More rage spreads, crisp and hot, like little flames all over my skin. I breathe deep from my diaphragm. I imagine calm, peaceful lakes. All the techniques I shored up over the past five years. But then I imagine this asshole letting her fall. My heart rate spikes again.
“You could have. You didn’t notice any red flags before you trusted him with your life? Did you report him? No? You’re just going to let him get away with it? People like that always get away with everything. It is so fucking—” I stop, shutting down my anger so forcefully, I feel almost dizzy. “I’m sorry,” I breathe.
She looks at me curiously. “You really are still angry all the time. Have you tried finding a different route?”
“What?”
Her fingers traced up my back in a soothing motion. “I’ve been thinking about what we talked about, why I love climbing. How it’s shaped my thinking. I think you could benefit from that way of thinking too. You’ve gotten better at suppressing your anger, but you still try to force everything to match your expectations. It’s not a failure if it doesn’t perfectly match how you envisioned it. There are other paths.”
“He could have killed you, Sierra.”
“We can’t control what other people do, but things can still work out for the best. For example, if that hadn’t happened with Dave, I wouldn’t have ended up here, with you. It wasn’t perfect, or even good, but it brought me back to you.”
I crush her to me. “Don’t make me feel grateful toward fucking Dave,” I whisper. “That guy deserves to fall off a cliff himself. After I push him.”
“I’m okay, Logan.” Her lungs expand when mine do. She’s breathing with me. The rage simmers down to a low burn.
“I know. Jesus, you’re incredible. I’ve never seen anyone so fearless. But you scared me to death, watching you swing yourself around like Donkey Kong after telling me that.”
“I was going for more of a Tiny Kong vibe,” she says, grinning. “You know, the little female monkey that spins her hair to fly like a helicopter?”
She twists her head side to side so her ponytail whirls in a circle. It’s so unexpectedly cute that I can’t help but press my lips against hers. Our kiss is slow, sweet, perfect.
“I’ve missed you so much, baby,” I murmur.
With a shuddering breath, she pulls back from me. “Logan, stop. I know what I said, but…not like that.”
“I want you back,” I blurt. So much for gentle persuasion. “I’ve never stopped wanting you. You belong here with me, in Sagebrush.” I kiss the tip of her ear and whisper, “With me, in my bed.”
I feel the shiver of desire moving through her, but her face looks pained. “Logan, I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished and the life you’ve built—”
“That you can be a part of.”
“I don’t want us to hurt each other again.”
“We won’t. I swear I’ll be good. I’ll let you win every argument.”
“Every argument?” She quirks an eyebrow at that. “That’s a recipe for a healthy relationship?”
“Maybe not,” I concede. I am overwhelming her again, pushing and pushing just like when I convinced her to take the job and stay in my house. I need to dial it back down. “You said you want me. What would you like this to be? I’m opento whatever.”
She hesitates, as her emotions seem to war within her. And I wait, and wait, and wait, touching every bit of her that I can while I still can. She leans into my touch, her eyelashes fluttering before a look of realization snaps her eyes open again. She glares at me with anI know what you’re doinglook as I rub her sumptuous backside.
“It’s getting late,” she says finally. “If you want a turn climbing, we should get started.”
“We can go slow,” I murmur. I brush my mouth softly over hers, and she sighs. “Let me take you on a date.”
“I think that would be a bad idea,” she says, but her voice is uncertain. She leans forward and inhales my scent, undermining her refusal. She clearly wants me as much as I want her, so why is she fighting this?
I walk us back a few steps until we’re leaning against a large boulder. I press her against it, trapping her between my arms. Her breath catches and her eyes dilate at the intimate position. She looks so beautiful. Thoroughly kissed, swollen lips, dazed expression, messy hair where I dug my fingers into her ponytail.
“What would be agoodidea?” I ask.
“Probably nothing,” she sighs. “No-strings-attached sex where no one suspects anything? Is it too late for that?”
She looks so hopeful that I bite back my laugh. The strings are so viciously knotted around us, there’s no hope of ever getting them unwound.
But we could pretend. It would be a start. “No, it’s not too late.” I kiss her gently. “One order of a no-strings-attached, secret affair coming right up.”
