I shook my head, not trusting my tongue. If I opened my mouth now, one of two things would come out of it. A request for help, or projectile vomit.
Damn you, Anna, and your cheap handbag tequila.
‘– and just like that, you’ll be down on the ground.’
I blinked. Fuck. What had she said?
Patrick squeezed my hand, and I fought the desire to launch myself into his arms and beg him to take me.
Take me into the lift and downstairs to safety, to be specific.
‘Why don’t we go over it again?’ Patrick said, clearly sensing my panic.
I threw him a grateful look.
He caught my gaze and gave me that uncertain little smile I was fast becoming addicted to, then jerked his head to the silvery-haired woman who was explaining how not to die.
This was ridiculous. I was about to go to my death on a spindly little rope, and I was far more interested in examining the colour of Patrick’s eyes. Not quite green, not quite hazel. Was there even a word for that shade?
Right. Concentrate.
The next few minutes were – well, not exactly a blur. Deciding I would prefer to live than plummet to my untimely death, I really did pay attention to the instructor, whose name I now knew was Katarzyna, watching carefully to see how she used the ropes and various other pieces of equipment.
‘I must be mad,’ I muttered to myself, carefully snapping the hard-hat fastening around my chin.
Patrick, who somehow looked just as hot wearing the ridiculous bright orange headgear, grinned. My stomach fluttered. ‘I didn’t know you were afraid of heights.’
‘Heights? Heights? No.’ I peered over the edge of the rooftop at the ants driving about in toy cars below. ‘Falling to the ground in an uncontrolled and terminal manner? Yes.’
His snort of laughter should not have made me feel better. ‘I’ve got you.’
And those three little words should not have made me smile.
Oh, hell. Here we go.
‘– and then just swing yourself over the edge,’ Katarzyna said, far too cheerfully. ‘There you go!’
It was Patrick who had moved, smoothly and without a care in the world, up and over the side of the building.
My heart was hammering. ‘Patrick?’
‘I’m OK – honestly, I’m fine.’Fine, fine,was that all we could say today? ‘Come on over, it’s amazing.’
Fuck fuck fuck –
‘Aarrgghhhhh!’ I yelled to no one in particular as I swung myself over the edge.
The ropes held – and beside me was a grinning Patrick, a man who had never looked this free in the whole time I’d known him.
Or, you know. Stalked him online.
‘Isn’t this great?’ he yelled, dropping a little further down.
‘Patrick!’
Panic should not rise in my chest at the sight of a guy I did not care about dropping a few feet down a skyscraper.
‘Just relax into it,’ Patrick yelled up at me. ‘I won’t let you fall.’
