Chapter 13
“Mom gained two pounds,” Charlie told Emily as they rode toward the climbing gym in Steven’s limo. “The doctor says the antihistamines may be helping. She’s actually starting to eat something other than crackers.”
Emily tried to picture how her skinny mom would look with a full term pregnancy. “She’s got a long way to go before she even starts looking pregnant. I still can’t believe it. I think I’m going to feel more like an aunt than a sister to this kid.”
“Me, too. But I think it could be fun. I’m really happy for Steven.”
“I agree. I know he’s putting on a really brave front for Mom, but I can tell he’s worried she won’t make it all the way.”
“Don’t their chances of making it go up if she gets through the first trimester?”
“I think so, but he’s still too nervous to leave her at home alone. It’s too bad, though. It would’ve been fun to see Josh’s face when Steven showed him up on the climbing wall.”
“Yeah...” Charlie muttered darkly. “I can’t believe I let him bait me into this. I’m sunk if he’s had experience, and I think he has.”
“But you’re really good, and you’ve had a lot of experience. Don’t you think you can beat him?”
“No. I don’t have the upper body strength to do the really hard climbs—the ones with overhangs, like Steven did last fall.”
“Maybe he’s out of shape,” Emily argued. “He’s been really busy with med school and now with the residency.”
“Are you blind Emily? You hiked with him for an entire day, and you didn’t notice his muscles?”
Emily tried to picture Josh on the trail at Devil’s Path. “No, not really. I think they were mostly covered up.”
“No, Sister. Believe me, they were quite visible.”
“Well then why did you agree to a climbing contest?”
“I don’t know... He’s so egotistical, and he made me so mad.”
“And what exactly did he do to make you so mad? What happened when y’all went in the living room?”
Charlie’s face turned pink. “Nothing happened. I yelled at him and told him to leave you and Spencer alone.”
Emily regarded her sister dubiously. “Well, I guess it worked. He left me alone and turned all his attention on you. Is that what you wanted?”
“No!” Her blush spread down her neck.
“Are you sure nothing else happened in the living room? Y’all were in there a while.”
“Well, I had a lot to say,” Charlie declared.
“So, is it possible you like him a little? I mean, I guess he’s cute. You said yourself he had muscles. And he’s a doc—”
“No! I don’t like him. Not even a little. He’s arrogant, egotistical, and controlling.”
“Okay. Don’t bite my head off. So what are you planning to do if he beats you tonight?”
“I’ve been thinking about it. As long as he beats me fair and square, I can handle it and a bit of teasing, too. He can brag about it, but there’ll be other guys there who are better than him. Whereas, I’ll probably be the best girl in the joint tonight. He’ll be impressed. Even if he doesn’t want to admit it, he’ll be impressed. And both of us will know it.” Charlie smirked a little. Emily wondered why her sister cared about impressing Josh. Usually, Charlie couldn’t care less whether a guy was impressed. She was self-confident to a fault, typically disregarding others’ opinions as unimportant. But something about Josh got under her skin and irritated her enough she couldn’t ignore him.
“I’m rooting for you, Sister.” She’d keep her speculations to herself.
* * *
Charlie fumed evenwhile she was putting on her climbing harness. Josh was already geared up. He had a great build, and he knew it. He was probably almost six feet two. She noted with satisfaction Spencer was a little taller. Right now she was happy if anyone could best him in any way. He really needed to be cut down to size. He’d obviously climbed before, at least in a gym, and she knew she had little chance of beating him here. But with her extensive outdoor climbing experience, she’d probably leave him in the dust on an outdoor climb. Still, she wasn’t the type to make excuses when she was competing. She’d simply have to do her best.
For liability reasons, the gym didn’t allow anyone to belay unless they’d taken their class and passed a test. She was glad Josh couldn’t offer to belay her because he made her nervous for some reason. She tried not to think about what had happened with Josh in the Marshall’s living room. That kiss. She was furious with herself for kissing him back. Why had she done that? She should’ve slapped him before he kissed her, not after. He’d simply caught her off guard. But never again—she was prepared for him. She had her shields up and on high alert.
“Hey.” Charlie jumped at Josh’s voice in her ear. He’d come up behind her while she was concentrating on her gear. He grinned at her reaction. “So, what’s the bet going to be? What do I have to do to beat you, and what do I win?”
“Highest point reached on two out of three climbs, or best time if we both make it to the top.” She stated the conditions matter-of-factly, carefully hiding any emotions.
“And what do I win?”
“I’ll win the satisfaction of putting you in your place.”
“I think satisfaction would be a great prize when I win, but I’d rather achieve it some other way.” He leaned in close and whispered, “How about another kiss, without the punishing slap afterward?”
Charlie felt her face heat up, but she kept her voice cool and even. “That will never happen again.”
“Why not? Are you saying you didn’t enjoy it?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That’s what your lips are saying now, but it’s not what your body was saying last night.”
“Stop it. Shut up before someone hears you. Spencer’s coming.” She glared at him while she spoke between her clenched teeth.
He let out a belly laugh. “I’m not giving up just because someone might overhear me. I’ll be a little more discreet.” His eyes twinkled. “But only a little.”
Charlie sent him a glower that could have melted steel as Spencer joined them, seemingly unaware of their friction. “Who’s going first?”
“Josh is going first,” declared Charlie. “Go ahead. Pick your climb.”
He chose a vertical climb with a medium level difficulty. He climbed steadily, easily reaching the top, and Spencer declared the time. “Four minutes, twenty-two seconds.”
Josh rappelled down with a satisfied smile. Two blond girls approached him, and he seemed to be busy flirting while Charlie threaded the rope through her harness. She cast him a disparaging glance and started her climb. With experienced efficiency, she fairly flew up the climb.
