Wyatt scrambled backward, dragging the sled. The thin shelf of snow that had supported it, and them, earlier, broke free, tumbling down into nothingness. Harper gasped and her hand went to her throat, as though it would be able to keep her heart from ripping out of her chest.
The momentum carried Wyatt and the machine back to solid ground. He bent over, panting.
Harper closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Thankful that the drama seemed to be at an end and both Wyatt and she, and their snowmobile, were all safe.
She walked over and put a hand on Wyatt’s back. “You okay?” It wasn’t like him to not bounce back immediately.
“Yeah. I just realized as the shelf was giving way, that me dropping out of sight would be traumatizing to you. It hit me kind of hard.” He straightened. “I’m sorry.”
She laughed. Shaky. “That’s what you’re sorry for? Almost traumatizing me?” She shook her head. “What about the other thousand things that have happened in the last fifteen minutes that actually have traumatized me?”
“I guess I just figured me dying would be the worst…”
“You’re right,” she snapped and regretted her tone immediately. Reaction. “I’m sorry. I think I’d really like to get back to the lodge so I can curl up in bed and pull the covers over my head for a while.”
“You’re gonna have to fight me for them.”
“I thought we were fighting about who got to sleep on the floor? I let you win.”
“Let’s see if we can get this beast started. We can fight about the covers fifteen minutes from now.”
He leaned over the machine, brushing snow off the controls and apparently checking for leaks, before he adjusted the run button and yanked on the pull rope.
The engine sputtered but didn’t catch. Wyatt adjusted the choke.
It fired right up on the second pull.
“Your chariot, ma’am.”
Harper was afraid she might need hard liquor and a tranquilizer more than a chariot, but she’d already snapped at him, and she didn’t want him to think she blamed him for their near deaths. She wasn’t sure she could say the same about Kayla. And, right now, she wanted to blame someone. Maybe tomorrow, after the fright and adrenaline wore off, she’d be more reasonable. Currently, her body had already started to shake, and her knees barely held her up.
She climbed on behind Wyatt. If he noticed that she held on tighter and pressed her body against his more fully, he didn’t say anything.
He held the throttle and handlebars with one hand, placing the other over her hands, which squeezed his stomach. As his gloved fingers curled around hers, tingles spread up her arm and tears pricked her eyes. All these crazy, uncontrollable emotions swirled through her body, but for now she would chalk them up to the fact that she and her best friend had almost died.
Heat from his back scalded her front, but rather than pulling away, she pressed closer, wishing her helmet away. She had the unreasonable urge to bite his shoulder.
They’d only been riding for a few minutes when headlights popped up coming toward them.
“I knew they’d be back for us.”
She didn’t say anything, not even wanting to try to understand the competitive spirit that would lead someone to race away from a potential catastrophe.
Wyatt stopped, and the snowmobile with Steve and Kayla on it stopped alongside. It looked like Carlos and Marie on a machine behind them.
“You guys just that slow? Or did you stop to make out?” Steve called over the growl of the engines.
“Just slow.”
Harper was amazed at Wyatt’s calm. She was not that relaxed.
“Kayla said she lost you by the crevice.”
“If you went in, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get you out by myself.” She lifted the coiled rope from her shoulder.
That was almost reasonable. But she should have stopped to see, just in case.
Wyatt just jerked his head in acknowledgement. “I appreciate you coming back out for me. Sorry you wasted your time.”
“I’d expect the same from you,” Steve said.
“You’d get it,” Wyatt answered. His hand squeezed hers where it still rested against his stomach. “Harper and I have had enough excitement for one day. We’re heading back to the lodge and bed.”
“You park your machine by the back door, we’ll see that it gets put away.”
“I appreciate it, man.” Wyatt thumbed the gas, and the sled took off.
Harper shook so badly, she could hardly keep herself still.
“You gonna make it, Pickles?”
“What else could I do?”
By far, this had been the most dangerous thing that had ever happened to her.
Wyatt glanced back, his face relaxed, his eyes sparkling, his lips split in a wide smile. Her lips tilted up in response. They’d almost died. But he was smiling. And getting her to grin back at him.
She was still dealing with the aftereffects of the excitement, but because of Wyatt’s confidence and humor, the danger they had been in seemed to fade. Not that she wanted to go back and do it again, just that a sudden warm, bubbling joy filled her chest.
They were alive. They’d tempted death and won. Euphoria coursed through her body. This had to be the high that adrenaline junkies sought. She could see why. She felt invincible. She wanted to stand up on the back of the snowmobile with her arms raised in the wind. Even that did not seem like a big enough outlet for the emotions that pounded through her body, swelling her chest, straining up her neck and making her arms and legs feel energized and capable of winning an ironman competition. Life couldn’t get any better.
Sometimes life sucked.
Wyatt parked the snowmobile at the back door and helped Harper off. She was still shaking, but she bravely gave him a humungous smile. Probably because she knew how butt-awful he felt about almost killing her.
He threw a hand up as the others rumbled by. Steve stopped his machine and Kayla hopped off, jumping onto his. He appreciated them taking care of it so that he could get Harper inside, but he didn’t stop to chat.
