Sweet on You (The Wilde Sisters #1)

by Marianne Rice

  “Oh! That sounds like fun.” She beamed, and she hopped up and down, causing a stir in his cargo shorts.

  “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be. Bye, Sarah. See you tomorrow,” she called to her receptionist.

  Conversation flowed easily during the thirty-minute drive. If Rayne was nervous at being with him or about climbing, she sure didn’t show it. It was a surprisingly refreshing change to be with a woman who wasn’t constantly putting the moves on him or making dull conversation.

  When they got to the gym, he greeted the employees and told Ted, the manager, he’d handle Rayne’s orientation. Since he volunteered from time to time with their Overnight Survival Training program and instructed one of the afterschool junior climbing teams, they usually gave him free rein.

  “Wow. This place is so cool. I can’t believe I’ve never done this before.”

  He watched Rayne as she twirled around and took in her surroundings. More than 5,000 square feet of rock-like textured climbing surfaces and thousands of grips and stances braced the walls. Belayers were scattered throughout the center, calling to their climbers.

  “Okay. Let’s get you suited up.” He nudged her left foot so she could step into the harness.

  “Um, are you coming with me?” Rayne fiddled with the strapping around her waist.

  He saw hesitation in her eyes. His manhood grew ten degrees—figuratively, not literally…yet. He stood and gently elbowed the flat stomach he’d been admiring for a week, and taunted, “You’re not afraid, are you?”

  “No. Not really. But I thought you were going to be next to me.” And his ego—and his manhood—rose another ten degrees. At this rate he’d never fit into his harness.

  “I’m going to be your belayer.” She scrunched up her cute nose in confusion. “I’m going to hold the rope and call out directions. All you have to think about is where to put your hands and feet. Look for the holds, the stances.”

  “Eh?”

  He chuckled and walked her closer to the wall. “This is called a hold. You hold on to it. This is a stance. You put your feet on it and climb. Simple as that.”

  “How about you climb first and I’ll…belay you?”

  Oh, the innuendos. “Not a chance, sweetheart. I’m your safety net.”

  “Gee, that’s reassuring. What happens if you don’t catch me?”

  “First, I don’t need to catch you because you aren’t going to fall. Second, these ropes…” he stopped to pull them through a carabineer, “and this clip will keep you safe. Even if you slip or let go of the wall, you won’t fall down. You’ll just dangle in the air.”

  “Then how do I get down?” She nibbled her bottom lip, and he pictured his lips and teeth finishing the job for her.

  “I’ll slowly let the rope out. You’ll go into a squat position and bounce your feet off the wall until you hit the bottom. Softly,” he reassured her. “Trust me. Nothing will happen to you. This is very safe.”

  Letting out a breath she probably didn’t realize she was holding, Rayne pulled up the harness. “Okay, Mr. Hot Shot. Let’s do it.”

  It wasn’t like he tried to grope her ass, but he did have to make sure the harness fit tightly around her legs, butt, and waist. If his touching bothered her, she didn’t show it. Trent made a growl when Junior twitched. His knuckles brushed across her backside and traced a path up to her waist and around to her stomach. It was subtle, but he thought he sensed her going tense as he reached through her legs to pull the strap around. Knowing he was treading on dangerous territory, Trent quickly finished tightening her harness and stepped back. “You’ll have fun. Promise.”

  With her cheeks flushed, she nodded and surveyed the wall. It wasn’t the easiest wall but wasn’t Mt. Katahdin either. With her upper body strength, Trent knew she could physically handle it.

  Locking his feet in his stance, he pulled in the excess rope as Rayne began to climb. The woman had focus, that was for sure. She never looked down and didn’t ask for any help and climbed to the top like Catwoman. Damn, erase that picture out of your mind right now, Kipson! He did not need to picture her in a sexy, skimpy, tight catsuit. It was bad enough that the two globes of her butt were accentuated thanks to the climbing harness. Again, not his fault he had to keep his eyes glued to her butt. That was the job of the belayer. Oh…so many puns formed in his mind, but he wouldn’t go there, either.

