Bared (16 page)

“I would not let you get hurt.” The muscle in his jaw flexed. “That being said, the trick is to keep your body close to the rock and climb with you feet. You’ll wear yourself out if you use your arms too much.”

Her gaze wandered, taking in the natural beauty around her, and she looked up Everest before she turned to him with a nod. “Okay, gotcha.”

With little heat in his gaze, he closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her shoulders. His touch burned into her from head to toe. He leaned down, making eye contact with her. “I’ll pull the rope to keep it snug in case you slip. If you’re about to fall, yell ‘take.’ I’ll tighten the rope to take up the slack.” He winked, giving her shoulder a playful pinch. “If that happens, lean back and relax.”

She shivered at the slight bite of pain, held his gaze, and said in a serious voice, “If I think I’m going to fall, I’ll probably yell ‘holy shit.’ And you’ll know—Everest tossed me off its mountain.”

He moved closer into her personal space and dipped his head, gazing into her eyes. “I’m there to hold and support you.”

If that wasn’t a double entendre, she didn’t know what was. The outright show of her trusting him was maybe something he needed—maybe something he felt was lacking. Perhaps with Porter’s return he needed it even more. Through all that had happened recently, she realized she needed it, too.

She needed to depend on him. She needed him to catch her if she fell. Her chest tightened, removing all traces of heat. Apparently, when Aidan went to Porter it had caused more damage than only crushing his manhood.

Cora looked away, unable to accept that she had broken the sense of trust between them that he’d have to go to these extremes. That he needed this moment to correct his feelings. She absently rubbed her arms as she asked, “All right, what else?”

His firm finger pressed under her chin, forcing her to meet his stare. “Once you’re at the top and done, give me two thumbs up.” His voice became flat with his emotionless expression. “Don’t hold the rope, walk backwards down the rock and I’ll let you down.”

She heaved a sigh, wishing he’d show a deeper part of himself. Not only arousal, but the real
him
. When would he finally let her in? With a long, slow breath through her nose, she looked to the dirt below her running shoes. She pulled on the strength she used in scenes when her nerves started to get the best of her.

“All right?” he asked, dragging his fingers down her arm.

He doesn’t share because he’s reminding you he’s only your Dom. Don’t make it personal
. She blew out her breath and slid into comfortable distance, and then she lifted her head. “Yep, I’m ready to climb this bitch!”

To avoid his searching gaze, she glanced to the half-full backpack. While she knew Aidan would think of her safety, for her own sanity, she needed to ask, “What else is in the bag?”

Aidan gazed at her with focus before he looked to the backpack. With a voice containing wonder, he turned to her. “A tent and blankets.”

She scrunched her nose. “A tent?”

“We’re camping tonight.” He arched a brow. “Did I forget to mention that?”

Camping
? “Together?”

“No, I plan to sleep in the tent and you have to stay outside.” At the drop of her mouth, he chuckled. “Of course
together
.” With a dark gaze and clever smirk, he grabbed the front of her harness and tugged her forward toward the rock. “Don’t look so scared. The only things that bite out here are the deadly snakes.”

Cora exhaled slowly, contemplating what unsettled her more: the climb, the snakes, or spending the night with Aidan. “Oh, fudge.”

Chapter Fifteen

Trust.

Not everyone understood its value.

Though Aidan experienced the weight of Cora’s trust in the dungeon, he hadn’t realized how tight the bonds of trust had woven between them. In the moments before her climb, he’d spotted Cora’s fear. He’d noticed her trembling hands and the shortness of her breath. Under his stare, he’d watched those fears wash away.

Her feet bounced against the rock face on her way down, and as he held the rope tight, her trust splintered something cold inside him. Yet it confused him all the same. If she held that level of trust, what caused this distance between them?

After her feet hit the ground, she turned to him and rocked on her heels, throwing her hands in the air. With bright red cheeks from exertion, her chest heaved and eyes sparkled. “Holy shit, I freaking did it!”

He smiled, as the desire to investigate her consumed him.
What lay beneath the woman’s shields
? “I never doubted you would.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” she retorted with a slight curve to her mouth. “Because I sure as shit thought that once I got to the top, I was going to refuse to come down.”

