They would do this together.
Chapter 16
“Good morning,” River whispered against Easton’s shoulder.
Warm brown eyes blinked open, his voice husky with sleep. “I half expected to wake up with the handheld on me.”
She couldn’t resist teasing him even as she snuggled in. “Once we’re outside the tent, all bets are off.”
The snuggling was a given. At this far below zero, River would have snuggled with him even if he was a less sexy than Hagrid version of himself or smelled like Oscar the Grouch on a bad trash can day. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t, which meant the snuggling was more than satisfactory.
Especially when Easton’s version involved long, slow kisses, murmured compliments against her skin, and promises that he’d take his hair down from the bun as slowly and as often as she wanted.
Okay, maybe that last one was wishful thinking on her part, but a woman could dream.
The snuggling was great, but talking with Easton was even better. Curled up together in their tent, River basked in the comfort of his presence, the sound of Easton’s voice lulling her into a sense of peace. Funny how all it took was Easton to turn an isolated campsite into one of the most romantic experiences of her life.
At some point, she’d like to know what it felt like to cuddle with this man without fifteen layers of puffy jacket fabric between them. Memories of a certain shower had been etched into her brain. In between talking and those soft, slow kisses that promised so much more, they did manage to sleep a bit. And in waking, River knew from the brightening light outside the tent that it was time to do what they’d come all this way for.
It was time to summit Mount Veil.
“You’ve got that look.” He playfully tugged at the braid she’d secured her hair in.
“What look?”
Easton rolled, drawing her across his chest as he relaxed back into the sleeping pad. “The look that says I need to be worried.” A contented expression had crossed his face, as if he had no concerns in the world.
“Oh, you definitely need to be worried. It’s summit day.”
“Most people are fighting to get used to the air at this point.” He added teasingly, “Are you sure you didn’t down a tank of oxygen while you were up here?”
“And risk the wrath of my guide?” River winked at him. “Don’t worry. I behaved. Mostly, I interviewed myself and tried not to worry about everyone else to the point of insanity. How are Bree and Jessie? Are they going to be all right?”
“Ash contacted me and said they’re okay. Beat up and exhausted, but they’ll be fine. She’s annoyingly responsible like that.”
“Annoyingly responsible sounds like a family trait.” River sat up, resting her palms on his stomach. “Are you up for this? Because I’m ready to climb this thing.”
Wrapping his hands around her waist, Easton sat up using only his abdominal muscles, holding her in place on his lap. “Where you go, I’m following.”
“Summit or bust?” she asked, breathless with anticipation.
“Summit or bust.” Then he kissed her, a long, slow kiss that left her cold toes curling.
At this rate, they weren’t going anywhere.
“We should do this at the bottom of the mountain,” she told him after regretfully pulling away. “Or closer to the bottom of the mountain.” Another kiss had her murmuring, “Or maybe back here after we summit.”
Easton nipped her earlobe. “Are you sure you want to get to the top?”
“Definitely.” Giggling, she escaped his hold. They put on their boots, then River grabbed his hand. “Come on. We need to get going. I want to summit. I turn thirty today.”
“It’s your birthday? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Why? Would you have gone out and gotten me a present?” River grinned at him. “Because all I see is snow and snow.”
“And rocks too,” Easton murmured against her ear, hugging her. “Happy birthday.”
River leaned into him, enjoying the heat radiating from his body. “I used to be terrified of turning thirty. I thought it would signal the official death of my career. I’d mourn, but I’m too busy doing the most awesome thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“Peeing in negative degree windchill?”
River pressed her nose into the scruff on his throat. “Hmm. That too. Hey, Easton? Let’s go climb a mountain.”
“I’ll race you to the top.”
As they got ready for the day’s climb, Easton double-checked and triple-checked all the supplies she had packed, including making sure her carabiners were in good shape, her radio was tucked in her pack, and her transmitter was turned on.
“You’re being a worrywart,” River told him as he tossed her a protein bar.
After a considering look, he pulled out a second one and slipped it into River’s pocket.
“We’re burning calories like crazy up here,” Easton explained. “Try to eat as much as you can.”
River narrowed her eyes at him, even as she ripped open a bar and began to chew. “If I’m doubling up, so are you.”
Easton tucked a second protein bar in his own pocket without protest. “Are you always this bossy?”
“Are you?” River countered, arching an eyebrow at him before putting on her goggles.
“Only about things that matter,” he told her, moving in closer.
“Don’t you bust out the sexy low rumble on me.” River took a large bite of her protein bar, jaw protesting as she chewed the cold-hardened meal. “I’m completely immune.”
She wasn’t immune in the least, but he didn’t need to know that.
“I have never had a client hold up this well to the climb,” Easton complimented her. “You might have missed your calling.”
“Oh, trust me, I nailed my calling. This is the best of both worlds. Mountain documentaries may be my thing. I’ll travel the world, climbing my way through the glass ceiling.”
