by Lori Ryan
“The town librarian?”
“That’s her. Librarians are sexy.”
“She’s got to be at least eighty.”
“Love does not discriminate against the elderly, my friend.”
“So you’re saying you’re totally okay with her wrinkly skin and boobs that probably hang down to her belly button.”
“Saves me time.”
“Time from what?” she asked.
“Well, if her breasts are already half way to the promised land then—”
“Oh, dear God, stop.” Kayleigh gagged.
“Sorry.” He laughed.
He didn’t sound sorry in the least.
“You got that book yet?” he asked.
She shook her head but found herself throwing back the covers. “Fine, I’ll get it.” She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the book, making her way back to the bedroom. “Okay, I’ve got it.”
“Start at the beginning.”
“But I’m almost halfway done.”
“Tough. The longer it takes you to read, the longer I get to stay with you.”
Her heart ached and swelled. Was it cheesy to think it was good he was a cardiologist because he’d just melted her heart? Yeah, it totally was. She couldn’t help but smile.
She cleared her throat and burrowed into the covers. “Chapter one.”
“No, no, no.”
“What?”
“Start at the very beginning.”
“I did,” she said, confused.
“No, I mean start with the title.”
“Oh, good God. Seriously, you’re going to make me say it.”
“Yep.” He chuckled.
She drew in a deep breath and released it as she spoke. “Captivated by the Pirate by Rosalee Howard. Happy now?”
“Not yet. But after hearing a few chapters read in your husky voice, I’m going to be.”
Kayleigh smiled to herself, thinking of Aaron tucked away, listening to her read a dirty book. “Could this be considered relaxing?”
“Oh, definitely. Although I’m pretty sure here in a few minutes things are going to become awfully painful.”
She silently moaned, thinking of Aaron growing hard.
“But hey, that’s what I have you for, right?”
Kayleigh remained silent for a long moment. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a doctor. You can examine me, cure what ails me, right?”
She laughed and shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. She burrowed down deeper in her covers, anticipation taking over. “Chapter one.”
Chapter Sixteen
Aaron held the door as Kayleigh walked into O’Halloran’s. She’d called ahead to reserve the equipment they’d need for rock climbing.
When Aaron had been growing up on the mountain, he and his brothers had scaled their side of the rock face all the time and had their own gear. Now, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d scaled anything, let alone the side of the mountain. His brother had assured him it was like riding a bike—it would come back to him.
“Oh, hey, Kayleigh.” Grady O’Halloran smiled behind the counter and Aaron felt a pang of annoyance with the guy. Not that there was anything wrong with Grady saying hello to Kayleigh.
“Hey, Grady, how’s it going?” Kayleigh’s face lit up like a Christmas tree as she batted her eye lashes.
What the fuck? Had these two been an item in the past and he wasn’t aware? He should have asked Ben or Emmett. They would have known.
“Hey, Aaron.” Grady stepped around the corner and grasped his hand. “Long time no see, man.”
Grady fit the shop to a tee. He was tanned and wore cargo shorts and a company T-shirt that was probably a little tighter than it needed to be. Aaron would bet the outfit worked for him. The guy looked right surrounded by mountain bikes, climbing gear, and ski equipment.
“Yeah, it’s been a while. I think my father’s funeral, but probably years before that.” Aaron grasped Grady’s hand and squeezed it a little tighter than necessary. Hell, Kayleigh was bringing out the worst in him at the moment, but he didn’t care.
“I’m really sorry about your father’s passing.”
Aaron knew that his father had been larger than life in their small town. The Sumner family owned a large business here and his father had served on the town council several years. He had no doubt that his father was missed, for a multitude of reasons. Aaron felt his heart squeeze with an ache he knew would never fully ease.
“You okay?” Kayleigh asked quietly, squeezing his arm.
He glanced down at her blue eyes. They were so sincere that he had to turn his head. He hated her thinking he was weak.
“Yeah, I’m good, thanks. So what about our equipment?” he asked, changing the subject. The last thing he wanted was a pity party.
“Yep.” Grady smiled. Damn, the guy could probably get a gig modeling outdoor gear. “It’s all right here. Let’s see.” Grady pulled out each piece of equipment. “We’ve got harnesses for each of you and shoes. Kayleigh, I know your size, but Aaron I was guessing at yours so I’ll need you to try things on. I’ll grab your ropes and carabiners, for you.”
“Oh, thanks so much, Grady.” Kayleigh beamed as if the guy had given her a new dirty book.
“When are you going to buy your own equipment, Kayleigh Jo?” Grady asked.
Kayleigh Jo? Was that her middle name? And if so, why the hell was Grady calling her that like they were old friends or something? A stab of irritation poked his gut.
“I don’t know,” Kayleigh said, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I don’t get to climb enough to buy it. Plus, I like coming in to see you.”
Oh, hell. Was she really flirting with this guy right in front of him?
“Looks like we’ve got everything,” Aaron said. “I’m sure the shoes are fine. You ready, Kayl?” He shortened her name as though it was some special nickname between the two of them. What the hell was wrong with him?
