“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 death 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?”