AJ blushes and Slater gives a crude thrust, then flips the middle finger at Callan.
“I need coffee,” I mutter, shuffling over to my tent to grab some clothes before joining everyone around the campfire.
“Morning,” Percy says quietly when I claim the empty folding chair next to him.
“Morning.” I drag my eyes over him, still in his pajamas, his arms crossed to keep himself warm while he waits for the kettle to boil over the fire.
I grunt under my breath and get back up, jogging back over to my tent. Come to think of it, I didn’t even pack a hoodie. I knew it would be cold, but I figured I’d be fine as long as I kept active or stayed by the fire. After a few seconds of rummaging through my bag just to be sure, I give up and grab my sleeping bag, slinging it over my shoulder so it won’t drag on the ground and carrying it over to the fire.
“What are you—?” Percy starts to ask but cuts himself off when I drape the sleeping bag around him.
“You’ll freeze.” I tuck it around his arms to make sure he’s covered.
That cute pink blush rises in his cheeks, and he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip again, tempting me to lean forward and kiss his poor, abused mouth. Fuck, that was a sweet kiss last night. I’m not remembering that wrong, am I? The way he sighed into my mouth, the way his body melted against mine… he wanted that as much as I did, didn’t he?
I want to ask him, but I don’t want to push.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today? More rock climbing?”
For a second I forget about the kiss and sit up with excitement. “You want to climb some more?”
I wasn’t sure if he liked it or if he was just excited to say he accomplished something he didn’t think he could do, but he nods and keeps smiling, leaning towards me just a little in his chair.
“I didn’t actually think I’d like it, but it was fun.”
“It’s addictive, isn’t it?” Callan chimes in. “There are some great, easy climbs a couple of miles down the trail. There’s even a cave that’s pretty dope to climb in.”
“That sounds cool,” Percy says.
I try not to let my disappointment show as Fender and Xeno join in, saying they’d love to tag along too. I didn’t bring him up here just to get my hands all over him… as much as I want to. I brought him up here so he could see that fitness isn’t just about going to the gym and that there are tons of fun ways to push his body to its limits.
Our eyes meet and his cheeks pink again. Fuck, he’s cute. Hot. Sexy as hell.
Will he let me kiss him again? Maybe just one more taste. Just enough to convince myself that he can’t possibly be as sweet as I remember.
“Coffee,” Silas announces, pulling the boiling kettle off the fire and yanking Percy’s attention away from me.
I want to grumble at him for his poor timing, to find a way to get Percy to look at me again, to monopolize all his attention until I can work out why I’m so sprung on him. But I probably won’t manage that in one morning anyway, so I guess coffee is the next best thing.
For now.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PERCY
“Breathe,”Butch reminds me in that deep, encouraging voice of his. “I know it’s a lot, but you can do it. Bear down and keep breathing.”
My body quakes and I can feel the beads of sweat forming, rolling down my skin and dripping from my forehead.
“I can’t,” I gasp. “It’s too much.”
“It’s not too much.” The smallest hint of authority infuses Butch’s usually laid-back tone, making me think maybe he’s right. Maybe Icanhandle it, even if it feels like I can’t.
You’re in charge of your body. You tell it what to do.
His inspiring words from our climb over the weekend echo in my ears, and I dig deep, pulling on a well of strength inside of myself I didn’t even know I had. A loud grunt bubbles up from my gut and tightens in my throat as I push as hard as I can and manage to move the leg press with all two hundred and seventy pounds of weight attached to it.
“Hell yeah!” He whoops. “Four more. You’ve got this. Rocky the fucking beast.” Butch cheers me on.
