by B. B. Hamel
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.
Chapter Ten: Reid
I was on top of the world.
Maybe it wasn’t the highest peak I had ever climbed, and definitely far from the hardest, but Becca made it the best. Standing up there, the smile huge on her face, excited about her accomplishment, I couldn’t stop myself.
I had absolutely no regrets. I’d kiss her a thousand times more.
Even a day later, her kiss still lingered, long after her taste faded. I could still somehow feel her, as if her lips left a mark on mine. I felt stupid even thinking that, but it was the truth. Becca was the first girl to really get under my skin, even back then, even back when we first really saw each other.
I still remembered it. It was impossible to forget.
It was senior year, not too long before graduation. One of the guys in our class, some rich kid I can’t even remember anymore, decided to throw a huge bash while his parents were out in Seattle.
For us, that was a lifetime away. The big city was only a dream a very select few of us ever achieved. Even this rich kid’s parents weren’t all that rich, really more like upper middle class at best, but their house was decent sized and the kid got plenty of kegs.
Back then, the only thing I cared about was trying to fuck as many girls as I possibly could, and it turned out that I wasn’t half bad at it. As that night wore on, and I went from one room to the next, for some reason I couldn’t settle down. I had plenty of chances, plenty of girls were probably willing, but something made me keep wandering around.
That was when I saw her.
“You’re Becca, right?” I asked, trying to be cool. The truth was, I knew exactly who she was. I couldn’t stop noticing her, even when other people didn’t.
“Yeah. You’re Reid,” she said.
“And I’m Lindsey.”
I saw her friend for the first time.
“Oh, hey, Lindsey.” She giggled and I looked back at Becca. “So, can I get you a drink?”
“Sure, I guess.” She bit her lip and it made my dick stir like nothing else.
“Cool,” I said, and turned away to grab her a beer. When I came back, her friend had mysteriously vanished. “Where’d your friend go?” I asked.
“She wasn’t feeling well,” Becca lied, looking away.
I smiled. Her friend clearly took the opportunity to leave Becca alone with me. Which meant I had a pretty good chance.
She
took the drink from me and sipped it.
“Cool party,” I said.
She nodded. “It’s not bad.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at one before.”
“I’m not a huge party person.”
“No? You look like you fit in.”
She gave me a look. “What’s that mean?”
“You know what I mean,” I said, standing near her. “You’re the hottest girl here, you know that?”
She laughed. She actually laughed, right in my face. “Was that a line?” she asked.
I grinned at her. I knew she was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t expect laughter. A thrill ran through my gut as I prepared myself to put in some work.
“Yeah, it was. I can’t help it I guess.”
“Do all your girlfriends fall for that?”
“Most of them, yeah, actually.”
She laughed. “Good for you. It makes sense.”
“How’s that?”
“I mean, look at you,” she mumbled.
“What’s that?” I asked, knowing full well what she said but wanting to hear it again.
“I said, you’re popular. That’s why.”
I smirked. “That’s not what you said, but okay.”
She blushed. “Why are you hitting on me now all of a sudden?”
“Like I said, you’re the hottest girl at this party. It may be a line, but it’s also true.”
She laughed and shook her head, swatting me lightly on the arm.
We spent hours like that, flirting back and forth. I stopped drinking after a while and so did she. I realized that it was the first time at a party that I didn’t need to be drunk because I was actually enjoying myself with someone interesting. Soon, we started trading stories about our families, and were both surprised that we grew up with single parents.
We had a lot in common. We made each other laugh. And my dick was aching to get out of my pants.
“Feel like taking a little walk?” I asked her toward the end of the night.
“I should be getting home.”
“I’ll drive you home after, promise.”
She pretended to consider it. “Okay, fine.”
I led the way, heading out into the woods. She followed closely, and we crashed through the underbrush, laughing together.
Up ahead, we heard it before we saw it. As we pushed through the brush, we saw a short waterfall gushing down a rock face. It ran down and joined a larger creek, which ran down into a larger river, and on and on and on until it reached the ocean. The sound was loud out there in the dark forest, silent except for her breathing and the rushing water. It was beautiful with the moonlight reflecting off its surface, almost like something from a dream.
I took her hand. She smiled at me. “Did you know this was here?”
“Sure did.”
“How many girls do you bring out to see it?”
“None,” I said, and meant it. “I don’t like to share this sort of thing.”
“So why are you sharing with me?”
I shrugged, genuinely unsure. “I felt compelled.” I moved closer to her. “There’s something about you.”
“I don’t get it,” she whispered. “Why now? Why all of a sudden?”
“I can’t explain it.”
“Try.” Her lips parted slightly as I pulled her up against me.
“It’s not like I haven’t noticed you.”
“You’ve noticed me?”
“Standing by your locker. Walking through the hall. But we were never close enough, you know?”
“I’ve noticed you too,” she whispered.
And then I kissed her.
The sound of the small waterfall filled my ears, or maybe it was the sound of my heart beating hard in my chest, the blood rushing to my head.
I was dizzy with her lips. It almost felt like everything had led up to that moment, every girl I barely cared about, every cliff I climbed, everything. It was all to end up out by the waterfall with some girl I barely knew, kissing her hard like it would be the last time ever.
