Ellie’s quizzical look held a trace of disappointment, and it was the first time in years that Callum was tempted to ignore his brother’s call.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHERYL WAS KEEPING the next day’s activities close to her chest, and it made Ellie more than a little uneasy as she got dressed the next morning for what had simply been called Surprise Adventure Number One. She suspected she had a very different definition of adventure than Cheryl, but she had survived paintball and yoga the day before, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
“You ready?” Callum asked, popping his head around the bathroom door.
That morning he’d been awake before her, showered and ready and writing out on the deck. She’d been exhausted after the late-night English lesson and had almost slept in. She couldn’t miss that day’s outings, despite how tired she was. She’d gotten a slight cold-shoulder vibe off of Brent the evening before at dinner, and she could only assume it was because of the couples yoga. She needed to do damage control and quickly, before the entire week went off the rails and she lost this shot with him.
The shot she definitely still wanted. Right?
“Yeah...ready as I’ll ever be.” She grabbed a ponytail holder and wrapped it around her wrist. “And remember, if it’s anything requiring pairs or couples, opt out so I’ll be paired with Brent.” The night before, away from Callum, she’d realized that the connection between them during the couples yoga had been nothing serious. Hell, it had essentially been a trust exercise. Had she been paired with anyone in the group, there might have been a resulting “bonding,” but it didn’t mean anything. But then back at the cottage, near him again, there had been a moment after her online lesson...
And, of course, he wasn’t making it easy for her to brush him off. “What if it’s something I want to do?”
“We have an agreement, remember?”
He grinned. “I didn’t sign anything.”
“Callum...”
“I’m just saying, we had fun together yesterday, didn’t we?”
Maybe too much fun. Obviously Brent had noticed their connection, as well, which was why he’d backed off. He couldn’t exactly make a play for an unavailable woman without looking like a jerk. “I think it’s time to move into the next phase.”
“The bickering and fighting,” he said, looking disappointed.
She nodded. “Yes. The way we discussed it.” Why was he suddenly not on board? Had he thought things had changed between them the day before? They hadn’t. They absolutely hadn’t...
“Fine. I’ll miss out on the fun so you can reconnect with Brent,” he said, opening the cottage door and grabbing his backpack.
She ignored his pout as she walked past him out of the cottage. “Thank you.”
As the group hiked the side of Willow Mountain an hour later, Ellie’s legs burned. She’d done more exercise so far that week than she’d done all year. Even muscles she hadn’t known existed were aching from the yoga, and it was embarrassing how winded she was propelling her body forward up the trail.
Brent was leading the group and making the trek look easy. Unfortunately, there was no way she could keep pace with him without passing out.
“Water?” Callum asked, handing her a bottle from the backpack he carried with ease.
She accepted it and chugged half before saying, “This is not at all challenging for you?” He was bringing up the rear with her, despite the fact that he looked like he could jog the incline.
“I’m on the S & R crew, and contrary to popular belief, these muscles don’t maintain themselves,” he said, flexing a bicep.
Ellie rolled her eyes, but it was actually a very impressive bicep. “I always assumed it was from carrying boxes of books,” she said. That’s where her exercise typically came from.
Callum laughed, putting the water bottle back. “Well, anytime you want to work out...”
An image of Callum’s body appeared in her mind—wet hair, sweat droplets on his skin from the yoga. Nope. Working out together again was probably not the best idea.
She turned her gaze across the trail toward Brent. He was chatting with Nick, but his gaze met hers and he smiled. A small, secret smile. One she knew well and one that set her pulse racing. They’d definitely been flirting out on the paintball field, and she wasn’t great when it came to reading men, but she could sense that he might be interested in seeing where something between them could lead... Too bad he thought she was engaged. That’s why he’d pulled away the night before.
And while she wanted to let him know that she was open to the possibility of the two of them together again, she needed to be careful not to look as though she’d happily betray Callum. What man wanted a girlfriend that could be so easily swayed? No, she needed to change focus a little and continue to show Brent what he was missing out on. How amazing she could be as a girlfriend.
Turning back to Callum, she reached for his hand. His surprised look almost made her stumble on the trail. “What’s happening?” he whispered.
“Slight change of plans. We’re moving on to jealousy-invoking strategies,” she mumbled under her breath.
He looked slightly annoyed to be used as a pawn in her game, but he’d signed up for this. In fact, this was his doing, so he really had no other choice than to nod and squeeze her hand. “Okay, well, let’s see how he reacts to this,” he said, stopping on the trail and pulling her into his body.
Their slightly sweat-damp shirts connected, and their hearts pounded against one another as he released her hand and cupped her face instead. His gaze burned into hers, and her breath caught and held as his head lowered toward hers.
“What are you doing?”
“Invoking jealousy,” he said with a quick sideways glance toward Brent. “And believe me, it’s working, so just go with it.”
