“Never let go of the rope.” Colt recited the words with an authoritative tone earned by years of experience.
“Not your first time, I take it?” Martin asked.
“I haven’t explored the Dark Star in Uzbekistan yet, but I’ve rappelled nearly every pit in Ellison’s Cave and spent two weeks off-grid in Nepal with a local guide.”
Duly impressed, Martin tipped his head at Penny. “You’re in good hands, miss.” He stepped back to man their rigging, giving Colt the go-ahead to descend.
“Okay, this is it.” Colt locked eyes with Penny. “I’ll be right beside you the entire time.”
Her features ashen, she reached for his hand again. “Please, don’t let go.”
He glanced at their entwined fingers. Holding hands while rappelling into a cavern wasn’t exactly common procedure. But she peered at him with such intense earnestness, he couldn’t bring himself to decline her request. “I won’t,” he promised. “Just keep your other hand on the rope the whole way down.”
“Okay,” she said dutifully, nearly crushing his knuckles with her tight grip.
For a split second, Colt regretted the heavy gloves, longing to feel her soft skin against his and the warmth of her palm. Clearing his head with a swift shake, he leaned back. “On my count, push off the wall.”
Still gnawing her bottom lip, she nodded wordlessly in response.
As he began the countdown, the familiar swell of adrenaline filled his veins, heightening his senses. But this time, something felt different.
He cast a sideways glance at Penny and caught her watching him intently, as if ensuring he was still there. Grinning, he gave her hand one last squeeze before shouting, “Three!” He kicked off the rough stone, sending them sailing backward into the abyss.
Penny screamed. But rather than the sharp cry of terror he’d expected, her trill of exhilaration reverberated off the walls, making his heart soar.
Every adventure he’d ever experienced—from free diving with tiger sharks in the Bahamas to biking Death Road in Bolivia—paled in comparison to this moment.
And it had everything to do with the woman holding his hand.
* * *
Her feet firmly planted on the ground, Penny drew in a deep breath, relishing the heady scent of damp sediment. “That was incredible!”
“It sure was.”
At Colt’s husky tone, Penny’s gaze dropped to their fingers, still woven together. Her cheeks flushed despite the cool temperature inside the expansive cavern.
He hadn’t let go. Not even once, throughout their entire descent.
She lifted her eyes to meet his, and an emotionally charged look passed between them.
“Well done, folks.” The guide’s monotone voice betrayed her boredom—and her blindness to their heart-stopping glance.
Suddenly self-conscious, Penny released her grasp, immediately missing Colt’s touch.
Smacking her chewing gum—which had to be contraband in such a transcendent place—the girl assisted them in removing their rappelling gear. “You continue through that tunnel for the next phase of your adventure.” She listlessly gestured toward a narrow passageway, and Penny marveled at how anyone could lose interest in what appeared to be a magical world where anything was possible.
“Ready?” Colt clicked on his headlamp, illuminating even more of the fantastical space.
The jagged walls glistened with moisture, amplifying the ethereal atmosphere. Switching on her own light, she gazed upward, bewitched by the dazzling stalactites dripping from the ceiling like icicles melting in the late afternoon sun.
For a moment, Penny lost the ability to breathe, only reviving when Colt slipped his fingers through hers, sending jolts of electricity coursing up her arm.
“Let’s go.” His words hummed with excitement as he tugged her toward the sliver in the wall.
Her heart undulated. “We have to crawl through there? It hardly seems wide enough.”
“If I can fit, you’ll glide right through.” Something in his smile steadied her pulse, and she grinned back.