We stayed up all night kissing and laughing and talking. I wanted more, so much more, but I knew that if I pushed, it might scare her away. Instead, I resigned myself to blue balls and a long make-out session.
In retrospect, that was a mistake.
Two days later, our parents announced their engagement.
They had hidden their relationship from both of us, assuming that we somehow wouldn’t be okay with it. But just like that, I went from euphoric and looking forward to sliding my hand down around Becca’s firm ass to living with her as my stepsister.
That night years ago, and our parents getting married, all of that was why the kiss on top of the cliff was so sweet.
Why it felt like diamonds in my veins. Why even the next day I was still flying high from it.
That euphoria lasted until I reached my hidden van in the forest and grabbed the package of pills. As I hiked with the pills out toward the meeting with Thom and Jay, the memories of my few stolen kisses with Becca ringing through my head, the joy I felt slowly began to fade.
I didn’t have room for happiness. Not with the threat of the mob’s revenge hanging over my head. I needed to be totally in the moment and on my game, or else risk messing everything up.
I trekked through the woods, following the familiar path. I almost didn’t need to look down at my feet to know exactly where I was stepping, like I had the whole forest floor memorized end to end. The time passed quickly, and I found myself pushing through into the clearing.
Up ahead, Thom’s car was already there, parked next to a black sedan I had never seen before. I checked my watch, but I was actually a few minutes early. Frowning, I stopped short of approaching it. They were never early, and there had never been two cars before.
Thom climbed out of his car first, looking sheepish, and was followed by Jay.
“What’s with the two cars?” I called out.
“Precaution,” Jay said. “We’ll come together and leave separate. Make sense?”
I nodded. “Whatever you say.”
“Got my stuff?”
I held the package out and Jay took it. Immediately he pulled it open and checked over the contents. Satisfied, he closed it again and tucked it under his arm.
“You do a good job,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“You know, we are always looking for good men, men that do good jobs.”
I paused. I had never been asked to join the mob seriously before, and Thom was frowning, clearly surprised.
“No, thanks,” I said. “After we’re even, I’m going back to climbing.”
“Climbing,” Jay repeated.
“Yeah,” Thom interjected. “That’s why we call him Climber.”
“You would rather climb things than join an organization like mine?”
Jay looked angry. I stared at him but didn’t respond, refusing to back down. I felt my pulse quicken and fear jolted through my chest as Thom looked between us, clearly at a loss for words.
And just as quickly as his anger came, Jay’s expression softened. “I’m just kidding with you.”
Thom gave a nervous laugh and I relaxed slightly.
“We good here?” Thom asked.
“Sure, sure. We’re good here.” Jay nodded at me.
I nodded back. “See you next week,” I said.
“See you then, Climber.”
Jay looked between us, grinning a mad grin, and then walked over to the other car. He got into the passenger seat and the car began to drive away. The windows were tinted so dark that I didn’t even notice the man sitting behind the wheel.
Once they were gone, Thom visibly relaxed. “Fuck, that guy gives me the creeps.”
“What are you fucking doing, man?” I snapped at him.
He gave me a look. “What do you mean?”
“This shit.” I gestured around us. “Those fucking guys. What are you doing?”
�
��I’m making money, that’s what.”
“I got it before. Those other guys made sense. But these new guys? They’re fucking insane.”
“They’re different. I’m adjusting.”
“Adjusting,” I said flatly.
“They’re my new employers. It’s not like I can just quit.”
I sighed and shook my head. “I know. But all these changes. It’s some serious shit we’re in.”
“I know, Climber. And I’m sorry you’re stuck.”
I waived him off. “Don’t be. You know this was my choice.”
“Still. I hoped you’d be out by now.”
“I’ll be done soon enough.”
“Yeah. Soon.” Thom’s face didn’t exactly make me feel confident, but I ignored it.
“Shit party the other night,” I said.
“Yeah. I heard you knocked out Josh?”
“He had it coming.”
Thom laughed. “And I heard the chick you did it over is pretty smoking. I’m thinking about making a pass.”
I clenched my jaw. “No, you’re not.”
“Why not? You suddenly the girlfriend type, Climber?”
“She’s my stepsister. Don’t go near her.”
He blinked at how angry I was and nodded. “Sure man, whatever you say.”
I didn’t understand the rage that took me over all of a sudden. It wasn’t like I had an actual claim on Becca, or at least one that Thom knew about. As far as anyone really knew, she was just my stepsister, and Thom didn’t even know that much.
Still, the thought of some greasy scumbag like Thom hitting on Becca turned my stomach.
I took a deep breath, calming myself. “Anyway, it’s done with.”
“Josh won’t be coming around much anymore I bet.”
“He won’t if he’s smart.”
Thom laughed. “You’re one scary mother fucker sometimes, you know that, Climber?”
“Only to guys like Josh.”
“I get why Jay wants you to join.”
“You trying to recruit me too?”
“Fuck no. Just saying, I get it.”
I sighed and glanced at my watch. “We all good here? I’m starving.”
