Page 32 of Caught in the Middle

He gave her a wicked grin as he leaned in close, his back toward their group, watching as her eyes grew wider. Whenever he could feel her breath across his lips, he whispered back. “Yeah, but if I let you do that, I wouldn’t be doing a good enough job acting, now would I?”

He leaned back before she could comment, and he was very aware of the eyes on them. Emma quickly recovered her composure, likely realizing what that looked like to everyone else as well.

Before she could say anything, the guide was leading the way for them to climb the platform and she felt Cam’s rough and solid hand slide into her own, his touch feeling like having something returned that she didn’t know was lost.

She quickly shut that idea out of her mind, but the butterfly from breakfast returned with friends as he squeezed her hand and she saw that devilish grin cross his face.

Oh, he was enjoying this, she realized. Well, two could play at that game, she decided.

She returned the squeeze, then gave him a mischievous smile of her own. Game on, Emma thought as they approached the platform where they’d zipline from.

Once they were all up there, their instructor went over the details again, first double-checking that everyone did indeed put their gear on correctly.

Emma could feel the buzz set in, the tingly sensation that coursed through her each time she did something exciting. She’d learned that experiences like this gave her the kind of giddy joy that she didn’t get anywhere else.

Whereas Lulu enjoyed drinking anyone under the table and dancing all night for days on end, it was this kind of fun that Emma craved. She’d rather wake up in the dark, drive several hours, and hike miles to catch a beautiful sunrise. Or spend months on end planning and saving for a trip that included an itinerary that would take her skiing, exploring snow-covered mountainsides, and then spending her afternoons in a cafe with a coffee and a good book.

When the guide asked who wanted to go first, she stepped forward, her excitement like a bubbling energy that was going to spill out if she didn’t start soaring over St. Croix’s rainforest soon. However, that much-welcomed buzz came to a crashing halt when Asher stuck his hand out in front of her and spoke up.

“Maybe we should let one of the guys go first,” he said.

“Why?” The question came out rude, and for the first time, she didn’t care what people thought of her in comparison to being left behind for Lauren.

He let his hand drop, unfazed by her tone. “To make sure it’s all good.” His response was simple and some might even call him a gentleman for it, but all Emma wanted to call him was an ass. Which she was close to doing if it weren’t for Cam stepping up next to her and putting his arm around her shoulder.

“Nah,” Cam spoke up. “If anyone should make sure all is good for the rest of us, it should be Emma. Besides the fact that she’s the most experienced”–not to mention that they just witnessed seven people go down the line just fine, but he didn’t waste his breath on that–“I may need her to catch me on the other side,” he said with a wink at his pretend girlfriend, who he noticed looked like she might shove Asher over the edge at any moment.

“You’re up,” Henry said to Emma, his tone having that no-nonsense the matter is decided seriousness to it.

She nodded, stepping forward and out of Cam’s embrace. He ignored the cool that set in beside him on this hot summer day where she’d previously been. Instead, he stood there and watched as the guide hooked her to the line and he could practically feel the electricity humming off of her.

Emma was like a goddess meant for adventure, he realized, her dark hair braided back, her shoulders the most relaxed he’d ever seen and she was full of vim and vigor. When she looked back at them, her eyes landing on his, and that smile one of the widest he’d ever seen before she saluted and took off, he felt the irreversible impact it had on his heart.

Yes, he watched with a protective intensity as she went sailing over the life-ending drop of that canopy of trees, but unlike Asher, he knew you didn’t put a woman like Emma in a cage to wilt. You let her bask in her drive and joy for life, and then you buckled up and hung on as you dove in beside her.

Which was exactly what he planned to do as he cut off Lulu who tried to go next. If anyone was going to witness the unleashed happiness coursing through that beautiful woman at the end of this cable, it was going to be him.

Chapter 13

Emma was still on cloud nine whenever they arrived back at the hotel. Lauren suggested they grab lunch on the island and then explore some of the top tourist spots and museums for a bit. By the time they parked their rental cars, everyone was ready to go their separate ways.

Henry joked that he’d let them all have the night off instead of making them eat dinner with him. However, Emma was pretty certain he was ready to sleep the afternoon away and hit the casino again. If there was one thing he enjoyed, it was a Blackjack table and she knew they’d all end up gambling together at some point. She owed her skills to Henry teaching her, at Blackjack and other poker games like Texas Hold ‘em. When they were kids, he used to pull out potato chips for poker chips whenever she was having a sleepover at their house.

She laughed at the memory. As he dealt the cards, he would say, “Girls, if a man ever wants to underestimate you, now you just let him. Then you wipe him clean.” The lessons served her well a time or two in Vegas.

“Are you worn out or do you want to go down to the beach?” Cam asked, following Emma toward the lobby.

“Are you kidding? I’m wired.”

“I thought so.” He was smiling at her with a knowing look.

“Let’s change and hit the beach.” Before the others caught up with them in the elevator, she whispered, “But you know you don’t have to if you don’t want. We don’t have to spend every waking second together.”

Lulu and Lauren were upon them before he could respond. Instead, he slipped his fingers through hers as everyone filed into the elevator, noticing the small smile trying to break free on her face. He was sure she’d deny it, but he knew better.

When the doors opened on their floor, everyone headed out, Lulu pausing to ask Lauren if she still wanted to borrow something. As those two headed toward her room, Emma, Cam, and Asher made their way down the opposite hallway.

“That was a lot of fun,” Asher commented on their day. “But I’m ready to melt into the couch for a bit. What about you guys?”

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