Page 112 of Need You
Chapter Nineteen
“Put your hand there.” Colt pointed to one of the grips as he stood on the gym floor, managing the other end of Delaney’s rope in case she fell. “Thatta girl. You’ve got it.”
“You sure I’m doing this right?”
“Yep. You’re doing great.” Especially for a beginner. At this rate, he’d have her on one of the tamer mountains in no time.
“I suppose this is easier than real life.”
Colt got a kick out of that. “This is real life.”
“You know what I mean. An artificial rock wall, instead of the real thing.”
Colt shrugged as he watched her climb. “It’s no joke. When my dad put it in, he wasn’t messing around.” Gray had made sure to overlay the colored grips to create different routes with varying degrees of difficulty. Even the most accomplished rock climber could find a challenging pattern on the Garner wall. “That harness too tight?”
“If it’s not supposed to give me a wedgie, then it’s too tight.”
“Afraid there’s no helping the wedgie. Keep your hips tight to the wall and push with your legs instead of pulling with your arms. You use less energy that way.”
“Like this?”
“Yep.” He nodded. “Pay attention to your route.”
“Got it.”
He continued to guide her while holding the rope. “Remember, the goal isn’t to reach the top; it’s to enjoy yourself.”
She grimaced. “Reach the top? I’ll be happy if I don’t fall.”
“You won’t fall.”
In the week since their stay at the Ritz, they’d spent every night together. He’d even managed to carve out time after work to take her on a few dates in Tahoe and Reno. Their new arrangement should’ve felt smothering but it didn’t. It felt too good to be true, which it was. Because the clock was ticking. He knew it. She knew it. They just didn’t talk about it, preferring to simply enjoy the time they had together. At least with Delaney, her pending departure wasn’t out of left field, like it had been with Lisa.
The trick was preparing for the inevitable without losing his shit when it happened. Otherwise when Delaney went back to LA, he’d head straight to Yosemite’s El Capitan and get stupid, free-soloing the sheer granite mountain. But today they were here, climbing with ropes and doing the no-strings-attached relationship thing.
This morning, after an hour of primo sex, Delaney had announced that she wanted to learn to rock climb. Colt suspected her sudden yen for adventure had to do with the athletic clothes she now designed. They’d grabbed breakfast, then wandered over to Garner Adventure to see if the coast was clear. The place had been empty—a rarity for a Sunday. But Colt figured everyone was out, conducting tours.
“Can I come down now?” she called from the center of the wall.
“Anytime you want. This was your idea.”
“I know. But it’s more exhausting than it looks.” She started to make her descent.
“Watch your footing.” Sometimes coming down was harder than going up.
He spotted her as she slowly retraced her footholds, getting an excellent view of her ass in the process. Outstanding in the stretchy pants she had on. “You okay?”
“I’m good,” she said, out of breath.
When she got all the way down, he unhooked her rope and harness, lifted her in the air, and kissed her. “You’re a pro.”
She let out a girlish giggle that never failed to kill him. “You want to go up now?” Delaney eyed the wall.
“Nah. I liked watching you. Shower here or at home?” She’d worked up a sweat during their short lesson. He inched his hands up her bouldering shirt, feeling her slick belly and touching the underside of her breasts.
“Mmm.” Delaney glanced over his shoulder and searched the gym. “Are we still alone?”
“Yep. Just the two of us. No telling how long that’ll last, though.”
