Watching Lia had been entertaining. She’d had her eyes squeezed shut the entire time.
As they headed for the next run, he watched her and Abbie walking in front of him. He’d thought Lia looked amazing in that short skirt when he’d first met her, but damn, these leggings were somehow just as revealing. Maybe more so since he could make out every contour of her ass.
He shook his head and forced his thoughts back to the kid beside him.
“You nervous?” Tyler nodded to the tower up ahead. “This one’s a little more intense.”
“Nah, but my sister is terrified,” Caleb said with a chuckle.
“I kind of noticed that. Cool she’s doing it anyway, though.”
“Yeah. She’s doing it for me.”
Tyler considered that as they all made their way up to the base of the first tower. Lia was something special. Made him want to know more about her. Why there was such a large age difference between her and Caleb. What had happened to their parents? Why was she so quick to put up walls? And how the hell was she still single?
Erica stopped and discussed the first real descent, giving a few last pointers, and then the group began to ascend the stairs to the top of the tower.
He immediately noticed that Lia was hanging back so he did the same, slowly making his way toward her.
“No reason to be nervous,” he said behind her.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Easy for you to say. You’ve done this before.”
“True. But this next one isn’t so bad. Only about a quarter mile, and not very steep. They get taller and longer gradually.”
“You can still fall.”
He cocked his head. “True. But if you fell on this one you’d probably only get bruised up real bad. Maybe break a bone. Nothing serious.”
Lia glanced up at him, her lips parting in shock. He grinned down at her and watched her face turn into an adorable scowl.
“That’s not funny.”
She headed for the steps so he followed, watching as she hesitantly grabbed the only leverage available, which was a wooden railing on the left side. Tyler had to check the urge to guide her up the stairs with a steady hand on her back. Something about Lia cut through him and made him want to help her, her and her brother, but he didn’t think she’d be too thrilled to hear that. When she wobbled a bit on the second step, he couldn’t help himself, though, and his hand shot out to steady her.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Thanks.”
Damn, she was pretty when she smiled. Even if it was closemouthed and forced. And just that bit of acknowledgment from her had him feeling a little smug. Suddenly he wanted more. For her to reach out to him, seek his help. From a strong woman like Lia, who so clearly fought to maintain control and who so valued her autonomy, it would be hard-won, but damn, it’d be worth it.
They continued up the narrow flight of stairs, her face turned inward as if she didn’t want to see over the edge. At every opportunity he took a moment to admire the soft planes of her profile. Her hair was pulled back again today, but it was much neater. Today she also wore a lot less makeup. She was so gorgeous, even more so like this. Light freckles dotted her cheeks near the outer corner of her eyes, and her lips were insanely full.
Lips that he really wanted to kiss. One day.
Once the entire group had made it to the top, Erica went first. Then Reeve stepped up. They all watched as the guide working this tower hooked up his carabiner, and then Reeve walked off the plank as if it was the easiest thing in the world. For him, it no doubt was. As Reeve’s feet met pure air, and then they heard whining sound of the wire as he flew down. Tyler sensed Lia stiffen.
“Oh God,” she mumbled to herself. She slouched a bit, her feet instinctively going back down a step from the platform. Obviously, she was reconsidering.
“You okay?”
“Just a little nervous.” Her voice broke.
“That’s normal, Lia. But you should know that I think it’s amazing that you’re doing this for Caleb. So does he.”
Her eyes jerked up to his. “Did he say that?”
Tyler shrugged. “Basically. He knows you’re terrified. He did say that.”
“Hmm. Well, he’s right.” She stepped back up on the main platform, and Tyler considered that a step in the right direction, literally. “If it wasn’t for him I’d leave right now.”
“You do realize once you do this first one you’ll be hooked, right?”
“Or lying dead at the bottom of a ravine,” she said. “Two wildly different outcomes.”
Tyler laughed out loud. “The chances are definitely in your favor.”
“Maybe. But the one downside of survival is that I won’t have the pleasure of saying I told you so.”