“If you need someone to hold your beer while you’re busy kicking professional ass, let me know.”
“I might even let you buy me a drink when I’m done taking names.”
“How do you think you came by the beer in the first place?” Easton rumbled.
“I bought it myself and bought you one too. But you can get the next round.”
Another one of those rare, broad smiles met her statement. After a moment of comfortable silence, Easton glanced at her, still working on the rope tying them together.
“You could do this, you know,” he said quietly. “You’re skilled enough. With some more experience, you could climb anything.”
From someone like him, who made a living climbing monsters, the validation meant more than River could articulate. Instead, she went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Maybe you’ll have to pencil me in for your next adventure.”
“You always have a place with me,” Easton said quietly, holding her eyes. Then he cleared his throat, tugging on the rope between them. “We’re ready. You want to lead?”
His offer took her by surprise. Every single step of this adventure, Easton had been in the lead.
“I thought it was dangerous.”
“It is.” Nodding in agreement, Easton stepped closer, slipping his fingers inside the tether on her belt. Tugging that too, even though he’d already checked it. “But you’ve proven more than capable of handling yourself up here.”
River couldn’t help but tease him. “Says the man terrified to leave me alone. I don’t need rescuing, Easton. Except, you know…”
“That one time I rescued you?” No amount of beard could hide his smile.
“As far as I’m concerned, that never happened. What happens in the cauldron of evil stays in the cauldron of evil.”
“Really? Because I was hoping my ability not to let you plummet to your deat
h would add to my appeal.”
“You literally could put a cereal box over your head, draw googly eyes on it, and you’d still have more than anyone’s fair share of appeal.”
Standing a little closer never hurt anyone. Camaraderie and all that. It certainly had nothing to do with the way he was looking at her…like hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. Or a particularly good steak.
Who knew a man clipping an extra carabiner to her belt would be akin to getting roses? It was either tease him or propose. At the moment, both seemed equally good options.
“It’s hard to kiss a man with a beard. You have to go spelunking to find his mouth.”
A warm chuckle was all the response she received, but his finger tucked into her jacket pocket, tugging her closer, increasing the angle she had to tilt her head back.
“Man buns are tough too. You never know what’s beneath them. Is the bun actually an intricate comb-over?”
A corner of his lip twitched beneath the beard.
“Short guys are my thing really. Less neck strain in sexy situations.”
“Anything else I should know about you?”
“I’m completely, utterly full of crap.”
Strong gloved hands cradling her already-tilted face. Bearded kisses were quickly becoming River’s favorite.
“You’re perfect,” Easton decided. “And you’re definitely full of crap. It’s my favorite part about you.”
It was summit day. They had to stop this, no matter how much River was enjoying making out with him.
“We technically have a very tight schedule to adhere to,” she reminded him.
“Mm-hmm,” Easton agreed. “You’re the one leading, so this is all on you.”
“You really trust me enough to take the lead?”
“I’m guessing you’d be playing leap frog all day if I didn’t. But we stay tied. Absolutely no untying. And you let me film. Even you need all your hands and focus up there.”
“You’re filming this?”
Easton rested his forehead to hers in a brief gesture of solidarity. “After everything you’ve done to get here? There’s no way I’m letting you summit without filming it for you.”
This time, she didn’t go up on her toes, and she didn’t pull his head down to hers. Overwhelmed with emotion at his understanding, at his consideration, at all the other warm, perfect parts of this sweet man, River could only stand there, holding on to his arms, breathing in how perfect this moment was. He waited for her, quiet and patient, giving River the moment she needed to compose herself. Then he pressed a soft kiss to her temple and stepped back.
Gesturing toward the summit waiting for them, Easton lifted the handheld camera and flipped it on. “Lead the way. I’m right behind you.”
Which was how, at fourteen thousand feet, River fell head over heels in love without once touching the ground.
• • •
Taking the camera might not have been the best idea Easton had ever had.
The problem wasn’t climbing while filming, although he quickly learned to respect what Jessie and Bree had been doing since the very start of the trip. A helmet-mounted video camera would have been much easier than keeping his arm in a lifted position so much of the day, but even that wasn’t too big of a deal.
No, the problem wasn’t the camera. The problem was filming River’s back—and subsequent backside—as they scaled the last thousand feet of elevation. It wasn’t a huge amount of ground, but the climb was technically difficult and only got tougher with every step.
“Let me see.” River held out her hand for the camera when they paused to take a break halfway up.
“You’re not going to like it.”
“Why won’t I like it?”
He handed it over to her, predicting the expression on her face about to come his way. Sure enough, after a few moments of replaying what he’d filmed, River’s eyes narrowed.
“Why is there only film of my ass on here?”
“Because technically, that’s what I saw when I was climbing.” Sticking to innocence seemed the safest approach. “Why? Was that wrong?”
