Page 18 of Apricity
Yeah, cause damp metal ladder rungs and a clumsy chick make a great combination.
Against my better judgement, I put one hand over the other and start to climb but it’s slow going as I try my very best not to fall off the damn thing. He might think it’s as safe as a pillow fort, but even I know those bitches can suffocate you.
“Come on, baby, get that cute butt up here,” Jax calls down playfully, already seated safely at the top.
Lifting my gaze away from the ladder, I stick my tongue out at him and shake my ass, trying to downplay my lack of progress as well as showing off just how cute I think my butt is. Of course, it’s just my luck that my sarcastic gesture is precisely the thing that causes my foot to slip.
Yup… Iamthat predictable.
“Holy fuck balls!” My hands strangle the metal rung in a death grip as my one leg dangles in the air. Not wasting any time, I force my foot to cooperate and find the ladder again before taking a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
Shaking my head to myself, I push on and make it up to the top of the very steep, very high ladder at the middle of the very tall tree… Without any thought behind the movement, I look down and it’s not until that very moment, I’m hit with an undeniable fact…
I’m terrified of heights.
Fuck.
Too petrified to move from the ladder into the dual seat at the top, I freeze. But that’s fine. It’s all fine. Yup, I am A.O.K staying right here. Clinging to the wet, slippery metal for hours is totally doable. I’ve got this. It’ll be fine.
I don’t realize I’ve closed my eyes until a sharp squeak of metal sounds, followed by the feeling of Jax heave-hoeing my ass up onto the bench by the nape of my jacket.
“It’s ok, baby, I’ve got you. You’re safe. See… look.” I peek open my eyes just as he pulls down a railing from over our heads, securing us in. It almost looks like those things they have on Ferris wheels to keep people from falling out.
Fuck I’m afraid of Ferris wheels too…
Holy shit I’m dizzy…
How in the hell did I make it down from the second floor of the estate during the raid? It makes no sense. I must have been so keyed up in survival mode, it didn’t matter how far my descent down the trellis was. I knew I needed to doit, so I did. But this? I don’t need to do this. I need to survive. On the ground. Where it’s fucking safe.
“Breathe, Aly.”*click*“You’re good, I’ve just fastened the safety harness. You’re not going anywhere.”
He doesn’t know that. This whole rickety contraption could fall out of the sky at any moment. How old is this thing anyways? Definitely not OSHA compliant if I have anything to say about it. The fact that I’m lacking certification on any OSHA standards is beside the point. What do I look like? A fluffy squirrel? I’m not a damn tree rodent! People were not meant to be this high up from the ground!
“Look, Aly. Open your eyes and look. You don’t want to miss this view.”
I shake my head in vehement opposition. Nope. “Youlook. You can hunt and kill everything you want. I’m going to sit here, with my eyes closed and imagine I’m on the beach. Surrounded by booze and dancing starfishies. Oh look, it’s a dolphin bringing me a Mai Tai. How nice!”
*creak*
“Oh, my sweet baby Jesus!” My arms flail out to my sides, reaching for anything to grab and hold onto for dear life.
“Shhhhhh. Aly, open your eyes for me, baby. Please. Trust me. I set this stand up myself. It’s secure. It’s not going anywhere and neither are you. Please, just open your eyes. I promise the view will be worth it.”
I feel the calloused skin of his fingers on my clenched hands a second later, rubbing across my whitened knuckles. His breath ghosts across my cheek and neck a moment before he plants a gentle kiss just below my ear. “Open youreyes, baby,” he whispers and against all my willpower not to do so, my eyes open of their own accord.
“What the fuck?!” I gasp before I break out into a full-bodied laugh, forgetting the terrifying height and everything else besides what I see.
There, on another tree across the way, are Cole and Hawk. Their arms are up above their heads while their pants are down around their ankles. Their dicks fully out in all their glory, swinging around as if they were helicopter blades.
I shake my head at them but keep laughing still, even at Jax’s protest to stay quiet. He can hardly follow his own rule for how much his shoulders are shaking, trying to contain his own amusement. Before long, both Hawk and Cole pull their pants up and blow me kisses, the rifles in their hands poised at the ready for what we came here to do.
Hunt for our meals.
∞∞∞
Six and a half hours later, we start our trek back.
Empty-handed.
