Page 14 of Pure Temptation

“I did,” he said. “Not as good as you.”

Kendall laughed. “I’m going to assume that comment is about my PT services.”

“Trust me, it is,” he said with a sigh.

She began the stretching exercises, flexing his foot, changing positions. She had been right about the run, of course; his calf was a little tighter. But what else was he supposed to do with the restlessness that came back when he tried to relax? Without an outlet for all this energy, it was like he was eighteen again, sleeping in the back of his truck, always on the move, always looking for the next rush. But he had to figure out something else, because the idea of her quitting sure as hell hadn’t sat well. Daxon frowned.

He really had to leave this place in top shape. Over the last weeks, as the Moonlight Buttress climb grew closer and he hadn’t bounced back from his torn calf, more tension had been building. Every free solo was a high-consequence pursuit, and over half of the very best climbers had faced that consequence. Just about every season, an elite climber fell to their death. Sometimes two. That was the reality of the sport, a factor he accepted in exchange for the freedom that came from climbing impossible mountains. But he wouldn’t attempt the climb if he wasn’t confident he’d live through it.

Still...

Doing Moonlight Buttress again would be full-on intense. Amazing. But the next climb was El Capitan in Yosemite, a mountain face that was much taller, made of unforgiving granite, and it featured a couple spots that were near impossible. Meeting the El Cap challenge would be an accomplishment of a lifetime, a personal achievement that would last beyond the popularity of a YouTube channel. And if Calvin was right, the payoff would be long-term for Pure Adrenaline, too. It would be a huge financial jump, the kind of money that sponsorships and merchandising and everything else Calvin had planned would bring, the kind that would support his mother when her body no longer cooperated. It would make up for all those years he wasn’t there for her.

Kendall flexed his foot, gently stretching his calf. Man, that felt good. Then, before he could ask himself why, an image of Kendall watching from the base of Moonlight Buttress as he climbed flashed through his mind. He already knew what Kendall thought about Pure Adrenaline, and as a PT, that probably came with the territory to some degree. But the idea of her watching from the base was both thrilling and disconcerting...which was exactly why relationships didn’t work—not just for the woman but also for him. Because a relationship would mean he’d have to consider how she felt about the climb, too.

Why was he even thinking about that?

Probably because that scene on the beach with Kendall had driven home just how much he was looking forward to seeing her. And when she made the point about her professional reputation, he’d felt like a real asshole. He hadn’t even considered what it would say about her as a PT if he hurt himself further. Daxon cringed.

“Tell me about your Moonlight Buttress plans,” said Kendall. “Free solo, so you’re going up without equipment.”

“Just me and the mountain. I’ve done it once before.”

“Were you climbing when you tore your calf?”

“Yeah. The move I tried was risky, but it was better than falling.” Daxon thought he caught a hint of a frown. He didn’t take the possibility of death lightly, if that’s what she was thinking.

“What happens if you get into trouble this time?” She started to work her hands up his leg now, and he was trying like hell to keep his mind on the conversation.

“It’s up to me to practice every single move enough to make sure there’s no trouble.”

He had given this answer countless times to the media, but unlike the others, Kendall didn’t look suitably impressed. In fact, she was definitely frowning now. She was quiet for a while, lifting his leg, stretching it, searching for points of tension. Finally, she lowered his leg back onto the table and then turned to him. Her hand was still resting on his thigh, though she didn’t seem to notice it. Daxon certainly did.

“Why?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why practice?”

“I mean why are you doing this at all?” Her brow was furrowed, as if she already knew the answer and didn’t like it. “I get the adrenaline rush thing. When I was younger, I used to stand at the top of the ten-meter platform at the Stanford pool and look down, thinking,there’s nothing like this in the world. But climbing a cliff face without a rope isn’t just that.”

Daxon raised his eyebrows. “I thought diving had the highest death rates of any sport.”

“I didn’t actually jump.”

He smiled a little. “That’s the difference. I’d jump any day.”

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked into her eyes. The outer rims were dark, and there were streaks of yellow that grew brighter toward the center. Beautiful and unlike any eyes he had seen before. “You don’t think I know what I’m doing?”

She blinked, staring down at him, the lines still creasing her forehead. Then she opened her mouth, like she was about to speak, but she closed it. Finally, she started to laugh. “We’re not going to get anywhere in this discussion, are we?”

“If you’re going to try to talk me out of the climbs, then probably not,” he said, smiling. “The filming is already scheduled. But I’m happy to discuss whatever else is on your mind.”

“What do your girlfriends say about Pure Adrenaline?”

He shook his head. “This lifestyle doesn’t leave a lot of room for girlfriends. You can probably imagine why.”

Her hand was still on his thigh, and his dick didn’t seem to care that it was unintentional.

He cleared his throat. “If you’re finished, you should probably stop touching me so I can keep my promise not to come on to you.”