by Marina Adair
And Avery felt tough.
A sentiment she carried with her as she double-tapped her mouse and opened one of her impressive spreadsheets, then entered some figures like a ninja. She already had enough volunteers for the entire week of SAREX, and she was getting ready to shut it down when her twelve o’clock appointment waltzed in—almost five hours late.
Squaring her shoulders, she said, “You made it.”
Brody plopped down on the chair across from her desk and sprawled out as if he owned the place. “You wanted to meet for lunch. I never stand up a beautiful lady.”
“It’s almost dinnertime.”
He looked at his watch and shrugged. “My bad. I had a checkup on my ankle, and it took longer than expected.”
The finger-combed hair and faint hint of lip gloss told her that it had been a home visit.
“Well, you’re here now,” she said in her most professional tone. “And, I have to say, for a sprain as bad as the note implied, you look good.”
Way too good for someone who was in his second week of a mandatory three-week recovery, which happened to coincide with the last fall of powder for the season. He was in baggy sweats, a SLICED UP MY HOOD T-shirt that was from Oregon and looked right out of the package, and a foot bootie.
“Nice bootie,” Avery said. It was light blue, looked a little small for his foot, and removable.
Brody gave it a pat. “Another week with this baby, then the doc said I’m good to return to work. Then it’s all wilderness, all the time. It’s getting a little lonely at home, resting in bed all day long.” He winked. “You should come over, keep me company.”
Avery stood and walked around the desk. “I have a better idea.”
“Yeah?” Brody leaned back and rested his hands behind his head, striking a pose that had Avery rolling her eyes.
“Oh yeah.” She picked up a stack of files she’d created. Thirty-six in all. Each one represented a class Cal-SAR intended to offer at this year’s training. Inside she had detailed all of the necessities each class required. She dropped them in his lap.
“Oufffff,” he said, jerking forward as the breath left his body. He glanced at a file, opened it, and then gave a broody frown. “What is all of this?”
“That is adulthood,” Avery said with a smile. “It’s time you paid it a visit. You can get your feet wet by reading the requirements of each class, then filling out a location request for where you think each class should be staged and held. Many of the classes need the same type of terrain and are taught by the same instructors, so be sure to cross-check and cross-reference so you don’t book two classes on the same trail or an instructor in two classes at the same time.”
Brody set the files back on her desk. “No can do, babe. Doctor said he can’t clear me for another week.”
Avery sat on the corner of her desk. “That means you can’t help with any of the prep for the event, but you’ll be healed in time to benefit from the free admission you get as a lodge employee.”
Brody shrugged his shoulder as if he’d just realized that. “Guess I’m lucky it was only a sprain.”
“Me too,” Avery said. “Because had it been a break you wouldn’t have been able do anything but lounge around watching Comedy Central all day in bed.”
“If I was in bed, I wouldn’t be watching television.” He winked.
Avery ignored him. “According to this doctor’s note, though, a sprain exempts you from field work but not office work.”
He sat up. “But I’m not a coordinator, I’m a guide.”
“Right.” Avery picked up the handbook and flipped to the section that covered training and special events at the lodge. “But during big training events, every member of the team is required to pitch in and help prepare in the weeks prior. It’s why you get free admission into the events. And since you aren’t cleared to help scout trails and test rappelling gear with the chopper runs tomorrow, you get to stay here, in the warm office.” Avery picked up the files and plopped them on her desk.
“I didn’t read that part,” Brody said, as if his laziness was a viable excuse.
“Funny, because there’s a box you initialed in your contract that said you read and understood the entire handbook,” Avery informed him. “If you want, I can call Dale since he did your interview and ask him how to proceed?”
She couldn’t tell if he was pouting or going to cry, but finally he shook his head. “Nah, guy wouldn’t remember what we talked about anyway.”
Avery considered putting her kick-ass boots to work but decided that nothing was going to ruin her night. Not even Brody. “Great, then you can start with these, and whatever you don’t finish tonight you can work on tomorrow, but they’ll need to be complete before I come in tomorrow at eleven.”
“Eleven.” He stood. “No way am I going to bust my ass to do your work so you can sleep in.”
“Oh, my day starts with the sun tomorrow. Since you’re injured, I’m going out to scout trails for SAREX, which is why we need a list of places to start,” she said, grabbing the jacket off the back of her chair, zipping it until she reached maximum cleavage, and heading for the door. “Be sure to lock up when you’re done.”
“Wait, what if I have a question about something?”
“Put on a harness. It might get you in the zone.”
Avery played it cool until she pushed through the side door of the lodge, which led to the parking lot. Once those doors closed behind her, though, she did a little victory dance, complete with some fist pumping and booty shaking. She hadn’t walked softly, nor had she swung a big stick. Nope, a little gentle confidence was all she’d needed to make her mark.
“Are you going to do the chicken dance next? If so I want to get my phone out and record it.”
