I flick my pen on my desk. “I can’t wait to hear this one.”
Everly must have magical Sea Monster powers because how she got her father to agree to take us zip lining up in the mountains is beyond all logic to me. Like seriously, I expected Max to laugh in our faces and point at the door. But the website said Everly needed a parent present, and she was determined to get her dad to take the afternoon off.
A girl boss through and through. I’d be proud if I had anything to do with raising her.
So here we are, all tucked into Max’s swanky SUV and driving an hour up into the mountains to this adventure course that one of Everly’s friends told her all about. Max is on the phone the whole time, and I look like a big kid in the front seat of his car feeling slightly guilty for taking him away from his work when I’m supposed to be the one in charge of his kid.
Plus, this isn’t exactly doing “less” like my nanny philosophy promotes, but it’s at least recreational. Nothing says broadening our imaginations like an adventure course.
We check in, and Max signs all the waivers and looks decidedly irritated when we get fitted with harnesses and carabiners, plus some weird-looking zip line trolley that you use to attach to the cables that stretch nearly a hundred feet between these giant trees.
We go through a small practice course that Everly breezes through, squealing with laughter as she descends the short distance.
When it’s my turn to do the short line, I wasn’t expecting the bite of the harness to dig into my thighs so much. I’m more of a mall walker when it comes to exercise choices, so this tree flying stuff is a bit out of my comfort zone.
As I spin around, going backward down the short line, the smile on my face falters as I notice Max’s damn near feral facial expression as he watches me go. He looks like he’s about to shapeshift into a wolf!
As soon as I stop, I quickly pat my ass, half expecting my bike shorts to be split up the middle with how intense he was staring at me. When all was as it should be, I return to the starting point, wondering if I was seeing things because Max is back to ignoring me.
His entire focus is on our guide, Chad, asking him to make sure Everly’s harness was snug enough. Before I can ask Mr. Grumpy if he’s having any fun, he scoots by me to climb into the gator with Chad, who’s taking us to our first zip line course. Maybe his facial expression had nothing to do with me and more to do with a work issue. That would be far more likely.
“Okay, guys, let me just check your harnesses one last time,” Chad says, stopping in front of Everly first. “You’re all set, little dudette. Have a killer time.”
“Thank you!” Everly squeals and begins climbing the ladder up the first tree.
Max looks up nervously and bites out, “Is that safe?”
“Totally!” Chad bellows with a hearty thumbs-up. “She’s all hooked up, Padre. Just chill.”
The muscle in Max’s jaw tics violently as he watches his daughter climb every step.
“Let me get your other daughter checked out, and then I’m on to you,” Chad adds.
“Other daughter?” Max’s eyes zero in on the guide in confusion.
Chad points at me. “Is this your oldest?”
“What the hell?” Max snaps, his voice gruff. “She’s twenty-six years old.”
“She looks young…and beautiful.” Chad smiles at me, and I hear a growl vibrate from Max beside us. I glance over and begin to fear for the guide’s safety at the positively lethal look in his eyes.
“How old do you think I am?” Max is seething.
Chad shrugs. “I don’t know, man. I’m not good with ages.”
“Fucking hell,” Max mumbles under his breath, and a chortle sputters out of my mouth. He looks at me like I’ve just betrayed his entire family. “Something funny, Cassandra?”
“Nothing funny at all, Big Daddy.” I can’t help it. I had to poke the bear.
His lips part as he tucks his tongue to the side of his mouth and bites it like he’s trying not to say what’s on his mind. “You think you’re cute?”
I giggle and tug on the short braids sticking out from my helmet. “Chad said beautiful actually…and very youthful looking. Right, Chad?”
“Climb the fucking ladder, Cozy,” Max barks, and my heart jolts at his use of my nickname.
Our eyes connect, and for some strange reason, the glint in Max’s gaze makes me feel like he’s not as irritated by me as I thought. In fact, he looks like he wants to swallow me whole. Like he’s a second away from grabbing my harness, strapping me up to the nearest tree, and holding my braids as he runs his tongue over every inch of my body.
That illicit image causes a painful throb to erupt between my thighs as I wobbly attempt to climb the ladder up to the platform. When Max joins me and Everly at the top, he shoots me a knowing look that makes me wonder if he could read my mind a moment ago.
I need to get control of my thoughts.
“Who wants to go first?” Chad asks after he’s hooked all our zip lines up to the safety ropes above us.
“Me!” Everly calls out, raising her hand.
I shake my head and look at Max. “No fear.”
“I don’t know where she gets that,” Max says, and I notice a flicker of distress cast over his eyes as he looks down. “We’re really high up, aren’t we?”
“You’re not scared of heights, are you?” I ask, narrowing my eyes as I watch him white knuckle his safety harness.
“I didn’t think so…but I’m doubting that fact now.” His gaze flicks from me to Everly as she gets into position for takeoff. “Be careful, Everly.”
Everly offers up an enthusiastic wave before launching herself down the long cable, squealing excitedly with her hands splayed out wide. Max looks like he’s about to crawl out of his skin as he watches her go, his feet moving close to the edge the farther she gets away from us. He’s focused so intently on Everly that he doesn’t notice where he’s standing.
He’s about to take another step forward, so I reach out and grab his arm to pull him back. He stumbles into my body, pressing me back into the tree and causing our safety straps to tangle on the line above. Our bodies are flush against each other, so my hands grip his shoulders for balance as his land on the tree behind me, caging me in with his musky, manly scent. He looks down at me in confusion.
“You were about to step right off the platform,” I clarify, looking up at him. My eyes zero in on his pursed lips as I struggle to ignore the reaction my body is having to the weight of him pressed snugly against me.
“I was?” His breath is warm on my face as his eyes flick back and forth between mine.
“I basically just saved your life,” I answer with a laugh.
Max’s mouth pulls back into a surprising wolfish smile as his eyes lower to my lips. “Don’t think we’re even now.”
We stare at each other for a moment in a sort of stunned shock before Chad’s voice interrupts. “He was hooked up to the safety line, so he was perfectly safe.”
I blink myself out of this trance and mumble, “Thanks, Chad,” annoyed that the guide popped our little bubble of…flirting? Was Max Fletcher flirting with me just now?