He carried the blankets in one arm and put his other around her. “You know that’s not true. You’ll use your legs to anchor you in the boat in rough water.”
“I’ll be fine.” She didn’t want to argue about her capabilities, not after the beautiful night they’d had.
“Listen, Speed—Jon—is a doctor. Why don’t you let him check you out?”
“The ladies’ man? No thanks. I’m fine. It’s just overuse.” He was loaded down like a packrat with the backpack and blankets. “Do you want me to take one of those blankets?”
He draped one blanket around his neck, carrying the other under his arm. “Not a chance, my stubborn girl. I’m not putting any more weight on your leg than necessary. And I’m going up the hill behind you in case you have trouble.”
“What am I, five?” She cringed at her knee-jerk reaction and began climbing the rocky hill, stifling the urge to curse at the dull ache in her leg.
“You’re stubborn enough to be,” he teased.
“So I’ve been told.” Too many times to count. At the top of the hill, she pushed off with her foot. “Ow, shit.”
He put his hand on her ass, boosting her up to flat ground. “Babe, what have you got to prove? You’ll still finish the race for your sponsors.”
“I told you,” she ground out, limping toward her tent. She didn’t want to fight with him, but between the ache in her leg and not wanting to appear weak, she was stuck in some confusing middle ground. “I don’t need a knight in shining armor. I’ve got this.”
“Goddamn it, woman,” he said sharply. “I’m not trying to do the race for you. We just got past a major hurdle last night, and I want to spend time with you. Is that a fucking crime?”
She spun around, her heart squashing her pride one beat at a time. “You just want to spend time with me?”
“Yes! Is that so hard to believe?”
“Not because I’m limping?” she challenged. “Or because you think I’m scared to do it alone because of almost drowning? Because I’m not. That incident just made me more determined to kick every river’s butt every chance I get.”
“Jesus.” His tone softened, and her resolve followed. “How did I fall for the one woman who doesn’t want help?” A sexy smile lifted his lips. “I worry for the rivers you take on. I want you with me, Aiyla. Stubbornness and all.”
“Why didn’t you just say that?” she snapped. A whirlwind of emotions burgeoned inside her, and the frustration over the unrelenting pain in her leg made it difficult to control her emotions.
He dropped the blankets and closed the distance between them. “Either you need a hearing aid or I need English lessons.”
“I’m sorry,” she relented. “It’s my fault. My leg does hurt, and I hate to admit it, much less accept help to get past it. I thought you were just trying to…”
“Do the right thing?” he offered. “Be your boyfriend? Because that’s what I am now. We spent the night together under the stars. In some cultures, that means we’re married.”
She laughed and touched her forehead to the center of his chest, wishing she hadn’t reacted so poorly. “For a world traveler, you know very little about other cultures.”
“Are you saying I’m wrong? Because I’m pretty sure it’s the Bradonian way.”
“Ah, that culture. By that standard, we were married back in Saint-Luc.”
“Which explains my fidelity. Now kiss me before I drag you by your hair back to my tent and show you what happens to women who argue with Bradonian men.”
“Promises, promises.”
TY HAD TO do some fast talking and shell out a few bucks on the ride over to the river to get his buddies to give up their two-person raft and take his and Aiyla’s singles. As they geared up for the race, stealing kisses every chance they got, Trixie teased them about getting a room. He was all in, wanting privacy as badly as Trixie wanted them to find it. And from the heat in Aiyla’s touch, he knew she was on the same page. They were right back where they’d been his last night in Saint-Luc—only this time she knew the truth about his past, and she wasn’t holding back. By the time they started the race, Aiyla was favoring her leg even more than she had that morning, and they were closer than they’d been just hours earlier.
Aiyla sat in the front of the raft, paddling like her arms were made for it, keeping up a demanding pace to remain near the front of the competition. By midafternoon, her skin glistened with the sheen of a golden tan. The unforgiving sun beat down on them like a competitor all its own, oppressive and constant. The splash of the icy water was a welcome reprieve.