Avery spun around and found Ty wearing mirrored aviator glasses, a black leather jacket, and boots that were so battered they only added to the bad-boy vibe that he had going on. He was also straddling a motorcycle and wearing a smile that said he was looking for trouble.
CHAPTER 12
Avery knew that smile well. Was so affected by its power that one flash and her body sighed a breathless Oh my.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
He looked down at his bike and lifted a single brow, which in itself wasn’t a sexy gesture, but everything Ty did sent her hormones into a frenzy. “Going for a ride. You?”
“Oh, just waiting for Harris.”
“You might be waiting awhile.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on the handlebars in a move that was all male grace and swagger. “He got a call-out. Something about hikers in a snowstorm.”
“How sad for him.” Avery tilted her head and studied the sky. The sun was setting as a gentle evening breeze blew the scent of poppies and pine across the lake, and there wasn’t a single cloud in sight. “A snowstorm on a perfectly beautiful spring night?”
“Some freak blizzard or something.”
She walked over and stopped short of the front tire. “Shouldn’t you go help then?”
“Nope. I’m on vacation for another week, so I figured I’d start enjoying myself.” His gaze dropped to her cleavage. “Nice jacket.”
She ran her hands down the front. “It’s Mavis’s. And the kick-ass boots are Grace’s.” She looked around the parking lot, surprised to find it empty. “Where are Mavis and the girls? They’re supposed to be here.”
“Mavis stopped by my mom’s earlier while I was there. She said she has a big date tonight, and the ladies are helping her get ready. I guess she went to a funeral yesterday and met some retired football player who’s helping her improve her passes.”
“I don’t think she needs any help in that department.”
“Me either,” Ty said. “I’m pretty sure she goosed me the other night at the brewhouse. She feigned innocence, but I wasn’t buying it.”
“She’s fast.”
“Not as fast as this bike.” The cool timbre of his voice rolled down her spine and
liquefied her entire body.
“So you met with your mom?” she asked, and the way his mouth tightened told her it hadn’t been a good chat. She took a step forward and placed her hands on his. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I want to talk, but not about that,” he said, flipping his hands over so that he could lace their fingers. “I heard you were looking to check some more things off that list of yours, and I figured we worked so well together last time, we should give it a second go round.”
Understanding and respecting his need for a distraction, Avery said, “We already had a second go round on Cedar Rim.” She bit her lower lip. “Then we had a third go round—oh, a few hours ago in my office. So, to be clear, what kind of go round are you offering?”
Avery prepared herself for some witty comeback or charming line, but she welcomed the warm surprise when instead he said, “The kind where we talk and laugh and maybe do some kissing by a campfire. Okay, we’ll definitely do some kissing. Lots of kissing by a big fire.” He grabbed her by the hips and steered her around to his side. “And touching too.”
“I like touching,” she breathed. To demonstrate how much, she ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders, the leather softening as she went.
“Me too,” he said with a voice as rough as tossed gravel.
“What happens when the fire burns out?”
“I don’t think that’s our problem, angel.”
A flutter ignited and settled right beneath her belly button. No, burnout wasn’t going to be a problem. If anything, their chemistry increased with every look, every touch, every single sexy grin he threw her way.
“Remember, the fire’s big so it will take a long time to burn, maybe all night. But I promise when it finally does we’ll both come home feeling a hell of a lot lighter than when we left.” His thumbs dipped under the hem of her jacket and rubbed the naked skin beneath. “What do you say?”
Avery didn’t know what to say. It was quite possibly the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her, and her head was trying to catch up to her heart.
“I guess I want to know if you know how to drive this thing fast. Like burn rubber down the interstate with only the moon lighting our way fast?” she asked, because according to Mavis this was important stuff.
“I was born fast.” He lowered his voice to the panty-melting level that she loved. “That’s not to say I don’t appreciate a little slow action now and again. So what do you say? You, me, and the stars?”
Maybe it was the boots, or perhaps the jacket, or maybe she was too excited over the possibilities of what the next few hours could hold. Because even though Mavis wasn’t there to see her ride off into the sunset, Avery still felt like tonight was a success, so she took the helmet and said, “I want to fly.”
“That’s my specialty,” he whispered.
Without another word, Avery climbed on, wrapped her arms tight around his torso, and—whoosh!
Ty gave it gas and they tore up the windy mountain road, gaining so much speed the pine trees blurred by and their bodies pressed tighter and tighter together until there wasn’t an inch of space between them. Her front was so plastered against his back that she could feel every curve, every hard-won muscle moving and shifting with the bike. And she could feel all of the rules and expectations and pressing history fade into the night sky as the sun dipped behind the mountain range.
Most importantly she could feel thighs of steel and that butt—definitely tight enough to bounce quarters off.
Within moments a million stars began to shine through the inky sky, lighting the road and dancing off the river to their side. She could hear the water rushing around the side of the mountain and over the rocks, stirring up an earthy smell of sprouting moss and moist clay.
A hand tightened on her thigh, and over the wind she heard, “You ready to fly?”