He smirked at her. “I’ve got a good idea. Try trusting me. Just this once.”
Her eyes met his and held for a long moment. When he leaned in slightly toward her ear, she didn’t move. Probably because she was too terrified, but he chose to count it as a win. “You might like it,” he whispered.
“You? Or the zip?” she asked, shocking him. He wasn’t sure she had it in her to flirt, but he wasn’t complaining. Even if it had a bit of a bite to it.
His eyes glanced to her lips then back to her eyes. “How about both? Each is risky but . . . very exciting.”
“How about you trust me, when I say I’m not your type?”
He purposefully looked her up and down. Might as well let her know how serious he was. “Now, that I cannot trust you on. Sorry.”
Her cheeks reddened a bit, and without a word, she stepped away from him and closer to Abbie who was up next.
Tyler continued to watch Lia, her body language still sending out every signal of fear. She was practically shaking with it, and that made him feel bad. Was his presence making this even harder for her? That was definitely not what he wanted, so he hung back as the married couple followed by Abbie went down the line. When it was Caleb’s turn, the kid stepped up on the plank, obviously raring to go. Lia on the other hand was a mess.
“Don’t move around a bunch. Just . . .”
“Lia, I’ll be fine. I’m not scared,” Caleb said as the guide hooked him up. Within moments he was walking off the edge and coasting away from them. Now there was just the two of them.
“Who’s next?” the guide asked.
“Ummm.” Lia glanced back toward Tyler, and he could see the fear in her eyes. It killed him to see this otherwise tough-as-nails woman be so shaken. He had a feeling that her obvious vulnerability was upsetting her as much as her fear.
He stepped up into her space and looked down at her. “Hey, look at me.”
She lifted her chin and stared up at him, eyes round. “I’m not sure about this. I thought I could do it, but . . .”
“Shhh, listen.” It was all he could do to keep from putting his hands on her, but he refrained. This was a moment he couldn’t waste. If he shamed or embarrassed her, there’d be no recovering. And he wanted this woman’s trust, now more than ever. “You’re already brave as hell being up here, Lia. Caleb already thinks so, and so do I. He is going to be so excited to see you coming down that zip line. You’re too damn strong to let him down. Now I can see the other tower from here, it’s not far at all. It only takes one jump, and I swear, once you get a taste of this, you won’t want to stop.”
“I’m afraid of heights,” she whispered.
Tyler couldn’t help his chuckle, and this time he did touch her shoulder. She seemed to not even notice. “I figured that one out. But you can do it. I’ll be right behind you.”
She stared up at him, loud breaths coming fast and shallow. She nodded. “Okay. Okay, okay. I can do this. I can do this.”
She continued to chant under her breath as she turned and walked onto the platform. The guide hooked her up, and Tyler heard a moan and an “Oh God.”
“Deep breaths, Lia. They help to center you. Calm your nerves.” She nodded, and he heard her trying to pull in a deep
breath. “You got this,” Tyler said calmly.
The guide’s radio crackled on his hip, alerting him that they were ready for another rider. “I’m going to count to three,” he said to Lia. “One.”
“Oh shit, okay.” She glanced behind her to Tyler as the countdown began. “Don’t you make fun of me if I scream.”
“Two.”
He just grinned. “Never. I’m dying to hear you scream.”
“Three.”
Her eyes widened at his words, the guide chuckling at the same time as he gave her the tiniest shove, and then she was screaming down the line and away from him.
* * *
After the initial burst of sound from her mouth, Lia had sucked in too much air to continue screaming. She opened her eyes and gasped. This was nothing like the tiny first line. Tree’s rushed by and the sound of her whizzing down the cable filled her ears. An incredible feeling of freedom and lightness came over her, and she grinned as the warm air pushed against her face. Almost instantly she felt herself slowing down as the other tower was rushing up to meet her.
Caleb and Abbie, along with the rest of their group, were clapping and cheering as her feet hit the platform.
“Holy shit. I can’t believe I just did that.”