  Before he knew it, she was at the top ringing the bell and hollering, “I did it! Trent, I did it!”

  “I knew you could, sweetheart. Now grab the rope with both hands as I let you down nice and easy. Place both feet on the wall like I showed you.”

  Rayne grabbed the rope and he watched her bounce to the floor. Before he could drop the ropes she threw herself in his arms.

  “That was the coolest, bestest trip I’ve ever had. Oh my God, I want to do it again!” She hugged him again, then pulled back to hop up and down, her chest moving deliciously, making it impossible not to stare.

  “Absolutely. Want to try a steeper climb?”

  “Yes!” She let go of his hold and stepped back. “Wait. It’s your turn now. Show me how to belay.” Rayne started unbuckling her harness.

  “Easy now.” He put his hand over hers, enjoying the heat of their bodies and feeling the racing of her pulse. “Keep that on. You can climb as many walls as you’d like. I’ve done this a thousand times.”

  “I’m going to watch you this time and then I’ll go again. Can you climb that one?” She pointed to the Everest wall.

  “If that’s what you want.” Leave it to her to challenge him with the most difficult, steepest climb. He’d mastered it years ago, so he wasn’t worried, but he didn’t want to come off cocky.

  “It looks hard. Have you done it before?”

  Mind. Gutter. Get out. “A few times.”

  “Did you fall?”

  “I have slipped, yes. Only you don’t fall if you have a strong belayer.” He winked, then called to one of the employees, “Cote. I’m going up. Can you spot me?”

  “Hmph. I’m offended. I could totally spot you.” She crossed her arms over her perky breasts and almost pouted. The excitement in her face didn’t allow her to frown that much.

  “I hope you do.” He winked and double-checked his gear. Cote did a quick spot-check as well before Trent started his climb.

  Careful not to show off too much and accidentally slip, Trent climbed like Spider-Man, clinging to the overhang.

  “Oh my God, Trent! You’re practically upside down. Don’t fall.”

  He smiled and tried not to laugh, which would probably cause him to lose his grip and his cool status. The woman was worried about him, and damn if that didn’t boost his ego just a touch. Rayne deserved a show, and a show she was going to get. Letting his feet fall, he dangled, gripping tightly on to the holds. Using his forearms to pull himself up, he slowly lifted his body to the next tier, bringing his right leg nearly over his head. Yeah, he was that good, and yeah, he wanted her to know it. He prayed his legs didn’t break out in an Elvis and start shaking in front of his fan club.

  Rayne gasped from below, and Trent did all he could to clear his mind of her and get himself out of this precariously challenging situation. Reaching over his head for another pull, his shaking arms carried his body over the last lip and up to the ceiling.

  He may have pushed it a bit on the last stretch. His new sudden fame had kept him busy in the bakery and off the rocks for the past few weeks.

  The whooping and cheering below caused a sudden spectacle around the gym. Everest had been empty all morning; it took months of training to climb this wall, and most enthusiasts climbed outside in the summer. As the onlookers slowly made their way over to Rayne and Trent’s private corner, he called out to Cote and slid down the rope until he hit the ground.

  “Holy crap, Trent. Or should I call you Peter Parker?” Her Godiva eyes glowed and her sweet, shiny lips parted into a bright smile, enhancing her perfectly white teeth.

/>   Damn, he’d like to take her mouth for a test drive. “Your turn.”

  “Oh no. I can’t do this wall.” She backed away from him.

  Trent reached out and grabbed her arm. “Not Everest, but I think you can climb Katahdin.” He led her toward an intermediate wall and prayed the group of women at the Shawnee Peak wall wouldn’t come over. Unfortunately, they recognized him, puffed out their feathers and sauntered over, not caring that he was with another woman.

  “Hey, you’re that hot baker guy, aren’t you?”

  “Um, I…uh…” He glanced at Rayne, who raised her eyebrow in question. Trent couldn’t tell if she was miffed or amused.

  “You are,” the tall redhead fawned. “Can I have your autograph?” She sized him up with predatory eyes. “I guess you can’t do that now. If I swing by the bakery later, will you make me something special?”

