Rock Hard: A Stepbrother Romance (Extreme Sports Alphas) (11 page)

We hung up. I tossed the phone across the bed and sighed, wondering exactly where Reid was.

I imagined him mud splattered, fearlessly leading a group of people through the deep woods. He’d leap over fallen trees, chase off bears, and suck snake venom from bite wounds. I’d never met anyone like Reid before, and all of my feelings for him were crashing down on me as I pictured how defensive he had been of me.

I didn’t normally go for the caveman protective bullshit, but Reid was different. For some reason, it turned me on more than I could explain when I watched him knock Josh down and threaten him. I felt safe. I was practically melting for Reid right then and there.

Which was exactly what worried me. I would have thrown myself at him. I still wanted to, but I couldn’t imagine the disappointment on the faces of our parents. Even if we had kissed once before, a long time ago, back before our parents were married, we couldn’t do that ever again.

Despite what I actually wanted.

––––––––

S
aturday came and went without incident. I met Lindsey at the Blue, filled out an application, and met the manager. I even got a free meal out of it.

I woke up early Sunday morning feeling refreshed. The hangover funk of the day before was long gone and I was ready to do something a little more active than sitting around in a diner eating greasy food.

I walked downstairs and paused as I moved into the kitchen. Reid was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

“Good morning,” he said without looking up.

“’Morning.” I walked over to the counter and poured myself some coffee. “Where have you been?”

“Guiding some locals.”

“How’d it go?”

“Went pretty good.”

“Where’d you guys go?”

He glanced up at me. “I took them around Bowl’s Point and they fished in Little Lake.”

“Sounds like a good two-day trip.”

He nodded and went back to the paper. “It was.”

I lingered there for a second, sipping my coffee. A whole host of feelings ran through me in that moment. His hair was slightly damp and he was wearing gym clothes. He’d obviously just gotten back from wherever he was, or at least with enough time to shower.

I didn’t believe his story. I didn’t believe that he was out leading some locals around, as much as I wanted to. Lindsey’s little hints kept making me wonder what Reid was really doing with his time.

“You going to just stand there?” he grunted.

“No. Just thinking.” I moved around and sat down across from him at the table, taking another sip of my drink.

“What about?”

“Trying to decide what I want to do today. I’m sick of just sitting around.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve only been home for a few days and you already managed to get in some trouble. What else do you need?”

“I want to do something active.”

He looked at me without speaking for a second. “How about you come climbing with me this afternoon?”

“I don’t think I could keep up.”

He put the paper down and grinned at me. “Why not? The girl I remember was pretty damn good at that sort of thing.”

“Yeah, well, the girl you remember has been too busy with school to hike or climb stuff.”

“Come on. It’s like riding a bike. We’ll go somewhere easy.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to hold you back.”

He leaned forward, his smile breaking through my uncertainty. “You don’t hold me back,” he said.

“Okay, fine. But you have to take it easy on me.”

He leaned back, smirking.

“I don’t think you ever want it easy, Becca.”

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I
stared up at the cliff face and my jaw hung open.

It looked like a sheer face made of glass with no possible way up. To Reid, it was probably as easy as a ladder, but to me it looked like a terrifying and smooth piece of icy glass that was impossible to handle.

“This is easy?” I exclaimed.

Reid laughed. “Trust me. This wall is the easiest climb in the whole area.”

The sun was high and hot in the sky as we stood at the base of the cliff. Reid drove us in his pickup, and I was quiet most of the time. We chatted about his mom and her recovery, and my dad and his job, but we kept it to safe topics. I didn’t ask about whatever he did out in the woods, and he kept his dirty comments to a minimum.

I watched as Reid began to set up the gear, stepping into his harness and checking the ropes and the knots.

“I’ll lead, you just follow. I’ll do all the hard parts. All you need to do is climb.”

I frowned. I almost felt dizzy from staring up at the top. “I don’t know, Reid.”

He stood in front of me. “Trust me. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. This is going to be easy.”

