I reached out slowly, letting the cat sniff my fingers. It hissed again but didn’t swipe. Progress. I moved a little closer, the branch creaking under me.
“Almost there,” I murmured.
Then I made my move, scooping the cat into my arms in one quick motion before it could bolt higher. It yowled, claws digging into my forearm hard enough to sting.
“Got it!” I called down.
“Yay!” Alice was bouncing on her toes.
“Now comes the fun part,” I muttered, looking down at the ground that suddenly seemed much farther away than it had on the climb up.
The cat squirmed, clearly not appreciating being rescued. I held it firmly against my chest with one arm and started making my way carefully down.
My muscles were burning, and my foot slipped slightly on the third branch, sending a shower of bark raining down.
“Careful.” Cam’s voice was closer now. Right below me.
I glanced down to see him standing below me, arms slightly raised like he was ready to catch me if I fell. There was a light in his eyes that made my stomach flip.
“I’m okay,” I said, more to convince myself than him.
Two more branches and I was nearly at the bottom, but the last drop was still a good five feet. Too far to jump safely while holding a pissed off cat.
“Here.” Cam moved closer, hands coming up to bracket my waist. “I’ve got you.”
Oh.
Oh fuck.
His palms were warm through my shirt, solid and sure, fingers pressing against my sides. My breath caught.
“Step down to that branch.” His voice was steady. Professional. Like this was completely normal and not making my heart hammer against my ribs.
I did as he said, his hands sliding up slightly to keep me stable as I lowered myself.
Another step. His touch was a brand through the thin fabric of my shirt.
“Last branch. Then I’ll help you down.”
I stepped onto the final branch and it was just my luck that it was barely thicker than my wrist. It bowed slightly under my weight and I wobbled, the cat yowling its displeasure.
Cam’s grip tightened immediately. “I’ve got you.”
Those three words did something to me that I absolutely did not have time to examine.
“Okay,” I managed. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“On three. One, two...”
On three, I stepped off the branch and he lifted me down, setting me on solid ground with ridiculous ease.
For a second, we just stood there, his hands still on my waist. His face was close enough that I could see the exact shade of green in his eyes, the small scar through his left eyebrow.
Then the cat decided it had had enough and launched itself out of my arms, hitting the ground running and disappearing under the fence in a flash of orange fur.
“Well,” I said, breathless. “That was dramatic.”
Cam’s hands dropped from my waist like I’d burned him. He stepped back, putting a solid two feet between us. “You okay?”