“Three minutes, forty-four seconds. Charlie wins round one.” Spencer shouted her time and her sister cheered, along with Brad and Grace.
Josh whipped around to watch her descend. “Wait, I missed it.” He approached her as she touched the floor. “So it looks like I might have to try a little harder to beat you.”
* * *
Emily saton the bench with Grace and Brad, watching the show. Brad laughed heartily when Charlie won the first round. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
“Do you think he’ll beat her on the next two?” asked Emily.
“I don’t know how he’s going to play this one,” admitted Brad. “He’s good. He climbs all the time. He did a five-thirteen last week.”
“Is that hard?” asked Grace.
“Yeah, pretty tough. It had a rough overhang.”
“So what do you mean, you don’t know how he’ll play it?” asked Emily.
Brad shrugged. “He might try his best, to impress her. Or he might let her win. You know, just barely. But he might let her win if he thinks it’ll be to his advantage.”
“Hmmm. He doesn’t know my sister. She’d know if he did that. It’d be a bad idea.”
“But isn’t she super competitive? Doesn’t she like to win?”
“Oh, she likes to win, all right. But she doesn’t take condescension from anyone. On the other hand, if he shows off... Well, she already thinks he’s egotistical.”
“So, he’s in trouble if he beats her or if he lets her win?”
“Pretty much.”
“So how’s he going to get her to like him?”
“I don’t know if it can be done. Many have tried—all have failed and fallen into the abyss.” Emily laughed.
Grace asked Brad, “Are you planning to climb tonight?”
“Sure. I’ll go after the contest is over. Right now, I’m enjoying the company.” He put his arm around her shoulder. “And it’s truly entertaining to see Josh fumbling a bit. He’s not used to failure of any kind.”
* * *
Charlie chose the next climb.She picked one with a section at the top that was slightly beyond vertical in pitch. Josh had ditched the girls who’d distracted him earlier and was standing inside her comfort zone as Charlie threaded the rope through her harness.
“Why don’t you go back to your fan club? I don’t need your help.”
“I like to throw them a few crumbs, but leave them hungry.”
“They looked like they wanted to eat you up. I’m surprised you didn’t let them.”
“Jealous?”
“No. I was relieved. Glad to have you otherwise occupied and out of my hair.”
“Why?” He reached out to tighten one of her shoulder straps. “Do I make you nervous?”
“No!” She jerked away from his grasp. “Not nervous—more like nauseous.”
“Well, that’s close.” Josh laughed.
Charlie turned to Spencer, who was observing the interchange with wide eyes. “Get ready to start the timer.”
This climb was more challenging from the start, even before reaching the over-steep portion, because all the holds were spaced farther apart. Charlie’s arms and legs were shaking from the effort. She was forced to stop and rest before beginning the last section. She glanced down and, seeing Josh’s amused expression, felt a surge of irritation along with a rush of adrenaline. She took advantage of the new energy and attacked the incline. Sixty seconds into it, her arms were crying out in pain. She lunged for the top and called out, immediately falling back on the belay rope. Her muscles were still trembling when she made it to the bottom.
“Six fifty,” announced Spencer.
“Okay,” said Josh, “I’m actually impressed. Pretty amazing for a girl.”
Spencer frowned. “Are you kidding? It’s pretty amazing for anybody.”
“Maybe. But you haven’t seen the master tackle it.” Josh set up and began the climb. Charlie watched with begrudging admiration. He didn’t even pause before the last section.
As his hand touched the top, Spencer called out, “Five minutes, forty-five seconds. Sorry, Charlie.”
But at his return to the floor, she noted with satisfaction Josh’s muscles were also shaking from the exertion, despite his efforts to appear unfazed by the tough climb.
“Spencer, why don’t you climb now so Charlie has a little more time to recover?”
“Pretty cheap to use Charlie as an excuse to give yourself a break. We can all see you’ve got the shakes.” Spencer shook his head.
Josh laughed. “It was worth a try. I admit it—I need a break, too.”
Spencer set up to do his climb, while Josh and Charlie sat down on the bench to rest. Charlie wedged herself between Emily and Grace, so Josh was forced to sit on the end next to Brad.
“So who’s climbing first and who chooses the climb?” Brad asked.
“We’re doing that ledge,” said Charlie. “Josh can go second.”
“That’s like committing suicide,” said Josh. “You should pick something easy and go for speed.”
“No way,” scoffed Charlie. “I’m here for the challenge.”
“Okay, but I’ll beat you.” Josh’s expression lost its casual grin.
“The straight walls are easy and boring. I don’t do boring.”
“I understand. You want me to win, right? Are we in agreement about the prize?”
Charlie leaned forward and bored holes in him with her eyes. “No we’re not in agreement.” Brad stifled a laugh behind his hand.
“What are the options?” Grace asked. “I’ll be the fair and impartial judge.”
“Well,” Josh smirked. “I want—”
“Josh wants a kick where it hurts,” Charlie interjected. “And I’m going to give it to him.”
Brad snorted. “Good job, Josh. You’ve got her eating out of your hand, just like you said you would.”
Josh elbowed Brad, which only resulted in louder laughter. Charlie crimped her eyebrows down. “Is that what he said? He’d have me eating out of his hand?”
“I didn’t say that.” Josh planted another vicious elbow in Brad’s side when he laughed again.
“Whoever loses should have to pay for the other’s climbing tonight,” Grace suggested.
“I think that’s fair,” said Josh.
“But exception to the family rule. If he loses and pays my way, it’s not a date,” said Charlie.
Emily winked at Charlie. “Hmmm, technically it’d be a date if either one of you pays for the other.”
