Andrew took a step back and looked around briefly. “Are you worried about Melone?” His tone was a forced calm. Jennifer eyed him cautiously.
“No, not worried,” she dusted off her romper. Her heart was still thumping in her chest, and she breathed heavily, but she was noticeably less calm than just minutes before. Her water bottle was attached to a bottle carrier around her chest. She took it and began to take the top off.
“Guess I’ve just been having too much fun with you.”
He smirked. “I didn’t realize you were having fun.”
“I’m not.”
Andrew laughed this time and nodded. “Fair enough.”
“He just said he’d get back to me once we landed. With the meeting tomorrow everything needs to be perfect.”
Jennifer looked towards the shield of trees blocking the sunlight. Part of what she said was true. She hadn’t thought about Melone for close to an hour. Her skin teemed with her sweat and grime from the climb. In a moment, she felt awkward, following behind clumsily after Andrew, a man apparently used to this type of backwoods hiking.
She should have been in her room waiting for Melone’s call for anything—an update or orders—something. Instead, she was less than a quarter up the base of a mountain, jumping at every insect and bug that flew through the air like a high school teen. She felt disgusted. Maybe it was time they headed back.
“I’ve got my phone,” Andrew offered.
Jennifer wet her lips and looked around to avoid his eyes. “That’s not going to work. I’m his assistant. I should have kept my phone on me.”
“Why don’t I just call him and let him know you’re with me?”
Even that idea unnerved Jennifer. She didn’t want James thinking they were getting cozy in his absence, although it appeared that that was exactly what they were doing.
“Maybe we should head back,” Jennifer said in a small voice.
Andrew’s mouth fell open. He faced her squarely, stooping slightly to meet her eyes. “Are you serious? It might be ten minutes more. I can carry you!”
His enthusiasm transferred to Jennifer. “Really? You’ll carry me? Like on your back?”
After a moment, he stifled a grin. “Okay. Maybe not, but we’re so close. If this is about Melone, I can talk to him.”
Jennifer straightened. Her breathing had begun to calm. She didn’t want Andrew talking to Melone for her. “I just think he might be worried,” her voice was thin.
Andrew’s face morphed to confusion. “Worried about what?”
Jennifer shook the question off. She knew James wasn’t likely to be worried about anything other than himself. Would he be up in arms if she missed a couple of his calls? The plan had always been for her to secure the hotel rooms a day earlier. Even if Andrew hadn’t been here, which would have been the case if James had showed to his interview Monday night, she still would have been in Denver by herself, and she would have never had the chance to see the waterfall.
Chapter Eight
Renewed Determination
JENNIFER MET ANDREW’S gaze again and took a deep breath. “Okay, maybe I’m just being ridiculous.” She looked past Andrew, only seeing more rocks, short shrubs, trees, and logs. “Let’s keep going.”
Andrew hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” she nodded firmly. “I just thought for a moment that I should hurry back to my phone but,” she paused, dropping her gaze, “it’ll probably be fine.” She didn’t think she would enjoy her time with Andrew, but with each step they climbed, she found herself enjoying his company.
He didn’t seem to be in a rush at all and pointed out various trees and surrounding shrubs. He knew a lot about the vegetation in the area. She even saw a glimpse of a deer. Andrew informed her that it was a doe. She was strong, with a broad chest and powerful hindquarters. The sight was simply breathtaking.
“There are big horn sheep higher up the mountain face,” he told her, showing Jennifer the picture of the deer he caught with his phone. Her lips cracked into a smile as she held Andrew’s phone in her hands. After a moment, she noticed he had several missed messages and even two missed calls from the notifications lining the top of his screen. She didn’t recall hearing any sound other than their breathing, leaves rustling, and the cog railway that passed every half hour.
Jennifer pressed the home button to close out of the application and held the phone towards Andrew. She took note of the background wallpaper, an image she was sure was Andrew taking a selfie with a young woman with strawberry-blonde hair. The woman was beautiful.
