He’d give anything to see more of her. Her arms, her legs—hell, he’d like to see all of her flesh. He swallowed hard at that thought, but he couldn’t deny it. His attraction to Amber had gone beyond fleeting. He wanted to learn everything there was to know about this beautiful yet mysterious woman. Amber’s insistence on covering herself had him convinced she had more scars.
He didn’t care.
He’d dated gorgeous women before. Women who spent more time in the mirror than their beauty warranted. But they became so caught up in their looks that it cost them in personality.
Amber’s understated ordinariness made her simply stunning.
There was a shyness to her too, an uncertainty in her body movements that he sometimes thought was the result of constant pain. Yet put her near a climbing wall and she was a demon. And with each progression she made up the skill levels, she came more out of shell.
She was like a butterfly emerging from an oppressive cocoon.
When she smiled, something radiated from within her that rendered him useless.
Amber was nearly at the top, and he could already tell she was about to smash another personal best. She had yet to progress to the final level, but it’d been him holding her back.
It wasn’t that he didn’t think she was capable. Oh hell no.
He was more worried about where she’d go after that. Her progression through the levels had been so swift, she’d no doubt smash through the next level too. Then what would she do? Find another sport? He had no idea. One thing was certain: he couldn’t hold her off for too long.
Amber was on a mission, but he had yet to establish what that mission was.
She smashed the bell and the timer confirmed another personal record. Amber whooped as she fell into the harness. As Oliver lowered her to the ground, he couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. This was another aspect about her that’d blossomed since their first meeting. It’d taken her weeks to show any emotion. Not anymore, though.
Seconds after her feet found the padded mat, he loosened the rope and stepped forward to touch her shoulder. “You’re on fire tonight.”
“Must’ve been that herbed tofu I had before I came.” Her eyes twinkled.
“Oh god, stop it, you’ll make me sick just thinking about it.”
“Exaggerator. How can you complain if you’ve never tried it?”
“Is that an invitation to dinner?” He wriggled his brows.
The smile curling her mouth was so genuine and sweet, his breath caught.
He grumbled at the tinkle of the bell and turned toward the door. His heart sank as he watched Larissa stride toward them like a marauding bull. “What’s going on here?” She stopped two feet from Oliver, but glared at Amber.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Amber pull the band from her hair and tousle it over her scar.
“Larissa, this is a private lesson, would you mind—”
“Is this why you’ve been ignoring me, ’cause of her?” The words snapped off Larissa’s tongue like they were laced with poison.
“I haven’t been ignoring you.”
“Bullshit.” She spun to Amber. “Who’re you?”
Amber had stepped back a few paces and lowered her eyes.
“Larissa, you have to leave.” Oliver pointed at the door.
“I will not. I want answers, Oliver. You said you’d take me to the championships, but now I find you taking secret lessons with…with this.”
“Hey, cut it out! You have no right—”
“Don’t I? I was going for gold…for you. You, and your stupid gym. What’s she doing for you?”
“Amber’s a better climber than you’ll ever be.” He spat the words out.
Three things happened at once: Amber snapped her eyes to him, Larissa noticeably cringed at Amber’s scar, and a look of absolute fear riddled Amber’s features.
“Oh yeah? Prove it, bitch.”
“Larissa, it’s time for you to leave.” He went to reach for her arm, but she snapped it away.
“No, Olly! We had an agreement.”
“What agreement? You’re a client—”
“A client! Is that all I am?”
“Yes. That’s all. And I’m teaching you how to—”
“Oh and I suppose she’s just a client!” She aimed her finger at Amber.
He clenched his jaw, and maybe Larissa saw the fire in his eyes, because she stepped back.
“How do we prove it?”
Oliver and Larissa both spun to Amber’s comment.
“What?” Larissa snapped.
“You wanted me to prove it. How?”
His heart squeezed at both the danger and determination simmering in Amber’s stunning blue eyes. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I know.” She squared her chin and glared at Larissa. “I want to. How’s it done?”
Larissa’s top lip twitched. “We race. If you’re as good as he says you are, you’ll beat me.”
Amber frowned, and Oliver knew why she was confused: she’d never seen anyone race. “You go up one at a time, the one with the quickest time wins.”
“Okay.” Amber nodded and glanced up the wall.
“Oh, this just gets better and better.” Larissa chuckled. “You’ve never even raced?”
“Shut up, Larissa.”
“Don’t tell me—”
“I’m ready.” Amber glared at Larissa. Oliver had seen resolve in Amber’s eyes before, but this was different. This look blazed with insane recklessness. He’d seen that look on her a few times too. It was like this was another test that she simply had to do. Like her life depended on it.
Realizing this had gone too far, he reached out to touch Amber’s forearm.
“I’m doing this.” She clenched her jaw, then, as she pulled her hair back into a band, she turned so Larissa could get a full look at her scar. Oliver had never felt such a strong sense of pride as he did at that very moment. His heart swelled to bursting, and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and tell her exactly how he felt.