“Nope. Not doing it. Think of something else.”
“Family rule?” Josh asked.
“Yes,” Emily explained. “Our rule is if he pays for something or—Ow, Charlie! Why’d you kick me!”
“What’s the rule?” Josh urged.
“It’s none of your business,” said Charlie. “It’s a family thing. And you’re not family.”
“What’s a family thing?” said Spencer, returning from his successful climb.
“Our family dating rule,” Emily said.
“Oh, the one where it’s a date if the guy buys you something or kisses you?” Spencer asked.
“Yes. I was saying technically it would be a date even if the girl paid. Charlie doesn’t want to have that as a prize for their contest because she doesn’t want us to be able to claim she had a date with Josh.”
“But, we’ve already had a date,” said Josh. Everyone turned to stare at him, while Charlie felt her face burning. “Yes, indeed,” Josh winked at Charlie. “Saturday night, Charlie paid for our dinner.”
She glared daggers at him. He grinned, shrugging his shoulders.
“No,” Grace said. “That doesn’t count. She used Gherring’s credit card. So technically, you had a date with Steven Gherring.”
Josh waggled his eyebrows at Charlie. She closed her eyes and imagined them being on an actual mountain so she could push him off the cliff.
She fled the embarrassing scene, rushing to set up for the difficult climb. Josh came up behind her as she threaded the rope. “Stay back,” she growled.
“But we still haven’t agreed on a prize.”
“How about if I restrain myself from kicking you?”
He winced. “I’d truly appreciate that, but I had something else in mind.”
“What this time?”
“What if I promise not to tell everyone about that little kiss we shared last night if you promise to give a repeat performance tonight?”
“That sounds like blackmail to me.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Look Josh, those two girls that were talking to you earlier? Both of them looked like they were willing to not only kiss you, but probably jump your bones as well. You could probably go to the bar next door and find at least ten other girls to chose from. Why don’t you kiss someone who wants to kiss you?”
“Maybe I’m not attracted to those other girls.”
“Or maybe it’s because I turned you down. You just like the challenge. If I’d fallen all over you and kissed you willingly, you wouldn’t even be interested. And you’re only interested now until you can make the conquest, put another notch in your belt. Well, I got news—it ain’t happenin’! I’m not interested in being a mark on your wall, a notch on your belt, or a name in your black book.” She lowered her voice to a whisper as Spencer came to join them. “I’m not interested.”
For once, Josh appeared to be speechless. He nodded, set his lips in a grim line, and walked back to join the group on the bench. He sat down next to Emily and watched silently as Charlie started to climb.
* * *
“What do I do?”Josh asked Emily in quiet voice. “I’ve never not known what to do with a girl before.”
Emily studied him for a moment. Was he sincere? Did she really even want to help him? “First you have to decide if you’re interested in Charlie or if you just don’t like to lose.”
His sigh was audible. “Both. I don’t like losing. But there’s something about Charlie—I don’t know what it is.”
“Well, there you go,” said Emily. “When you figure out what it is, you tell her. When you can convince her you’re interested in her for who she is, you might have a chance. And frankly, I don’t think you know her well enough.”
“She’s leaving tomorrow. If I can’t get her to be at least slightly cooperative, I’ll never see her again.”
“True.”
“Should I let her win? To make her happy and put her in a good mood? I know she likes to win as much as I do. I could sacrifice myself and let her win.”
She pondered the question. How she could best be a loyal sister? “I think you should figure that out yourself.”
He watched Charlie struggle as she reached the under-hang. Her muscles were straining as she braced her legs, trying to reach as far as possible before she had to climb using only her arm strength.
“Look at her. If she were a guy, I wouldn’t stand a chance.” Then he shook his head. “Of course, if she were a guy I wouldn’t be in this mess.” He blew out a breath through his lips. “I’m afraid I can’t win this one. Can I?”
Emily shrugged and gave him a sad smile. “Doubtful. Whoever wins my sister is going to have to work a lot longer than one or two days. You really never stood much of a chance. Don’t take it personally.”
* * *
Charlie was hangingby her hands. Shaking, she pulled herself upward with both hands before letting go with one hand and lunging for the next hold. When she missed it, she fell back onto the belay and signaled to descend.
Josh approached as she unwound the rope from her harness. “You almost had it. Are you too tired to try again?”
She held up a trembling arm in answer. “No. Your turn. Let’s see what you can do.” She watched as he prepared for the climb, eyeing the route from below.
“Got any advice?” he asked.
Surprised, she regarded him from the corner of her eye, trying to decide if he was sincere. “Go up on the left and then move to the right side before you start under the ledge. I watched Steven do this one. You have to reach out and hang from those two mini-jugs. And then the red one looks good from there, but it’s a sloper. See it? So you need to grab that yellow one instead. It’s a crimper. From there you’ve got to use your arms to pull up and get your foot on the nib on the edge.”
“Good luck, Josh!” said a feminine voice behind her. Charlie looked over her shoulder at the two blonds who had come back to watch him climb. Charlie bit back a chuckle when Josh’s expression turned to annoyance. He ignored the girls, and attacked the climb. She was pleased when he followed her advice to a T. Soon he reached the point where Charlie had fallen. He hesitated, and for a moment she thought he was going to let go. She eyed him suspiciously. His muscles weren’t even shaking yet. Then he adopted a determined expression, and pulled himself up before reaching to grab the yellow crimper. For a moment he had to hang from two fingers as he grabbed the next hold. He’d passed her up, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t help rooting for him—that’s what climbers did.
