Jay turned back around just as I climbed out of the trunk. And as my feet hit the ground and I straightened,his gaze dropped to the edge of the shirt that hung halfway down my thighs, practically a dress on me.
“Yeah, no,” he muttered, reaching for the hem. “This is gonna be a safety hazard out on the zip-line.”
“What are you doing?”
“Fixing it.” He grabbed a bit of fabric near my hip, and before I could protest, he tore the fabric into two strips.
My breath caught. He shouldn’t have looked that good doing something that feral.
“There,” he said, knotting the two ends of the fabric together. “Now it won’t get caught on something.”
I stared at him, mouth slightly agape. “It’s ruined now.”
“It’s not ruined.” His mouth twitched into that half-smirk, eyes flicking to the torn hem he’d knotted at my waist. “Trust me.”
My pulse thudded. “Um, maybe we should… go join everyone.”
He was insufferably casual as he straightened and shoved his hands into the pockets of his olive sweatpants. Then he had the audacity to wink. “Come on. Before Erica starts wondering why we’ve been back here so long.”
He stepped aside so I could walk past, but he didn’t move enough for me to simply pass by, and when my shoulder had to brush against his, it sent something positively electric through my veins.
Just as I took my rightful place next to the Flossy Posse, Jay clapped his hands together and addressed the group.
“Alright, team. Today is our office outing. We’re going zip-lining. Please remember this is supposed to be a fun bonding experience. Afterward, we’ll head to my place to barbecue burgers. Sound good?”
Everyone seemed pumped except for me. Erica andJenn gave little cheers, and Macey bounced up and down next to me as we started toward the van.
“I’m so excited for this! I can’t wait to be flying over the trees!” Macey laughed.
I followed after them with a bit of nervousness. I wished I’d had more time to prepare for this mentally.
I ended up in a seat next to Tyler, which I wasn’t at all mad about, and he smiled at me when he buckled in next to me.
“Glad to see you could make it.”
I leaned my head back against the headrest. “I’m starting to think I should’ve called in sick.”
He chuckled. “Don’t like the outdoors?”
“I like to look at the outdoors. Hiking, zip-lining, and wading through trees and bushes? Not so much.” I gave him an incredulous look.
“You’re sort of a homebody, aren’t you?”
“What gave it away?” I gave him a droll look, and he chuckled again.
“Well, don’t worry. I promise not to make fun of you if you scream, and I’ll always be right behind you on the platforms if that’ll make you feel better.” He nudged me playfully.
I found myself relaxing a little as he promised to stay by my side during the trip.
“Thanks, Ty. Sounds like a plan.”
When we arrived at the Big Bear Zipline Course, I started to feel a little nervous again. So we were actually doing this? We were going to get in a harness and fly at terrifying speeds down a metal cable.
Great.
Jay parked the van, hopped out, and opened the side doors to let everyone out.
The main check-in hub was a little log cabin, and a few other groups were already getting ready for tours. People were putting on harnesses and clipping carabiners as the guides explained the course rules.
