New Heights
. . .
Ellie
Apparently, Dr. Lovejoy’s idea of “trust building” was a terrifying ropes course.
She’d waited for the group to finish a fancy brunch filled with pancakes, omelettes, pastries—including my favorite chocolate croissants—and mimosas, before leading us blindly into the rainforest part of the island. The crew had constructed a giant rope jungle gym way high up in the trees.
It looked like something out of an elven fairy tale. Narrow wooden platforms clung to thick tree trunks, connected by swaying rope bridges that made my knees knock together. Four courses were woven through the canopy of trees—a web of ropes and obstacles.
If I weren’t standing on a skinny wooden plank attached to a huge tree and convinced I was about to fall to my death, I might’ve thought it was beautiful.
But the forest floor was dizzyingly far below us, and all that stopped me from falling was a flimsy cord attaching my harness to an overhead cable, and an even shorter one attaching me to Cade.
And being this close to Cade was… distracting.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how we’d woken up—on the beach, tangled in blankets under the early morning sun.
Sure, there’d been more sand in the bed than I would’ve liked, and the temperature had dropped when the fire fizzled out, but Cade’s body was as warm as a furnace.
“Ellie?” a deep voice snapped me out of my daydream.
I shifted my gaze from my white-knuckled grip on my harness to Cade next to me. “Huh?”
His cheek twitched like he was fighting a laugh. “You’re not breathing.”
I blinked before sucking in a breath and peering over the edge of our tiny platform. All thoughts of warm bodies and cuddles vanished as dizziness took over. “How high up are we?”
“The harnesses will stop us from falling more than a few feet.” He gave the rope attaching my harness to the course a tug that made my knees knock together. “See?”
I frowned. “That wasn’t my question.”
Cade looked way too unconcerned for my liking. But at least we weren’t the only ones up here. Each couple was up in their own tree, balancing on a tiny platform.
“I believe we’re all set down here!” Dr. Lovejoy clapped to get our attention from her spot, nice and safe, down on solid ground. “Are there any questions about the safety measures we covered?”
“It’s too hot for this,” Candace called down from the tree to our left. She wiped at the blonde hair sticking to her cheek. “Can’t we just go back on the yacht now, Dr. Lovejoy?”
Fletcher wrapped an arm over her shoulders. His dopey, lopsided smile hinted he’d started the drinking early today. Or maybe he’d never stopped.
“Come on, babe,” he urged, bumping his hip against hers. “It’ll be fun.”
She wrinkled her nose. “There’s nothing fun about sweating my ass off.”
“Please consider giving this a chance, Candace.” Dr. Lovejoy smiled up at her. “Ropes courses are a unique test of your communication and teamwork skills. Work with Fletcher. Face each challenge together.”
Candace blew out a breath but gave up arguing.
“Remember to trust your partner,” Dr. Lovejoy reminded the rest of us. Her smile widened. “Everyone ready?”
There was a chorus of yeses while I stayed silent, and Harrison called over from the tree on our other side, “Ready to get your ass beat, bro?”
Cade let out a single sharp laugh. “When’s the last time you beat me in anything, Harry?”
“This isn’t a race, boys,” Dr. Lovejoy scolded lightly from the ground. “It’s a couple’s activity with your partner.”
Harrison ignored her as his smile grew. “If you’re so confident, then let’s put some money on it. How about a hundred?”
“Double it,” was all Cade said, while my jaw dropped.
Two hundred dollars?
What was he thinking? There was already enough pressure on me without Cade adding money into the mix.
“Do you really need to bet?” I asked, voice strained. I gave my knees a stern look to stop their shaking. It didn’t work. “This isn’t supposed to be about winning.”
“Of course it is,” Cade said. “What else would it be about?”
My brows drew together. “Having fun.”
His lips flirted with a smirk. “Winning is fun, Darling.”
I sighed, looking back down at my stubby trembling legs. I really hoped Cade wasn’t a sore loser. “I’m just saying, two hundred dollars is a lot of extra pressure to put on a girl.”
A low chuckle pulled my attention back up to his growing smirk. “Not two hundred. Two hundred thousand.”
I almost fainted on the spot.
The only thing that stopped my body from hitting the ground was Cade’s quick reflexes as he grabbed my waist.
“Ellie?” He gave me a light shake. “Hey. Stand up. Don’t worry about the money. It’s pocket change.”
“Two hundred thousand…” I mumbled in a daze just as Dr. Lovejoy blew a sharp whistle.
