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Tressa rested her hand over her heart. “A couple of times I thought we’d topple over the edge. Especially when another vehicle was coming from the opposite direction. I feel like I should get out and kiss the ground.”
“You were never in any danger.” He glanced into those tender eyes. Turn away, man. Turn away. Tressa’s eyes were like puddles of brown desire that chipped away at the fortress around his heart every time he peered into them. At this rate she’d reach his center in no time. That troubled him. His heart was off-limits. Even to Tressa.
Exiting the vehicle, they stood in the parking lot for a moment, appreciating the view.
“Those houses look like they’re sitting right on the edge of the mountain. One bump and boom, they’re tumbling to the bottom.” She leaned forward as if to gauge exactly how far they were from the bottom. A ways.
Roth decided to not mention the fact that if she looked up from town, his cabin would appear the same way.
When they finally made their way to one of the mountain’s main attractions—the Mile High Swinging Bridge—Tressa mounted a protest. “No way, no how are you getting me on that.” She jammed a finger at the metal structure. A passing couple laughed and she shot death rays at the backs of their heads.
“Trust me. It’s not as bad as it looks,” he said.
“No, it’s probably worse. I don’t do bridges. Not since—”
Her abrupt stop made Roth curious about what she was holding back.
“I don’t do them, and no way in hell would I ever do a swinging bridge. Swinging, Roth. That means it moves, right?”
“Yes, but—”
She tossed her hands up. “No way. No how. Let’s go.”
When she tried to walk away, Roth hooked her by the waist. It was faint, but he swore Tressa moaned. Or maybe it’d been him. Damn, he hoped it hadn’t been him. But it was possible. Touching her always triggered something in him. He willed himself to let go, but his arm didn’t budge. “Baby, you can’t—” He stopped abruptly. Shit. Had he really just called her baby? Releasing her, he took a step away.
Tressa turned to face him, a look of uncertainty in her gaze. Clearly, he’d spooked her with the accidental use of the term of endearment.
Clearing his throat, he started again, this time dropping baby. “Um…you can’t come all the way to Grandfather Mountain and not cross the bridge. It’s…sacrilegious.”
Tressa studied him. “Okay. I’ll do it, but on one condition.”
“Name it.” Because, really, how bad could it be?
“We stay in Silver Point the entire week.”
Real bad. What she considered a condition, he considered a blessing. However…there were forces greater than him at work here, and those forces suggested he not tempt fate any more than he already had.
“I know you think I’m running, Roth. I’m not. It’s just that being here with…” Her eyes moved away briefly. “I feel at peace in Silver Point. I haven’t felt this way in a long, long time.” Her lips curled slightly. “And I kinda like it and selfishly want more.”
How in the hell could he argue with that? “Okay.”
“Really?”
Like him, she obviously couldn’t believe his answer, either. He nodded.
“Good. Well, then…let’s do this.” Tressa stopped shy of taking the first step onto the bridge. “And you have to hold my hand.”
This was getting worse and better by the second. He splayed his gloved fingers and Tressa locked hers with his. It was a damn good thing there was a barrier between their hands. From experience, he knew their current would have surely fried everyone on the bridge.
Tressa’s grip on his hand tightened when the bridge swayed. It wasn’t a vicious movement, but it could be felt. For a moment he thought she’d pull away and run back to steadier ground. But surprisingly, she kept soldiering forward.
The farther they walked, the more hesitant her steps became. Then she stopped.
“Wait, wait, wait, Roth. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to do this. I can’t…”
Her voice cracked as if she was about to cry, and what he saw on her face was genuine fear. They backtracked, went straight to the vehicle and headed back to the cabin. Tressa didn’t utter a word the entire drive, simply stared out the window and bounced her legs in quick succession.