“And you only screamed a little bit.” Caleb was beaming. “Wasn’t it incredible?”
“It really was,” Lia said as the new guide unattached her from the cable.
“I’m proud of you,” Abbie said, wrapping her arm around Lia. “The next one should be a breeze.”
Lia’s stomach dropped at the thought. It was fun. But that one was short and low to the ground. They’d seen one of the larger ones in the distance on the drive in, and it was in no way short or low. In fact, it had towered above the tree line.
Behind her, the sound of shoes hitting the platform had her spinning around. Her eyes met Tyler’s and he gave her a wink as the guide got busy dealing with his gear so they could move on to the next tower.
Lia couldn’t help giving him a reluctant smile.
“You loved it. I can tell,” Tyler said.
Lia looked over her shoulder to see that most of the group had begun to descend the stairs to hike to their next location. She turned back to Tyler.
“It was better than I thought it would be.”
An hour later, Lia was feeling pretty damn proud of herself. She’d powered through her fear five times. Indeed, the subsequent lines had gotten longer and higher each time, but they’d also gotten more exciting and the view more beautiful. If she didn’t look straight down she was okay. The Flint Hills were stunning and she felt like she’d viewed the landscape of Kansas in a way she never had before. Her home state always got a bad rap for its boring views, but she would guess those people had never seen what she’d seen today.
As they ascended the final tower, her thighs were burning and her breath labored. There was definitely a hot bath and ibuprofen in her immediate future. Even the three guys—who she’d learned today were all military, now in the National Guard—were a bit slower than they had been when the tour had started. But at least they could all still carry on a conversation with ease.
Lia’s lips were dry, her cheeks burned, and her chest ached. She’d put sunscreen on her arms and neck, but she was always bad about remembering her face. Her freckles were going to be outrageous.
“You okay?” a deep voice asked beside her.
She glanced in Tyler’s direction and then quickly jerked her gaze back to the steps in front of her. “Yes. Fine.”
“This tour isn’t easy. I’m impressed.”
She scoffed, teasingly. “Impressed that I can climb sixty million flights of stairs? Piece of cake.”
Tyler laughed. “This next one’s a double.”
“A double?”
“A race. Two cables strung parallel to each other.”
“Oh.” Her mind quickly analyzed the situation. The newlyweds would obviously want to go together. That left Tyler’s group of three and their group of three. Maybe Abbie would race one of the guys so she could go with Caleb. Glancing upward, Abbie and her brother were once again having a great conversation with Jase and Reeve. That was when she overheard the four of them make a plan. Reeve was challenging Caleb. Jase looked at Abbie and challenged her. All four of them laughed, ribbing one another with friendly competitive jabs.
She gave Tyler a long glance as she lifted one screaming leg after the other. “Did you do that on purpose?” He’d been teasing her the entire time, never going far from her side throughout each descent. She had to admit his presence had been surprisingly calming. He’d talked her through each run, giving her words of encouragement, pointing out many beautiful things to look at on each tower. Even when they weren’t conversing she would find them meeting eyes frequently. She also hadn’t missed the way the others had been watching them.
“What makes you say that?” His laugh was all the confirmation she needed. For some reason, she wasn’t upset about it. She was almost . . . glad. Excited.
“You haven’t been very subtle today.”
“Ah well, that is true. What better way to show a woman you’re interested than to challenge her to a race dangling sixty feet above the ground?”
“Ughhh, please. I’m already nervous about this one.” Her eyes traveled across the landscape. This run led them over a pretty deep ravine. The same one she could still end up dead in.
“Don’t be nervous. I’ll be right there with you.”
“Oh yeah. You’ll also be completely incapable of doing a damn thing if my line snaps.”
Tyler chuckled. “Your line isn’t going to snap. I’ll even give you a head start.”
Once it was their turn, he kept his word and let her take off a full four seconds ahead of him. Turns out he’d known all along the extra time would mean nothing. Thanks, no doubt, to his strong abs, he still had the ability to lift his legs, making him more aerodynamic. Add that onto his probably sixty-pound weight difference, and he overtook her in no time.