“And we’re off!” she shouted, sounding pretty excited for someone who’d just said this wasn’t a race.
Cade yanked me forward, and I stumbled along with him across the teeny tiny plank leading to a rope bridge.
“Oh my gosh, I’m gonna die,” I muttered, clinging to Cade’s harness like my life depended on it—which it kinda did.
He led the way across the bridge, while I focused on keeping my balance and not looking down.
After the bridge came a rope ladder, which Cade made me go first on. I couldn’t blame him. If he hadn’t pushed me up each rung, I might’ve stayed at the bottom for the rest of my life.
The course just kept going and going, with Cade pushing me the entire way. My least favorite was a rope we had to swing on together from one platform to another. I doubted my stomach would ever stop fluttering after that one.
Cade talked me through each obstacle and picked up every inch of my slack. He just seemed happy we were moving somewhat quickly and ahead of Harrison.
I couldn’t believe we were actually working well together. And winning.
Until the creature from my nightmares reared its terrifying head.
Cade and I had just finished another dreaded rope swing when I spotted the snake. Wrapped around a branch with his head hanging down a mere foot away from me, his soulless eyes locked onto mine.
Terror rooted me to the wooden plank, forcing Cade to stop just behind me. “Ellie?”
My world narrowed to those two slitted yellow eyes staring back at me, and the forked tongue flicking out.
“There’s a—a snake.” Fear clawed up my throat, and my head swam. “A huge hungry snake.”
Cade stepped even closer behind me, his hands slowly moving to settle on my waist. “How do you know it’s hungry?”
“Because he’s looking at me like I looked at those s’mores last night.”
“Well, damn. We don’t stand a chance, then.”
“Cade!”
He only laughed softly.
“I need you to turn around. Can you do that?” His hands lightly squeezed my waist. “Don’t look at it. Just close your eyes and turn around for me.”
I didn’t budge. The snake was still right there. Watching me. Waiting for something. Taunting me with his little forked tongue.
“If I close my eyes, he’ll attack me,” I whispered, legs wobbling under me.
Cade chuckled, but it sounded a little strained, and I could hear the other couples yelling at each other as they moved through their courses. “Trust me. I won’t let it near you.”
The snake chose that moment to move his head a centimeter, and a squeak tore from my throat before I squeezed my eyes shut and whipped around to face Cade—clinging to the first thing I could reach, his shoulders.
He tugged me close at the same time I reached for him.
Cade lifted me a few inches off the ground and barreled forward, while I let out a sharp, panicked yelp. We crossed another bridge with me being as helpful as a sack of potatoes.
“All right.” Cade pulled to a stop after the bridge, setting me back on my feet. “The snake is gone.”
That was a relief, though my shivering body didn’t get the memo. I couldn’t seem to let go of him, and my eyes refused to open.
“I’m scared,” I admitted in a choked whisper, even though he had to already know. My nails were digging into his shoulders hard enough to draw blood. But it wasn’t my fault—I’d almost gotten eaten by a snake.
Cade’s voice was steady in my self-imposed darkness. “I don’t see any more snakes.”
“It’s not just the snakes,” I muttered, shuddering. “I don’t want to fall.”
“I won’t let you fall,” he said, remarkably calm.
My brow furrowed. “… How can you know that?”
“Because this rope makes us a package deal. If you fall, I fall.” Without any warning, he lifted me against his front. “Come on. I’ll carry you the rest of the way. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can get back on the ground.”
The thought of being carried made me feel more like dead weight, but… “That’s a good point.”
So I wrapped my legs around his waist and circled my arms around his neck just in time for him to take off again.
“There’s not much course left,” Cade said, voice low and close to my ear. “But we can still catch up to Harry.”
I tightened my hold while he methodically worked his way across another bridge. I didn’t want to be the reason Cade lost to his brother. “Sorry I’m so useless. This really isn’t a great look for female empowerment.”
“You’re fine.” He suddenly slowed, and his arm around my waist pulled me tighter against his hard chest. “Still got those eyes closed, Darling?”
“Yes,” I squeaked out, suspicious as he moved backward instead of forward. The thundering in my chest worsened. “Why? Is there another snake?”
A soft chuckle tickled the hair near my ear. “No, I’m just about to jump over a big drop. Hold on tight.”
“A big drop?” I squawked, tightening my hold around his neck. “No! Don’t you dare—”
It was too late to argue. Cade was already running forward, adding a burst of speed.
One moment we were on somewhat shaky ground, then the next we were airborne and weightless while I screamed loud enough for Whiskey to hear me from the boat.