Page 48 of Your Soul to Keep

I hissed in a breath as his scruff hit my neck. Tilting my head to the side to give him full access, I breathlessly clarified, “At home. In bed. With you.”

His grip on my hips tightened.

I felt myself melting, giving in to him. My sense of self-preservation kicked in.

Shaking him off, I stepped away and flung my arm up to the suspension bridge hanging over our heads. “Not risking life and limb to…to…to monkey around!”

His mouth split wide, white teeth flashing in his swarthy face. He howled, doubling over to clutch his guts before grabbing me and pulling me into his chest. With one hand wrapped around my ponytail, he tugged my head back and grinned down at me. “Do you think, for one minute, I’d do anything to risk your life or limbs?”

My eyelids fluttered as a soft, satisfied hum escaped.

His eyes darkened, his smile turning from mischievous to wicked as he tugged harder.

My fingers dug into his biceps. “Gabe.”

“She likes a bit of pain,” he murmured, his eyes tracing the lines of my face. “Is that right, Shae-baby? Do you crave a hint of pain with your pleasure?”

“I don’t know,” I rasped, more turned on than I had any business being with my life hanging in the balance.

Dipping his head, he barely brushed his lips over mine. “Be a brave girl and we’ll see if we can’t find out.”

“Oh, boy,” I breathed, instinctively squeezing my thighs together.

“Hm,” he hummed softly. “I’ll take that as a yes. And before you argue any further, I swear I won’t let go. Not unless you ask me to. Maybe not even then.”

“I’m not going to ask you to let me go.”

He cocked a brow and dragged his fist down the length of my hair. “Promise?”

Swallowing, I searched his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about tree-trekking anymore?”

Touching the tip of his nose to mine, he answered, “Were we ever?”

Moving his hand back to the base of my ponytail, he dragged my hair tie down and off. Slipping it onto his wrist for safe keeping, he fanned his fingers through my hair. “It’s a shame to tie this back all the time, a bigger shame to cover it with a helmet.”

“You loved my hair,” I murmured.

“Still do.”

“You’re sure this is safe?”

He nodded shortly, eyes intent on mine. “I’d never put you in danger, but you’re in danger of dying of boredom. Consider this a rescue mission.”

I snorted and followed him over to the instructor.

Against my better judgment, I found myself perched like a freaking bird on a minuscule platform in the sky.

The instructor explained the safety protocols in place, assuring me nothing would go wrong.

“If you were that sure, I wouldn’t have had to sign a liability form,” I grumbled.

He waved me away with a grin. “Formalities.”

We took five minutes at the top to acclimate ourselves before beginning.

The breeze was stronger up there. The lullaby heard down below as it danced through the leaves was nothing compared to the orchestra in the treetops.

It was a different world, a different universe. The air was crisp. Clean. Traffic no longer existed, industry disappeared, the wind in the leaves and the singing birds provided the only soundtrack as the heady fragrances of pine, sap, and sun-warmed leaves reminded us we were part of something so much bigger.

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