“My girlfriend is a fierce competitor in her own right,” he called out to her. “But together we’re unstoppable.”
“Double trouble,” they said in unison.
Ty had traveled all over the world, but as far as rivers went, none compared to the wild Colorado, which had carved its path over time, creating epic scenery of jagged cliffs, mountainous terrain, and flowering prairies. Ty had taken one of his favorite nature photographs on this very river—a rainbow in the mist by a waterfall. It was a heart-stopping picture. But when they hit calmer water and Aiyla glanced over her shoulder, locking her bright hazel eyes on him, nothing compared to the beauty sitting an arm’s length away.
“How are you holding up back there, Bradonian?” Before he could answer, she said, “Are your fingers itching to climb those rocks?”
“My fingers are itching, and there’s something I want to climb, but it’s not rocks.” He wanted to guide the boat to the shore and show her just how much he’d missed her. He’d start with massaging her leg, kissing away the pain, and work his way up her body, until he’d tasted and memorized every inch. He gripped the paddle tighter, trying to fight the onslaught of dirty thoughts.
Her laughter sailed around them, and she tipped her head up toward the sky and sighed. He imagined her gazing up at him when he was buried deep inside her, and just like that he was hard as stone. He dipped his hand into the cool water and splashed it on his face, but the image of her lying beneath him was too strong and the desire to make it real was even stronger. He doused his chest and groin with water, mentally trying to calculate the time it would take him to hike the final leg of the race tomorrow. Anything to distract himself from more cock-hardening thoughts.
When he was able to breathe a little easier, he said, “How’s your leg holding up?”
“Fine.” A second later she said, “Not exactly fine, but it’s okay. I could have done it alone, but I’m glad you asked me to ride with you. I’ve missed you.”
How could three words make his heart feel so full? “I’ve missed us.”
Damn, had he ever missed her. Her voice, that smile, those lips. Staying on safer topics than exploring the dips and curves of her body, he said, “Did you get to that little village outside Saint-Luc to take pictures?”
“You really do remember everything.” She glanced at him again, and in the few seconds their eyes connected, sparks ignited.
She faced front again and thrust her paddle in the water. He doused himself with more cold water, but short of diving in, he held no hope of his erection deflating.
“I never got there,” she said. “But I hope to someday. What about you? Did you get the assignment in South Africa you were vying for? In that Xhosa village?”
“It looks like it. We’re hoping to schedule time early next year.”
She whooped just as they hit the rapids. “I’m so happy for you! You’re going to get amazing pictures.”
When he’d first told her about the potential assignment, they’d talked for hours about the remote South African villages she’d visited with Ms. F as a teenager, and the ones she still wanted to visit. He’d imagined taking those trips together, spending days exploring, climbing, taking pictures and learning about the cultures, and spending long steamy nights wrapped in each other’s arms.
Come with me was on the tip of his tongue, but he forced himself to hold back, afraid of rushing her
and wanting to push her in equal measure. Instead he said, “Remember when we made that list of the places we wanted to show each other?”
The nose of the raft lifted and fell over the rapids, dousing them with water, earning a shriek of delight from Aiyla. Music to his ears.
“How could I forget?” she hollered. “Your list included three of the world’s tallest mountains, and mine were mostly desolate little villages.”
They fell silent as they navigated rougher water, struggling to keep pace with the others as the raft careened at angles that could toss them out at any second. Ty’s entire focus shifted from winning the race to keeping Aiyla safe. But she was shrieking and laughing, taking it all in stride, as fearless as ever.
When the river widened and the rapids tamed, she glanced over her shoulder and he leaned in, stealing a slippery, rocky kiss, as the competition paddled by.
“We make a great team, baby.” He pulled her into another kiss, hearing more rafts approaching and Speed’s voice hollering something about taking their time.
He and Aiyla came away laughing. Her eyes were as bright as her smile. Her hair clung to her shoulders, drenched, like her clothing. Her arms were red from their efforts, and if she was fatigued, it didn’t show. He was falling head over heels for her all over again, with no desire to put on the brakes.