He still couldn’t believe how close she’d come to death tonight. Because of him and his overzealous, continuous quest for adventure. She had every right to hate him. He almost wished she would. He’d welcome punishment for what he’d done. Maybe it would appease some of the guilt and shame that curdled his blood and shriveled his heart from putting the woman he loved, and should have been protecting, in danger.
If there was one thing that tonight showed him very clearly, it was that every time Harper was with him, she ended up in danger or hurt. Tonight, maybe she hadn’t gotten hurt, but she’d almost died. He was a fool to think for one second he was any good for her. Only a matter of inches, and tonight could have turned out so much differently. It was crazy to think that Harper belonged with him. If he were smart, if he really loved her, he’d get as far away from her as possible. For her own safety.
He took Harper’s hand. In the state he was in, he figured it would serve him right if he ruined their friendship by allowing her to know his feelings for her. That would almost be a fitting punishment. He didn’t deserve her, especially after tonight, and he wouldn’t allow himself to try to get her to see him as something more than her step-cousin.
So, he held her hand, which, somehow, remained soft and trusting in his.
The kitchen was dark and quiet when he led her in. The small light above the stove bathed the room in long shadows. It should feel homey to him. After all, he’d spent more time in this kitchen than in almost any other place in the world. But it didn’t bring the calmness, didn’t make him feel like he’d walked into a close, loving family, the way being in the old farmhouse on the tree farm in Pennsylvania did.
Still, nothing was out of place. It almost seemed wrong, after such a life-threatening adventure, feeling as miserable as he did, to walk into the kitchen and have it look exactly the same as it always had.
Harper’s hand tightened around his.
He looked over his shoulder. “Hungry?”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “No. You probably are.”
He was, actually.
She tried to tug her hand free. “Stay here and grab something. I’m going to take a shower and snuggle under the covers. Try to relax.”
He stopped and turned around to face her, keeping hold of her hand. “I really am sorry.”
Her hand came up to his face, holding his cheek in a soft caress. It felt like forgiveness and he leaned his head into it, closing his eyes.
“When I’m with you, I know you’re thinking about me before anything else. I can’t lie and say I wasn’t scared.” Her hand trembled against his face. “But I knew if there was a way out, you’d find it. Don’t apologize.”
“I’ve always enjoyed the rush of danger and the euphoria of conquering death, but I absolutely did not enjoy the fear I felt tonight when you were in danger. It made me think—is that what everyone else feels about me?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes!” She stepped closer.
Wyatt’s heart hit against his chest like it was reaching out to her. “That’s exactly how I feel. And when you were climbing that mountain last winter. When you were in the Amazon with no cell phone service for weeks. If I thought about it, I wouldn’t be able to function.” She placed a hand over his chest where his heart beat for her.
His breath came shallow and fast, and his brain had all but shut down. Vaguely, he remembered there were reasons he couldn’t get this close to Harper, why he couldn’t put his arm around her waist and draw her to him, but he couldn’t remember. Didn’t want to remember.
Her body touched his. He put his other hand around her neck, threading it under her hair, tilting her head up. “Stay away from me. Stay away so I don’t hurt you, drag you into danger. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”
Her lips parted and her tongue touched one corner of her mouth.
Pulses, like electric shocks, ripped through him. Her breath hit his face and her hand slid around to hold the back of his head. Her other hand slid around his waist, slipping under his shirt, shocking his bare skin. His breath came out in a rush, and he lowered his head. All thoughts of anything except taking her lips with his evaporated out of his mind. He’d dreamed of this for so long. He’d almost lost her today. But she was alive, safe and warm in his arms. Her body pressed to his. Two hearts. One heartbeat.
“Harper, I…” He didn’t finish the whispered plea, unsure if he had meant to ask permission, apologize, or maybe even give her the chance to back away.
The distance between their lips vanished, and they were pressed together. Hers were soft and pliant and warm. It was almost enough and not even close to being enough. Behind his closed eyelids hot red and yellow sparks erupted. He pressed his lips tight together, determined to not give reign to the passion and need ripping through his soul. But she sighed and twisted her head slightly. The friction as their lips moved over each other burst in his head, and the beast inside—the one that caused him to climb mountains, race too fast, and ride dangerous rapids—roared to life.
His mouth opened and he caught her sigh, took it in, tasted it, savored it because it was Harper’s. He growled, pressing her to him, lifting her against him. His tongue plunged into her mouth, and the kiss he’d dreamed about for years became reality.
Her hand gripped his head, pulling him closer, her mouth opened under his, her tongue dueled with his, her arm wrapped around him and he pressed her against the wall, his hands roaming freely down her sides and through her hair, like he couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t touch her enough, couldn’t feel her enough. He groaned, frustrated he couldn’t get closer, needing the reaffirmation of life after her brush with death.
But he was going too fast. Vaguely he realized it. He pulled back, some part of him afraid that she’d come to her senses and slap his face. But she had kissed him back. He was sure of it. Unable to bear the idea of letting her go, he leaned back and looked into her eyes.