Charlie took a moment to admire the muscles flexing on his arms and back as he climbed. His foot found the hold on the corner, and he was effectively past the under-hang. Now his muscles were fatigued, and his whole body trembled as he continued the climb. He lunged for the top and fell back in relief. He rappelled down, while the blond girls clapped and cheered for him. Charlie moved back to join the others on the bench, leaving Josh to his fans. She almost laughed when he sought her out over the heads of the two girls who were giving animated praise to their hero.
“You lost,” said Emily. “What do you owe him?”
“I’m paying for his climbing. I’ll live with the ribbing—you can call it a date.”
“Okay, but you know I won’t let you live it down, right?”
“I can handle it. I’m going to pay, and then I’m ready to go.”
“Really? It’s early and it’s your last night in New York.”
Charlie looked over to where Josh was still attempting to extricate himself from the girls. “You can stay with Spencer, and I’ll go back and visit with Mom and Steven. When you come home, we’ll have hot chocolate chip cookies and milk.”
She stood up and dug in her purse for some money, which she handed to her sister. “Would you mind paying for me so I can slip out now?”
Emily screwed her lips sideways. “If that’s what you want, Sister.”
* * *
Josh watchedCharlie as the two girls continued to ply him with questions. “Yeah, sure,” he answered absently.
“Cool. We’ll wait while you change clothes,” said the taller girl.
“Uhmm, what? What are you waiting for?”
“For you to change so we can go to the Lookout Club,” she answered, obviously frustrated at repeating herself.
“Oh. No. Sorry, I can’t. Excuse me.” He pushed past the girls, rushing to the bench.
“Where’s Charlie?”
“She left this to pay for your climbing and took off.” Emily held up a handful of money and pointed toward the exit with her eyes.
Josh saw Charlie disappearing through the door without a backward glance. He couldn’t believe it—she wasn’t even going to wait around to say goodbye. He couldn’t understand why it bothered him so much, but it did. It made him furious.
He ran toward the door and burst outside, spying Charlie as she moved to the limousine. She slid inside, but he caught the door before she could close it. Without a thought, he climbed into the back and sat beside her.
Her eyes were wide. Was that guilt? Remorse for running out on him?
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’ve come to collect. I won, fair and square.”
“I paid for your climbing. I left the money with Emily. And I’m not kissing you again.”
“You didn’t even stay to congratulate me,” he muttered.
“You were busy,” she pointed out. “I didn’t want to intrude on the fan club meeting. But, it was a nice climb. Well done.”
He searched her face, but she betrayed no emotion. What was she thinking? It was so frustrating. He absolutely couldn’t predict her thoughts or her actions.
“So you were just going to leave? Without even telling me?”
She groaned. “Josh. I’m not sure what you expect from me. We barely know each other. I’m leaving tomorrow for Colorado. And we obviously don’t think the same way about relationships.”
“How do you know that?”
“Really? I’ve seen you in action. You pick up girls all the time. You were going after my sister yesterday, until you switched gears and went after me. You picked up two extra tonight. And I don’t date at all. I think guys are great for carrying heavy gear and belaying me on my climbs. Otherwise, I don’t have much use for you.”
Josh stared at her, speechless. He’d never met a girl who aggravated him as much as this one. His life would be easier if he forgot all about her. And duller. Boring. What was it Charlie had said? Straight walls are easy and boring. I don’t do boring.
She cleared her throat, the noise snapping him back to the present. “If you don’t mind, get out of the car, so I can go home.”
“I can be useful.”
“What?”
“I can be useful for more than just carrying heavy gear and belaying your climbs, if you give me a chance.”
“Josh, you’re only interested in me for the fight, for the challenge. If I didn’t fight with you, you’d lose interest and move on to the next girl. You proved it when you switched your focus from my sister to me.”
He shook his head. “I know you don’t believe me, but that’s not true. I admit I was playing a game when I pursued your sister. But you’re different.” He watched her shaking her head. He was losing her.
“Please!” he said desperately. “I said I wanted to kiss you again, and I do. But what I want even more is for you to stay with me. Don’t go home yet. Come and hang out with me. Let me buy you dinner. We’ll all hang out together. Totally safe.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea—”
“It’s a date already. You paid for my climbing. It won’t hurt you. Just try it. If you don’t, we’ll never know. But what if you’re wrong? What if I could be good for you, and you gave up without even trying?”
He could see she was wavering. She pursed her lips, and he resisted the urge to lean over and kiss them. How strange. He’d never resisted an urge with a girl before. It felt awkward and uncomfortable. Maybe he should kiss her like he had the night before. But something told him if he did, she’d be gone from his life forever. It felt like that would leave an awful hole. How could it hurt to lose someone you never had? Someone you just met? She was still considering. Should he say something else? Try a different tack?
He felt her piercing stare cutting into his eyes. She crossed her arms. “Just hanging out? Not sex? Not making out? Not even kissing?”
“Hanging out together—that’s all I’m asking for.” He felt a rock lift from the pit of his stomach. She was going to stay. He had her for a few more hours. He’d never felt so happy about being physically rejected before. He wasn’t sure he’d ever actually been rejected before. Hmmm. Not since high school, anyway.
“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone we kissed last night, either.”
“Can I just tell Brad? You know, it’s a guy thing. I like to brag.”
“You can brag about the last climb. Leave me out of it.”
“All right,” he teased. “But can you and I talk about it? Just between the two of us? ‘Cause it was a pretty nice kiss.”
“Josh!”
“Okay, okay.” He climbed out of the car with what must be a silly grin on his face and held out his hand. “Shall we go?”
* * *
Spencer was acceptingcongratulations on successfully completing the climb with the overhang, when Brad let out a surprised, “I can’t believe it!”
Emily turned to see what had caught his eye, and found Josh with an absolutely triumphant smile, leading an obviously reluctant Charlie by the hand to join them. He refused to relinquish her hand when they arrived at the bench.