Just go with it. Okay. If it was going to ultimately help with her “get her ex-boyfriend back” mission, she’d allow it. “Okay, but just a small one,” she whispered as she stood on her tiptoes and her lips met his.
Her eyes closed, and he held her face to his as he kissed her softly at first, then with more intensity, more passion...like the kiss at the reunion. His hands moved to her hips, and he held her firmly as he deepened the kiss even more, stealing her already labored breath.
Damn, he was a good kisser. She hadn’t imagined it.
Her arms encircled his neck and her body pressed close to his. A soft moan escaped her, surprising both of them, as they both opened their eyes at the sound.
“Hey, you two, would you like us to come back for you later?” Nick called out.
Ellie stepped back out of Callum’s embrace, her heart thudding in her chest. Shit, she’d totally lost herself there for a moment. The other kiss had messed with her a little, but that was just from lack of kissing in the last few years and the added pressure of their lie. This one had definitely been different.
And she wasn’t quite sure what that meant.
But it wasn’t good.
She forced a laugh. “No, I think we can keep our hands and lips off one another to make it the rest of the way.”
“Speak for yourself,” Callum said, his voice slightly husky next to her.
Ellie swallowed hard. Maybe the kiss had been too much. Maybe they’d gone too far. But a quick glance at Brent reassured her that her plan was working. Her ex was definitely wishing he’d been on the other side of that kiss.
* * *
THE SOUND OF Ellie’s moan was on repeat in Callum’s mind as he continued the steep hike up the side of Willow Mountain. This kiss had definitely been different. Before, he’d been kissing her. This time, she’d definitely been kissing back.
To make Brent jealous, she’d said. He knew better. He’d kissed women in the past who were just casually interested. Ellie’s kiss had reinforced the connection that had developed between
them the day before.
“We made it,” Cheryl said as they moved through a clearing in the trees and the view of the mountain’s edge and valley below came into sight. Lush wilderness spread out before them, and the bright, cloudless day provided the perfect conditions to see far into the distance.
“Wow.” Ellie’s eyes widened as she took in the breathtaking scenery. “This is incredible.”
Her flushed cheeks and the slight heaving of her chest beneath the tight tank top were incredible. He wished they were alone up here on the side of the mountain. This week would be so much better if it was just the two of them.
Could he grab her and kiss her again? Blame it on their quest to make Brent jealous? Or would she push him off the edge?
“So, here’s the surprise,” Cheryl said, opening her backpack. “We’re not going down the same way we came up.” She took out a rappel harness and held it up.
Cool. He hadn’t been rappelling in years.
A quick glance at Ellie revealed she wasn’t as thrilled. Heights weren’t her favorite thing. “Don’t worry, it will be fine.”
“Those harnesses don’t look very strong,” she said.
He laughed. “You’re the lightest one here. You are the last person who should be worried about that.”
“Are we even allowed to do this? Don’t we need a certified person or something?”
Cheryl raised her hand. “That’s me. I’m the certified person.”
Callum nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
Ellie swung to look at him. “You are?”
“Search and rescue crew, remember?” One major perk of being a support member was all of the unique and interesting training he got to participate in. Living in Alaska, certain survival traits were necessary if people wanted to explore the outback regions. Every month, the crew had a new training day focused on some aspect of rescue and safety.
“Don’t know everything about each other after all, huh?” Brent asked as he accepted a harness from Alisha.
The guy was getting on Callum’s last nerve. He alternated between flirting with Ellie and giving her the cold shoulder. Mixed signals. Of course, Ellie wasn’t exactly innocent in all of this, but Callum didn’t like the way Brent was disrespecting both of them. “Every relationship needs some mystery,” he said, accepting two harnesses from Cheryl.
When he turned to Ellie, she’d gone pale. Barely listening, she was moving farther away from the edge. Would she actually go through with the descent? He sighed. Maybe if he opted out and she could go with Brent, she’d find the courage. He approached her and said quietly, “I can opt out and meet you at the bottom if you’d like.”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No. If I’m doing this, I’m going to need you with me.”
Hiding his pleasure was nearly impossible. “Okay. You got it.” For the first time that week, Ellie was choosing him, realizing he was the one she could depend on.
And Callum wouldn’t let her down.
* * *
“OKAY, EVERYONE IS HARNESSED, so we can get started. Two at a time we will make our way down the side of the rock face,” Cheryl told the group.
Ellie’s palms sweat as she peered over the edge of the mountain. The rocks below looked jagged and it had to be a million-foot drop. There was no way she could do this. She didn’t even like looking over the railing in the upper story of the Wild River Mall. If a fall didn’t kill her, a heart attack would.
But how was she supposed to refuse and not look like a wimp?
Just like old times...
This wasn’t the first time she’d gone outside her comfort zone to fit in or impress this group. Was it brave or was she simply not being true to herself by going along with things she had no interest in or desire to do? And would that always be the way if she were with Brent? Always having to compromise? Or was it that she was growing as a person each time she took on a new challenge like this?
