Page 54 of Wild Card

“Are you going to offer any assistance?” Rush asks.

“You got yourself up there. You can get yourself down,” Thorne says drolly.

“You’re a shitty human being.” Rush grunts as his forearms flex.

“Hold on, just like you are now,” I tell him, smacking Bear in the gut when he starts to hysterically chuckle. My head tilts to look up at him as his humor pulses in the bond. “You know you could help him…”

“I’ve got a hot water issue to manage.” He bends, kissing my forehead and giving my ass a solid squeeze. “Have fun, you two.”

“Apparently, the dog and I are excluded from everything,” Thorne mutters petulantly.

“Hell no.” Bear scoffs. “I’m bringing her with me.” He whistles for Shera, heading out without a backward glance.

I focus on Rush with my heart racing. Thorne knows how much I loved the silk classes I took every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I love the free floating feeling and being able to stretch every joint and muscle. I looked forward to it more than yoga or pole dancing.

Right.

Rush is still flailing in the air.

“Okay, so, I know your instinct is to try to unroll yourself, since they’re overlapped.” I take a few steps forward. “I don’t recommend that, because once you start, it’s really hard to stop. Grab the silks in separate hands and use your forearm strength to hold yourself up.” I move closer as I try to describe what he needs to do next. “You’re mostly flat now, but you want to get your top half vertical, if possible. Once that’s done, shimmy your hips as you slide out.”

“Good morning,” Rush says with his face beet red. “God, this is embarrassing.”

I wave. “I’ve done the same thing. I got stuck practicing by myself one day…” I laugh, shaking my head. “It was a nightmare. Luckily, it’s a pretty easy fix if you know how to maneuver out of it.”

“Well, at least someone knows where I went wrong,” Rush mumbles as he follows my instructions.

“You bought me silks?” I ask Thorne without looking away from Rush. There’s no other possibility. He’s the only one who knows how much it quiets my mind.

“It’s my first courting gift,” Thorne says. “I also got you a double set of rings, but this space isn’t big enough to hang both simultaneously.”

My eyes ache as I watch Rush struggle.

Dammit.

It’s a really great courting gift.

And I’m sure he had to have purchased it before coming to the island. The silks are even in my favorite shade of blue.

“If you still can’t get your legs free of the overlap, then you may need to climb higher,” I tell Rush.

He’s obviously in great shape, but aerial silks take more getting used to than most people expect. It’s not just about brute strength. It’s a lot like yoga practiced up in the air.

“He’s double looped.” My head tilts until I can see Thorne. “Either you can help pull them past his thighs and off his legs, or I need you to find me the ladder you used to rig the base plate.”

“He might be out of my reach.” Thorne shrugs. “But I’ll be happy to give it a try if you tell me good morning too. I’m beginning to feel left out.”

“Good morning, Thorne.”

“Morning, kitten.” He darts over, pulling me to him with a hand on my ass. His lips brush my forehead for an instant before he moves to help Rush.

My hands clasp in front of me as my mind races. He’s going to find out sooner or later that Bear and I bonded. It’s probably better I tell him myself before he figures it out from the change in my scent.

“Holy shit.” Rush laughs, swaggering my way, now that he’s back on the ground.

“Are you okay?” I rest my hands on his chest as he comes to a stop directly in front of me.

“I’m good.” He chuckles good-naturedly as his blue eyes sparkle. “That’s a hell of a workout. Thorne said you’re quite the aerial acrobat. I can’t wait to see it for myself.”

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