Emily grinned. “Hello again, Sister. Had a change of heart?” She noted Charlie’s flushed face. Was that excitement or embarrassment?
“I’m claiming temporary insanity,” she answered, still trying to extricate her hand from his grasp.
“Well, Josh. While you were outside somehow coercing my sister to stay, Spencer beat your time on the last climb.” Spencer looked absurdly pleased at her praise.
“I’ve never quite made it before, but I copied Josh’s route,” he said graciously.
“And I was following Charlie’s advice,” Josh admitted.
“It’s so unfair!” Charlie stomped her foot. “I can do everything perfectly, but I don’t have enough strength to make the climb. Sometimes it really sucks to be a girl.”
Josh gave her a goofy smile. “I’m glad you’re a girl.”
Emily saw Brad attempting to contain his laughter at his friend’s atypical behavior. He whispered something to Grace, and they laughed together.
* * *
Charlie sat beside Josh,her only possible option since he continued to hang onto her hand. They watched as Brad and Spencer made their climbs.
Grace scooted next to her on the bench. “I’m having a hard time keeping my tongue in my mouth. Brad’s got the best body I’ve ever seen. Don’t you think?”
Charlie appraised his nicely proportioned build. But I think Josh’s muscles are even nicer. Yikes! What am I doing?
“So, it seems like you two have hit it off.”
“Yeah, I like him a lot. He’s so fun. And I just broke up with my last boyfriend—he was getting too clingy.”
Charlie noticed her fingers throbbing.
“Josh, I promise I won’t run away. But you’re cutting off the circulation in my hand.”
He blinked, gazing at their joined hands as if he hadn’t realized he was holding hands with her. He tilted his head. “Sorry. I just… I’m not sure… I think maybe I’ve never held hands before. It was nice.”
He let go, and she messaged her hand. “Seriously? There’s actually something you haven’t done before?”
“Not much, but there are a few things.” His smile disappeared, and he swallowed. “I know I’ve never been in love.”
“Yeah? Well, you can write and let me know when that happens.”
* * *
The climbers changedclothes at the gym before the group went out to eat.
Emily was acutely aware of Spencer’s presence as they sat at the table. His arm was around the back of her chair while his hand rubbed her shoulder, sending tingles down her spine. And she couldn’t help thinking about after dinner. Would he try to kiss her again? Ever since she’d laid down the law about not kissing, she could hardly think of anything else. That was the whole reason she shouldn’t kiss him again. She was becoming obsessed with him and losing her perspective. And she really didn’t know if she could control herself with him. Kissing other guys had never affected her like kissing Spencer.
She watched him talking, unaware of her perusal. He was so handsome. He wasn’t nearly as cocky as he’d seemed at first. Now she knew him, she found he had a vulnerable side. Sometimes he was almost shy. He turned to her and caught her gaze. When he smiled at her, his eyelids lowered slightly, causing her to remember his expression when he kissed her the night before. His hand moved to trace a line from her shoulder up the angle of her neck to her jaw. Her eyes closed involuntarily, and she could have sworn tiny sparks flew from his fingertips.
How did he know exactly what to do? He could control her reaction with the slightest touch. It felt so good, but she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of him controlling her. When the waitress came with their food, she was relieved as he pulled his hand away to eat.
She turned her attention to her sister who’d been awkwardly quiet since they left for the restaurant. She couldn’t imagine what Josh had said to change her mind, but she intended to find out later. She had never managed to deter her stubborn sister once she made a decision. Well, not never. She knew a few little tricks to get her way with Charlie, but those were closely guarded secrets.
“When are you coming back to New York again, Charlie?” Grace asked.
Josh appeared to be almost holding his breath, anticipating her answer. “Uhmm. I don’t know.” She studied her napkin with sudden interest.
“Don’t you have a break between rafting season and ski season?” Emily asked.
“Uhmm, yes. Usually. But I’m thinking about starting school again this fall.”
“That’s great,” said Josh. “You could come to New York and study at NYU.”
“But, I actually already got accepted in Colorado.”
“Oh, that’s good, I guess,” Josh’s face fell.
“You didn’t tell me you’d even applied.” Emily pouted at her sister.
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” said Charlie. “Don’t tell Mom and Steven. I want to tell them myself.”
“It really would be fun if you came here to go to school,” said Emily.
Charlie’s chin jutted out. “I can’t afford to pay out-of-state tuition.”
Emily nodded. She understood not wanting to take tuition money from Steven, although he’d be glad to pay. She had the same sense of pride, feeling uncomfortable even taking the job he’d offered despite the fact she was well qualified.
Spencer frowned. “Couldn’t your—ow!” Emily kicked him under the table.
“Maybe you could get a scholarship,” Emily suggested.
“Couldn’t your dad pay for it?” Josh asked.
“No,” Charlie said firmly. “He married my mom, not me. He shouldn’t be saddled with my expensive tuition.”
Brad choked on his drink. “Are we actually talking about Steven Gherring, here? He could pay that without blinking an eye.”
“It’s the principle of the thing,” declared Emily. “My mom still shops at the second-hand clothing stores when Steven’s not around to protest. We weren’t raised to waste money or take handouts.”
“Let’s change the subject,” said Charlie. “I’ll have a Fall Break, and I’ll come to visit y’all in New York.”
“I can’t wait until Fall Break to see you,” mumbled Josh.
“I don’t think this is a good time to have this discussion,” said Charlie.
“When else can we discuss it?”
“Fine,” said Charlie. “Then let me state for the record I think you’ll probably forget about me by tomorrow and most assuredly by the end of the week. Brad, wouldn’t you say that’s a fairly accurate prediction?”