Rolling her eyes at him, River stood with the camera instead of resting, turning in a circle to take in the vista. Despite the difficulty of their trek so far, River was all but bouncing on her heels in sheer excitement.
She might not have been a professional climber, but River was pretty darn close.
“All right, Easton. This is our final interview before the climb. Do you have anything you want to say to all the people watching us at some indeterminate point in the future?”
Maybe he could have thought of something if she hadn’t flashed him the prettiest smile, a strand of her auburn hair blowing across her eyes.
Easton wasn’t a big talker, but he wasn’t used to being absolutely tongue-tied around a woman. She was just so beautiful. Easton had never met a woman more determined, bullheaded, and maddeningly reckless in his life.
He’d never wanted someone more.
“Nope.”
Laughing, River handed the camera back to him. Then she knelt, her hands scooping up a double handful of snow. He knelt too, setting the camera next to him so it wouldn’t get damaged by her intentions, watching as River deliberately formed a massive snowball. Two more joined the first in a pile at her hip, with a fourth balanced and waiting on the palm of her hand. They were at the top of the world, one wrong breath from death, and she wanted to have a snowball fight.
“I’m going to do this,” River promised him. “You’ve never been snowballed like I’m about to snowball you.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
“Oh, it’s totally a threat. Are you ready for me?”
He hadn’t been ready for her in the least, not since he pulled over on the side of the road. But like back then, try as he might, he simply couldn’t help himself.
“Bring it,” Easton told her, because he knew that was exactly what she planned on doing.
The first snowball was lobbed in his direction, a warning shot. The next two were a direct frontal assault. The fourth was intended to force him into action instead of sitting there, by way of gloved fingers bopping the snowball against his nose.
“That was cold,” he murmured.
“You’re absolutely no fun, are you?” She frowned, nose wrinkling. Then a gust of wind across the mountainside stirred up a spray of snow all on its own, making that cute nose wrinkle become an even cuter sneeze.
“Are you done torturing me?” he asked.
“Depends. Are you going to stand there like a grumpy lump all day?”
Easton flicked a bit of snow in her face to hear her giggle. Scrubbing at her nose to rid it of the snowflakes, she blinked, then found herself with a forehead, mouth, and nose full of the stuff. Unlike her weapons of choice, his snowball had been packed loosely, barely surviving him lobbing it in her direction.
He’d do about anything for her, but Easton had a professional reputation to maintain.
“I’m not grumpy.” Easton scooped up a second handful of snow. “I’m considering the stakes. They’re going to kick me out of the league of mountain guides if I knock you off here with a snowball. So it’s either make you happy…” He loosely packed another snowball. “Or risk professional humiliation.”
“A little professional humiliation never hurt anyone.” River’s grin was full of mischief.
She reminded him of a wolf. Dangerous, smart, willing, and more than able to flash her fangs when she needed. But like a wolf with their mate, she wanted him to play with her. This time, she tried to duck his snowball and failed.
“Wolves mate for life, River.”
“That was the most random sentence I’ve ever heard.” Spitting snow from her mouth, she blinked the flakes from her eyes and dropped down to her knees next to him.
; Smiling slightly, Easton settled back on the snow. There, now they were at a better height. Her head slightly taller than his. Taking her face in his hands, he allowed himself a moment to enjoy this. Having her here, with him in his favorite place in the world.
“River?”
“Hmm?”
“Even lone wolves mate for life. I want you happy. If you want to play, I’m game.”
How could he not be? After all, those sweet, snow-chilled lips were pressed to his. And Easton had never, ever wanted something as much as he wanted this.
Wrapping his arms around her, Easton tugged River into his form. The thick layers of jackets between them couldn’t hide the tension in his muscles, his body responding to her proximity. Her lips were cold, but the passion growing between them made him feel as if they were on fire.
“I can’t breathe,” she whispered.
“It’s the lower oxygen up here.”
She gripped his arm, pulling him closer. “No. I can’t breathe when you’re next to me.”
Breathless or not, River pulled his face to her own.
A brief rest was all they had time to take, so eventually, they extracted from each other’s arms. The last part of the climb was the most technically challenging. And yes, her steps were slower than they were lower on the climb, but River’s determination to keep going never dropped, her eyes never leaving the prize of the summit above them.
That final pinnacle of rock and ice was tantalizingly close. Each careful step, each secured handhold brought them nearer. Until finally, with one more hoist of their bodies up the last few feet of the spine they were traversing, there was nothing left in front of them. A bit of ground covered in snow and ice, with one solitary granite boulder the size of a small car capping the summit.
“Be careful,” Easton called ahead in warning. “It’s weathering away on the north side.”
River didn’t answer, but as she took those last few steps, she stayed away from the northern edge of the summit. Then she turned, and the expression on her face was one of utter shock.
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