Page 14 of My Ogre Husband
When we pull up to the rock climbing gym, there are all sorts of monsters heading inside dressed in their workout clothes. As we get out of the car, Egorr takes my hand, and I like how familiar it feels already to have my fingers swallowed up by his palm.
We each rent a pair of climbing shoes. Unfortunately, I’m much smaller than most monsters, so my shoes are a little too big. Egorr assures me we’re starting with the easiest climbs, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
At the beginner wall, the routes are marked with tape and numbered.
“You should do the zero routes first,” the attendant tells us. I stare up at the high wall, suddenly wondering if I’ve made a mistake in my choice of activity. It looks scary up there. But plenty of other monsters are doing the climbs without a problem, so I square my shoulders and decide I’ll give it a try.
When the bigfoot doing the zero-level route comes back down again, Egorr nods at me to give it a shot. I wrap my hand around the first hold, then grab the second one with my other hand, hefting myself up onto the footholds. Egorr stands below me, arms held out.
“If you find yourself falling,” the attendant calls up to me, “be sure to twist your body so you don’t land on your back.”
That sounds like a mighty big ask, given I’ll be in the middle of falling, but I nod anyway as I continue to the next pair of holds.
Wow. This uses a lot more upper-body strength than I expected. I navigate my feet up, holding on tight as I try to find the next set of holds with my toes. Still, it’s not too hard. I get two-thirds of the way up the wall when I make the mistake of looking down.
“Oh shit,” I mutter, realizing Egorr is much smaller down there than he should be. I take a few deep breaths, trying to still my heart. I’m really high up. If I fell right now…
“It’s okay if you want to come back down,” Egorr says, as if he can read my mind. Nodding quickly, I make my way to the previous set of holds, and I’m surprised at how much harder it is going back down than it was going up. I’m not sure where to put my feet.
“Egorr!” I can hear the fear in my own voice. “I can’t get down.”
“I’m here,” he calls back. “If you jump down, I’ll catch you.”
Glancing down at him, with his big arms held out for me, I know he will. I exhale deeply and then hop off the wall.
Sure enough, he catches me. Gently, he lowers me to the ground, and I feel warm all over. I take a few deep breaths to calm my heart.
“Pretty high up there?” he asks, a comforting smile on his face.
“Yeah. I thought I was okay with heights, but…”
“You get used to it,” the attendant says, a wolf-woman with rather long fangs. “It comes with practice.”
That’s comforting to hear.
It’s Egorr’s turn next, and he has a significantly harder time climbing the wall thanks to his bulk, but he’s also incredibly strong and manages to make it a little farther up than I did. He’s almost at the top when he freezes.
“Shit,” I hear him mutter. “Itisreally high up here.” Quickly he climbs down the wall again, and when he gets his feet back on the ground, he looks a tad shaken. I can’t help but laugh.
“Maybe rock climbing isn’t for us?” I say, rubbing his arm.
“Maybe not.” He lets out a long breath. “I don’t think ogres are meant for heights.”
We try a few more short climbs, then decide we’re not cut out for the rock climber life and turn in our shoes at the front desk. Egorr takes my hand again as we leave.
“That was fun, though,” he says. “And now we know.”
ChapterSix
When we get home from the gym, I’m exhausted and ready to plop down on the couch.
“I didn’t think it would take quite so much out of me,” I moan, rolling my shoulders. “Those muscles aren’t going to feel the same again.”
Egorr chuckles and takes my hand to lead me over to the fireplace. He sets me on the couch, then goes about lighting it before he joins me.
“Turn around?” he asks.
Curious, I do as he says, bringing my legs up into a crossed position and showing him my back. Egorr shifts behind me, then his huge hands land on my shoulders. The tips of his wide fingers press into my muscles, and it’s the perfect combination of painful and heavenly.
