by Isabel Morin
There was no doubt in her mind that he knew exactly what he was doing, and that she was as safe as if she were standing on the ground. After her little tutorial with the climbing instructor, he’d personally checked through all their equipment, answering her many questions.
Jason gave the rope some slack, but still she hesitated. It was an odd feeling to know she’d be falling through the air, even if he was on the other end, controlling her descent.
“Cheryl? You okay?”
Nodding her head, she took a deep breath and pushed off from the wall. A squeal escaped her as she fell several feet.
“You’re doing great,” he called, obviously feeling the need to encourage her.
She pushed off again and he let out more line, but now that she knew what to expect, it wasn’t so scary. In fact, it felt kind of incredible. By the time her feet hit the padded floor, she was euphoric.
“That was amazing,” she said, wiping the sweat out of her eyes with her gloved hand.
“You’re amazing,” he said, smiling. Only this time there was a flare of heat in his eyes that belied his easy-going manner.
She said nothing, unable to speak as her whole body lit up with awareness and heat pooled in her belly and between her thighs.
“Here, drink some water,” he said, handing her a water bottle, and the moment passed.
Then it was her turn to stand at the bottom while he went up, but unfortunately her confidence was starting to wane a bit, and she was almost more nervous than when she’d been the one climbing.
“What if I screw up and you plummet all the way down?” she asked. “Just hypothetically.”
“It would be great if that didn’t happen,” he said, totally deadpan. “But you know what you’re doing. You’re set up perfectly, and you understand what to do, right?”
She breathed out.
“Sorry. Yes, I totally know what to do. I’m just not used to having a big muscle-bound man at my mercy.”
“Oh no?” he asked, his voice suddenly low and rough.
He was looking at her like he had the time she’d dumped water over herself. Like maybe he’d eat her right up.
“You ready?” she asked, trying to get them back on safe footing. “Because if you don’t get going, I might just take another turn.”
With a veiled look at her he headed over to the wall. Cheryl breathed a sigh of relief.
They were both slipping a bit, saying things they would normally have kept to themselves. They were too loose and fired up to be careful, but nothing irreparable had been said. Yet. But it was a near thing, with him looking like he did. With his gym shorts and fitted workout shirt, she was getting an up-close look at his first-rate bod. The weekend scruff he was sporting didn’t help matters.
She wasn’t the only one who noticed, either. She saw several women smile and give him the eye when they passed him, not that he made much of it. He smiled right back, but it was a distracted, automatic smile that meant nothing.
Not that she cared.
It was just a good thing she had an excuse to keep such a close eye on him as he made his way along one of the expert routes. No one had to know that though she was being very careful to do everything right, she was also taking great pleasure in watching his muscles flex and extend, his strength evident in every inch of him.
She’d been cooling off some, but now she felt a whole new flush work its way over her skin. Shaking her head, she forced herself to think only of the technical nature of what they were doing. And she did do everything perfectly during Jason’s climb. By the time he dropped back down she was absurdly pleased with herself.
“I didn’t let you fall to your death at all,” she declared proudly, stepping out of the harness.
He laughed, his hands on his hips. He seemed utterly delighted with her at that moment.
“You were perfect,” he said.
He couldn’t have known that she stopped breathing when he said that, or that the look in his eye was giving her heart palpitations. Or that the sheen of sweat on his skin was leading her to all kinds of naughty ideas.
They separated to shower and met up by the front door. Unfortunately, the effect he was having on her hadn’t washed away in the shower. Seeing his long, hard body stretched out in a chair waiting for her left her feeling like she was still hanging, breathless, high up in the air.
“You hungry?” he asked, jangling his keys. “There’s a decent sandwich place not too far from here.”
“I probably ought to get back,” she said. “I have a ton of work to do.”
Which was true, but it wasn’t easy to turn him down. She liked being with him, but she liked it too much, and both of them were feeling too good, and too physical, for their own good.
They were quiet on the way back. She was tired, the exertion finally catching up to her, and he seemed deep in thought.
“That was a lot of fun,” she said when they pulled into her parking lot. “Even cooler than I expected. Thanks so much for taking me with you.”
“The pleasure was all mine. Besides, you’re a natural.”
She couldn’t help grinning like a fool at the compliment.
“Really, you think so?” she asked.
“I do. We should do it again next week if you’re up for it.”
He must have seen her hesitation, because his smile faded away.
“No pressure, or anything,” he said. “We don’t have to decide now –”
“No, I want to,” she blurted out.
He looked relieved. “Great. Well, you have a good rest of the weekend. Any big plans?”
“Just classwork and prepping for teaching next week,” she said, a twinge in her chest that she had to lie to him. But it was better than telling him she was a stripper. No need for him to know that anytime soon. Or ever.
“No boyfriend, then?” he asked.
She looked at him, trying not to seem too surprised. It was the first time either one of them had outright asked the question, though of course she’d wondered about him. It was hard not to believe some woman hadn’t snapped him up, but since he’d never mentioned anyone, and they were hanging out together on a Saturday, she’d assumed he was single.
“Ah, no. No boyfriend.”
