He cracks his neck to the side, rolls his shoulders, and gives me a smirk that’s all reluctant bravado. From what I’ve seen, Mercs is a tough guy in most situations, but seeing him a little cautious over a rock climb? It’s honestly cute.
“I’m coming,” he mutters, grabbing the rock face with both hands.
I lean over the edge, watching his hand placements, ready to help if he needs it. His muscles flex as he pulls himself up—biceps bulging, forearms taut.Damn. I smirk, taking in the way his T-shirt clings to his shoulders and arms. The grit and control he shows in every movement make me realize just how built this man is.
He climbs with focus, eyes locked in, his footing precise, hands finding the right holds like it’s second nature. For someone who’s never done this before, he’s handling it like a pro.
“Watching your arms flex like that is a massive turn-on,” I call out, purely for encouragement, and maybe to fluster him a little.
It works.
His foot slips.
“Shit!” I gasp, my heart lurching as he drops slightly, but then catches himself, placing his foot back into a sturdy groove with calm precision.
“It’s all good,” he assures, glancing up with a confident smile.
I exhale, my hands pressed to my chest like that will slow my racing heart. Mercs climbs the rest of the way with ease, hauling himself over the edge and collapsing onto his back with a breathless chuckle.
I don’t hesitate dropping straight into him, wrapping my arms around his torso, and burying my face in his chest. He laughs softly, holding me close as we lie together in silence with nothing but the sounds of the night and our breathing between us.
Mercs gently brushes his hand through my hair, then tilts my chin up, planting a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. “That was a little crazy,” he murmurs against my mouth.
“Yeah,” I reply, chuckling softly. “Thinking about it now… maybe it was.”
He gazes past me, up at the night sky, and exhales. “But this view? Worth it.”
I turn, looking up at a galaxy of stars that greets us. An endless stretch of sparkling pinpricks across the inky sky. No light pollution, no chaos, just us and the universe.
A smile curves across my lips. “This is why I wanted to come up here,” I whisper. “For this. I wanted to feel close to the heavens… with you.” I sit up beside him, still holding onto his warmth.
He follows, pulling me back into his side with an arm around my shoulders. We sit together, our eyes skyward.
“It’s beautiful, Effa. Worth the headache of getting up here,” he says. “Being this close to you feels amazing.”
I glance at him, raising an eyebrow. “Well, damn… that was sweet. Have I turned you all soft?”
He snorts. “Nah. Beer, boobs, football, grunts, belches, and shit,” he replies in a mock-manly voice.
I laugh so hard I nearly topple over. “You’re all class, with a sexy ass.”
That gets a real laugh from him, warm and rich, and it vibrates through my chest like a melody. Then he quiets, his gaze drifting upward again. “I think that star right there,” he says, pointing. “That really bright one next to the moon… I think that should be our star.”
I follow his finger to the glowing light in the sky. It shines like a beacon, incredibly close but in reality impossibly far.
“It shines as brightly as you,” he says, his voice lower now. “And no matter where we are in the world, no matter what we’re doing, we can look at that star and remember this night. Know we’re connected, even if we’re a world apart.”
My breath catches.
That’s the kind of thing people say in songs, not in real life.
But Mercs?
He just made it real.
My smile fades, and I glance over at him, releasing a quiet sigh. My heart lurches into my throat because I know exactly what he’s thinking. He doesn’t have to say the words.
Even if this—we—become something real while we’re on tour, what happens when it ends? When the music stops, when the adrenaline fades, when we’re no longer living on borrowed time?
