Chapter 7
Seven
“SOOOO, YOU AND HUDSON disappeared awfully fast from the movie last night,” Sam observed.
And then I promptly lost my shit. But Audrey wasn’t about to talk about that. The more mental distance she could put between herself and last night’s flashback, the better. “It’s not what you think. We just decided to do a kitchen raid since I slept through dinner. The movie was shitty anyway.”
“You should’ve come and joined us for poker in the boathouse,” Charlie said.
“Next time.”
Sam narrowed her eyes. “You okay? You seem a little peaked this morning.”
“Fine. Just tired. Didn’t sleep well. There’s a reason our moms wouldn’t let us have giant ice cream sundaes for dinner right before bed.” Right. Let’s blame it on the sugar.
“If ice cream is the only thing you topped with whipped cream last night, then you and Hud need lessons in how this whole fling thing is supposed to work,” Charlie announced.
“We’re not having a fling.” And after last night, the likelihood that they ever would seemed minuscule. Was she doomed to always show her absolute worst to this man?
“That’s a damned shame. You two throw off sparks every time you get within ten feet of each other,” Sam observed.
Yeah. Yeah it was. Tired of the discussion, Audrey drained the last of her coffee and shoved back from the table. “Well, at the risk of encouraging your romantic delusions, I’m bidding you both good day. I’m meeting Hudson at the zipline this morning.”
“Oooo,” they chorused.
Audrey rolled her eyes, hearing a faint sing-song of “Audrey and Hudson sitting in a tree…” as she pushed out of the dining hall. She couldn’t decide if she was annoyed or amused.
He was waiting at the head of the zipline trail, dressed in cargo shorts and a navy SFD t-shirt. The stretch of cotton across his broad shoulders had her mouth watering. Just the sight of him had last night’s horror fading.
His lips quirked in a half-smile as he saw her. “Morning.”
That voice. Dear God. There was an extra layer of growl to the rumble this morning, and added to the stubble darkening his jaw, she couldn’t help but think about what it’d be like to hear that voice in bed, maybe with that stubble rubbing against more sensitive parts.
Audrey slammed the door on that thought and sucked in an unnecessarily large lungful of crisp, morning air. “Hi.” Brilliant conversationalist, Graham. How dare he not throw himself directly at your feet?
“You ready for this?”
For just a moment, she forgot what she was here for. Was she ready to say to hell with caution and pursue him? Her brain said hell no. Her lady parts were screaming, “Move over sister!” Then she remembered. Ziplining. They were here to go flying through trees together.
“As I’ll ever be.” Even she didn’t know which question she was answering.
“Scared?”
Terrified. “Maybe a little nervous.”
He smiled like he knew she was lying and gestured to the trail. “After you.”
A part of her wanted to slip her hand into his, like a giddy teenager on a first date. Instead she started walking.
He fell into step beside her. “Nothing to worry about. You’ll be strapped into a safety harness the whole time. You don’t even have to hold on.”
Oh, but she wanted to hold on. To him.
What is the matter with me? She’d never in her life had a conversation where everything sounded like a double-entendre.
Never had a conversation where she couldn’t keep her mind off sex.
She’d had sex and hadn’t been all that impressed with it, so the lack of it since the accident hadn’t even really registered. Not until now.
He’s an excellent specimen of a man. Big. Muscular. Virile. And you’ve got a little hero worship going on. Why wouldn’t you? He’s done nothing but repeatedly rescue you since you met. You’re just a slave to biology. That’s all. It means you’re a healthy, adult female. That should be a comfort.
It wasn’t.
“Audrey?”
She realized they’d stopped at a little gear hut, and Hudson had been talking to her. “Hmm?”
“You okay?”
“Woolgathering. I’m sorry. You were saying?”
He held out a bright red helmet. “Try this one on for size.”
She put it on. With expert fingers, he checked the fit, snapping and adjusting straps until the thing fit properly. “You do this a lot?”
“Ziplining, no. But rock climbing, yes. And search and rescue training. A lot of the equipment is very similar. Here, let’s get you harnessed up.” He accepted a harness from the girl manning the hut and bent low, holding it out so Audrey could step into it. “Just put your legs through here.”
She balanced on his shoulder and put one foot through, then the other, proud she didn’t wobble.
She’d done extra stretches this morning to make sure she was as limber as possible.