I nodded, feeling a sudden surge of resolve. Reid’s confidence was contagious.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

He laughed. “That’s my girl.” I watched as he untangled the second harness and held it out to me. “Let’s get you in this.”

“I got it,” I said, but he was already grabbing my hips and pulling me toward him.

I felt a thrill run through my spine as his hands unbuckled and moved the straps around my legs and hips. His breath was warm against my neck as he fit it around me, tightening what needed tightening. I felt helpless letting him dress me like that, but part of me enjoyed it. He was so firm and sure of himself. Ever since we’d gotten near the cliff, it was like he’d suddenly switched into a new person, and he owned everything around him.

“Okay, you’re good,” he said, straightening up.

“Thanks. I guess.”

He tossed me a helmet and I buckled it on. He put his own helmet on and slipped on a pair of gloves, tossing me my own. Once we were dressed, he took the lead lines and nodded at me.

“Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

He stepped up to the wall and became exactly who he was supposed to be.

I watched as he climbed the first ten feet without any issue. It was almost like he was walking along the ground, his feet and hands moving in tandem. One second he was held down by gravity, and the next he was up in the air, clinging to the rock face.

“Come on, follow me,” he called down as he began to set the safety lines.

“You can do this,” I mumbled to myself as I stepped up to the wall.

“First handhold is a foot to your right,” he called down.

I looked up and spotted the deep divot. I reached up and grabbed it and then found spots for my feet. With a lunge, I pulled myself up, keeping my hips flush to the wall.

“There you go,” he called down.

I pulled myself up, following his path. A thick, blue rope hung between us, connecting our harnesses. I knew that if I fell, he would be able to catch and hold me. Years ago I had been a pretty strong climber, though I mostly stuck to indoor courses. Still, he was right, it was a lot like riding a bike. All those hours of practice came flooding back as I began to feel more confident.

I looked up and saw him moving farther ahead. I gaped at his strong legs and arms, muscles ripping along his skin, as the sweat began to trickle slightly down his back.

He was like an acrobat. It was like the wall was nothing to him. Meanwhile, I struggled along, always ten to fifteen feet beneath him.

“There you go. Foothold four inches to the left,” he called down, grinning at me.

I found the spot and pushed myself up. “Don’t be so cocky,” I called back.

“Just making sure you can make it.”

“How about you worry more about yourself?”

He laughed and let go of the wall with one hand, swinging his body outward. I almost screamed but choked it back instead. He cracked up at the look on my face, his laugh booming out over the forest.

“This wall is like the kiddie pool to me,” he said. “I could probably carry you up on my back.”

“Want to find out?”

“If you can catch me.”

I grumbled as he pushed himself back against the wall and began to climb again.

The sun beat down on my back as, foot by foot, we got closer to the top. I had no clue how high the wall was, and really didn’t want to ask, but I was pretty sure it was the highest thing I had ever climbed.

But he had been right when he said that it was easy. The cliff face was pocked and marked from years of weathering, years, and climbing, which made all of the handholds and footholds easy to spot and to grab. And since Reid was taking care of our safety lines, I didn’t have to do anything but concentrate on climbing up.

As I reached the halfway point, I was beginning to feel confident. I felt good, actually, like I was doing something not everyone in the world was capable of. I was climbing up a sheer cliff face using only my hands and feet and it was incredible. I felt free and excited for the first time in a while.

That was when I looked down.

“Oh shit,” I said.

“What’s wrong?” Reid called, concerned.

“I looked down.”

He laughed. “Come on, Becca, you scared me.”

“I scared myself! Holy shit we’re high!”

“Yeah. I guess I should have warned you.”

“How high exactly are we climbing?”

“You really don’t want to know.”

“Reid.”

He grinned down at me. “Let’s just say that after this, you’re officially a climber.”

I groaned and held tight to the wall. I wasn’t really afraid of heights, but it was hard not to have a small moment of panic.

