“Wait.” A slow smile spread across Colt’s face, revealing his dimple. “Penny Heart… did you just pay me a compliment?”
Heat swept across her cheeks, and she bit her bottom lip, embarrassed by her blunder. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late.” His dimple deepened as he held her gaze, and suddenly, being wrapped in his arms felt far more dangerous than sailing through the trees attached to a flimsy wire.
She raised her arm to tuck a flyaway strand of hair into the confines of her safety helmet, breaking his grasp. “I just meant you weren’t half bad,” she said hastily. “Did you ever consider playing professionally?”
“Not really,” he confessed, returning his arm to his side. “I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would when I dropped out of college.”
“You found something you enjoyed more?”
“About a million other things, to be honest.”
“Like jumping out of airplanes and riding a metal death trap across the county?” She’d meant for her tone to be teasing and lighthearted, but it came off as harsh and judgmental, instead.
“Is there something wrong with that?” Colt stiffened.
“No, I just meant—”
“It’s okay.” He attempted a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Trust me, I get it. You’re not the only one who thinks my life choices are questionable.”
Regret seeped into her heart as she caught the subtle strain in his voice, although he tried to hide it.
She’d never had a problem badgering him about his reckless lifestyle before. But in the wake of the intimate moment they’d just shared, her careless quip left a sour taste in her mouth. “Colt….” She placed her hand over his, startled by the tiny jolt of awareness that seared her skin.
Before she could say another word, Travis popped through the opening in the platform, his affable, gap-toothed grin cutting through the thick cloud of tension. “Sorry about the wait, folks. But I hope you’re ready for a thrill.”
An uncomfortable silence followed, and before she realized what was happening, Penny’s hand shot into the air.
“I am!”
“Alrighty, then. I like the enthusiasm.” Travis beamed. “Come on over.”
Her legs quivering, Penny unclipped the carabiner connecting her to the tether and shuffled toward the edge of the platform. As she waited for Travis to secure her harness to the overhead cable, apprehension wrapped around her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
But remaining on the platform next to Colt proved to be even more suffocating.
She needed to get away from him in order to clear her head. Their brief, unexpected connection left her dizzier than the fifty-foot drop. Life would be so much simpler if Colt remained the irritating nuisance who called her Pepper and stuck Juicy Fruit gum in her hair.
Grown-up Colt, on the other hand, with his intriguing charm and surprising moments of sweetness, was turning out to be far too complicated for her to handle.
And if the only means of escape required sailing down a treacherous zip line…
Well, desperate times called for desperate measures.
* * *
Either the wind whistled especially loud inside his motorcycle helmet or Penny’s petrified scream still echoed in his eardrums.
By the time they’d finished all the runs, every ounce of color had drained from her face. The entire drive home, she’d stared straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles blanched, not saying a word.
And when they’d parked in front of her shop, she couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
Colt yanked off his helmet, struggling to muster the necessary enthusiasm for the lavish Armenian feast with Frank. He’d been looking forward to it for days, certain Frank would appreciate eating the meal as much as he’d enjoyed preparing it.
But something about the afternoon gnawed at the back of his mind. The fact was, Penny’s words stung, no matter how hard he tried to blow them off.
At some point during their adventures together, he’d come to care about her opinion. More than that, he flat-out cared abouther. And just when he’d thought maybe he stood a chance, reality smacked him in the face.
