Chapter 34
RODERICK
When I planned an outing with Juliet, I chose riding a motorcycle. A dangerous enough activity for a human, but with my increased reflexes, I figured I could keep my woman safe.
Juliet planned today’s excursion, which involves her clinging to a cliff face with only a thin rope, tiny metal clamps, and my firm grip, keeping her from plunging to her death.
Neither my wolf nor I is happy about this hobby.
Not that we try to stop her. The pair of us just grumble to ourselves as she explains how to belay for her, then slips on the harness that emphasizes her shapely butt. The sight is almost enough of a distraction to have us forgetting about what she plans to do.
Almost.
The day is cool but sunny. One of those beautiful fall days to take advantage of before the freezing winter.
I’m comfortable in a T-shirt, but Juliet has on a long-sleeved thermal.
The material clings to her body, just like her skintight yoga pants.
She may be covered from wrist to ankle, but I can still admire every curve.
My woman has her fiery hair pulled back in two tight braids that run along either side of her head. I give in to the adolescent urge to tug on the ends. Not hard. Just teasing.
“Hands to yourself.” She swats my stomach. But instead of a quick tap, Juliet seems to have found something she likes. Her hand lingers on my torso, fingers spreading, as if she wants to explore me.
My dick twitches at the thought.
And as much as I want her to continue, climbing is going to be a hell of a feat if I’m sporting a hard-on.
Maybe I could entice her into a safer activity.
If I get her turned on enough, she’ll be fine with going back to the truck and fooling around in the bed, wrapped up in a few blankets. That way, we can forget this whole dangerous excursion.
But as I go to snag Juliet around the waist, she dances out of reach, waving a finger at me.
“You’re not getting out of climbing that easily.” She tsks. “You want your prize? Make it to the top.”
She thinks fear for myself is what’s causing my hesitation?
Silly librarian.
“How many times have you done this?” My question comes out on a petulant mumble.
She smirks at me over her shoulder before going back to studying the rock face.
“This climb? Never. But climbing in general? Been going since high school, so probably over a hundred outdoor routes.” Juliet straps a turtle-shell-colored helmet on her head, then approaches the stone wall.
I test the slack part of the rope I have in my hands, making sure the fibers are strong enough to hold her. They seem sound, but I’m ready to lunge forward and catch her if anything were to fail. Even the idea has a cold sweat coating my body.
But I don’t stop her. I’ll never cage Juliet in.
“You ready to be impressed?” Even though her words are for me, her eyes are on the cliff face. She reaches into a pouch at her waist, pulling out hands covered in chalk.
“Be careful.” I sound like a mama bird, and from Juliet’s snort, I think she agrees.
She calls out the required climbing jargon, and I respond like she instructed.
The next moment, her arms stretch forward, as if to embrace the rock. I barely blink, and she’s risen past my height. I hurry to pull out the slack so she’s properly supported.
Juliet is gorgeous as she climbs. Muscles shift and tense all over her body. Small puffs of white dust surround her fingers whenever she makes an aggressive grab.
Strength comes to me naturally. Gifted by the gods. I can hone it if I want to, and I have. But Juliet’s is so much more impressive. She’s earned every ounce in her body. Fighting for it.
At regular intervals, she hooks into a metal bolt previously drilled into the stone by some past climber. A mysterious person I’m expected to trust the safety of my woman to.
Not likely.
When Juliet hesitates, searching for her next hold, I use my lower vantage point to scope out the route and call out a suggestion. That earns me a grin over her shoulder before she tries for it and pulls herself up higher.
My librarian is a good forty feet above me when I start to feel lightheaded. That’s when I realize I’ve been holding my breath.
Her foot slips, and I grasp the rope tight, feeling her slight weight tug on the harness I wear. I’m ready to lower her to the safety of the ground, but almost immediately, Juliet regains her footing and continues up. I suck down a few deep breaths to calm my panicked nerves.
Ten more feet, and she’s made it to the top, her body disappearing over the ledge. Losing sight of her makes me nervous, but it’s better than having her dangle from the sheer rock wall.
“Coming down!” Her call echoes down to me as her body reappears over the edge, her head turned, eyes gazing down at me.
“I’ve got you!” I yell to her.
And with the delicacy of lowering a fragile glass figurine, I slowly feed the robe through the harness, supporting Juliet as she descends.
“That was amazing!” Her cheeks are flushed with the climb, green eyes sparkling. She bounds up to me and plants a kiss on my cheek before stepping out of my reach. “Is it okay if I go again? I want to try a slightly different route.”
As much as I want to keep her down here with me, I stuff my worries away and wave her back toward the wall.
Her joyful grin is worth dealing with my anxiety.