  The woman had no shame. “Stop by anytime. We always have specials.” He turned to recheck Rayne and the redhead didn’t stop talking. And flirting. He didn’t know if he was more embarrassed for himself or her. She finally got the hint and left after he let out a few grunts and one-word responses.

  “Sorry about that,” he mumbled while pulling on Rayne’s rope.

  “I didn’t realize bakers were famous. Is there something I don’t know about you? Are you a rock star on the side? Retired child actor?”

  Trent laughed. “No, nothing that exciting. Sweet Spot made it into a few magazines and news spots. It sort of put us on the map. I mean, we were doing well before all this hoopla, but I can’t complain about the business the media has raked in for me.”

  And the possible job of a lifetime. Felicia Cortez called him last night and emailed him his itinerary. By the end of July, he’d be flying into LAX and touring the Cooking Network’s studio in Burbank. If things went well, he’d be the new host of So You Think You Can Bake, a spin-off of Cupcake Wars. If he got the job, Trent would travel across the country sampling and judging different bakers’ concoctions and might even get an opportunity to film a few episodes of his own. Trent hadn’t told his sister or Brian about the offer yet; he’d wait until he had the contract in hand.

  “Very cool. That’s every business owner’s dream, yet you don’t seem too thrilled about it.”

  “It’s good. Most of it. That part,” he shrugged toward the redhead, “is the annoying bit.”

  ***

  Rayne

  Handsome and modest. Yeah. Rayne was totally over-the-top, head-over-heels crushing over Trent Kipson. It wasn’t love. It could be, if only…She watched his strong, yet somehow delicate hands make fast work of the contraption around his waist. It looked like a glorified diaper and she felt ridiculous in it, but it did amazing things for her new crush.

  The harness cupped his butt and enhanced his front side, revealing a very nice package. One she’d never get to open, but a girl could dream. In elementary school, she dreamt about Harry Potter turning her into a princess. Then it was Channing Tatum doing a magical dance just for her. Her most recent infatuation—as Sage called them—was Chris Pratt. He and Trent shared the same boyish smile.

  Oh yeah, she was totally doomed. And smitten. And he was totally off limits. Which was probably a good thing.

  “You all right?” The movie star lookalike asked, slowly standing from his crouch. If Trent wasn’t…Trent, and they weren’t in a public place, the seductive stance and alluring eyes would have her stripping off her shirt and jumping into his arms.

  She had to remind herself that he liked men—who could blame him—and they were in a very public place. Damn. He caught her staring and that was mortifying.

  “No, I’m good. I’m getting my game face on before I take a nose-dive off this cliff.”

  Trent chuckled. “No nose-diving on my watch. And it’s just a wall. No cliffs in sight.”

  She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, maybe to you, but you probably do 100 pull-ups a day.”

  Without confirming or denying his workout ritual, which sadly no longer involved Zumba, he smirked and put his strong hands on her shoulders. “I got your back sweetheart. Nothing to fear.”

  Sighing, she reached out for her safety rope and walked toward the looming wall. Without turning around she called, “Just so you know, payback’s a bitch.”

  The deep laugh from below made her heart quiver and nearly made her hands shake. No, he expected her to climb the wall, and if she had any hopes of converting him, she had to stay strong.

  ***

  Trent

  “Mmm, I haven’t had a lobster roll in months. This is the best surprise lunch ever.” Rayne closed her eyes and groaned, making an entirely too erotic scene at their picnic table by the ocean. The storm had passed through quickly as they typically did in the summer, leaving behind the smell of fresh rain and salty air.

  Trent held himself back from plunging his tongue into her mouth. He’d never envied a piece of food before but damn, he wished he was on the roll and her mouth was…wow, don’t go there. Adjusting his crotch—which was thankfully hidden under the table—he finished off his beer and signaled the waitress.