Josh glowered at Brad, but as usual, he merely laughed at his friend’s predicament. “I would say, based on Josh’s past behavior, that’s an extremely accurate prediction.” Before Charlie could gloat or Josh could explode, he held up his hand. “However...“ He waited until he had the attention of everyone at the table. “However, Josh doesn’t seem to be following his normal patterns of behavior. Not since after the two of you came out of the living room last night.” His lips spread in a teeth-flashing smile, and he winked at Charlie. “I’m just sayin’...”
“I waited six months to see Emily again, except for Skype,” said Spencer. “And she pretty much fought me the whole time. And then when she moved here, she still wouldn’t date me. But she was worth the wait.”
Josh gave him a horrified look. “Is that supposed to be encouraging?”
“Maybe not encouraging, but realistic. And I’m not as stubborn as my sister.” Emily pointed with her water glass.
“Ha!” said Charlie. “That’s a laugh. You’re twice as stubborn as me.”
“Maybe you’re right, Sister. Maybe you’re getting soft. I’ve never seen you cave as easily as you did with Josh.”
Charlie gave Emily a warning glare, but Josh shook his head. “Believe me, it wasn’t easy. None of my normal stuff works on Charlie. I’m really starting to feel insecure.”
“Really, Josh? I don’t think you even understand the concept of insecurity.”
“You’re right, Charlie.” Brad nodded toward Josh. “But if anyone can give him a taste of it, you can.”
* * *
Spencer was determinedto have a few minutes alone with Emily. Climbing had been fun and dinner was great, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was exquisite torture to have her so near and barely be able to touch her. In the back of his mind, the entire evening, he thought about what it would feel like to kiss her again. He knew she didn’t want to kiss him, and he’d never force her. But so far, he’d had some success persuading her to bend her rule a little. If only he could get her alone...
After dinner, Brad announced he was walking Grace home. Josh pleaded and cajoled with Charlie until she relented and agreed to walk with him to get ice cream before returning to the apartment. When Charlie invited Emily and Spencer to come, the two men exchanged glances, and Spencer knew they were on the same page. Both of them were hoping to have some alone time with their Best girls. Spencer started rubbing his fingers lightly up and down on the inside of Emily’s arm, effectively rendering her incapable of speech.
“I think we’ll go back to Emily’s apartment and wait for you guys there,” he said, pulling Emily toward the waiting car. “She shouldn’t be walking too much on her sore ankle.”
Josh gave him a knowing smile as he tried to wrap his arm around Charlie’s shoulder. But she twisted away, and he grasped her hand. Spencer chuckled to himself. Yesterday morning he’d been ready to murder the guy, and now he felt sorry for him.
Spencer wisely decided to hold off his assault while they were in the car, lest she refuse to invite him upstairs. He could see the emotions flitting across her face. She was obviously nervous about being alone with him. He had to distract her.
“So, my mother says your mom’s improving a lot. Maybe they won’t even need her much longer. I hope she’s still looking for a job.”
“They haven’t discussed it with me, but Steven is so overprotective. I’m sure he’ll want to keep Connie employed just in case they need her again. That’s his modus operandi, throw money at things and cover all your bases.”
“I can see that, especially where your mom’s concerned. Actually, he’s pretty devoted to you and your sister, too. You should have seen him when you were in the hospital and then when you went missing.”
“I know. I feel so bad about that. I can’t understand myself, doing stupid stuff like that.”
“Hey, I wasn’t bringing it up to make you feel bad. I just wanted you to know that... that I think he really loves you—you and Charlie, both. I think he loves you as if you really were his daughters.”
“I know. He really is great.”
“You know, if he really were your dad, you wouldn’t feel bad when he wanted to do things for you. Like paying for Charlie’s college tuition.”
“But he isn’t really our dad.”
“I’m just saying, you should look at it from his perspective. He has money and he likes to spend it on the people he loves. Maybe sometimes you and Charlie might hurt his feelings when you don’t accept what he wants to give you.”
“Maybe.” The closer the car got to the apartment, the more she fidgeted. “Spencer, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to come upstairs.”
“I’d really like a cup of tea. Surely there’s no harm in that?”
“Okay, but you have to promise not to kiss me.”
“Okay, I promise.” But he wasn’t promising not to kiss her back if she started it.
* * *
Emily saton the couch beside Spencer, drinking tea. They both had on shorts, and she was incredibly cognizant of where his muscled masculine leg pressed against her smooth skin. It was as if every nerve fiber was hypersensitive, firing rapid impulses to scramble her brain. He sat on her right side, holding his tea mug casually in his right hand, with his left arm around the back of the couch. She waited tensely for his hand to slip onto her shoulder, but he kept it on the couch. She didn’t know whether to be grateful or irritated. He was being good. He wasn’t trying to kiss her.
Spencer finished his tea and set it on the table next to him. Then he sat back and his hand rested on her leg. And oh-so-casually his fingers moved, gently caressing her skin. And all of her hypersensitive nerve endings started shooting off like fireworks. She put her hand on top of his to stop its movement. He smiled and interlaced their fingers.
“You know,” he said, “I could do this for hours.”
“Do what?”
“This. Just sitting together. Close. Enjoying your company.” He pulled her hand into his lap and turned her arm over, exposing her wrist. He toyed with the soft smooth skin, sliding his fingers up to the inside of her elbow. She felt her heart pounding inside her chest. He was doing it again, making her lose control. She stiffened, prepared to pull her hand away, when he released it and stood up.
“I’m going to get a refill. Would you like one?”
She stared at him, dazed and confused. He wasn’t trying to get past her defenses after all. “Uhmm, no thanks.”