Without waiting, he scooped up the equipment, carefully balancing it in both hands as he scooted her out with his body.
“Put it on my bill, will you Grady?” she called over her shoulder.
“Will do!”
Kayleigh waved and smiled like she was in a fucking parade.
Against his better judgment Aaron turned around.
Grady O’Halloran had the biggest shit eating grin on his face and was waving right back. Prick.
“See ya, Aaron. Tell your mom I said hello. And thanks for the business.”
Grady ran the events side of O’Halloran’s Outdoor Adventure Store, running sled dog and ski excursions in the winter and mountain biking, rafting, and camping trips in the summer. Aaron’s mother often recommended their excursions to guests of the lodge.
“Yeah. Sure. Will do, man.” Aaron bumped Kayleigh the rest of the way out of the store. She stumbled over the threshold.
“What are you doing?” She shoved at him.
“Time’s a wasting. We need to get to the mountain before the sun gets over to the other side.”
She raised a curious brow. “Uh huh. Sure.”
“Help me with this stuff.” Aaron fumbled with all the equipment.
“I thought you wanted to be the big strong man in there and carry everything.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled. “Grab a helmet or something before I drop all this shit and you have to pay for it.”
Kayleigh chuckled but did as he asked. They made their way to her Jeep and tucked everything inside, then headed up the road that would take them to the area people called the Rock Face. He didn’t know why anyone hadn’t ever come up with a better name than that.
“What’s got you in a snit this morning?” Kayleigh asked.
What had gotten him in a snit was the fact he’d had to sleep all night with a raging hard-on. Kayleigh had read several pages from her romance novel, and shit, it was hot. By the time they’d hung up, he had to take a cold shower. Not that it had don
e any good. It had been a long night.
And now he was being a jealous ass.
“Hey,” Kayleigh nudged his leg. “Seriously, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that.”
“What happened?”
He shook his head. There was no fucking way he was going to tell her he was jealous. “Nothing, it’s just been a while since I’ve been climbing.”
She squeezed his leg. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He wasn’t so sure that was true. He was beginning to feel like this woman could get at him in ways no other woman had.
Kayleigh pulled down the road leading to his family’s land. They would park there and hike out to the rock face. “Wow, looks like the lodge is packed. Lily said there was a big wedding this weekend. That’s why she couldn’t come climbing.”
Aaron felt guilty. He really needed to check in with his family and see what he could do to help. But it wasn’t often Kayleigh was off for an entire day and he didn’t want to waste it. The lodge would be there tomorrow.
She maneuvered her Jeep through to the private roads that headed toward the mountain. This land was all owned by his family.
“How long has it been since you climbed?” she asked.
“Several years. Me, Grant, and Max came one time when we were all home for my mother’s birthday a few years back.”
She threw the Jeep into park and slipped out, beating him to the back of the Jeep. “We’ll have to walk the rest of the way, probably about a mile or two? You okay with that?”
Aaron rolled his eyes. Was he okay with that? Before he could answer he noticed Kayleigh had lifted a lot of the equipment. “Here, let me take that.”
“It’s okay.” She hoisted the ropes higher on her shoulders. “I can get it.”
“Damn, you’re stubborn.”
“I am not.”
“You’ve never let me help with anything. I think your favorite line is, ‘I’ve got it.’ You sure know how to emasculate a man.”
Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. “Okay, here.” She tossed all the equipment on the ground. “You want to carry it all, be my guest. I was just trying to help.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Nothing,” he mumbled. There was no way he wanted to get into this now.
“No, seriously, I want to know what you mean.”
Aaron settled the equipment on his shoulders and headed down the trail, determined not to say any more.
“Aaron!” she shouted, running to catch up with him. She yanked on his T-shirt. “What did you mean?”
He drew in a deep breath and released an audible sigh as he turned to face her. “It just means that sometimes when you think you’re helping someone, you’re actually hurting them. Sometimes people need to feel like they’re useful and they can’t do that if you won’t let them in.”
Her eyes seemed to focus on something beyond him as she tried to make sense of what he’d just said.
He readjusted the equipment and began ascending the mountain, headed toward the rock face.
“I guess you’re right,” she said quietly, falling into step beside him. “I never thought of it like that.”
“I’m always right.” He glanced down at her with a smirk.
She turned to stare up at him. “Shut up.” She hit his arm with her shoulder. “Damn, you’re rock solid, dude.”
He watched her eyes roam over his body in an appreciative way that had him struggling to keep certain parts of his body in check.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Jeez, when was the last time you said that?” He chuckled. Knowing Kayleigh, he would guess it had been awhile.
“I say I’m sorry sometimes.”
He laughed louder.
“I really would like to help you,” she said. “Can I take some of the equipment for you?”
They were less than half way where they needed to be but Aaron wasn’t feeling the hike yet. He wasn’t too proud to accept her help. “Sure,” he said, passing off the harnesses and one of the lengths of rope. He still carried the majority of the equipment, but she seemed appeased.
