Page 38 of Trusting Tanner
“Yup.” Tanner nodded.
She let out a small gasp and quickly covered it with a cough.
“Are you okay?” His voice was filled with concern.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“You’re asking me that now?” She laughed. “What if I am?”
“Then we leave and find something else to do,” he said as if it were no big deal.
“Well, I’m not.”
He slipped his arm around her waist. “Good, because I really want you all to myself tonight.” He pressed his lips to her temple in a soft, lingering kiss.
A series of tremors rocked her core, and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to just feel him. She was tempted to suggest they kiss right now so she could concentrate on the obstacle course and not be distracted by wondering when he’d kiss her. How it would feel. If he’d like it. If there would be a second or third or hundredth kiss.
“Okay,” Riley said, cutting through their moment. “The course is pretty self-explanatory once you get into it. There are arrows along the way to point you in the right direction. Each time you make it through an obstacle, a member of our staff will be waiting on the platform to help you transition into the next one.” He grabbed a harness and held it up. “You’ll need to wear these for the first part.”
Riley proceeded to read through a list of rules as she and Tanner got into their harnesses, which were awkward and uncomfortable. Riley then handed each of them a square box with a lid, small enough to fit in their pockets. “If you get lost, stuck, or injured, flip open that lid and press the button. One of the staff will come assist you. Any questions?”
When neither of them said anything, Riley gave a curt nod. “Have fun.” Then he walked away.
“I have to admit, I’m impressed,” she said.
His eyes sparked with pride and excitement. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “When you asked me out, I was expecting dinner. Maybe a movie. But this”—she gestured at the obstacle course—“this is friggin’ awesome.”
“You’re incredible, you know that?” His tone was serious, no traces of humor, and he had an expression to match. Her heart fluttered at his compliment. “I was worried you’d hate this.”
“Well, stop worrying. I love it.”
“Good, then get climbing. It takes a while to get through here, and we’ve only got two hours.”
Juliana went first, climbing up the ridiculously tall metal ladder. It had to be a good three stories high. She stepped onto the large platform, and a second later, Tanner was beside her. “Have you done this before?” she asked.
“Once last year when my brothers came to visit.”
She was oddly relieved he’d never been here with another girl.
“Hello,” an overly excited girl greeted them. “I’m Mindy.” She grabbed what looked like a metal cord and snapped one end to the eye hook on the front of Juliana’s harness and then affixed the other end to a cable along the ceiling. “Be sure your safety wire is attached to the cables at all times.”
Juliana swallowed hard and nodded. All that stood between her and death by concrete floor was a metal wire. Sweat beaded on her brow. Maybe she should’ve told Tanner she was afraid of heights. She took a hesitant step out onto the wooden bridge. It didn’t sway or buckle under her weight. That was mildly comforting.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m right here,” Tanner said from behind her.
She glanced over her shoulder to see him staring at her, a faint smile on his lips and an unspoken challenge in his gaze. “I’m not afraid.”
His lips twitched into a bigger smile. “If you say so.”
Her competitive streak raced through her, kicking into overdrive. She’d show him how not scared she was. Holding tightly to the rope sides, she walked across the bridge without stopping. She stepped onto the circular platform and turned back to Tanner, who was making his way across the bridge as effortlessly as she had. He jumped from the bridge to the platform. “Show-off.” She stuck out her tongue.
He chuckled. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
She dramatically rolled her eyes, which made him laugh harder. “Which way now?” There were two arrows, each pointing in a different direction. One led to a tightrope and the other led to another bridge, but instead of wooden planks, there were stepping stones.
