently unfasten the chin strap of her helmet. “Here. Let me help you with that thing.”

It was like having her face squished through a padded tube as he pulled the helmet over her head and set it back on the seat inside the truck. Her hair was a disaster. She could feel it. But Dylan didn’t seem to notice or mind. He reached down and tucked a tangled, stray lock behind her ear.

“You steady on your feet then?” His voice was a low rumble.

Brooklyn wanted to nod or say something or at least seem nonchalant.

But she suddenly felt ten kinds of shy and wasn’t sure why.

This was not a big deal. It shouldn’t have been a big deal at all.

She could’ve been lecturing him on the reasons this reckless activity should be banned by the health and safety board, but she didn’t say a word.

Because the ride had been beyond fun and something totally new and exciting for her.

She had no regrets, and that in itself was strange.

“Come and look at this!” Lucas called from around the front of the Bronco. “The view is amazing.”

Dylan pulled off his own helmet and grinned down at her. “Told ya.”

She didn’t miss that he took her hand to lead her over the uneven, rock-strewn ground. Brooklyn also didn’t miss the fact that she didn’t want him to let go.

Lucas didn’t mind that Brooklyn and Dylan were taking forever to come around from their side of the Bronco.

He’d ditched his helmet in the driver’s seat.

Now he lifted his face to the cool breeze blowing across the top of the plateau.

In the distance, he could see the brilliant lights of the Vegas strip lighting up the night.

It was always so incredible to see the Las Vegas lights from this distance.

The way they seemed to suddenly burst out of an otherwise empty, black landscape never stopped being stunning.

Lucas half turned and spotted Dylan leading Brooklyn by the hand from behind the Bronco. It was surprising, but he didn’t feel jealous. Not since they’d shared that moment together admiring the pretty doctor in the changing room.