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5

AUSTIN

This was notpart of my job description.

The resort owner and boss, Nicole, had seemed downright scared out of her wits when I told her about the tubes. I honestly hadn’t thought much of it at the time, just felt like it would be something I’d want to know if I had a brand-new luxury resort. At least that was what I thought until the color drained from her face and she fell into the chair behind her. I knew it wasn’t me either, because her boyfriend rushed to her side and whispered in her ear for a good minute at least.

As if to make the situation worse, when my pulse revved with worry, the lights blinked. Good thing I wasn’t superstitious. But Nicole turned even whiter, if that were possible.

Then she asked me to give Rosi some bullshit story about a solar flare causing issues, which I didn’t think she’d bought. I wouldn’t have either. But Nicole looked so fucking scared, I couldn’t say no. How do I get myself into this shit? I was supposed to stay calm under all circumstances. It was what I had spent years studying. It was how I had made it out of scrapes in the harshest conditions that should’ve been the end of me.

I’d taken on mountain lions, avalanches, and volcanoes. But when it came to people? That shit messed me up. And now I had to meet with Rosi next week to discuss this excursion. I didn’t know how to explain to her that it was not about searching for ancient civilizations or whatever it was she thought in that gorgeous head of hers. I didn’t want to disappoint her with the truth, but I couldn’t make it into more than it was designed to be—a four-hour excursion in a hellipod, taking in the land within two miles of the resort, and only a bit of walking in the tundra to snap a few vids or holos. I suspected that wasn’t what Rosi had in mind.

Now I had to sustain Nicole’s weird charade and keep the contest winner happy, which was part of my job description, without changing the script.

Breathe, Austin.

I counted in my head as I filled my lungs with air. I watched in my mind as I filled my body with light, chasing out the dark energy with the exhale that came on three. I’d learned it from a Tibetan Monk on one of my first climbs. It had saved my life more than once.

But as I pulled in a second breath, Rosi’s face surfaced in my head instead of the energy I expected. The dimple in her left cheek deepened as she smiled mischievously, like she had when she’d reached out to touch the snow on the rocks.

The enthusiasm and energy she had for her studies was palpable, but her expectations were off the charts.

Damn, this was not working. It didn’t help that the vision in my head expanded to include her whole body, which had been nearly impossible to ignore at the press conference when she came off the plane. I’d expected a middle-aged soccer mom, not a hot twenty-something who made my skin tingle when she grabbed my arm. I hadn’t had sex in a whole year, since before my volcano surfing trip on the Big Island. It had been one event after another, and between prepping my body and mind for the increasingly difficult and deadly challenges, I hadn’t had time to socialize, much less fuck.

But damn if Rosi didn’t remind me of that every moment since stepping foot off that plane and into Nicole’s marketing stunt. I couldn’t pursue her though. She was forbidden fruit—the contest winner. If I were accused of seducing her, it would cause a public scandal. No way the Bennets would pay me after that. Worse, they’d pull the sponsorship they promised me for the first Space Games on their Big Bang Resort next year. I wanted that more than anything. I’d be among the first people to do a space hike through the adjoining asteroid field.

I drew in another deep breath and pushed the vision of Rosi’s smooth caramel skin from my mind. No point wondering if it tasted as sweet as it looked because I’d never know. All I had to do was avoid her for the rest of the week, focus on only business when I met with her about the excursion, and keep us both safe outside for a few hours, more than half of which were on a hellipod. Easy.

My wristcom buzzed, and a small holo of Nicole popped up.

“Yes, boss?” I asked, hoping the misery wasn’t obvious in my voice.

If she heard it, she ignored it.

“Get dressed for the weather and go grab Ms. Sanchez. We’ll be taking publicity vids and holos outside at the playground in twenty minutes.”

“That doesn’t give us much time,” I protested, standing.

“It’s part of your job, Mr. Cooper.”

“But it’s not part of Rosi’s. She’s supposed to be able to enjoy a free vacation.” I didn’t add that I wanted to stay as far away from her as possible for propriety’s sake.

“Rosi huh? Act like it’s an invitation from you. Honestly, Mr. Cooper, I don’t think you know your own power when it comes to the opposite sex. She’s clearly smitten. Just use that to our advantage. Something tells me you wouldn’t mind all that much.”

“With all due respect, Ms. Bennet, I didn’t sign up for this to manipulate people’s emotions.” I fisted my hand at my side, pressing down the anger and indignation that threatened to break through.

Nicole sighed and tossed her hair, which disappeared for a moment outside of the sphere of the holo. “I’m not asking you to do anything untoward, Mr. Cooper. I’m simply suggesting you look at this as an opportunity to have a good time with someone you’re clearly interested in learning more about. Twenty minutes.”

The figure disintegrated, and I lowered my arm. I didn’t have much time, and if I didn’t get Rosi, she’d be dragged out there by Nicole’s people, making things much worse. And Nicole wasn’t wrong about wanting to get to know Rosi better. Maybe this wouldn’t be so terrible, considering it was sanctioned by the boss. I just couldn’t take it any further than that—not with her. Not with anyone. It was an ugly truth I’d been ignoring because years had passed since I’d been forced to take a good hard look at it. I could risk my own life all I wanted, but not someone else’s, never again, especially someone I might care about.

I already had one death on my conscience, and I couldn’t survive a repeat experience.

Sara’s face hadn’t haunted my dreams in almost a year, but it seemed my penance wouldn’t be that easy. I already felt something for Rosi, which was more than I should have allowed. There was just an energy about the woman that seemed to slice through my shields like they were made of vapor.

Maybe, I thought as I threw on some jeans, this playground thing will help me get her out of my system before this goes too far.