And guess who was first on the pre-arranged climbing rotation? She and Buck were. Because a week ago, silly Addie had thought that going first would mean getting her turn out of the way.
She was regrettingallher decisions.
“Ready?”
Her head shot up at Noah’s voice. “What?”
“Are you ready to do some rock climbing?”
Absolutely not. “Yep.”
His lips twitched. Did he know she was lying?
He touched the small of her back and led her to the second pile of equipment.
Oh, and something else she hadn’t told anyone…she wasn’t a fan of heights. She wasn’t phobia-level scared, but she’d once stood on the edge of a cliff and gotten so nauseous that she’d almost been sick right then and there.
Noah helped her into her harness.
She studied the dark gray of his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Better now that he’s gone.”
She nodded quickly, her gaze once again returning to the wall before going back to him. “So, I know that this morning’s already been a lot, with my confession in bed and you and Colt firing Rhett, but I have another one for you.”
“You’ve never rock climbed before.”
Her jaw dropped. “How did you know?”
This time when he looked at her, humor played in his eyes. “You told me a story one time about how you went for a walk, ate a fly, then didn’t go outside for an entire week. And you oncereferred to this harness as ‘that safety thing.’ There have been other signs too.”
Of course he knew. “I’m sorry I lied.”
“I’m not. I’m glad you wanted the job. And I wanted you to have it.”
Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth before she glanced down at Noah’s strong, capable fingers as he cinched the strap on the harness. The combination of his closeness and the way the muscles in his arms flexed almost had her forgetting about the climb.
“I’m sorry about Rhett too,” she said.
His smile dropped. “I’m not. He hurt you.”
“I hurt him back.”
Not even a small lift of the lips.
Once the harness was in place, Noah reached for her wrist, and just like he’d done that morning, he swiped his thumb over the bruises. “He shouldn’t have touched you. No man should ever touch you if you don’t want them too. Especially not like that.”
Her breath caught, the touch and his words feeling intimate and warm over her skin.
She swallowed hard. “Any tips on climbing this wall?”
He grabbed the rope and threaded it through the carabiner of the harness. “At first it will feel unnatural to hang on the wall and trust the rope. But remember, you’re safe. Your legs are strongest, so let them do the heavy lifting. Your arms are more like poles than anchors. Look before you move and keep your hips close to the wall.”
She nodded, not sure how much of that she’d taken in, but hopefully she remembered at least part of it.
“And most importantly,” Noah added, stepping back. “Don’t panic if you slip. The rope’s got you—and so do I.”
“Don’t panic if I slip. Got it.”