Andrew stood with his back to her. He took in the scenery in front of her. As he felt the phone pushing into his side, Andrew took it blindly and slipped it into his pocket.
“I’ll send it to you in an email later if you want,” Andrew said absently. “I know I said probably another ten minutes about ten minutes ago, but,” he turned to her, grinning sheepishly, “I think my timing was off.”
Jennifer shrugged and smiled. “That’s okay. I’m enjoying this.” The truth slipped a bit too easily off her tongue.
Andrew looked her over. He said nothing and put his back to her again. “I can hear the water.”
“Me too.” The sound of rushing water had grown considering louder. They had even been able to catch a glimpse of it through large boulders about five minutes ago. Andrew had dipped his hand into the cold mountain water stream and flicked her with it. It was refreshingly bitter-cold.
More than anything, Jennifer wanted to see the water shooting over the edge of a cliff and falling straight down, like in the movies. Andrew explained it wouldn’t look like that though. The water didn’t pool where he was taking her. He told her that they wouldn’t see the water coming over a ledge, that part was still higher than they would be able to climb. They would see the falling water from the spout. It would fall beneath them and run down the side of the mountain through moss, brush, vines and beneath rocks. Although that last part didn’t seem too appealing; but, it was a waterfall and Jennifer was beyond excited.
“So, how much further?” Jennifer ran her arm along the length of her forehead and balanced herself as she crossed another log.
Andrew only chuckled. After rising several more feet through the dense forest, the air turned chill. The sound of the rushing water became sharper and clearer. They reached flat ground, another rock with the beginnings of tree sprouts all around. Jennifer was still aware of the ants moving across the surface of the mountainside. Before them was a fallen tree, much larger in circumference than before. It seemed to be about five feet over their heads. She couldn’t even fathom how they would climb around it. Jennifer could hear Andrew’s breathing ahead of her. He was finally out of breath.
He turned towards her, wiping his brow. “I’m pretty sure it’s over this tree.”
“What’s over this tree? The waterfall?”
Jennifer looked at him, concerned. She could see the water rushing beneath the tree and through the bramble that had fallen underneath. The top was wedged in between a tree and another, larger boulder, but that was several feet in front of them. Its truck was still attached at the base, across the gorge that a rushing stream ran down. The only way to see the waterfall was over the fallen tree that was lodged several feet in the air.
Jennifer breathed harder than Andrew, each breath a deep grasp for air. It seemed thinner up here. They had been climbing for over an hour. She reached for her water and found that it was empty.
Andrew handed Jennifer his bottle. He had managed only about half. She drank the water happily before handing it back.
“Was this here before?”
“Probably not. There are a lot of thunderstorms during the summer. Trees fall all the time around here, so the path is always changing.”
“Are you kidding me?” Jennifer looked at the massive base of the tree, her heart falling. “I can hear the water,” she stressed, reaching for the tree. Only the tips of her fingers could touch.
“I think I can get up,” Andrew offered, running a hand through his hair. “I can take pictures for you.”
Jennifer offered a dry chuckle. “How am I going to get up?” She asked instead, ignoring his remark.
“I’ll pull you up,” Andrew said it confidently.
Jennifer met his gaze. He wasn’t joking. “Do you know how much I weigh?”
“Can’t be more than I bench press.”
“How will you pull me up?”
“I’ve got rope,” Andrew turned towards the tree and touched it with the palm of his hand. “Always good to take line along the mountainside. I’ll climb first and lower the rope down. If you can hang on,” he flashed her a grin, “I’ll pull you up.”
His confidence caused heat to rise along Jennifer’s neck. Andrew didn’t wait for a response. He turned to the uneven surfaces of rocks and soft earth and began looking for a footing and a place to grab with his hands.
Jennifer watched his skin twitch and move beneath the fabric of his shirt. When she had first seen him arrive at the Terrace on Monday, she wouldn’t have pegged him for a fitness buff but it was apparent he was in great physical condition.
