Page 47 of Prince Cheating Charming

I hesitated. I did not want to do anything with Alexander.

Especially after last night.

But I did want to do the Greenways climbing route before I left.

“I’ll help you the whole time,” he promised, looking down earnestly at me. “You don’t have to worry about it being too hard.”

Gritting my teeth, that settled it.

I was done pretending he was a better climber than I was.

I’d walked by that route many times, Alexander thoughtfully assuring me that someday we’d be ready for it.

“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll go change in the bathroom.”

“All right,” he said, and he sat lightly on my bed to wait for me.

When we set out from the palace, all the climbing gear in Alexander’s backpack, I got a sense of déjà vu so sharp and poignant it made my head spin. We used to go climbing all the time. It was one of our favorite things to do together.

Would he be mad when he found out how much better than him I was?

Not that he was a bad climber by any means, my estranged husband had a lean, quick athleticism that meant he was good at so many sports.

But I was simply much better than him at this one.

It was a perfect day, the sky a glorious blue, with little happy clouds scudding across its wide expanse, the wooded trail keeping us cool.

“Do you want me to go first?” Alexander asked, winding the rope around his arm. “To show you the trickiest parts?”

“Nope,” I said blithely. “I’d rather go first, actually.”

He snapped me carefully into the harness, checking and double-checking the ropes and carabiners to make sure they were secured properly. I remembered that even in my initial love haze I had always noticed this and been impressed.

Maybe I would have been impressed by anything he did, but for an easygoing, drop-dead gorgeous royal who had always had everything handed to him, he was not easygoing about my safety, and never let me do any climb without making sure everything was properly secured.

I steeled myself not to shiver at his touch, the way his strong fingers skimmed by my skin.

As soon as he let me go, I turned and sighed as I placed my hands on the cool, smooth expanse of the rock.

It had been too wet in the spring to do the Greenways or any other route, and it gave me a sense of calm to feel the hard granite, my eyes already scanning for the first handholds.

I placed my foot on the first step and began.

Unlike all the other times we had gone, I didn’t go slowly. I went as fast as I wanted.

“Delilah, be careful!” Alexander called out.

I ignored him, instead reaching for my next fingerhold.

My toes stretched, and I could feel my calves flexing. My body was strong. I was strong.

I leaped for the tiny crack, landing exactly where I wanted, my toes gripping the rock, my fingers firm and sure as I steadied myself and looked for my next destination.

Alexander sucked in his breath, but I didn’t look down at him.

The wind whipped through my hair, making me feel wild and free. It was a joy to go as fast as I wanted to, feel my limbs moving, let myself take a riskier route just for the thrill of it.

When I reached the top, I turned around, staring out over the gorgeous Norjava countryside.

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