“I’ll get my gear.” Larissa’s cocky smile indicated she thought Amber would be a pushover. She turned on her heel, jogged to the front door, and disappeared outside.
Oliver reached for Amber’s hand, and when their palms connected it was like they’d been holding hands for years. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Did you mean what you said about me being a better climber than Larissa?”
“I meant every word. I’ve never taught a climber like you; you have a natural gift for this sport.”
A flicker of triumph rippled across her eyes and her cheeks blushed. “So tell me how to win.”
Aware that there was no talking her out of it, he switched to coach mode. “Take your time, and don’t rush. Don’t even think about the clock. You’re good at this. Trust your instincts and concentrate on your core and balance. There’s a slight overhang on this one, only just a bit more angle than what you’ve been doing. Nothing that you can’t handle. Pivot your hips and reach, just like I’ve taught you.”
Larissa slammed the door shut after she reentered the gym, and both Oliver and Amber turned to her. Larissa’s expression was a mixture of cockiness and hate, and in that moment Oliver learned what it was like to truly despise someone. No matter what happened, after this, Larissa would no longer share time with him.
“I’ll get changed and then we’ll do this.” Larissa strode into Oliver’s office and shut the door.
Oliver turned back to Amber and their eyes met again. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, Oliver, I do.” She clenched her jaw and swallowed.
Her comment confirmed this was no longer about Larissa. This was about Amber. She needed to prove something. Maybe to herself. Hopefully not to him. He reached for her hand and s
queezed. “You can do this. You’re the best climber I’ve ever seen.” He just hoped she could see how much he meant every word.
“Who’s going first?” Larissa demanded as she strode from his office.
Oliver gave one last squeeze before he released Amber’s hand, stepped back, and glared at Larissa. “You’re the one who put out the challenge. You go first.”
“I don’t have a problem with that, do you?” If eyes were daggers, Larissa would’ve sliced Amber’s face off.
“Not at all.” Amber stepped off the mat, giving them room.
Larissa pulled a harness from the wall, tugged it on, and tied the belay rope into position. Oliver prepared his belay device and confirmed he was ready.
Larissa stepped up to the wall and her hand hovered over the timer’s start button. “Climber ready.”
“Safety ready.”
She slammed her palm onto the clock starter and launched up the wall. Larissa raced up the first couple of holds like she was running on flat ground. Within seconds she was ten feet up the wall. But the higher she went, the more challenging the climb became, and Oliver knew she’d slow down—unless she became so flustered by the race that she forgot the basics, which she’d been known to do.
He was banking on that now.
Out of the corner of his eye he spied the intense look on Amber’s face as she watched Larissa scramble to the top, and with a jolt he realized that he’d become so caught up in this stupid race that he hadn’t stopped to consider the repercussions should Larissa win or, more importantly, Amber lose.
Would it deflate Amber, or motivate her more?
He had no idea. It was a pointless debate—he’d have an answer soon enough.
Larissa launched for a hold, but swore as she missed it. She regrouped and went for the hold again. She got it that time, but her feet swung off the wall, costing her precious time. Larissa yelled out, obviously aware that the mistake would cost her. But she swung her hips, repositioning her feet on the hold, and pushed on.
After a couple more holds she reached the overhang. But, typical of Larissa’s style, she didn’t pause to assess the route. She plowed on, and Oliver hoped it’d be her defeat. She made it around the overhang, and less than half a minute later she slammed her fist into the bell.
Without announcing her release, she let go of the wall. Oliver caught her in the rope and lowered her down. Her cocky grin indicated she was happy with her time. It wasn’t her best effort, though—that slip had cost her valuable seconds.
Oliver wasn’t sure if Amber could beat it, but he was certain she’d give it everything she had, and that meant she’d get very close.
Larissa wriggled out of her harness and stepped back. “Your turn,” she snarled at Amber, and if Oliver had thought he’d despised Larissa before, he hated her now.
Oliver stepped between the women, blocking Larissa’s evil glare. He leaned in to Amber’s ear. “Focus on your movements and find your flow. Do what you do best.”
She simply nodded and set about tying the climbers knot.
Once she was done, she inhaled deeply and let out a long slow breath before she stepped up to the wall. “Climber ready.”
“Safety ready.” Oliver’s stomach twisted into knots as he watched her steady herself. Her shoulders rose and fell with another deep breath. She closed her eyes, and when she reopened them he saw the focus that he’d come to expect from her.
She slammed the timer and launched up the wall like a nimble monkey. Each movement was smooth; each hold she gripped was committed on her first go. She was fast—very fast—and Oliver was certain she was ahead of Larissa’s time. He could feel Larissa’s dagger eyes in his back but was grateful she remained behind him.