At this point, she wasn’t sure.
Cheryl and Mitch went first to show the group how it was done. They may not know trivia answers about one another, but they were certainly well matched as far as their adventurous spirit and energy level went. Maybe that was more important in a relationship—compatibility.
Ellie watched, trying to learn quickly as they approached the edge and turned around.
“Just sit back, plant your feet against the rock wall and release the cable a little at a time,” Cheryl instructed.
Sit back, feet against the rock, release cable.
Seemed simple enough. Too simple. That was all that was required to keep her from dying?
Why was there no air up here? The high altitude was definitely affecting her breathing. Damn, where was her emergency inhaler when she needed it?
“You don’t have to do this,” Callum whispered as he tugged at her harness, making sure it was secure.
Didn’t she?
Looking at Cheryl and Mitch reach the bottom and then Alisha and Nick talking one another through it...everyone encouraging Brent on his lone trek down the side—it didn’t feel like there was any other choice.
“I’m okay. Let’s just get this over with.” They were up next. Everyone else was already at the bottom. Maybe she should have volunteered to go first, gotten it over with quickly and not had an audience.
She took a deep breath. No one else had had any issues. Maybe it wasn’t such a big deal.
“Ready?” Callum asked as they slowly moved toward the edge.
Five minutes and it would be over. She’d be proud of herself for doing it. Better to do something you fear and be proud than chicken out and feel regret. Her old high school motto was back.
At the edge, her breath caught as she glanced down. Had the distance to the ground gotten farther since the last time she looked?
“Better not to look down,” Callum said as he gently turned her around so she would be facing the cliff wall. “Just stare straight ahead as we descend, and we will be at the bottom before we know it.”
She moved her feet backward until they couldn’t go any farther.
What had Cheryl said?
Sit back, feet against the rock and release the cable. Don’t look down and don’t die.
“Okay, let’s lean back. Just like you’re sitting,” Callum said, demonstrating.
He looked so comfortable perched against the side of the cliff. He’d no doubt make this look effortless. No matter what she did she was going to look terrified and awkward.
“Don’t worry about how it looks, just get to the bottom,” Callum said.
Damn, the guy was always in her head.
But he was right. The goal was just to survive this.
“Come on, you got this!” Alisha’s voice echoed throughout the valley, and Ellie sighed as she slowly sat back, placing her weight and all her trust into the harness. Her feet pressed against the wall of the cliff and she waited for the free fall, but instead, she was dangling.
She glanced at Callum. “I’m doing it.”
He laughed. “Yes, you are. Now let’s try moving.”
Moving. Right. She nodded.
“Release the cable slowly. Just small movements,” Callum said, releasing his cable and dropping slightly lower down the rock wall.
Yep. He made it look easy. She took a breath and released her own cable. Her body lowered. About two inches, but at least it was something.
“Great! Now do it again,” Callum said.
She did, and this time she dropped a little farther. She was level with him again. The harness was supporting her weight and her feet were planted against the side of the cliff. She was actually rappelling. She wouldn’t lie and say she was enjoying it, but at least she was doing it.
“Okay, now we just keep going,” he said, dropping lower.
Ellie released her cable and caught up with h
im. Not too bad. She dropped lower, gaining more courage with every few inches.
“See. Nothing to it,” Callum said, smiling down at her. His look of admiration did make her feel good. Making him proud was definitely giving her a warm sensation. One she hadn’t expected. “This scenery is breathtaking,” he said softly, his gaze burning into hers.
“You’re not looking at the scenery. You’re looking at me,” she said.
“I know.”
Her heart raced and she looked away quickly. Unfortunately, she looked down. A wave of nausea hit her hard and dizziness threw her slightly off-balance. Her feet slipped against the rock wall and her knees bent. Her form compromised, she started to sway.
Oh no.
Unable to correct herself, Ellie gripped the cables and closed her eyes as her body crashed into the side of the rock face. Breathing immediately became difficult and her anxiety skyrocketed. What did she do now? She was dangling on the side of a cliff. She was stuck. She couldn’t move. Her body felt completely paralyzed as she hung there.
The voices calling out instructions and encouragement seemed far away...almost dreamlike as she struggled to not black out. Why had she done this? She wasn’t a teenager desperate for friends, desperate for acceptance anymore. She didn’t enjoy these kinds of things, so why was she changing herself?
“Fancy meeting you here,” Callum said.
She slowly opened her eyes to see him next to her. His grin looked slightly forced, and it didn’t hide his concern.
“Is everyone staring?” she whispered.
“Nah, they all went for drinks,” he said.
She shot him a look, but instantly her breathing relaxed a little. “I can’t move. I’m stuck. This is where I live now.”
“You’re not stuck. You’re just afraid. And while this would be a pretty cool place to live, it would get kinda cold in winter.”
Alaska Reunion Page 14