Asher’s cheeks colored and he looked down at the space between us before meeting my gaze again. “There’s one thing I need to do first.” He reached forward and slid a hand on the nape of my neck. His palm was warm as it pressed against my skin and I closed my eyes in anticipation. Asher stepped even closer, until our bodies were touching. I put my hands on hiswaist, gripping his shirt and pulling him to me. A moment later, he pressed a gentle kiss to my lips, so tender it made my chest ache. It lasted only a second before he stepped away, releasing me and clearing his throat again. “Now I’m ready.”
A grin crept onto my face. “That was risky,” I murmured. “Kissing me at work.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m learning to take risks, thanks to you.”
I chuckled softly and nodded, already itching to touch him again. “I can see that. Maybe I’ve created a monster.” He scoffed lightly and I kept going. “Hey. You’re kissing someone at work. A guy.”
“That I am.”
I wanted to ask how it made him feel, but I kept my thoughts to myself, not wanting to pressure him before he had to go up and conquer his fear of heights. We were both silent for a moment before I took another step back and away from him. “I guess we’d better get out there before someone comes looking for us. Are you ready for this?”
Asher’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He gave me a small nod. “I’m ready.”
“Then let’s go get you on that roof. Safely.”
He exhaled sharply through his nose, a small huff of laughter, and reached out to squeeze my hand briefly. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter 25 - Asher
“Ready?” Brooks called from just over Gideon’s shoulder.
I set my jaw and nodded. “Ready.”
“Action.”
One foot at a time, I assured myself. As I climbed the ladder, I was pleasantly surprised at how remarkably stable it felt. I guessed that was the whole point of the stabilizer that had been affixed to the top of it, but still, I was relieved. It wasn't as shaky as ladders I'd used in the past, which was reassuring, calming. I could feel the tension in my shoulders and deep in my gut, but when the ladder didn’t wobble even a little, the anxiety and fear receded a bit.
Once I hit the fourth rung, Jake stepped in and braced the ladder from below, hands on either side. I took slow, steadying breaths as I climbed, trying hard to look as normal as possible as I made my way to the roof. Once I’d made it to the roof line, my stomach did its own sort of wobble, a wave of nausea bubbling up inside.
You can do this. You can. It’s just a few more feet.I wanted to look down at Micah, who was standing just off-camera, but I knew better. Instead, I kept my gaze focused on my target and kept moving steadily.
Once I was high enough to touch the roof, I pressed my palms to it briefly, letting the heat from the asphalt shingles ground me. Another deep breath, and I climbed the last few rungs to get myself onto the roof. Even though I was off the ladder and successfully on the roof itself, I still had to continue to fight the urge to look down, knowing it’d make me dizzy and panicky.
I made my way to the trusses carefully, watching my step, and pulled out my measuring tape. It didn’t take long for me to get the dimensions I needed and jot them in the tiny notepad I’d brought with me.
I did glance down once I’d gotten the measurements, to check in with Brooks that he’d gotten what he needed. He nodded and gave me a thumbs-up, letting me know I was clear to climb down.
I descended carefully, gaze straight ahead until I reached the pavement with my sneakers. The moment my shoe touched the ground, I let out a sigh of relief. The adrenaline flooding my system made my hands shake, and mercifully, Brooks called cut a moment after I was clear of the ladder.
“That was great,” he offered. “No need to get any other angles. We can use B-roll for the rest, if we need it.”
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“Here you go.” Jake unclipped me from the safety harness and I was free.
Stay calm for thirty more seconds, I told myself. “I’m just going to go get some water.” Hands still shaking, legs feeling like jelly, I hurried into the production trailer and the moment the door closed behind me, I collapsed into a chair and let out a long,relieved breath. I rested my head against the wall, eyes closed, letting my heart rate slow to a steady, even pace.
As I let my body relax, the door opened and a gust of warm air crossed through the space. I opened my eyes and glanced over to see Micah standing in the doorway, beaming brightly.
“You did it,” he said softly when I met his gaze.
I lifted my head and nodded. “I did it.”
“I’m so proud of you. I knew you’d do great. Brooks is really happy with the footage Gideon got, and that means Max and Jake can focus on the next disaster for a while.”
My brow furrowed. “Next disaster?”
“Plumbing leak,” he said with a half-shrug. A beat passed before Micah came closer, standing over me. His proximity raised goose bumps on my skin and I suppressed a shiver. “Come here,” he murmured, hand reaching for me.
