Chapter 24
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
MYLES
“Christ,” Linc says, rubbing his cheek. A shining bruise is beginning to spread across it, where Brooks managed to land his gloved fist directly on his brother’s face. “What the hell does he have in there? Iron?”
It’s the final event of the day. According to my mom’s scoring system I’m leading Eli by one point, but I couldn’t give a damn if I was coming last. Because I only have eyes for the woman leaning on a tree watching me.
Our eyes catch and damn if I don’t get all heated for her again.
We spent most of lunch at the cabin making out. And then she begged me not to box because she hates violence. But it’s tradition so I told her to disappear for that one. But now she’s back and smiling at me because I’m not the one sporting any bruises.
“Okay then,” my mom calls out. “It’s tree climbing time.”
I’m not gonna lie, I’m over this damn Olympics. I was over it before it even started. I want to be in the cabin with Ava, doing everything I can to make a baby with her.
I want to be inside of her and never pull out.
Liam’s drinking a beer. He’s as laid back about this as I am.
Eli is rolling his shoulders and looking up at the tree, as though working out the best way to get up there.
Holden looks mildly bored, because let’s face it, Holden isn’t a natural climber.
And Brooks and Linc are giving each other the evil eye.
Welcome to the Salinger family. No dysfunction to be seen here.
The tree climbing event is a time trial. Each of us has three tries to scale a huge oak tree in the quickest time possible. The fastest time stands. And since the winner scores six points, it’s all open right now. Any of us except Liam and Holden could win the Salinger Olympics.
Mom tells us we’ll attempt in reverse age order, starting with Linc and ending with me.
Linc clicks his neck and ignores whatever Brooks is whispering at him.
Then Mom blows the whistle, and my youngest brother hurls himself at the tree, using his hands and feet to shimmy up the trunk before grabbing a low branch.
He swings onto it and there’s a sickening crunch as it shears away from the tree, dropping him three feet before it pulls away altogether and he tumbles to the ground.
“Shit. I need a do-over,” he says, kicking the trunk.
“That’s your first try,” Mom says mildly. “You still have two more.”
“Let the professionals show you how to do it,” Brooks says, flexing his arms. Linc grits his teeth but says nothing. I wonder if I’ll have to break up another fight.
After the second round Eli is ahead, with me two seconds behind. He looks all kinds of pleased with himself and I’m good with that.
Let’s face it, we’re grown men. All way too old to be climbing trees.
Ava is watching me with a smile playing at her lips. I beckon her over.
“You okay?”
She nods. “Glad to see you survived the boxing.”
“I went against Liam. We landed a couple of punches then pretty much sat the rest out.”
She glances over at Linc. “Looks like he didn’t sit it out.”
“That’s Linc. He likes a fight.” I don’t even want to tell her the number of times I’ve had to save his scrawny ass.
“I got that impression.”
“So, are you going to win the tree climbing?” Ava asks me. “If you do then you win the Olympics, right?”
I shrug. “Ah, Eli’s the climbing king. He’ll probably win.”
She rolls onto her tiptoes and whispers softly in my ear. “What if I told you that if you win, I’ll not only let you come inside me tonight, but I’ll wake you up in the morning with my lips around you?” Her voice is breathy. I’m immediately hard. Not that it takes much right now.
My jaw twitches. “That might do it.”
She grins broadly at me. And for the first time in forever I feel like I’m not alone. That somebody is on my side.
It’s a strange feeling.
This woman owns me even if she doesn’t know it. She has since she walked into the New York office and gave it as good as she got. And yeah, she pissed me off, but she also turned me on.
And I’m not sure I can ever turn it off again.
A phone starts to ring and Liam grimaces, grabbing it from the ground where he left it. “I need to take this,” he says. He lifts a brow at me, and I nod. We’ve been waiting for this call. The one where everything changes.
Mom checks her watch. “Will you be back soon? Dinner is at seven and I want everything cleared up before then.”
“Go ahead without me,” Liam says. “I can’t win anyway.”
“Are you sure?” I ask quietly. It doesn’t seem fair that he loses because of a phone call. Especially one that involves me.
“Yep.” Liam winks at me. “Seriously, I need to answer. I’ll catch you guys later.”
He accepts the call and wanders off – I assume to his cabin. It’s about sixty yards around the lake from mine. Linc and Brooks start to trash talk each other so Mom blows her whistle sharply and calls for their attention.
“Last round,” she calls out. “Climber with the slowest time goes first. That’s you, Holden.”