“Good. I mean, then there’s no one to mind me taking you away on Saturday.”
He was looking a tad uncomfortable now. She smiled, glad she wasn’t the only awkward one, and opened the door. “See you Tuesday,” she said, climbing out.
She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away, and she didn’t breathe normally until she was in her apartment, safe behind the door. Then she slumped onto the couch and sighed. She shouldn’t have agreed to see him again next weekend, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
***
The next evening Cheryl arrived at Mama Iguana’s, a favorite local restaurant with great Mexican food, and looked around. Spotting Emily and Lisa, Cutter’s sister, she quickly made her way over to their booth.
“Thank God you called,” Cheryl said. “I seriously needed a break from homework.”
“Your homework, or the students’ homework?” Emily asked, taking a sip of her margarita.
“Both. I’m helping to grade essays on The Scarlet Letter and it’s just about killing me. It’s like some of them are writing about a completely different book.”
“Welcome to the next forty years of your life, sweetie,” Lisa said, shuddering, as if the thought of teaching gave her the willies.
“Great pep talk, Lisa. I’ll remember never to call you.”
“You don’t need a pep talk, you need a drink and maybe a brownie sundae.”
“I definitely need a brownie sundae.”
The waitress came over and took their orders, and then all three of them leaned in again.
“How’s your ballet coming?” Cheryl asked Emily.
Emily’s face lit up. “So far everything’s been pretty amazing. We’re casting it now and I’ve already chosen the principal
s. Rehearsals start the beginning of the year. It’ll be one of three short works, and it’ll run for six weeks.”
“That’s fantastic,” Cheryl said, reaching over to give Emily’s arm a quick squeeze.
“You should see Cutter,” Lisa said. “I never thought he’d be so whipped. He actually beams whenever her name comes up, never mind when she’s in the room.”
Lisa was teasing, as it was obvious she adored Emily, too. She, Cutter and Emily were a family now, a feeling Cheryl hadn’t known in ten years. Longer, really. After her father died when she was fifteen, everything had gone to hell. Beth, the friend she’d gone to live with when she was sixteen, had been like family, but since she was still in Ohio they had to make do with phone calls.
For the first few years after she moved to Nevada she’d been busy just trying to get by day to day, and now she was just trying to get through school. Would she ever have it together enough to have her own family?
“Now we just have to get them married,” Lisa said. “Neither one of them can decide where or when to do the big deed.”
Emily sighed. “My mother wants me to have the wedding in Boston, but that means I have to invite more family and it’ll be more expensive. Plus, it would be harder on everyone out here.”
“You could just do it Vegas style and have it over with in fifteen minutes,” Lisa suggested.
“Trust me, that option is still on the table,” Emily said. She looked at Cheryl and Lisa. “Seriously, would either of you ever consider one of those cheesy chapels?”
“Sure,” Lisa said shrugging. “But I’d make sure they spelled ‘wedding’ right on their sign. That’s where I draw the line.”
“What about you?” Emily asked, turning to Cheryl.
Cheryl dipped another chip into the guacamole. “I’d do it anywhere, so long as I got my guy.”
“Hey there.”
Cheryl jumped at the sound of Jason’s voice, dropping the chip in her lap. Looking up she saw him standing next to their table, smiling down at her. Just the sight of him, just the sound of his voice, really, sent a wave of giddiness through her. Like Christmas morning, every time she saw him.
“Oh, hi,” she said, conscious of Emily and Lisa’s eyes on her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Inwardly she groaned at how lame that sounded, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“This is one of my favorite places. I don’t mean to bother you all, I just wanted to say hi.”
He turned to the man standing next to him, who Cheryl hadn’t even noticed. “Ladies, this is Evan Hunter.”
Cheryl introduced Jason to Emily and Lisa, who were looking alarmingly interested. Just then the waitress came by with their food and Jason and Evan stepped out of the way.
“We’ll let you eat in peace. I’ll see you Tuesday, Cheryl.”
“Why don’t you join us?” Emily asked.
The two men looked at each other.
“We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Jason said, without much force.
“You wouldn’t be intruding, would they, Cheryl? We’ve had plenty of time for girl talk. Have a seat and we’ll get the waitress back over here.”
It was amazing. Emily looked like a helpless little blond, but beneath all that lurked a will of iron.
Jason sat in the empty seat next to Cheryl while Evan pulled up a chair and sat at the end. The waitress came back over and took Evan and Jason’s orders and then disappeared, leaving them all staring at one another. Lisa broke the silence first.
“So Jason, how’s our girl here doing with your students?”
“She’s doing great.”
Cheryl felt herself flush and shot a withering look at Lisa.
“I just hope all those horny boys behave themselves around her,” her friend went on. “I’ll never forget the hell the boys in my class gave Ms. Carpenter in senior year math class. That poor woman was at her wit’s end.”
Cheryl kept her face free of expression but aimed a kick at Lisa. Unfortunately, Jason had stretched his legs out and she connected with something a bit more solid than Lisa’s slender calf. Jason started in surprise but merely smiled and raised an eyebrow in her direction.