She tried with all her might to pull her legs up, but they were useless at this point. The muscles in her core were shot. Tyler let his feet lower, which slowed him a bit and soon they were closer together as they slid along the wire. He’d turned his body around so he was facing her as they flew. It was obvious he’d done this many times.
He looked right at her, put a hand beside his lips, and yelled. “The view is extra beautiful today.”
Tyler Cavallo was charming. No doubt about that, and not something she’d been prepared to admit to herself. She still wasn’t quite sure what that meant in regard to her brother and the gym. At the start of this day many things had felt clear and sensible. Now, after watching her brother receive encouragement and support from these grown men . . . she was beyond conflicted. Maybe she didn’t have all the answers. And maybe Tyler was right, some things—even scary ones—could end up turning out better than expected.
Without thinking, a wide smile broke out on her face. Her chest felt light, and as she zoomed across the tree-covered hills, an incredibly sweet and handsome-as-hell man smiling back at her, she had to agree. The view was incredible.
CHAPTER FIVE
It never failed that while you were trying to train a new person at work, everything went to shit. The line at Liquid Wisdom was out the door, one of the blenders had just pooped out, and a woman had just leaned over the counter to alert Lia to the fact that someone had just vomited in the bathroom.
Of course, they had.
“Oh shoot,” her trainee said behind the register.
With a sigh, Lia set down the drink she was working on, pasted on a smile, and walked over to Everett, the frazzled young man. “Can I help?”
“I accidentally put in that he gave me five instead of fifteen.”
“Okay, just type in another ten and hit cash.”
“I would but I panicked and hit cancel, and now it’s all messed up.”
Ugh. She wasn’t sure what he’d
done, but with the line increasing, they didn’t have time to troubleshoot. “What was the original total?”
“Eleven sixty-seven,” the customer said.
Without needing to think, Lia answered as she pushed some keys to open the cash drawer. “Just give him three dollars and thirty-three cents. Ring it in quickly when you’re done and just close it out to cash. It will all work out when you count your drawer.”
“You did that math fast,” Everett said.
She shrugged. After apologizing to the customer, she reminded Everett to slow down and think things through. She went back to the drink she’d set down. Realizing she’d forgotten what it was supposed to be, she flipped the cup around to read the instructions. That’s when her eyes landed on the name scrawled onto the cup with sharpie: SEXY ZIP-LINE PARTNER.
Lia sucked in a quick breath, her head jerking up. She scanned the full room from left to right, until finally, seated in the corner near a window, sat Tyler. There was no denying the excitement that rushed through her limbs, or the smile that teased her lips, as she took in the sight of him leaning back in a leather armchair. He looked way too attractive with his chin resting on his fist, lips quirked. When their eyes met, his eyebrow lifted and then he made a show of glancing at his watch with impatience.
Lia shook her head and quickly got to work finishing his drink, which was a tall Americano with a shot of hazelnut. Simple, dark, strong, and a bit interesting. A lot like the man who had ordered it.
It had been five days since their zip-line outing. Not that she was counting. After that day, her dwindling thoughts of him had come rushing back. It was almost ridiculous how often he came to mind. But he’d been so gentle and patient with her, and with Caleb. So had his friends, who had all proven to be complete gentlemen to all of them. She’d also been thinking a lot about how great it had been to witness those three strong men joke with and build up Caleb’s confidence. It was a harsh reminder that there were things she just couldn’t relate to about being a teenage boy. Obviously there was value in her brother spending time with good, honest, and respectable men. Tyler, Jase, and Reeve seemed like those kind of men, but if she’d learned anything, it was that it was really hard to tell who was a good person in this world. While she trusted her own instincts more than she trusted others, even she didn’t have a perfect track record. Her BS meter had been tricked before, which was why she usually assumed all men were dicks. Pretty hard not to when your job forced you to be around slime balls regularly.
Along Came Us (Man Enough) Page 5