He watched as she balanced the equipment on her small shoulders and arms, surprised by her strength.
She read his mind. “I pick up 150-pound Malamutes, calves, colts and sometimes momma pigs. I’m stronger than I look.”
“Obviously.” He nodded. But something told him Kayleigh wasn’t as strong as she wanted everyone to think she was. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Is your middle name really Jo?”
“No. Why?”
“Grady called you Kayleigh Jo.”
She laughed. “Now I see what’s going on. You were jealous of Grady O’Halloran.”
“No, I wasn’t.” He answered a little too quickly.
“Yes, yes you were. And that’s why you were in a bad mood.”
“Whatever.” Aaron shook off her comment even though she was right.
“No. My middle name isn’t Jo.”
Aaron looked down at her. “Then why does he call you that?”
“Beats me,” she said.
“So what is your middle name?”
“I’ll tell you…if….” She paused, her eyes wide.
“If what?”
“If you can beat me to the rock face.”
Aaron glanced in front of them at the path leading to the spot by the creek where the mountain provided a sheer face ready to challenge anyone willing to try to make it to the top. “You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s still like a mile away.”
"Are you afraid, little girl?” She taunted him.
He glanced from her to the trail and without another word, took off in a sprint. This girl might be little, but she was fast, and there was no way in hell he was letting her beat him to that rock face.
Chapter Seventeen
Aaron slid to a stop at the base of the mountain, the rock climbing equipment falling to the ground as he bent over and grabbed his thighs. His lungs burned and it was hard to draw in air.
Behind him he heard the soft footfalls of a woman who was ten times stronger than he’d ever thought. Well, maybe he’d known she’d been strong emotionally, but he didn’t know she had the physical strength to match it. He should have realized it, though, after seeing her in action out at the ranch.
He turned to glance at her.
She waltzed toward him without a care, her breathing steady with just a glow of perspiration beading her forehead.
He didn’t comment on the fact she wasn’t breathing hard. And it wasn’t entirely because he was holding back. As he put his hands on his hips and walked in a circle to cool down, he had to admit to himself that it had more to do with the fact that he was too busy trying to catch his breath to talk.
He’d beat her to the rock face but it had cost him to do it.
“Marie,” she said, gently placing the equipment on the ground and sorting through it.
“What?” Aaron heaved in and out but stood, hoping his breathing would even out quickly. This was more embarrassing than the time Amy Cho beat him in the 100-meter dash in middle school.
“I said, Marie,” she repeated. “My middle name is Marie.”
“Oh.” He stared up at the sky, barely visible through the outcropping of trees. “That’s pretty. Kayleigh Marie. Better than Kayleigh Jo.”
“Need help?” She laughed as he studied one of his knots.
“No.” Yes, he should have said.
“Come here.” She grabbed his harness—that laid very near his manhood—and tugged him toward her.
Despite the warm day and their two-mile trek, he could still smell the light scent of her shampoo wafting through the wind. She smelled like summer, fresh and clean, with the promise of long days and even longer nights.
She worked quickly, tying ropes and securing his carabiners, walking around to his backs
ide and tugging. She moved to his front and stared up at him. “There you go. All set.”
She held her arms up, presenting herself to him in surrender. “Do me.”
Aaron groaned but he didn’t miss the grin on her face as she caught his reaction to her words. She was having fun with this.
He walked around her petite body, tugging at her gear and inspecting the knots. When he worked his way to her backside he halted, taking in the view.
“Everything okay back there?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
He looped his fingers through her harness and tugged her toward him. Leaning down, he placed his mouth close to her ear. “Everything looks very good back here.”
She batted her eyes. “I bet, lover boy. Good try, but we’re climbing today. It’s my day off.”
He laughed.
Kayleigh gave him a rueful smile. “I don’t get many of them.” She stepped out of his hold. “I’m just going to climb up to the anchors and make sure they’re secure, then hook up the top ropes.” She pointed to the area off to the left side of the rock face. It couldn’t be called a trail. The area wasn’t a sheer rock wall but it wasn’t an afternoon hike, either.
Aaron remembered scrambling to the top of the rock face when he was a kid. One of his brothers would always have to crawl up that side to make sure the anchors at the top were secure. Then they’d attach the ropes they needed for the climb and rappel down.
As kids, they’d fought for who would make the climb to the anchors because it was fun to rappel afterward. Now, he didn’t want Kayleigh to be the one scrambling to the top. No way was he comfortable with her basically crawling on her hands and knees to get to the top. Sure, the trail wasn’t as dangerous as a free climb or anything, but it wasn’t entirely safe.
“I’ll scramble,” he said, but she had already shouldered the two ropes she would attach to the top anchors and was on her way up the sloped path.
She turned and studied him like he was crazy. “Why?” she called back down.
“It’s a rough climb. And it’s not totally safe.”
She raised a brow.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. I forgot you’re the queen of independence.”
“I’m not that bad,” she said.
