Chapter 17
Warren Atwell’s Legal Briefs: Safety is paramount to an intimate relationship.
My heart stopped when Avery fell through the rope net, a moment suspended in time that felt like an eternity.
A surge of adrenaline raced through my veins as instinct kicked in.
I activated the brake on the belay rope, my hands shaking slightly as I fought to maintain control.
The rope tightened, halting her plummet two feet above the safety net, and relief washed over me like a wave.
I could not speak. My throat felt dry, as if the words had been swallowed whole by the overwhelming tension in the air. The sight of Avery dangling there, her wide eyes filled with panic, ignited a primal urge to protect her, to pull her back to safety on the ground with me - her husband.
Beside me, Gerald did not share my silence. His voice erupted like thunder. “Avery! Are you okay?”
She waved at us. “Fine. But maybe get me to the ground?”
I swallowed what felt like glass but nodded at her, loosening the rope a little as she slowly lowered to the safety net, then the ground where I waited for her. I pulled her close to me, tightening my arms around her waist. “Are you okay?”
She hugged me back, squeezing my arms. “I’m okay. It’s okay. We’re okay.”
I nodded but could not let her go just yet. I needed to be sure she was safe and in my arms before I let go. I was not sure I would ever be able to do that again.
“Nice catch, Warren.” Jack thumped me on the back. “You had some real catlike reflexes there.”
I tried to ignore the giant man crowding our space, but Avery squeezed my shoulder and attempted to step out of my arms. I might have growled a little, but that only made her laugh.
“It’s okay, Warren. Let me go,” Avery urged. “Take a breath. We’re fine.”
I reluctantly released her from my arms but held onto her hand.
Her touch reassured me that she was okay and did not require medical attention.
Or worse. I shuddered to think what would have happened had I not been there to catch her.
I briefly glanced at Dominic, our so-called safety instructor, who seemed a little too laid-back for having one of his charges nearly splatter across the forest floor.
“That’s enough excitement for this afternoon,” Gerald announced. “Let’s put a pin in the ropes course and revisit it later this week after Dominic reattaches the net, okay?”
We all murmured our agreement.
“Right. You have some free time before dinner,” Gerald said. “Use it wisely.” He winked at us before heading back down the trail to the main cabin.
I frowned at his back. Should he not be more concerned about one of his guests nearly dying on his watch? He did not seem to care that Avery nearly died.
“Warren, you’re hurting me.” Avery gently pulled her hand from mine. “It’s okay. We’re okay. Breathe.”
I blinked a few times and returned to the situation in the clearing. “I am fine. I am breathing.”
She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow. This was when Dominic decided to help her get out of the climbing harness, but I shoved his hands away before he could touch her again.
“You have done enough, Dominic,” I growled. “Perhaps you should be more concerned with the safety of the ropes course than putting your hands on my wife.”
Avery bit her lip as I unhooked her from the harness.
I went to my knees as I slid the harness down her legs.
She placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed before she stepped out of the loops and took off the helmet.
“Thank you, Viking Warren.” She bent closer and whispered in my ear, “That was hot. Let’s go to the cabin. ”
And just like that, my dick forgot we were worried for her safety and hurried after her.
Avery flung open the cabin door so hard it bounced against the wall. We were both out of breath from racing through the woods. I was not sure where this was headed, but I knew if I did not get my mouth on her skin within ten seconds, I would likely explode.
“Avery,” I husked, slamming the door shut and locking it behind us. “I need you out of those clothes and on the bed right fucking now.”
Her eyes lit up. “Viking Warren is still with us, I see.”
“Viking Warren?” I stepped out of my shoes and pulled off the socks.
Avery grinned. “It’s something I call you when you get all bossy like this.”
I paused, pulling my shirt off. “I can stop if you would like.”
Her eyes lit up and trailed down my chest to the exposed skin near my waist. “I would not like you to stop. Keep going.” Avery stepped closer and grabbed the hem of my shirt. “Let me help.”
She bent over and licked a circle around my belly button, one of my ticklish zones, but at this moment, my body decided it was no longer ticklish. It wanted more of her licks.
“More,” I said.
A slow grin spread on her face as she pushed up my shirt and licked a trail across my stomach and chest. Then, she stood, tugging the shirt over my head and flinging it across the room. It would likely lay in a wrinkled puddle, but I could not care less.
“I am now half-naked, and yet you are still fully clothed,” I grumbled. “I want you naked. I want to see you. All of you. Spread out on that bed where I can check for any injuries from the fall.”
Avery frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”
She tried to pull away from me, but I grasped her hands before she could get too far. “Where are you going?”
“You only want to see if I’m hurt. That’s so nice. I thought you wanted something,” she said, staring at my crotch. “Something else.”
I fought the urge to hide my hard-on. “I do want something else with you. I want to check you for injuries, then worship your body with my mouth until you scream my name in this forest.”
Her breath caught.
“Tell me you want that, too.” I kissed her ring finger where the gold band glinted in the afternoon light spilling through the windows.
“I do,” she whispered.
“Then, you are wearing too many clothes right now,” I complained, leading her to the bed, where she sat on the edge.
“Allow me.” I kneeled before her, gently removing her shoes and socks and placing them aside.
I bent to kiss the tops of her feet, causing her to giggle.
I smiled and straightened, reaching for her hands again.
“My heart stopped when you fell,” I admitted.
She blinked a few times and squeezed my hands. “You caught me. I knew you’d be there to catch me if I fell.”
I kissed the backs of her hands again, then smoothed my hands up her arms to rest on her shoulders.
I had no more words because the ones I wanted to say were stuck in my throat.
My hands slid to the back of her neck and pulled her closer, where I teased soft kisses across her mouth, cheeks, nose, eyelids, and forehead.
She guided my hands toward the hem of her shirt. “Undress me, husband. See for yourself that I am okay.”
Avery was more than okay, but I still did not trust the words in my mind.
So, I did as she asked. I pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a sexy white lacy bra that contrasted with her ebony skin.
I pressed kisses to the tops of her full breasts before tugging her pants down her legs.
The panties she wore were barely-there lacy scraps, and I needed to adjust myself before kissing her belly, her thighs, and her knees.
Avery giggled. “You think knees are sexy, Warren?”
“I think you are sexy, wife.” I stared up at her.
She sucked in a breath.
“I want you to sit on my face,” I ordered before pulling her to stand beside the bed. I lay on the bed, my head resting where she had been sitting moments before. “Keep the panties on.”