There wasn’t a place for footing anywhere. There seemed to be a smaller tree beneath the larger one that would suffice, but to get to it, Andrew had to jump to grab the side of the tree. He got a face full of leaves of a bramble. Jennifer shivered at the thought of bugs attacking his face.
From the first tree, there was another branch that could bear his weight. He used it for leverage to steady himself before attempting scale the side of the larger tree directly above. Jennifer envisioned ants marching across his knuckles. Apparently, there must not have been any, and the bark not too rotten or gutted from termites because his grip held.
From a dead hang, his feet mere inches from the first tree; he pulled himself up to get a firmer grasp with his right arm. He swung his leg around for traction and was able to finish pulling himself up. He was breathing hard, and his shirt was smeared with the tree, but he sat up, straddling the large tree truck and put both arms into the air.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” He looked down at Jennifer. “Your turn. Did you see what I did?”
She laughed. “You’re crazy. Drop the rope.”
“It’s easy, just jump up and grab. I’ll get you,” he was still laughing but stopped when he looked away. “You’re going to love it up here.”
Jennifer had nearly gathered her breath, but her heart still pounded with anticipation. “What’s it look like? Can you see it?”
Andrew nodded. “It’s beautiful. I think we’ll be able to touch the water.” He looked down at her again before removing the pack. He pulled out a thin bundle of rope.
“How long is it?”
“Ten feet,” he answered, stretching the rope out, “should be more than enough.” He made a loop and fastened it off with a slip knot. “For a foot,” he instructed before lowering it down. He wrapped the ends around his right forearm.
As the loop reached Jennifer, she stuck her right foot in. It was lowered to about a foot above where she currently stood. It seemed a bit silly. Could he really hold her weight? Jennifer peered at Andrew’s eyes around the side of the tree. “You’re going to pull me up like an elevator?”
He answered her with his eyes. “That’s one way to describe it. You ready?”
Looking around at the twigs and thick branches of the forest, Jennifer gripped the rope tightly near her face. She didn’t think she wouldn’t be able to hold on, but the thought still scared her. She wondered what would happen if his grip slipped. He wore no gloves and only had his bare hands that she was sure were sweaty. Andrew must have seen the concern on her face because he said, “I won’t drop you. I promise.”
Jennifer smiled at his reassurance. She believed him. “Beam me up,” she said with a stifled giggle.
Chapter Nine
Hidden Oasis
SHE PUT ALL of her weight into the loop as she stepped up, letting her left leg dangle.
She didn’t move for a moment. When Andrew began to lift her with the rope, her body lurched. She repositioned her hands around the rope and looked around as her body rose higher. She was eye level with the bottom of the first fallen tree truck, her probably a foot and a half off the ground.
Andrew lifted the rope slowly, steadily, having kept his legs wrapped around the truck for leverage. The angel seemed to put a painful strain on him, but he didn’t say anything or make any noise other than an occasional grunt. As Jennifer passed the first tree, she immediately became eye level with the second. She kept her body free from the side by pushing away slightly. Sweat more than covered Andrew’s face.
When he could no longer pull Jennifer with the rope, she reached for his left arm. His strong grip shocked her, but he grabbed her firmly, helping her to take a hold of the tree without getting her clothes smeared with the trunk. She refused to straddle and struggled to position both of her legs over the side of the damp tree.
Jennifer could feel Andrew’s breath on her face. It was hot but didn’t smell or stink. She was thankful for that and smiled as she caught his eyes. Andrew grinned back at her, moving his hand along her arm to her back to help her steady.
“That’s was fun,” he said with a chuckle.
Jennifer glanced over her back and looked down towards the surface she had just left. She was at least five feet from the ground. “How far is that?”
Andrew shrugged and diverted her attention to the waterfall. From the large trunk, they would be able to follow either side around towards the boulders making the next facing. It was from there that water gushed out. It was much cooler, and flecks of water touched Jennifer’s skin ever so often. With widening eyes, Jennifer took the sight in.