He chuckled, and with a click, the rope dropped free from harness. “I’m proud of you.”

She gave a satisfied smile. “Thanks.” Standing tall, she looked to the rope in his hand and shifted her feet. Her gaze roamed over his bare chest, and the examination was nothing less than pure desire.

Under the promise of her heated look, his cock twitched. More so that
he
caused her reaction. With a lingering glance, she lifted her eyes to him and her pupils were enlarged. He slid the rope through his fingers, greedy to experience more, and the coarse rope burned across his hand.

Her gaze zeroed in on his hands and she brushed her fingers over her mouth. He fought a grunt as blood rushed swiftly to his groin. Leaning in and inhaling Cora’s spicy scent, he winked. “Best you stop looking at me like that. I do need to concentrate.”

“Right. We’re serious. All business.” She folded her arms, even if her eyes gleamed, sassily. “Admire later. Gotcha.”

That moment kept his cock hard for a good half hour, but the day went by with a picnic by the natural spring and a long hike into the Hilltop campgrounds. By the time Aidan set up the tent in a remote part of the campground, far away from anyone else and private, dusk had settled in.

He placed a blanket out on the ground near the fire pit and Cora dropped down on it, sitting cross-legged. With languid movements, he turned to the branches and logs he’d gathered on their hike. He placed the thinner pieces he’d cut with his small ax in a tepee shape within the fire pit he’d made with stones from the forest. As he grabbed his lighter from his pocket, he said, “Ask me any question you want.”

“Pardon?”

Her sharp voice lifted his head, and he smiled. “You heard me.” His only intention tonight: changing the dynamics of their relationship. From what he’d seen of her and Porter, she could share her thoughts—she just hadn’t with Aidan. “I asked you to open yourself up to me and you pointed out that I don’t share myself with you. That has to change. Ask away.” He allowed her the time to process and placed the fire stick in the middle of the wood, then he flicked the lighter and the flames rose.

She giggled.

With the burning wood crackling and a comforting aroma engulfing him, he looked to her with raised his brows. “Something funny?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t start the fire by rubbing two sticks together.” Her mouth twitched, as if fighting her smile. “You know, ‘I am Dom. Me caveman, build fire.’ ”

Aidan barked a laugh. “Common sense leads me to a lighter.”

He joined her on the blanket and his face ached from their laughter throughout the day. He enjoyed spending time with Cora. In fact, he liked hearing her talk, watching her smile, and learning about all the random thoughts she had in her mind. As he settled next to her, his thigh pressed against hers, causing his groin to tighten. “All right, stop stalling.”

She looked to the fire and nibbled on her lip. Then she brought her legs up and rested her cheek on her knee. Her pretty eyes held his, as if she read right into his soul. “Are you happy?”

He hesitated. “Happy?”

The light from the fire cast an orange hue along her face, detailing the gentle lines. “I mean, do you wake up every day glad to be alive?”

“Of course,” he replied without hesitation.

Her stare remained fixated on him; her attention was focused, intent, and almost stern. “Liar.”

“Come again?” He frowned.

She glanced to the fire with a deep breath through her nose. “Exactly what I said, I don’t believe you.”

His thoughts stuttered. While he had opened the door to talk, he hadn’t expected her to take this direction. Perhaps foolishly, he’d thought she’d ask about his favorite movie or a random question, not something so personal.

He leaned back on his arms, stretching out his legs. The heat from the crackling fire warmed his shins. “Well then, do tell, what do you think I’m doing?”

“Coasting.” Her gaze cut to him and her eyes widened with her smile. “Oh my God, I’m analyzing, aren’t I?” She gave a dismissive wave of her hand and shifted against the blanket. “It’s a bad habit from the job. Ignore me.”

Her blushing couldn’t sway him. He remained stuck, infatuated with her statement. “It’s all right. I told you we could talk. This is what you want to talk about. Please continue.”