He was gone for sixty seconds, pouring fresh hot water over the tea leaves. He returned and set his cup down. “I’ll let it steep.”
He rested his hand lightly on her leg, and she waited for his fingers to move. But his hand remained still. “This is nice,” he said, with a gentle smile. She waited for the light tickling motion to assault her senses, but his fingers didn’t budge. At last, she offered him her upturned wrist.
He grinned at her. “Do you like this?” Once again he began to delicately stroke the soft skin.
She let her head fall back against the couch and reveled in the tingling sensation that started on her arm and spread throughout her body. It was so nice. And she could stop him any time she wanted to. She was totally in control.
His fingers traveled up her bare arm and across her shoulder to her exposed neck, feathering the skin lightly with his fingertips.
“Mmmmm,” she moaned. “You... you won’t kiss me, right?”
He leaned over to whisper in her ear, “No... No, I won’t kiss you.” He nibbled her earlobe with his lips, and she squirmed in response. “But if you kiss me, I won’t stop you.” His soft breath in her ear sent shivers through her body. His lips skimmed from her ear down her neck.
His mouth felt so good. It would feel so good on her lips. And his mouth was so close. She turned her head toward him. Her mouth searched desperately for his, and his lips willingly accepted hers. His mouth tickled and teased, plying her lips with soft, gentle kisses. He pulled her shoulders, gradually moving backward until he was reclined against the couch and she was leaning across his body, greedily seeking his lips with hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed her mouth against his. The more frantically she kissed him, the more passionately he responded, deepening their kiss as he enfolded his arms around her back, pressing her against his chest.
A knock sounded at the door, and she jumped back wide-eyed and dismayed, wiping her swollen lips with the back of her hand. “Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!” she whispered in frenzy.
“It’s okay. Calm down.” He pulled her hands down and set them in her lap. “Nothing happened, and we didn’t do anything wrong. You sit, and I’ll get the door.”
As he opened the door to let Charlie in, she tried to tell herself she was still in control. But she knew it wasn’t true. With every touch and every kiss she gave another piece of her heart. Already she’d be devastated when he moved on to another girl, as she knew he eventually would. Part of her wanted him to declare he would love her forever. Another part of her was absolutely terrified of hearing those words.
* * *
Charlie was startledwhen Spencer answered the door. She whipped around. “Goodnight, Josh. See you later.” She slipped in the door and tried to shut it, but it wouldn’t close. Josh’s foot was in the way.
He grinned. “You see? I told you Spencer would still be here. I get to come inside.”
“Spencer was just leaving,” said Emily.
“No I wasn’t. I was planning to heat some more water for tea. Decaf, anyone?”
“That sounds good,” said Josh.
Charlie sighed. She really needed to talk to her sister, without Josh around. He’d messed up her head tonight. He was just so... so something. What was it? He was arrogant and egotistical. But that was nothing new. He was overpowering—he maxed out her senses. And he didn’t act threatened by her. She’d always thought that would be a good thing. But now she’d met a guy she didn’t intimidate, she wasn’t sure she liked it after all.
Spencer had put a kettle on to boil before returning to the couch to talk to Josh. They leaned back and got comfortable, as if they had no intention of leaving any time soon. Emily caught Charlie’s eyes and rose from her position between the two men. Charlie knew her intention as soon as she headed her direction. While the guys were deeply engaged, discussing something earth-shatteringly important, like who’d win the World Series, Charlie and Emily slipped out the apartment door.
Giggling softly as they’d done as young girls, they raced for the stairs. “Which way?” said Charlie.
“Up one flight, and then we’ll take the elevator.”
They hurried, breathless and panting, and then rode the elevator up to the open rooftop terrace.
“What do you think they’ll do when they realize we’re gone?” asked Charlie.
“I don’t know, but I was desperate,” Emily confided. “We need to talk.”
“Okay, you first. No, maybe I should go first.”
“Go ahead,” Emily encouraged.
Charlie let out a breath. “He... He gets me to do things I don’t want to do. He doesn’t back off when I yell at him or say no. He... He confuses me—I can’t think straight. And then to top it all off, I’m leaving tomorrow, so I’m probably getting all worked up over nothing.”
Emily chewed her lip. “Okay... Advice or sympathy?”
“Advice now. Sympathy later.”
“Well... I think you shouldn’t close the door on the possibility he’s the one. You have so many things working against this relationship, especially with the distance between you. If it lasts, it would have to be amazing. And you have to give amazing a chance.”
Charlie thought for a moment. “Okay, and I’m going to confess something, because I don’t know what to do about it.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “He kissed me in Spencer’s living room, and he’s been trying to do it again ever since.” She opened pleading eyes to her sister. “What should I do?”
Emily laughed. “I thought that might be what happened. But you haven’t let him kiss you again?”
“No. But he’s very determined to kiss me again before he leaves. Even if we stay out here for three hours, he’ll probably still be waiting in the apartment for me.”
“Sister, I don’t think I can help you. So far, I’ve kissed Spencer twice since I decided not to kiss him anymore.”
Charlie clapped her hands as she laughed. “Good for Spencer.”
“You traitor—you’re my sister. You know I’ll get hurt when he does his thing and takes up with someone new. The more I kiss him, the more it’s going to hurt when he leaves me.”
“Okay. Advice or sympathy?”
“Advice. You’re crummy at giving sympathy. You already laughed at me.”
“Okay, here it is. Sister, he’s not going to leave you. If anyone ends this relationship, it’ll be you.”
“But Grace has told me he always goes from one girl to another. I can’t get my hopes up he’ll stay with me. What if I fall in love, and then he ends it? I have to guard my heart.”