Avery had been born ready—it had just taken her body twenty-seven years to catch up. And she wasn’t going to wait another minute.
“I’m ready.” At the words, a heady mix of thrill and terror pumped through her body, causing her hands to lock around his waist so tightly she was sure he couldn’t breathe.
As if sensing her unease, Ty placed his hand over hers and gave them a comforting squeeze. “I got you, Avery.”
Avery wanted to believe him. Wanted to know what it felt like for someone to carry her burden, the weight of not knowing what tomorrow held. But life had taught her better. Her mother, her father, even Carson had promised to love her forever, but love wasn’t enough to go the distance.
Ty was different, though. He wasn’t asking for her love, wasn’t even asking for more than a night out under the stars. He just wanted her to take this ride—with him. And something about the capable way he handled his world made giving herself over to this moment feel easy. Right.
“I’m glad someone does,” she said, loosening her grip slightly.
His hand came to cover hers, as if saying, Don’t let go.
His chuckle carried on the wind as they crested the top of a ridge and then started to circle down, hugging the mountain as they drove toward the glowing moon.
It feels like flying, she thought, closing her eyes and letting her head tilt back. Every cell in her body seemed to hum to life at the same exact moment. Her chest tingled, her hands shook, her stomach went into a free fall—and Avery felt as if she’d earned a set of wings.
Being young and carefree was a foreign concept. Avery had spent her childhood caring for her mother and until recently waiting for the green light to start living. But Mavis was right, straddling a motorcycle with a good-looking man pressed to her front made Avery feel invincible.
“Where are we headed?” she asked, but it didn’t matter. Wherever they ended up would be the start of her biggest adventure yet.
To hell, Ty thought as he dismounted the bike, took Avery’s hand, and led her down to the river’s edge. He was as aware of how good she felt by his side as he was that his time here was winding down.
He should have run in the opposite direction the second Harris showed up with his bike and this ridiculous plan. Only the opposite direction led to dinner at his parents’, and Ty couldn’t stomach another argument with his dad.
Not after today.
He didn’t have it in him.
Fighting his dad, the guilt, the uncertainty—the overwhelming itch to pack up and head back to his beach and the simple existence he’d created. He didn’t have the energy for it. Not when he had the possibility to lose himself in the one person who always managed to make him smile.
And man oh man, when he’d seen Avery in the parking lot, dancing as if no one was watching—her life’s motto it seemed—he’d been unable to tear his gaze away. Her hair had been loose, her jeans snug, and she’d had on this red jacket that was designed to make a man think about taking it off.
Slowly.
But it was how she approached life, as if every day had the potential to be amazing, that fascinated him—calmed him. Made him feel connected to something pure.
“You seem to know exactly where we’re going. Do you come here a lot?” she asked, their hands swinging as they walked.
Ty never considered himself a hand swinger, but tonight it felt good. “I know nearly every inch of these mountains. But yes, I’ve spent more time here than other places.”
“Ah, the secret high school hangout,” she said when they reached a circle made from felled trees enclosing a makeshift fire pit. “Did you and Harris used to bring girls up here? Sweet-talk them into skinny-dipping?”
“My brother and I used to come here to camp, fish, get away from Dad. Sometimes Harris would come along,” he said. “But no, you’re the first girl I’ve brought here. As for the skinny-dipping part, that depends if it’s on your list.”
“It’s not on the list,” she said, sounding as disappointed as he felt.
“We can add it.”
“The list doesn’t work that way,” she said, disappearing
behind a tree to pick up some twigs.
“Your list has rules?” Ty set his pack next to one of the logs and went about gathering some dry kindling. “What am I saying? Of course it has rules. You probably read some handbook on how to make a bucket list.”
“It’s not a bucket list. It’s a memory journal.” She appeared from behind an outcropping of trees holding a pile of dried needles. “And tonight we’ll both benefit from my need to read handbooks, because I’m going to make fire.”
She made a flint rock and a tiny pocketknife appear out of nowhere. Where she’d been hiding it Ty could only guess. He eyed her jacket, which barely had enough room for her cleavage, and decided she must have stashed it in her jeans.
“Stand back and be amazed.”
Ty considered keeping quiet, letting her have her fun, but he knew that in the mountains it didn’t take long after the sun went down to drop from chilly to butt-ass cold.
“Or you could use this.” Ty pulled out a lighter and held it in the air.
She contemplated her options, then smiled. “Lighter tonight, tomorrow I’ll make fire from the batteries and wires in my flashlight.”
“Your call,” he said, but she already had the lighter in hand and the tinder smoking. Within minutes the soothing crackling of the fire filled the air, and they were seated next to each other on the ground, using the log as a support. They weren’t touching, but she was close enough that he could smell the heat of the fire mixing with the sweetness of her perfume. It was a heady combination.
Ty dug into his bag and pulled out a bag of marshmallows.
“Are we making s’mores?” she asked, her smile so bright it was contagious.