It was like a rare lagoon in the middle of a forest minus the pool of water. It was exactly how she envisioned and yet so much more natural with trees, climbing vines and budding flowers.
“Wow,” she said in a hushed breath. Andrew chuckled.
“Was it worth it?”
Jennifer glanced at him. He seemed to cringe in the silence. Remembering most of the attitude she had given him at the benefit, flight and drive into the town, she chuckled.
“You tell me,” Jennifer answered. She stared at him for a moment longer and then steadied herself enough to stand.
“Where are you going?”
“To the fall. I need to stick a hand in.”
Andrew stood up after her. He provided extra support as she followed the tree to its base towards the boulders it was wedged in between. The water was loudest at this point and gushed from the break in the water just feet from Jennifer.
“I can’t believe it,” she glanced towards Andrew. “I’ve never seen a real waterfall before.”
“Go ahead and stick your hand in,” Andrew coaxed. Stretching out a hand towards the rushing water, Jennifer gasped as her hand passed through. It seemed colder than the water she had felt when they had been lower on the mountainside.
“It’s freezing!”
“I know. It’s great for when you all covered in sweat,” Andrew laughed. He reached past her side, his chest pushing against Jennifer’s back. As he pulled his wet fingers back, he playfully flicked the water towards her face. She giggled, and then reached towards the falling water with two hands.
“Can I drink it?” The water splashed along her forearms as she brought it back, a tiny pool of clear water rested between her two cupped hands.
“I wouldn’t.” Andrew smacked the bottom of her hands, spilling the water.
For a moment, Jennifer gasped, looking back to Andrew before she reached for more water to splash. They shared the smooth surface of one boulder to stand. Beyond the large rock, there was nothing but a gaping hole, loose bramble and the flat facing the mountainside. Jennifer nearly lost her balance trying to prevent Andrew from getting more water. He grabbed her quickly around her waist.
“Be careful,” it was a command. His ey
es ran over her face.
Jennifer flicked her fingers in his face, squeezing her eyes shut as Andrew reached behind her. She felt the cold sting of the mountain water hit her face seconds later.
“You’re so cruel,” she said through clenched teeth. Andrew still held her waist with his left hand. They were chuckling together, snickering at their playfulness. When Jennifer opened her eyes, she saw that Andrew’s face was sprinkled with water droplets just like hers.
“Switch places with me,” he said softly, a smile still lingering on his face. Jennifer held onto Andrew with a tight grip as they took tiny steps to switch places on the broad surface of the fallen trunk.
They changed places carefully, putting Andrew closest to the falling water. He grabbed a hand full and rubbed his wet palms over his face. Reaching for more water, he ran it through his hair. Jennifer watched him carefully. His shirt was damp a bit see through, as wet white cotton could only become with sweat.
She had a better view of his chest and was able to make out the defined muscles beneath his clothes. After a moment, she looked at his face again. Andrew had been watching her. Jennifer nodded towards him with her head.
“Do all men like you live at a gym?”
He chuckled. “I don’t live at a gym.”
“I weigh a good bit.” Jennifer crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a bit vulnerable with the thin fabric over her. It had gotten a bit moist as she stood near the fall and it clung to her loosely.
“Are you just a fitness buff?”
Andrew shrugged. “Kind of.” He looked away and then put his back to Jennifer. He began to lift his shirt over his head.
Jennifer’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like?” He called over his shoulder. The shirt was wadded into his right hand. He stretched his arm out, getting the shirt thoroughly wet. Jennifer took the time to look at his body again.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had been near a half undressed man that looked so good. Even with all the time she had spent with Melone, she had never seen him with his shirt off. She wondered if he looked the same. James’s skin had a bit of a tint to it, being that he was part Italian.
Millionaire Romance: In Love With My Boss - A Contemporary Romance (Millionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Comedy Romance Book 1) Page 6