He smiles goodhumoredly and rolls his shoulders. “Okay, I’m ready,” he calls out, looking up at the tree with his eyes narrow.
Mom blows the whistle, and he launches himself at the trunk. He takes a different route than last time, grabbing a notch to his left and pulling himself up. He’s methodical as he pushes himself higher, and when he reaches the top he shaves a second off his last time.
But he’s still last.
Linc and Brooks follow. Brooks has this determined look on his face and when he beats Eli’s fastest time he lets out a whoop and swings from a high branch like Tarzan.
Now it’s my turn. I look up at the green canopy to plan out my route. I’m as methodical as Holden in some ways, but I know when to take risks, too. When I know where I’m going, I walk up to the tree and nod at Mom. “I’m ready.”
The sharp trill of the whistle cuts through the silent air, and I take a running jump at the tree, then pull myself onto a craggy knot, my other hand grasping for the branch. My muscles ache, my hands feel raw, and I’m fucking over this.
Then Ava starts calling my name. Actually, she’s screaming it. And I don’t know whether to laugh or jump down and take her back to the cabin.
I’m still laughing when I reach the top, and Mom calls out that I’ve taken the lead. Ava’s jumping up and down now, clapping her hands. I wink at her and she blushes.
And damn if I don’t climb down as quick as I went up, because I want to see her. My skin is covered with a sheen of sweat and I’m still trying to catch my breath, but dammit this woman.
She drives me crazy in all the best ways.
I walk over to her and she looks as breathless as I feel.
“You okay?” I ask, pulling my soaked t-shirt over my head.
“I’m great,” she says, her eyes scanning my chest. And yeah, that’s what I wanted.
“It’s just that I heard you squealing,” I tease. “Wondered if you’d hurt yourself.”
She makes the cutest frown. “I wasn’t squealing.”
“Sounded like squealing to me.” I grin and she rolls her eyes.
“I’m just trying to show a colleague some support,” she says archly. “You looked like you needed it. Plus, aren’t you getting too old to climb trees?”
I ignore her question because I’ll show her exactly how fucking young I feel later. “Do you support all your colleagues by grunting like a pig?” I ask instead.
“You said I was squealing,” she points out. “Not grunting.”
I lean in closer, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “I’m going to make you scream later,” I whisper.
“That’s not very colleague-like,” she says softly. A blush steals its way over her face. Christ, I want her.
“No. That’s because you’re not my colleague right now,” I remind her.
Mom blasts her whistle again, interrupting our conversation, and Eli begins his final climb. He’s taking the same route as I did, notch for notch, branch for branch. But his arms are stronger and he reaches the top a second before I did.
Brooks and Linc let out a roar, and I grin.
“Way to go, Eli!”
He pumps his fist in the air like he’s just won the Stanley Cup.
Ava gives me the strangest look, and I smile at her. “What is it?” I ask.
She slowly shakes her head. “I just had you all wrong, that’s all.”
She sounds serious. I blink. “In what way?”
“I used to think you were a taker. I was wrong. I’ve never seen anybody give so much as you do.”
The way she says it, so softly, sends a shiver right through my heated body. My heart canters in my chest and it has nothing to do with the tree I just climbed.
It’s her. It’s always been her. I have a feeling it always will be.
And I don’t think this is about donating sperm anymore. Or even being friendlier work colleagues. This thing between us has taken on a life of its own. Grown like crazy into something that could consume us both.
I want her and she wants me. And I can’t think of anything beyond that.
AVA
It’s almost nine by the time we walk back to Myles’ cabin. He holds my hand all the way, and it feels so nice. Cicadas buzz and fireflies flicker in the trees and I realize I’m going to miss this place when we go home tomorrow.
After the medal ceremony – and yes, they really did have medals – we had dinner by the lake. Liam came back halfway through, and pulled Myles aside for them to have a whispered conversation. Then they joined us at the table and nothing more was said about his disappearance.
“Is Liam okay?” I ask as we walk along the edge of the lake. The moon is reflected off the surface. It’s almost full now.
“He’s fine. Why?”
“I was just wondering.” I shrug. “He disappeared for a long time.”
“It’s just a work thing,” he says casually. “He has his fingers in a lot of pies and if his investors want to talk to him he has to be available. It’s not a nine-to-five job.”
“Do you miss working in finance?”
He shakes his head. “I prefer what I’m doing now. I let Liam take care of the money. He’s good at it.”
“Well I’m glad about that.” I squeeze his hand.
“Why?”
“Because if you hadn’t gone to work for Mediatech we wouldn’t have met,” I say.