“Becca, listen to me,” Reid said. “You’re fine. You’re with me. I’ve climbed more walls than I can count. Even if we’re high up, I’d never, ever let you get hurt. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“You’re fine. Say you’re fine.”

“I’m fine.”

“Say it loudly.” He let go of the wall and cupped his mouth with one hand. “I’m fucking fine!” he yelled out.

I laughed. “I’m fine!” I yelled, but kept my hands firmly on the rock.

“Yell it until your lungs hurt.”

“I’m fine!” I yelled as loudly as I could.

“There you go. Now let’s climb this bitch.”

I laughed again. I had to admit, it was fun yelling out over the forest below. And although I was still scared, I believed one thing with absolute certainty: Reid would never let me fall.

We continued that way in silence, Reid moving up ahead and working the safety lines, me following him up the best I could. My limbs were beginning to burn from the exertion and sweat rolled freely down my back, but I could see how close we were to the top.

And it felt good. The moment of panic passed and I felt exhilarated again, like I was the freest person in the world.

Without thinking, I climbed. I moved up and up and ever up, following Reid because I knew he’d keep me safe.

And suddenly, he was gone. I gaped for a second before his head popped over the edge of the cliff. “Almost there,” he said, grinning.

I laughed and moved faster. I was five feet away, then two feet, then inches. His hand appeared over the edge and I grabbed it. He leaned back and hauled me up, up, up over the edge, and my feet were planted on solid ground.

We stumbled back away from the edge as I threw my arms around him, laughing wildly from excitement.

“Great fucking job, Becca,” he said, laughing along with me.

“I climbed that bitch!” I said.

He cracked up. “You’re damn right you did.”

I looked him in the eyes, a smile plastered on my face. The sun made him seem to glow up here, and the view that spread out around us was amazing.

Then he kissed me, his arms wrapped tight around my body.

And I kissed him back.

It felt right, like it was the exact thing we needed to do in that moment. His taste flooded my mouth as our lips and tongues met, his strong arms and hands pulling me tightly against him. Some small voice in the back of my head said something about it being wrong, but I ignored it.

I wanted him. I wanted him badly and always had. On top of that cliff, after following him up there, after he talked me down from my panic attack, I knew I was his. I knew I needed to kiss him.

After a minute, he pulled away, smiling softly.

And that voice came screaming back. The voice that kept saying, over and over,
he’s your stepbrother
.

“Reid . . .” I said.

He shook his head, cutting me off. “We don’t have to talk. That was all I wanted to say anyway.”

I sighed. “It looks amazing up here.”

He began to strip off his gear. “You looked amazing on the wall.”

“Yeah right. I probably looked terrified the whole time.”

“Seriously. You looked like you belonged up there.” He paused and looked at me. “Still do.”

I wanted to tell him what I thought, wanted to tell him that when he climbed he looked like a shark swimming through the open ocean, but I couldn’t.

Instead, I said, “How do we get down, anyway?”

He laughed. “We’ll hike. It’s maybe another hour to get back down.”

I nodded. “Sounds good to me.” I began to remove my climbing gear.

“It’ll be a nice opportunity to watch that fine ass of yours.”

“I just got enough of looking at your ass to last a lifetime.”

“You love my ass. You can’t get enough of staring at me.”

I laughed and shook my head. “No, thanks.”

“Quit pretending. I bet under all that climbing gear, you’re soaking wet. Probably want me to fuck you right here on the side of the cliff.”

“Sounds dangerous,” I said.

But really what I meant to say was,
please
.

“A little danger will only make you come that much harder.”

I blushed and looked away. “Okay, enough. Let’s head out.”

He tossed me a water bottle and stuffed the climbing gear into his backpack. “Follow me, college girl.”

We set off together down the trail, winding back toward the car.

As we walked, we joked and laughed and it felt like all the distance between us, the years and the miles, was melting away. The kiss and how badly I wanted more probably helped.

Out in the woods with only cocky Reid around, I felt more at home than I had in a long time.