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“So we have a plan?”
“Sure. But we shouldn’t stand here daydreaming about future climbs. We need to make camp before dark, and we did take the long way.”
I pull my hand out of his and salute him.
“Lead the way.”
He chuckles as he takes off. I pepper him with questions about other mountains.
“Don’t you want to talk about tomorrow?”
“Are you offering me advice?”
“Yes.”
See, he does like me,I think. We’re competitors. He wouldn’t help me out this much if he didn’t like me.
“Okay, lay it on me.”
He looks back at me, puzzled.
“It means tell me everything. Total info dump.”
“Humans.” He shakes his head, but he’s grinning.
“We say the darndest things, huh?”
“What?”
I start laughing, and I can’t stop. Who would ever have thought a seven-foot-tall blue Kiphian could look so adorable? I mean, he’s still sexy as hell, but that look on his face? Priceless.
“Please tell me about the climb tomorrow.”
I keep my voice serious, but I’m still grinning. I like him so much. My stomach is flipping just waiting for his answer. It’s crazy, he’s about to impart crucial, potentially life-saving information to me, and all I can think about is how pleasant his deep voice is going to sound when it hits my ears. How it will make my heart sing.
“This is a climb where you probably want to choose the safest route.”
“Is that what you are going to do?”
“Yes. It can be tempting to go straight up, and, honestly, it is way faster. Whoever does that will probably have a huge advantage. They might even be able to bypass the next camp and go to the next one. But…”
He shakes his head in that way that I am already very fond of. It’s just so typical Rylan.
I pretend to let his words sink in, but I’m not really that focused on tomorrow. How can I be? When I’m on the rock, my head will be clear, and nothing will distract me from the task at hand. That’s one of the things I love about climbing. It clears your head. You can’t think about anything else.
But right now, I like the thoughts in my head. I don’t just like this guy, this giant package of contradictions. Tough yet tender. Brave but careful.
No, I don’t just like him. I’m pretty sure I’m starting to fall in love with him. And I don’t have any desire to clear that particular feeling from my head, or my heart.
15
RYLAN
Idon’t know why I’m letting myself be so off guard with Iara. I can’t seem to stop the little flirting interactions on our walk though. And even though we’re talking strategy, the harshness of the competition seems to ebb away while we walk in the meadow, letting me give in even more to her charm.
Maybe seeing her again wouldn’t be so bad,I muse as she talks about her own ideas for scaling the wall.
Once I actually hear what I just thought, I grow instantly irritated with myself. I can’t allow myself to think like that! I already slept with her, as well as made promises I don’t intend to keep.They just keep coming out of my mouth. What the hell is wrong with me?