Harper’s breath came in heavy pants. She forced her eyes open and met Wyatt’s gaze, hoping he didn’t misread the wide-eyed wonder in hers. Nothing in her relationship with Wyatt had prepared her for her body’s reaction to his kiss.
Hoping she wasn’t being presumptuous, she whispered, “More.”
Wyatt’s eyes lowered. His head drifted toward hers. His hand moved slowly and lightly up and down the curve of her waist. His other hand traced slow circles on the back of her neck. The passionate haze that had enveloped her settled more closely around, fogging her brain, narrowing her thoughts down to just one focus: Wyatt. His lips on hers, his hands, his body, the beat of his heart, the scent of him, rich and spicy. Natural.
His head moved to the side. She held back a whimper of frustration, which changed to a purr of contentment when he kissed the corner of her eye. The edge of her jaw. Just beside her lip. His stubble rubbed lightly against her sensitive skin, and she remembered earlier that she’d wanted to bite him. The urge came back. Powerfully. She clamped it down. This was a gentle kiss. A romantic kiss.
He kissed the tip of her nose, then her other cheek.
Her hands moved to his face and she caught his cheeks between them. “My lips, Wyatt. You can kiss your sister on the nose.”
“I don’t know why the frig I’d want to,” Wyatt murmured.
She smiled, and he smiled, their gazes connecting just before their lips touched. Gently. Sweetly. Light, butterfly touches that drove sensation through her body, settling in her stomach. The kiss was delicate and mild.
Until it wasn’t.
Unsure how it happened, Harper realized her body strained against his, and her hands clutched his shoulders. He crushed her closer; she clung to him and their mouths were deeply, intimately joined together.
“Wyatt,” Kayla shouted. Impatience clear in her voice. Harper came far enough out of the passion fog to realize that it wasn’t the first time she’d said his name.
Wyatt’s head lifted.
She almost doubled over from frustration and disappointment. Who would have guessed that kissing Wyatt would be so…consuming? Sure, he was extremely handsome with a great physique. But, whoa. She had never dreamed that there might be so much passion between them. Which couldn’t be a good thing since they were just friends.
She wanted more. More kissing, and more than just friends.
His arms loosened slightly. She allowed her hands to drop. He cleared his throat.
“What?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Talk.”
Kayla didn’t say anything.
As much as Harper didn’t want to leave the circle of Wyatt’s arms, she understood what the silence meant. She swallowed, trying to tamp down the heat and stop the racing of her heart.
“I want to get a shower and head to bed anyway.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at Wyatt while she spoke. Maybe she was afraid that she wouldn’t see the same powerful emotions that rioted inside her reflected in his face.
That would be devastating. Maybe this didn’t mean as much to him, and maybe it didn’t change anything for him. For her, it had been life-changing.
She moved. Wyatt’s hands tightened on her waist, and she stopped without looking at him.
For a moment he didn’t say anything, and she realized she was holding her breath.
“I’ll be back shortly,” he said in a scratchy voice.
Maybe he said that for Kayla’s benefit.
It didn’t matter.
If she reminded herself of that often enough, she might be able to believe it.
Forcing a smile, she looked up. “I’m first back, so I get to pick my spot.” Kayla wouldn’t know Harper was referring to the ongoing competition Wyatt and she had about who was sleeping on the floor.
Chuckling a little at the thought, she watched Wyatt’s eyes crinkle. The concern in them faded away.
“I might have to eject you.” Wyatt winked at her. His hands loosen
ed and she walked away.
Chapter Twenty
Wyatt turned to Kayla, trying to keep the irritation off his face. Like his friends were conspiring against his campaign with Harper. They didn’t even know about it. If they did know about it, they probably would try to undermine it, since Harper was apparently so different from any girl they expected to see him with.
There was a lot more to him than his friends on the slopes saw.
Harper, everything about her, worked for him. And the kiss they’d just shared more than confirmed that they would be perfect together as a couple. There was no better way to build a forever relationship than on the foundation of true friendship. Unfortunately, the more he saw her here, in Chile, the less he thought she’d be happy here. Not only did she not want to leave her home or family in Pennsylvania, but fitting in would be an uphill battle.
And he had no choice. His dad would accept no other alternative than Wyatt taking over the ski resort in Chile.
“Are you listening to me?” Kayla put one hand on her hip. The expression on her face was indistinct in the faint light, but irritation sounded plain in her voice.
“I wasn’t. Sorry.” Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest and tried to focus. His heartrate hadn’t returned to normal, neither had anything else. It seemed like nothing would ever be normal again. His world had shifted. He hoped Harper’s had, too. It seemed impossible to work their futures out together, but if what she felt was as powerful as what he felt, it would make sense to try.
“I’m sorry for not turning around right away. I knew almost immediately that you weren’t behind me, but I was afraid of what I’d see.” She hung her head. He uncrossed his arms and moved toward her. After taking a tremulous breath, she looked up again. “I know it was cowardly of me, but I really thought you’d gone over the edge. I didn’t want to face that alone.”
“It worked out. Don’t worry about it.” Wyatt put a hand on her shoulder and shook it gently. “Forget about it.”
Better Together Page 16