Charlie struggled with her secret knowledge. How could she help her sister without betraying Spencer? “I talked to him, and I really believe he’s not a player anymore. Look how long he pursued you. A player would’ve moved on to someone who was less trouble.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Josh is a way worse player than Spencer, and you told me to give him a chance.”
“You’re right. He’s really bad. Well, if we ever catch either of these boys cheating, I say, No second chances.”
“Agreed,” said Charlie.
“Let’s go back down and kick them out so we can get some sleep.”
“Okay, but I’m still going to have to kiss Josh goodbye unless you can think of a way out of it.”
“Was it that bad?” teased Emily.
Charlie remembered the assault of his lips and her thudding heart, and she couldn’t help smiling. “I don’t know—I’m pretty sure I passed out from the shock of it.”
* * *
As the girlsapproached the apartment, they found two scowling boys standing outside. “You left us,” said Spencer.
“We’re sisters,” Emily reasoned. “We had to talk.”
“And we’ve decided it’s time for y’all to go home,” said Charlie. “It’s almost midnight, and I’ve got an early flight and y’all have to work in the morning.”
“You’re right,” said Spencer as he pulled Emily into his arms and held her close, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He held her a moment longer before she pulled out of his arms and slipped inside.
Charlie’s heart pounded as she watched Spencer walk toward the elevator, leaving her alone with Josh. She’d put it off all night. She could do this. It was only a kiss. She’d kissed three other guys before. None of them had made her feel dizzy like Josh did, but that was probably a matter of the circumstances. Josh had caught her by surprise, and she’d been angry at the time. Plus, he’d kissed her in Spencer’s living room, where anyone might have walked in and caught them. Now, in the apartment hallway so late at night, they weren’t likely to be disturbed. She took deep controlled breaths to slow her heart rate.
Josh pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. For several long minutes he held her, rubbing her back with his hands. She could feel his heart pounding against hers, even as his movements appeared calm and relaxed.
“You’ve done something to me—I don’t know what. You’ve cast a spell or something.” His voice was gravelly.
“Please, Josh. Don’t use your lines on me. They won’t work.”
His laugh was bitter. “I’ve never used lines like that—I’ve never had to. I don’t think I’ve ever even pretended to really like a girl. This is all new territory for me.”
“So you’ve only done the meaningless sex thing?”
“A lot of it,” he confessed, “But I’d take it all back if I could. I’m sure a guy like me is pretty offensive to a girl like you. I know I can change.”
“We’ll see, Josh. Seriously, let’s wait and see. Give yourself a week or two, and you’ll work me out of your system. I think I’m just an anomaly.”
“It feels more like cancer to me. I think you’ve metastasized, and I’ll never be able to get rid of you, even if I wanted to try.”
“Okay. Whatever you say. But don’t worry—I won’t get my feelings hurt when you realize this relationship is way more trouble than its worth.”
“You’re definitely a lot of trouble.” He cupped her cheeks with his hands and tilting her head back. “But like I said before, you’re worth it.”
He lowered his mouth to hers and touched their lips together, ever so lightly. Then he brushed his lips across hers and planted tiny kisses around her mouth. He continued to tease her lips until she found her own mouth surging toward his, seeking his warmth. But he held her at bay, gently stroking her lips with his own until they parted. He caught her lower lip between his, and she felt tingles radiating from her mouth down her spine.
When his tongue found hers, he groaned and pressed his mouth against hers more forcefully, his hands tangling in her hair. His breathing became ragged as his kiss raged against her senses. She felt the same dizzying sensation she’d felt the night before. Her knees became jelly, and she started to fall away, but one of his arms dropped down on her back and crushed her against him. All the air left the room, and she gasped for breath through her mouth. But he captured her lips again, and played with her sanity until it was gone. Time froze. She had no idea how long he kissed her. It could have been thirty seconds or thirty minutes.
Suddenly his arms gripped her shoulders and pushed her away. She blinked her eyes, waking from a dream, as reality filtered back into her consciousness. Gazing at him through her lashes, she saw his face had a look of alarm, and he was breathing heavily.
“What was that?” he said. “What just happened?”
“I don’t know,” she mumbled, hurt and confused by his question.
He pulled her back into her arms, squeezing her until she fought to breathe. “I can’t believe that was only a kiss,” he said. “Just a kiss. I can’t feel like that from a kiss.”
She trembled in his arms, and he soothed her, rubbing her back. “I’m sorry, I scared you. I scared myself, too.”
“So I guess... I guess it wasn’t good? I don’t know. I haven’t kissed that many guys.”
“I think it was beyond good. Did any of those other guys even survive? I almost went into cardiac arrest.” His brows arched together. “You liked it, too, right? I mean, it was totally amazing, right?”
She shrugged, smiling. “It was so-so.”
“Maybe I should try again, if that didn’t impress you,” he threatened, chuckling. “Except I don’t think my heart can take any more of that. “
“Okay.” She attempted to extricate herself from his arms. “See ya at Fall Break, if you’re not busy.”
“I really don’t want to let you go.” He held on as she wriggled in his grasp. “Wait... Just... Can I hold you for a minute? Just a minute more?”
Reluctantly, she nodded and relaxed in his arms. She was uncomfortably aware of the heat of his body against her and embarrassed by the rapid pounding of her heart. But his embrace was gentle, caressing her back, nuzzling his face in her hair, until she was ready to melt right where she stood.
He bent down and gave her a parting peck on the forehead before he released her. He placed his hands on either side of her face and forced her gaze upward. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow night.”
“Okay,” she rasped through her cottony throat. Scrambling inside the apartment, she tried to clear her addled brain. It was a good thing she was leaving tomorrow, and he’d soon forget about her. She surely didn’t want to have to deal with Josh again—not after a kiss like that.