Three more ascents before Juliet claims it’s my turn and we swap responsibilities.
Even though I could probably survive a fall from the highest point on this route, Juliet still belays for me like I did for her, though we do anchor her to a tree for added leverage.
Now that I know she’s safe, I find I can relax into the activity and start having some fun.
The climb is like a puzzle. My strength helps a great deal, but my mind engages as I search for the best hold to slip my thick fingers into.
With the differences in our heights, I’m having to find alternate grips than what Juliet used. Almost like a hunt.
And as I reach the top, triumphant at my feat, I begin to understand why she enjoys this so much.
Breathing in deep of the mountain air, I take in the elevated view that reveals a good portion of Yellow Pine Lake, an expanse of forest shifting into fall foliage, and a hint of our town in the distance.
Beautiful as it is, nothing compares to the sight waiting for me at the bottom of the climb.
I choose to climb down so Juliet doesn’t have to lower me, and when my feet are on the ground once more, she offers to belay me if I want to go again. I shake my head, satisfied with my single climb.
“You were so fast. I’ll have to find a harder route next time.” She almost sounds grumpy, which has me wanting to kiss her frowning mouth.
Still roped in, I stalk over to her.
“I’ll follow you up any damn cliff you find,” I mutter a second before fusing our mouths together.
Juliet sighs into me, fisting the front of my shirt to keep me close. She smells like salty sweat and lemons, which has me wanting to lick her skin.
Instead, I pull back and rest my forehead against hers. I need to ask her something before lust has me forgetting.
“Have Thanksgiving dinner with my family.”
That wasn’t asking exactly. But she could still say no.
“Hmm. Will there be a lot of food there?”
I chuckle and bend to kiss her neck. “You’ll be eating with a bunch of werewolves. So, yes.”
I expect her to laugh along with me, and when she leans back, I do see that she’s smiling. But there’s an uncertainty in her eyes.
“Holiday with the family is kind of a big deal. You sure you want me to come?”
She doesn’t know how much we want her, my wolf whimpers.
And the beast is right. I guess my initial abrasiveness has been hard for Juliet to move past fully. She can’t see that I’m in this for the long haul.
I’ll just have to show her.
“Yes. No doubt in my mind.”
Juliet tilts her head to the side, studying me, before offering a genuine smile. “Then I’ll come.”
Just as I’m reaching for her, a wild grin on my face, she stops me with a hand on my chest.
“But I want to invite someone.”
The request sets me off-balance, even as I stand on firm ground. “Who?”
“A friend.”
“And their name is?”
“I’ll let you know if they accept.”
I chew on this, scenting a hunt. So many things about this woman remain secret, and I’ve been forbidden from asking. Curiosity gnaws at me.
“Zoey and Courtney are already coming.”
That earns me a happy smile, but she still shakes her head. “That’s not who I was thinking of, but I’m glad they’ll be there.”
“You’re really not going to tell me?” If it’s some hot young guy, I might end up breaking something. Like the mystery man’s face.
“I don’t want to jinx it.”
“Fine.” My voice comes out more petulant than any pack leader’s should be.
Juliet laughs, pushing on my shoulders until I back up enough for her to unclip us from the ropes. “I’m going to do some yoga stretching before packing up all the gear. My muscles cramp up if I don’t. Do you mind hanging out for a bit?”
“No problem,” I murmur, still trying to figure out who her mystery Thanksgiving guest could be.
Hopefully, it’s someone who knows about wolves.
The idea of telling my family to speak carefully will make some of them grumpy.
The holiday will be hard enough as it is with the heavy weight of my mother’s absence, I’d rather not put talking restrictions on subjects.
But I also want Juliet to have fun and feel comfortable.
My mind is brought back to the current moment when Juliet climbs onto a large, flat rock that’s halfway between the cliff we were climbing and the shores of Yellow Pine Lake. She stretches her arms up to the smooth blue sky. Her shirt rides up slightly, revealing a sliver of pale skin.
Skin I want to kiss. To lick.
Then she bends to touch her toes, and I have to adjust myself. Her ass sticks in the air, like a gift, and all I can think about is how it felt to press my hips against those soft mounds as I took her from behind.
“Do you know how good you look?” I slip my harness off and cross to where our bags sit, all while keeping my eyes on her lithe movements.
Juliet hops her legs out into a plank, then drops her hips low, making her back bow and her chest jut out. Now that I can see her face, I’m treated to a smirk.
“Do you know how horny you sound?” she throws back at me.
I huff, knowing she’s right and enjoying her chuckle in response to my feigned annoyance. An evil idea forms in my mind.
Reaching for my pack, I pull out my secret weapon.