“The boys are horny all right, but nothing Cheryl hasn’t been able to handle.”
“So Evan, what is it you do?” Cheryl asked, desperate to turn the subject away from her.
“I’m an ER doctor.”
All three women looked at him in surprise and sat up straighter.
“Damn. It never fails,” Jason complained, looking exasperated. “Every time he says he’s a doctor, women get the same look on their faces. Unbelievable.”
Evan grinned and took a sip of beer. “It does make me sound kind of God-like.”
Jason snorted and tried to hide his amused smirk.
Cheryl watched the interplay between the two of them. They had probably been friends for a long time, given how comfortable they were with each other. And though his friend was undeniably hunky, it was Jason she couldn’t stop looking at. His big body shifted until his elbow was on the back of her chair, giving her an excellent view of his body at ease. It was all she could do not to ignore everyone else at the table.
The five of them chatted through the meal and Cheryl enjoyed herself, but the tension never entirely left her, and she knew who to blame it on. She was so aware of him all the time, and she was getting a vibe that told her he was pretty damn aware of her, too.
The bill came and they all threw money in.
“We’re heading to the Bunkhouse for some music. You guys want to come?” Lisa asked.
Both Cheryl and Emily turned to look at her. No one had mentioned going anywhere else, but as usual Lisa was improvising.
“We’re not exactly dressed for it,” Jason said, looking down at his tee shirt and gym shorts.
“They don’t care about that there,” Lisa replied. “Plus we look good enough for both of you.”
This was true, but actually, the two of them looked plenty hot on their own. Cheryl held her breath, not sure whether she wanted Jason to agree or not. But when he looked at her, a question in his eyes, she couldn’t help but smile at him.
“We won’t even make you dance,” she teased.
“Oh, I’ll dance all right,” he said, a gleam in his eye, and her insides turned to liquid heat.
“I’m in,” Evan proclaimed, standing up.
Emily and Lisa climbed into Cheryl’s car and they headed out, the two men following in their own cars.
“Now’s your chance to snag that hot tamale,” Lisa said.
“Excuse me?” she said, incredulous. “This is your game. Clearly you have eyes for the doctor.”
“He’s a fox, no doubt about it, and I’ll be delighted to look at him all night long, but I’m doing this for you. How could anyone get sexy in a high school classroom? You two need a change of environment, and this is it.”
“But I don’t want to get sexy with him,” Cheryl protested.
“Please,” Lisa said, rolling her eyes. “The two of you couldn’t take your eyes off each other. And he was about ready to throw his arm around you.”
“Are you listening to this, Emily?” Cheryl asked. “Your future sister-in-law is trying to steer me down an unrighteous path.”
Emily leaned forward until her face was between the front seats.
“I’m staying out of it. Besides, I’m looking forward to dancing up a storm with my clothes on for a change.
She had a point. That part would be kind of fun.
“Let’s just hope the bands are decent,” Cheryl put in. “Otherwise we’ll be the lame girls in the front dancing alone.”
“Who are you calling lame?” Lisa said. “We could be our own damn show, if we wanted.”
“All I know is we should tell Cutter,” Emily said. “It’s been a while since we went out on the town. Will you give him a call, Lisa? I left my phone in the car.”
Lisa pulled out her phone and dialed. “Hey bro, your ga
l here says you should come out and play with us. We’re headed to the Bunkhouse.”
She was quiet for a second as he spoke. “It was kind of a last minute stroke of genius.” Another pause. “It’s not a girls’ thing anymore. We ran into a couple of guys who are coming along.” Pause. “Oh, just some guys Cheryl knows. But there are only two of them, so if you don’t come out Emily might have to dance with some stranger.” Pause. “Great, see you there.”
She hung up and chuckled to herself. “That last part did the trick.”
Emily shook her head, but Cheryl could see her smiling in the rear view mirror. “You are bad, Lisa, but you do make things happen.”
The club was in full swing when they pulled into the parking lot behind the building. Jason and Evan pulled in just as they were climbing out and they all trooped in together. It was loud inside, a rowdy band playing something between country and blues that sounded pretty good. All the tables were occupied so they made their way through the crowd until they found a good spot off to the side with a decent view of the stage. Of course, Cheryl was so short that even in her heels she didn’t have a great view, but she was used to that.
“Can you see?” Jason asked, leaning down and talking into her ear, his breath warm against her neck.
“I’m fine,” she said, so aware of him she had to concentrate on breathing normally.
He shifted them around until she could see better, but he was now behind her, the hard length of him pressing against her in the crowded space. A man pushed by, jostling her, and Jason’s hand came around her waist, holding her steady.
“Hey, take it easy,” Jason warned, and the guy looked down at Cheryl.
“Sorry, man.”
Jason nodded, acknowledging the apology, but his hand remained on her.
Evan leaned over from Jason’s other side. “I’m gonna make a bar run. What can I get you two?”
“I’ll have an IPA,” Jason said, pulling out his wallet. “Cheryl?”
“Just a seltzer for me,” she said.
She drank a bit to loosen up on the nights she stripped, so she made it a policy to go easy the rest of the week.