Dom shook his head. “In no way.”
Henry laughed, head thrown back, and Dom was captivated by the sight. The light stubble along his jawline, the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed, and the light in his eyes as he looked back at Dom.
He wanted to kiss him so badly in that moment, it took all his willpower not to. Only the fact they were surrounded by people kept him rooted in place. “Are you sure about this?”
“No, but I know I’ll regret it if I don’t give it a go.”
They started walking again, and Dom felt the need to point something out. As they neared the start of the walkway course, he gestured to where the first obstacle was visible through the trees. “There’s about eight people per session. All attached by a harness and rope to the overhead rope that runs the entire course. Once you’re up there”—he pointed up in the trees—“it’s not all that easy to get down if you change your mind. They’d do it, obviously,” he added when Henry’s eyes widened comically. “But far better to not go up at all if you’re unsure.”
Henry raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to talk me out of it?”
“No.”I’m trying to stop you having a freak-out in the middle of the trees.Dom had no ideaexactly how bad Henry’s fear of heights was, but he knew it felt a lot higher than it actually was when trying to walk over swaying log bridges with nothing but a rope overhead.
“Okay then. It’s settled. We’re doing it. Now let’s go get some coffee in the warmth so my fingers aren’t blocks of ice when I need to hold onto things.”
* * *
What the fuckhad I been thinking?
Side-walking up the first log at the start of the walkway had been bad enough. Henry flushed at the memory of him wobbling like jelly on a plate.
But this?
He stood on the first platform, back plastered to the large tree trunk, heart racing as he watched the two kids—they couldn’t have been older than nine or ten—skip over the swaying planks of the bridge to their dad at the other end. They whooped in delight, and Henry groaned because that meant only one thing.
It’s my turn.
Dom smiled encouragingly. “Take it one step at a time.”
“Mm-hmm.” Henry grabbed the rope rails on either side and took a tentative first step.
The whole bridge began to sway gently, and Henry grit his teeth against the urge to turn back and beg someone to get him down.
For fuck’s sake, Henry. You can do this.
He took another step, to the delight of Dom calling encouragement from behind him. It made him smile, at least.
“One at a time, keep going,” Dom shouted, as Henry gingerly made his way across. As he stepped off onto the solid platform at the other end, he hugged the tree trunk like a long-lost friend and let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Woo-hoo!” Dom yelled, making him laugh this time. “That’s it.”
Henry felt ridiculously pleased with himself, even if it was one of the easier pieces they’d have to cross, because he’d fucking done it, and in his mind that was huge.
Dom made it look easy, of course, taking half the time Henry did to make his way across. His huge smile was infectious, though, and despite his thudding pulse, Henry found himself grinning back.
Of course, that vanished as soon as he saw the next fucking thing they had to cross.
But he made it.
And that’s how it went for the next four bridge-type things they had to traverse. Heart-racing terror as he made his way across, then sheer relief when he got to the other side.
It was exhausting.
Sweat trickled down his spine and Henry had to wipe his forehead a couple of times, but he didn’t care, because Dom never let up in his encouragement or his delight when Henry made it across. His never-ending enthusiasm and utter belief that Henry could do it was the main thing that kept him going.
Until they came to the jump.
It wasn’t even a big jump.