He leaned in for another kiss, and she said, “We’ll fall behind.”
He felt a smile tugging at his lips. “Never again, baby cakes. Don’t you feel it? We’re an invincible force. No one can touch us.”
Chapter Six
THE RIVER RACE had stopping points along the shore with volunteers waiting with food and first aid. Aiyla and Ty chose not to stop and ate energy bars on the raft to make up for their impromptu make-out sessions, of which they’d had many over the course of the day. Ty had been making sexy innuendos all afternoon, flashing his killer smile, and touching her every chance he got. Aiyla wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her hands to herself once they were on dry land, especially knowing that his feelings for her had driven him to introspection, and in turn, to becoming an even better man.
As they neared the finish line, spectators cheered from the shore. Aiyla and Ty were neck and neck with Speed and two other competitors. Even though they’d reregistered as a couple for this leg of the race and weren’t technically in competition with Speed or the other two solo rafters, with the win in sight, adrenaline surged inside Aiyla, and the drive for first place took over. Crossing the finish line together with Ty would be even more meaningful. All of her senses were heightened as they paddled down the final stretch. They moved wordlessly onto the sides of the raft, their arms pumping harder with every downward strike.
“Hell no!” Speed yelled when they plowed past him. He kicked up his efforts, the nose of his raft sailing ahead, then falling behind as they plowed past.
“Faster!” Aiyla hollered, rising onto one knee to deepen her strides.
Ty’s laughter was swallowed by the cheers of the crowd. “We’ve got this, baby!”
They flew past the other competitors, putting them in first place. Aiyla cheered, but just as the high-pitched sound left her lungs, Speed flew past again. In the next stroke, she and Ty nosed past him by a handful of inches, crossing the finish line first, with a trail of competitors in their wake. They held up their paddles, screaming and cheering, and fell into each other’s arms—and out of the boat—laughing and kissing as their entangled bodies crashed into the cold, dark water.
Ty clung to her with one arm, using his other to help propel them upward. They breached the surface, bobbing beside their raft, panting, and kicking their feet to stay afloat. All around them rafts sailed past, collecting in groups near the shore. Aiyla had won races before, but never had she felt so fulfilled, so completely and utterly elated, as she did right then in the cold water, clinging to her man. She pressed her mouth to his, and as always, she quickly got lost in him. Her legs failed to function, and they began to sink below the surface. Someone grabbed her from behind, lifting her a few inches out of the water. She blinked away the heat of the moment and followed Ty’s annoyed gaze to Speed, who was holding her up by the shoulder of her life vest.
“Christ, Braden,” he said with a smirk. “You trying to drown the poor woman?”
Ty’s gaze shifted to her. As if he’d read her thoughts, all that annoyance turned to something much deeper, causing her heart to tumble out. “I could drown in you and I’d still be more alive than ever.”
“Aw, baby.” His words were full of emotion, and as his mouth came down over hers, Speed uttered a curse and released her life jacket, sending them sinking once again.
A few hours later, they were taken to their campsite, where they showered and changed into warm, dry clothes. Aiyla took another round of painkillers, wondering how she was going to get through tomorrow’s hike but unwilling to give up. She was gathering her toiletries when Trixie came into the bathroom.
“There’s the girl who’s got Ty’s heart all aflutter.” Trixie opened one of the shower stalls and hung up her towel.
“Hi,” Aiyla said, doing a silent happy dance over her comment. “We had fun today.”
“Clearly. He’s out there setting up your tent beside his, far away from everyone else.” She stepped inside the stall and turned on the shower, speaking loudly from behind the door. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
He’s setting up my tent? “Like what?” Aiyla ran a brush through her hair.
“I’ve known Ty for years, and he’s always been an every-man-for-himself type of competitor. But with you, everything’s different.”
“I hope you mean different in a good way.”
“Yes, in a good way.”
“Do you guys see each other a lot?” Aiyla asked.