  “Done with lunch? Would you like dessert? We have amazing strawberry shortcake or maybe you’d like a scoop of ice cream with gooey…hot…chocolate sauce…” The young girl who worked at the Lobster Shack was ignoring Rayne and pouring out an obvious invitation to Trent. It made him sick. Couldn’t she see he was with a woman? Even though Rayne made it clear she wasn’t interested in anything romantic, she had to be offended by the sexual innuendos. Was it something in the water that had all the women pawing after him like mares in heat? Spending time with Rayne over the past few weeks had been somewhat refreshing. While he wanted to get in her pants, not having to worry about saying the right thing or sending the right or wrong messages of commitment felt pretty damn good too.

  It was the first time in…ever that he could be himself around a woman. Brian would have his ass if he ever heard Trent admit to being anything but relaxed around sexy curves. He didn’t trust women. Not after the way his mother up and left him and Claire. And his history with women was only proof that all—well, most—were after one thing. Very few had a genuine soul. Very few were like his sister.

  Or Rayne. Damn. He wouldn’t put her in the same category as Claire. His feelings toward her were so not sisterly, but he also didn’t want to ruin the best friendship he’d had since meeting Brian in Little League. And he sure as hell never had a friendship with a woman.

  Without taking his eyes off of Rayne, he said, “Check, please.” The waitress stormed off in a huff.

  Rayne had yet to stop by the bakery, claiming she didn’t eat sugar and that it went straight to her thighs. Yeah, I’d like to go straight to your thighs. Shaking his lusty thoughts out of his head, he smiled at her.

  As if reading his thoughts about friendship, she said, “So tell me more about Brian. How long have you known him?”

  “Since we were kids. We played ball together and I spent more time at his house growing up than in my own. I think of his mom, Marie, as my own. She even works at the bakery with me. Pretty much runs the place. I don’t know what I would do without her. Or Brian. But if you ever tell him I said that I’ll completely deny it.”

  Rayne laughed and reached across the table, placing her hand on top of his. “Today was a great day. Thank you for bringing me rock climbing.”

  He clasped her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. “I’m really proud of you. You’d never know today was your first climb.” Trent pulled her gently to her feet and led her to his SUV. After unlocking the passenger side door, he opened it, but Rayne stood in between the door and the car as if waiting for…a kiss? No, he couldn’t go there.

  Last week during a jog around the bay, she’d told him she was a hopeless romantic. That she always fell in love at first sight and how freeing it was to spend time with him knowing nothing would come of it. At first he didn’t think he’d heard her correctly, because she kept
on jogging as if they were discussing the weather. Rayne didn’t elaborate as to why she felt so sure nothing sexual or romantic would come of their relationship, and he didn’t know whether to be offended or grateful.

  Instead of correcting her, he had let her ramble about her past relationships. Two failed engagements, four cheaters, and one forty-year-old virgin. How any sane man could cheat on her was beyond him. Apparently she fell in love too fast. Rayne didn’t lay blame for the failed relationships in her life and took responsibility for her own actions.

  “I fall hard and then I get clingy. I can’t help it. Being in love is such an amazing feeling and it makes me happy.” She had turned toward him and smiled as they jogged, her ponytail flailing back and forth, her legs never missing a stride. “It’s completely euphoric. Better than sex. Sex lasts…ten, fifteen minutes, but being in love lasts forever. Well, maybe not forever in my life. Yet. It will someday, though. I’m confident there’s the perfect guy out there waiting for me. Which is another reason I’m so grateful for our friendship.” She smiled at him again and for a brief second he thought he saw something more than platonic interest. And then it deflated as quickly as an undercooked soufflé. “It shows me that not all guys are asses.”

  While his pace had slowed, hers had stayed constant. It was then he knew he couldn’t make a pass at her. What the hell was wrong with him anyway? Why wasn’t she attracted to him? Rayne wanted and deserved the happily ever after. The Cape Cod house with the white picket fence, two kids. A dog. Stability.

  Trent was anything but stable. And he liked his life that way. He supposed that was why Rayne didn’t throw herself at him like all the others. Living in the Old Port meant he could stumble out of bed and into work at the crack of dawn or walk down the street at night to a pub for a nice cold one, play a game of darts or pool. Hang out with the guys or meet a woman.