It took a few heartbeats, and finally she glanced up. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, but they seared into him, so open and vulnerable. “Maybe you were right. I shouldn’t have come.”
He shifted a lock of hair from her face behind her ear. Damn, her skin was so smooth. “Nah, I wasn’t right. You did it. You walked the skywalk. But then, I knew your stubborn ass wouldn’t allow anyone to tell you that you couldn’t.”
Despite everything, she laughed, only to quickly sober. “I don’t know if I can move.”
“I could carry you?”
She rolled her eyes. “That would be weird.”
“Weird isn’t a bad thing.” In fact, having her pressed against his chest sounded pretty damn good.
She sucked in a deep breath. “Can you…get my hands? I don’t think I can physically move them myself.”
He reached up and slipped his hands under her wrists. Slowly, she untangled her fingers from the railing and grabbed his hands, holding him tightly.
“I won’t let go,” he whispered.
“I know you won’t.” She swallowed. “I just have to remember not to look down.”
“Why would you look down when you have someone as handsome as me to look at?”
Her lips twitched. “Thank you.”
“I’vealwaysgot your back, Tink.”
CHAPTER 3
“Darling, I just don’t understand that fear of heights you have. I thought you were past it.”
Elle bit the inside of her mouth, her hands tightening around the glass in front of her. Ofcourseher aunt didn’t understand her fear of heights. Her aunt was her complete opposite in every way. She loved the woman, but man, was it hard relating when they were so different.
She looked around the busy bar, not sure how to respond. In the end, she didn’t need to.
“I mean, if it was me,” Jewel continued, “I would have rocked the skywalk right along with Hendrix. He sounds fun!”
“Of course he does.”
Her aunt leaned forward, her currently pink hair falling into her face. “I’m not saying that to brag. Just to remind you that the skywalk was built by professionals. I doubt a little bit of rocking could bring it down. And sometimes we need to live a little.”
“The rational part of me knew that. The part of me that’s never liked heights turned into a blubbering mess.”
Jewel grinned as she lifted the beer to her mouth. “Well, at least Jace was there to save you.”
“He didn’tsaveme.” Okay, he kind of did. And she was pretty sure his deep, gravelly voice was the only one that could have pulled her out of her panic attack. But shewas not,under any circumstances, going to admit that to her nosy aunt.
A wistful look came into Jewel’s eyes. “I always thought you two would marry. You sure spent enough time together growing up.”
Yeah, and her aunt had definitely helped facilitate that. While everyone else her age had a strict “no sleepovers with boys” rule, her aunt had encouraged it. But then, that was Jewel for you, never one to set many boundaries.
Most kids would have loved it, but as a teenager, Elle craved the guardrails that she’d never had. Her mother had left Elle when she was five, and her father had then left her with Jewel when she was eight.
“So,” Jewel continued, “he came over to you and whispered in your ear that you were safe like one of those romance story heartthrobs. What happened next? Did he carry you in his arms to safety? Did you nuzzle into his big chest?”
Despite everything, she laughed. Was it funny that he’d actually offered to carry her? And she was sure, had she said yes, he would have followed through.
“You read too many romance novels.” She fiddled with the edge of a napkin. “No, he didn’t carry me back, but he stuck close.” Hand firmly on the small of her back, something she swore she could still feel.
“Did he yell at Hendrix? He has that growly, alpha-protector thing going on. Or at least he did the last time I saw him.”