A long sigh fell from her mouth, and she turned to the fire. “To me, it sort of seems like you coast through life; doing the right thing, saying the right thing, and being the
right
man in every situation. But you don’t do it for yourself or because it makes you happy.” She peered at him through her thick lashes and gave a halfhearted shrug. “Today, out here …” She tilted her head back, glancing to the starry sky. “You were different. More comfortable. Free, almost.”

“Because of that you don’t think I’m happy?” he asked.

“I think you coast on the edge of totally letting go, because if you stop coasting, you’ll crash.” She peeked at him a moment, then quickly looked away. “I understand why you do it. It’s safer to live and do for others. It’s scary to face what would truly make you happy and the chance it might be taken away.”

Aidan watched Cora, his mouth dropping open. He found himself unable to form the words to respond; she had him pegged all wrong. Christ, no wonder a barrier remained between them. His stomach knotted with the knowledge of her impression of him.

The fire crackled, sending an ember near Aidan’s leg as she added, “I see you, you know.” His gaze remained locked on her when she turned to him with a soft smile. “I see every flaw and every imperfection.”

He snorted, lowering his head and looked to the ember sizzling out. “That’s a pretty picture.”

His heart banged in his chest as she scooted a little closer and said, “It makes me lucky.”

Lucky?
“Please enlighten me,” he grumbled, glancing to her glowing cheeks. “How does any of
that
make you lucky?”

She reached out to stroke his forearm, and a soft expression crossed her face. “I see what no one else does.”

How to take that? The thought that she knew him so well warmed him. He wanted her to know and trust him. However, the weakness that her statements portrayed shattered him. He both loved and hated the words that came from her mouth. “You don’t think I see you?”

She dropped her hand, as if his flesh burned her. “No, you don’t.”

Sweat beaded along his flesh, like frost over grass. The world spun, seeming to slow down. “Cora …”

“Don’t be offended.” She gave a sad smile. “I’m paid to look deep into people and read what they’re saying without really saying it.”

Fuck that
. As a Dom, it was
his
job to read into a submissive. “Believe me, none of this is
okay
.” The situation was far worse than he’d imagined.

Cora groaned and said, “Great, I’ve ruined the mood. Please forget about it.” She leaned away with a stiff posture and a sullen expression. “Tell me, how often do you go camping?”

With fuzzy thoughts, he thinned his lips. “What don’t I know about you?”

She rolled her eyes and avoided his gaze, glancing to the fire. “See, you shouldn’t have let me ramble. It never ends well. About the camping—”

Part of him wanted to run, not interested to know the answer. The other part of him held, determined to break down the barrier. “You cannot say something like that and change the subject.” He searched internally, desperate to find meaning in her admission. Christ, he thought he was closer to her than any woman. How did she not know that? “Does Porter
see
you?”

She continued to stare at the fire with an unnatural stillness. When she spoke, her voice was strained. “Yeah, he does—he always did.”

Chapter Sixteen

Hours flew by like minutes, and the conversation hadn’t dulled. In fact, considering how strained things had been at the beginning, Cora could’ve listened to Aidan talk about his childhood to college to his job all night.

At some point, the clouds settled in, darkening the sky. She stared at the fire burning brightly, sending orange flicks into the air. As a comfortable silence fell between them, Cora turned to the small beige-colored tent. Her heart fluttered and her palms grew sweaty. Really, a tent shouldn’t make anyone so nervous, but there was more to that tent that troubled her.

One tent. One giant sleeping bag for two.
Daunting
.

Cora’s heart tripped at the idea of sleeping next to Aidan. She felt as if she was sixteen years old and at the summer camp, the place she experienced her first kiss with a boy. She hadn’t slept in the same bed with a man since Porter; dungeon play didn’t involve sleepovers.

Is this really happening …

It seemed both exciting and incredibly dangerous for her.

“Was Porter your only boyfriend?”

She gulped, turning to Aidan. “My first Dom boyfriend, not my first boyfriend.”

“Tell me about the others.” Aidan smiled.

His shadowy gaze made her hyperaware of his every move. The warmth in the depths of his eyes lightened her chest.
You look good when you’re not lost within yourself
. But she couldn’t allow herself to get too hopeful—she’d been let down too many times.