Not likely.
When Juliet hesitates, searching for her next hold, I use my lower vantage point to scope out the route and call out a suggestion. That earns me a grin over her shoulder before she tries for it and pulls herself up higher.
My librarian is a good forty feet above me when I start to feel lightheaded. That’s when I realize I’ve been holding my breath.
Her foot slips, and I grasp the rope tight, feeling her slight weight tug on the harness I wear. I’m ready to lower her to the safety of the ground, but almost immediately, Juliet regains her footing and continues up. I suck down a few deep breaths to calm my panicked nerves.
Ten more feet, and she’s made it to the top, her body disappearing over the ledge. Losing sight of her makes me nervous, but it’s better than having her dangle from the sheer rock wall.
“Coming down!” Her call echoes down to me as her body reappears over the edge, her head turned, eyes gazing down at me.
“I’ve got you!” I yell to her.
And with the delicacy of lowering a fragile glass figurine, I slowly feed the robe through the harness, supporting Juliet as she descends.
“That was amazing!” Her cheeks are flushed with the climb, green eyes sparkling. She bounds up to me and plants a kiss on my cheek before stepping out of my reach. “Is it okay if I go again? I want to try a slightly different route.”
As much as I want to keep her down here with me, I stuff my worries away and wave her back toward the wall.
Her joyful grin is worth dealing with my anxiety.
Three more ascents before Juliet claims it’s my turn and we swap responsibilities.
Even though I could probably survive a fall from the highest point on this route, Juliet still belays for me like I did for her, though we do anchor her to a tree for added leverage. Now that I know she’s safe, I find I can relax into the activity and start having some fun. The climb is like a puzzle. My strength helps a great deal, but my mind engages as I search for the best hold to slip my thick fingers into. With the differences in our heights, I’m having to find alternate grips than what Juliet used. Almost like a hunt.
And as I reach the top, triumphant at my feat, I begin to understand why she enjoys this so much. Breathing in deep of the mountain air, I take in the elevated view that reveals a good portion of Yellow Pine Lake, an expanse of forest shifting intofall foliage, and a hint of our town in the distance. Beautiful as it is, nothing compares to the sight waiting for me at the bottom of the climb.
I choose to climb down so Juliet doesn’t have to lower me, and when my feet are on the ground once more, she offers to belay me if I want to go again. I shake my head, satisfied with my single climb.
“You were so fast. I’ll have to find a harder route next time.” She almost sounds grumpy, which has me wanting to kiss her frowning mouth.
Still roped in, I stalk over to her.
“I’ll follow you up any damn cliff you find,” I mutter a second before fusing our mouths together.
Juliet sighs into me, fisting the front of my shirt to keep me close. She smells like salty sweat and lemons, which has me wanting to lick her skin.
Instead, I pull back and rest my forehead against hers. I need to ask her something before lust has me forgetting.
“Have Thanksgiving dinner with my family.”
That wasn’t asking exactly. But she could still say no.
“Hmm. Will there be a lot of food there?”
I chuckle and bend to kiss her neck. “You’ll be eating with a bunch of werewolves. So, yes.”
I expect her to laugh along with me, and when she leans back, I do see that she’s smiling. But there’s an uncertainty in her eyes.
“Holiday with the family is kind of a big deal. You sure you want me to come?”
She doesn’t know how much we want her,my wolf whimpers.
And the beast is right. I guess my initial abrasiveness has been hard for Juliet to move past fully. She can’t see that I’m in this for the long haul.
I’ll just have to show her.
“Yes. No doubt in my mind.”