As thrilling as his rescue had been the other night, the realities of her continued limitations and klutziness made her paranoid about the necessity for a repeat.
“I thought you were part of a city fire department.”
“I am. But I’m certified for search and rescue. Sometimes I get called out for work elsewhere.” He pulled the harness up to her hips and started adjusting those straps.
Audrey tried not to think too much about the proximity of his hands as they tightened and tugged, jerking her hips around a bit as he worked.
“All set. You wanna check my work?”
The staff woman nodded and looked Audrey over while Hudson put on his own harness and helmet. “Just right. Both of you.”
They followed her over to a wooden platform. At the ladder, Audrey tipped her head back and looked up and up. She hadn’t counted on a ladder.
“You go up first,” Hudson said. “I’ll be right behind you. If you slip, I’ll be right there to catch you.”
Audrey appreciated that he could say that without sounding patronizing. She blew out a breath. “Okay. Up we go.”
The staff woman went first, clambering up with the agility of a monkey. Audrey ignored that, and put one foot on the ladder.
Hudson was right at her shoulder, close enough that if she leaned back, just an inch or two, she’d be touching him. “Just take your time. I’m right here.” He gripped the ladder on either side of her. But instead of making her feel crowded, it made her feel safe.
She began to climb. It took an embarrassingly long time, but she didn’t slip, didn’t have any trouble with her footing. And if she enjoyed the periodic brush of Hudson’s body against hers as he climbed up almost directly behind her, who could blame her for that?
The staff woman helped her up onto the platform and immediately snapped the safety line onto the rigging above their heads. Even so, Audrey scooted to the massive post in the center and wrapped her arms around it. “Holy crap, this is high.”
Hudson leapt lightly onto the platform behind her. “You got a heights thing?”
“It’s never come up before.” Why would it? She’d never been outdoorsy and the highest she’d been was at mountain overlooks or skyscrapers, behind nice, solid safety railings and windows.
“You’re gonna be just fine. Taylor here has you all tied in.”
“Can you maybe go first?” There was only a little bit of squeak to her voice.
“Sure can.”
Taylor attached him to the zipline.
“Now here’s how this works. You’re going to step off the edge here.”
Audrey’s stomach dipped as she glanced toward the ground far below, then quickly pulled her gaze back up.
“Look at me. Just at me,” Hudson ordered.
Audrey did as he asked, focusing on those calm, dark gray eyes, and felt herself settle.
“You’ll feel just a little dip as the line takes your weight.
Then you’re just gonna slide down. You might twist a bit in the wind, depending on your balance.
But you won’t fall, and you won’t hit anything.
They keep all this ruthlessly maintained.
At the other end, there will be a ramp angling up to the top of the next platform.
You’ll slow down as you get there and hit the ramp running, then slow your own momentum from there.
The center pole the line is attached to will be wrapped in padding if you don’t slow down fast enough, and I’ll be right there waiting. Okay?”
It was the same soothing tone he’d used on her at the accident site. Telling her everything would be okay. And it had been. This was nothing compared to that.
“Okay. See you on the other side.”
He flashed a grin at her in an unexpectedly boyish burst of excitement. “I’ll be waiting.” Then he stepped off the platform, backward.
His whoop echoed through the trees as the zipper thing carried him away from her. Before he left her sight, she saw him swing his legs up, wrapping them around the center line so he was flying upside down.
“Yeah, don’t do that,” Taylor told her.
“Don’t worry. I won’t!”
“You ready?”
Hudson would be waiting.
“Yeah.”
“One, two…”
On three, Audrey stepped off the platform.
She let out a little shriek at the momentary sensation of falling before the line caught.
Then she was flying through the air, the trees zipping by.
And it was thrilling! The forest opened up around her and she realized she was zooming across a little valley.
It stretched out below her, pretty as a postcard before more woods swallowed her again.
In the distance, she saw the next platform, saw the ramp she was aiming for.
And she saw Hudson waiting. Audrey was already pedaling her feet, searching for purchase as she came in, faster than she expected.
Taking the sudden weight of her body had her pitching forward, into a stumbling run.
But Hudson caught her, as promised, wrapping his arms around her and absorbing the last of the momentum.
Audrey’s breath wooshed out.
“You did it!” He grinned down at her, his eyes sparkling.
“Yes, I did!” Adrenaline pumped through her system, and it was the most natural thing in the world to follow the excitement and throw her arms around his shoulders, pressing her lips to his.