Page 24 of Without Fail

Marshal sighed softly. He’d heard that Ryker was thinking of stepping away from the cameras and letting another face take over. There shouldn’t be any switching of models and as far as Marshal was concerned, Ryker was the face of Belle.

Ryker spun on top of the boulder and Marshal felt his heart leap into his throat. He snatched the man’s wrist.

“What?” Ryker huffed.

Keeping a firm grip on Ryker, he squinted up into his face.

“It’s several hundred feet down there.”

“And I’m as agile as a cat,” Ryker smirked, then twisted free. The man ran across the boulder’s surface to leap across to the next one. Marshal broke out in a cold sweat and jogged to keep up.

Ryker’s laughter floated on the night and the slender, agile form fairly flew from boulder to boulder until the man reached a retaining wall. It was there that Marshal had had enough. When Ryker did a tightrope walk along the top of the short wall, Marshal reached up and snagged him around the waist and lifted him down.

Their bodies slid together and Marshal felt his pulse thundering in his ears. He gently pushed Ryker from him and anger filled the younger man’s face.

“Just humor me and stay down here,” he muttered when Ryker shot him a squinty glare and snatched his hat from his head.

“Humor you is all I do.” The man’s tongue darted out to lick at his lips and then his cowboy hat was placed on Ryker’s head.

Ryker’s hands settled on his shoulders and his mouth went dry. What would those lips taste like?

The thought of one sip from those lush lips became all-consuming in those next few seconds and God help him, he would have succumbed to temptation if laughter down near the parked cars hadn’t brought him back to his senses.

What the fuck was he doing?

Marshal jerked back from temptation and tried to keep the conversation light. “When do you ever humor me?”

“Ryker, don’t do this. Ryker, you can’t do that. Ryker, don’t go anywhere!” Fireworks shot from the man’s beautiful blue eyes as he ticked off the list with his fingers.

Marshal pulled a hand down the cropped hair on his face and squinted down into Ryker’s annoyed eyes.

“That’s because you’re too reckless,” he growled.

“According to you,grandpa.” Ryker danced away from him.

Marshal snorted at the light laughter that accompanied the words. He was used to Ryker’s mood shifts, but he could tell they’d become more sporadic since the accident. It was only natural after what Ryker had been through.

“I’m not that old,” he muttered and couldn’t help sounding disgruntled.

“Ten-year age gap, buddy.” Ryker grinned and climbed back up on the retaining wall. “That means you were in high school when I was in first grade.”

“I didn’t go to high school.” Marshall scowled. Was ten years too much? And why was he thinking along those lines anyway?

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Ryker snapped his fingers. “When you went to Harvard, I was two years old.”

Marshal sputtered, marching alongside Ryker when the man started his cat walking again.

Ryker giggled and Marshal was reminded that they’d been here numerous times in the past. Ryker always goofed off while he tried to mitigate any outrageous outcomes from the man’s antics. Which was ridiculous at best because he’d never been able to keep a rein on Ryker.

The young mogul was unstoppable. He had the world at his feet and had always done what he pleased and damned the consequences.

Marshal admired Ryker more than any other person and that was what made his task impossible.

“Did you tell Hailey that you’re unavailable for a while?”

“We are taking a break.”

“What?” Marshal stood in stunned surprise, completely caught off guard.

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