Amber reached the overhang but didn’t slow her pace. She seemed to scan the route with the efficiency of a climber who’d been doing it for years. Amber was up and over the overhang and reached for the pinch hold to her right. Her feet slipped and swung out from the wall, but with a strength that belied her size she used only her arms to hurl herself at the next hold.
She made it and was able to reposition her feet. But she’d lost time.
Oliver’s heart was in his throat as his eyes flicked from the digits on the clock to Amber’s movements. His gut squeezed as he realized she wasn’t going to make it. She was out by seconds, maybe even less than a second. With two more holds to go, Amber released an almighty growl and threw herself at the bell.
Oliver caught her in the rope and she swung from the wall in a pendulum.
There was a moment’s silence before Amber let out a squeal of joy. She’d won by half a second.
“Fuck!” Larissa yelled, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her pick up her pack and storm away.
“See ya,” Amber called from halfway up the wall.
“Fuck you, bitch!” Larissa yelled before she strode out the door, slamming it behind her.
The second Amber’s feet touched the ground he went to her. They wrapped their arms around each other and he squeezed her tight. “You’re amazing.”
“I can’t believe I won.”
“I can.”
She pulled back to look up at him, and Oliver knew without a doubt he was looking at the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn’t fight the feelings coursing through him. Her eyes flickered to his lips and, hoping he read the signals right, he leaned over. When his lips touched hers he knew he’d read the signs perfectly. They melted into each other, their bodies aligned, her soft lips parted, and they tilted their heads. He’d kissed many women before, but this was different. Like two souls becoming one. A whimper tumbled from her throat, and it was the most glorious sound he’d ever heard.
He didn’t want the kiss to end, but when they parted and he saw the longing in her eyes he knew she felt the same way.
Oliver reached up and cupped her right cheek. He barely noticed the raised scarring beneath his palm. “I’m so proud of you.”
Her chin quivered. “Thank you.”
He touched his lips to hers again. A brief kiss that said so much more. A strange feeling floated through his body. It was overwhelming, yet it felt so right. Oliver felt like he was about to step into a fire, yet at the same time he wanted to do it so badly it hurt.
“Let’s get you out of this.” He unclipped his belay rope.
“Okay, then we need to do something about this.” She held up her hand.
“Holy shit.” Her pinky finger stuck out at a hideous angle. “You broke your finger.”
“Just dislocated, I think.”
“It must hurt like hell.”
She shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
He melted at her casualness. “I bet you have.” Their gaze met and he hoped she’d elaborate, yet at the same time he knew this was neither the right time nor the right place for that discussion. When she finally opened up to him, he wanted everything to be perfect. “Let’s get you to a doctor.”
“Can’t you just pop it back in?”
“What?” His jaw dropped. “You’re joking, right?”
“No. I’m sure it won’t hurt.”
“It’ll hurt like hell, and I have no idea how to do it.”
She must’ve seen how adamant he was because she sighed. “I hate doctors.”
Her calmness was crazy. “You’re going to love this doctor, I promise.” He grabbed her good hand and led her toward the front door.
“Will the doctor’s office even be open?”
“He’s always open.”
He helped Amber into his car, raced around to the driver’s side, and jumped in. “Does it hurt?”
“Not really.”
He kicked the car into gear and reversed out of the lot. “Did you do it when you jumped for the bell?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“I
can’t believe you did that.”
“I wanted to win.”
“I can tell. Are you always this competitive?”
“No. I’ve never won anything in my life.”
He chuckled. “Shit, you could’ve fooled me.”
As the glow from the streetlights flicked past in alternating shades of light and dark, Amber lifted her hand and reviewed her dislocated finger with what looked like complete indifference. He couldn’t believe how nonchalant she was. Every other woman he knew would be hysterical if it’d happened to them. Every man too. Not Amber, though. It was almost as if she’d done it a thousand times before. Maybe she had. Her soul was fragile, but her body was a machine. He cast the thoughts aside and turned onto Jordan’s narrow street lined with houses on either side.
“So how do you know this doctor?”
“We went to school together.” He pulled up outside a whitewashed Georgian colonial.
“Is this where he lives?”
“Yep.”
“Are you sure he’ll be okay with us going to his home?”
“Shh, stop complaining.”
“I didn’t think I was.”
“Trust me. It’s definitely okay.”
She allowed him to help her out of the car and they walked up to the front porch. Oliver knocked on the front door.
A few moments later, a young boy opened the door.
“Hey, Max.”
“Uncle Olly!” The kid opened his arms and Oliver lifted him up and squeezed. “Boy, have you grown up.” He carried Max across the threshold. “Where’s your daddy?”
“He’s watching hockey.”
Ice hockey was Jordan’s first love. His wife and child came in a very close second and, much to Helen’s disgust, Jordan wasn’t scared to admit it. “Who’s winning?” Oliver said as he stepped into a cozy lounge with two brown leather chesterfields, a large brick fireplace, and an enormous television centered on the wall.
“Oliver, how’re you doing, man?”
Out of Mind Page 14