“A few times a year at charity events, and when I’m in Maryland working with his cousin Nick, who’s a freestyle horse trainer. We get together for drinks or dinner. You know, hang out and give each other a hard time.” A few minutes later the water shut off, and she said, “He’s like an overprotective brother to me. Wait. When did you last see him?”
“Over the winter. About four months ago.”
“That explains a lot.” Her towel flopped over the top of the stall, and Aiyla heard her getting dressed. She stepped out of the stall in a pair of jeans and a hoodie, finger-combing her hair. “Don’t take this wrong. I love Ty. He’ll give a stranger the shirt off his own back. But I’m used to seeing him check out anything in a skirt, and when we had drinks a couple months ago, he wouldn’t give anyone the time of day, and I mean anyone.”
Aiyla couldn’t help but smile. “He sort of mentioned that to me.”
“He did? That’s different, too. Ty’s a master at keeping women at arm’s length. I guess when you hooked up in Switzerland, you two really hit it off. I mean, it’s obvious how hot you are together. Y’all practically combust every time you look at each other.” She flipped her head over and began drying her hair.
“We didn’t hook up,” Aiyla corrected her.
Trixie gave her an incredulous look. “Come on. Y’all never…”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but no.” She pushed herself up and sat on the counter. “We were together twenty-four seven for five days, but we never…” Her confession hung in the air between them.
“No freaking way. Holy shit, Aiyla. Why not? I mean, look at him.”
“It wasn’t like we didn’t want to, but you know, he’s Ty Braden, and I’d heard about his reputation, so I wasn’t in a hurry to jump into bed with him. But we hiked, and went to museums, and were busy every second. We stayed up most nights talking, and we didn’t leave each other’s side for five whole days. The few hours we did sleep, we were in each other’s arms, but fully dressed, and we usually fell asleep wherever we were talking. On the balcony, on a couch, on the floor. It was like we were instantly so connected, we didn’t need that to make it real. I fell hard for him, b
ut I honestly wasn’t even sure we’d ever see each other again.” She explained what happened on their last night together and how they’d left their relationship up to fate. “And now here we are, and it’s like no time—and a lifetime—has passed. Everything feels more intense. Even better than I ever imagined it could be.”
“Wow. That’s what my mama calls ‘the real thing.’ My parents met when they were teenagers. My mother said no matter how many times they broke up, life kept leading them back to each other.” She went back to drying her hair and said, “I need to get myself a dose of whatever you and Ty found in Switzerland.”
They talked for a few more minutes, and then Aiyla went in search of Ty. She followed the dimly lit lanterns illuminating the tents to the far reaches of the camp, wondering if magic like her and Ty’s ever struck twice.
She saw Ty pacing on the far side of a line of shrubs, his phone pressed to his ear. Their tents were set up a few feet away. He hadn’t spotted her, and she took a moment to really look at him. He stopped pacing and raked a hand through his hair, staring into the darkness, his back to her. Worn denim hugged his powerful thighs and slim waist, making his shoulders appear even broader beneath his long-sleeved black shirt. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, press her cheek against that soft shirt, and feel his hard muscles. Her insides went ten types of crazy at the thought of being close.
How did that happen from just looking at him?
There was something magnetic about him. He seemed to always be in motion, even when he was still. Like his mind was whirring and it created an energy around him, calling out to her and drawing her in.
She went to put her clothes away, and a few minutes later Ty’s handsome face appeared through the flaps of the tent.
“Hey, sweet girl. Want some company?”
She sat on her sleeping bag and motioned for him to come closer. He crawled to her like a lion on the prowl, moving over her, one hand on either side, nipping at her lips as he caged her in beneath him. She lowered herself down to the sleeping bag, her heart racing at the predatory look in his eyes. He smelled fresh and manly, his hair still damp from the shower. She tried to lift her hand to touch him, but he laced their fingers together beside her head. His hard body pressed down on her, and boy, did he feel incredible.
Thrill of Love Page 6