“We should keep going,” she said, reaching for her pack.
Michael had to be tired. He was strong. She’d traced every line of his abs with her tongue, and she had every intention of doing it again as soon as they were stopped someplace safe for the night. But being strong and hiking for mile after mile were two entirely different things. She was getting tired, and she was used to it. He had to be exhausted, but he never complained or held back. As soon as she made it clear it was time to move, he moved. On impulse, she walked over to him and caught him as he was putting on his pack. She stretched up on her toes, grabbed his biceps and brushed a kiss over his slightly parted lips.
“Not that I’m complaining,” he said when she pulled away. “Seriously not complaining, but what was that for? You know, so I can do it again. Right away.”
She gazed at his eager expression and gave up trying to fight her grin. He was so honest about his feelings, about how he felt about her.
“I was just feeling grateful for you,” she said, trying to give him the same kind of honesty back. “I’m glad we’re doing this together.”
He watched her for a moment, his head tipped to the side, studying her, and then he nodded and finished fastening the straps on his pack.
“Why don’t you let me lead for a while?” she said, starting back out into the rain. Let him stare at her ass for a while. It would serve him right for being such an irritatingly good sport about everything.
They slogged on through what was rapidly becoming a downpour. The trail became increasingly harder to see and more narrow with each step. Rocks started to jut up through the soft, decaying leaves, which meant they should be getting close to the rappelling spot, but it also made for exceedingly slippery walking. The last thing they needed was for one of them to twist an ankle while they were on the top of the mountain with a lightning storm approaching. She’d taken to being extra careful every time she placed her foot so she didn’t lose her balance on a slick patch of leaves. When she glanced back behind her, she could see Michael taking the same care.
A downed tree crossed the path in front of her and she’d just started to climb over it when the first rumble of thunder started. Another followed quickly on its heels and even though she knew what it was when the crack of lightning came, she couldn’t help but jump at the sound. The weight of her pack unbalanced her just enough to send her tumbling over the log. She heard Michael shout and felt his fingertips graze her arm, but it was too late. She was already falling.
She landed with a squish on her butt in the mud, which did enough damage to her pride, but it was her ankle that was the real problem. It hadn’t been giving her any trouble for weeks. She’d stopped babying it long ago, but she could tell before she even tried putting weight on it, she’d reinjured it. The question was how bad was it and how was she going to get them off the mountain if she was hurt.
“Wait. Wait,” said Michael, hurrying to her side. He grabbed her under the arms before she could struggle to her feet. “Are you okay to stand?”
She nodded, afraid her voice would give away the pain she felt.
“Hold on to me.” He didn’t give her a chance to try to stand on her own; he simply picked her up, pack and all, holding her feet a few inches above the ground.
“You can set me down,” she said, frustration warring with pain. It wasn’t fair for her to take it out on him. He hadn’t fallen over a log, but that didn’t stop her from growling at him when he tried to help her.
He didn’t growl back. He simply quirked an eyebrow at her and set her gently on her feet, holding her for a moment until she was steady. She couldn’t hide the wince, but at least she managed to put some weight on her foot. Not enough to walk, but for now anyway, she could stand.
“How bad are you hurt?”
He reached for her pack, presumably to help her take it off. She twisted out of his grip so fast, she almost went down again.
“I’ve got it. I’m okay, thanks,” she added in a vain attempt to soften her tone. She wasn’t okay. She’d hurt herself and having to rely on help to do what she should be able to handle on her own turned her into a bitch. She knew that about herself, but it didn’t stop her from giving in to her first instinct and snapping at him.
He watched her, clearly judging her reaction, but he didn’t push the issue. Someday she’d meet his sisters and thank them. She was pretty sure he’d learned how to handle irrationally angry women from them.
“I’m sorry.” She raised her voice over the pounding of the rain, ignoring the water dripping off the hood of her parka.
He tipped his head to the side and smiled. This time when he tried to help her, slinging her pack over his shoulder, she let him. It was raining too hard to talk and the fact that she’d injured herself only added urgency to their desperate need to get down the mountain. Rappelling on her injured ankle was going to be a problem. Doing it in the middle of the thunderstorm piled on an extra layer of danger.
Gingerly, she started down the trail again, trying not to hobble any more than she had to. Michael was already going to feel like he needed to carry her, but until she really couldn’t move by herself, it was safer for her to suck it up and muscle through the pain. She could feel her ankle starting to swell. Her boot offered extra support for the time being but the farther they got in the next hour before the pain got too bad, the better off they’d be.
She kept moving, careful every time she put her foot down not to make things worse. Lightning crashed around them, the flashes and rumbles coming closer together as the storm moved into place over top of them. She fell short of their normal pace but the ferocity of the storm kept her moving. Just when she thought she’d have to come up with some kind of backup plan, they arrived at the gentle rock slope they needed to rappel down to reach the next stretch of the trail.
Michael set the packs down and slipped off his rain parka to cover them while he dug inside for their gear. In moments, his back was soaked through, but it was better than letting the rest of their clothes and sleeping bags get wet while he had the rain flap open. He put his parka back on and stepped into his harness before helping her into hers. The rain pounded down relentlessly. There was no point anymore to trying to stay dry. Water ran in rivulets under her hood and down her neck, leaving cold trails in its wake. Michael slung the rope over his arm and turned to face her.
“Tell me what to do,” he said as the lightning split the sky.
––––––––
MICHAEL WASN’T AFRAID of much and he’d never been afraid of thunderstorms. Being caught on the ridgeline with the storm raging right on top of them was a completely different experience. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t anxious to get off the top of the mountain and to somewhere sheltered.
“Let me rope up,” Amanda said over the noise of the storm. “And I’ll lower you to the bottom.”
It was the same thing she’d done the first time they’d climbed together, but this time felt different. Her injury was worse, the rock was wet, and there was a better than average chance that one of them would be struck by lightning at any moment.
“Let me lower you this time.”
