Page 20 of Love's a Glitch
I finished the loop in my signature and slid the forms to Aaron.
“Oh, like you just did?” Luke asked, and I gaped at him for a second, and then gave his arm a light smack that only increased the smugness in his expression.
With my life signed away, I let Luke lead me over to the beginner rope course. Trees dotted the desert-esque landscape, and I couldn’t help but notice the wooden posts with their rope ladders and walkways were higher than even the tippy tops of the trees. How was that beginner?
Luke snagged a small harness and a big harness from where they hung at the base and extended the smaller one my way. “A lot of companies sign up to do these as team building exercises.”
“And are they a better team at the end?”
Luke shrugged a shoulder. “Beats me. All I know is that I did get them safely to the end.”
“That’s at least something,” I muttered, and he grinned at me like my growing sense of unease was strictly for his amusement.
A groove formed in his cheek, punctuating his grin and lulling me into a false sense of security. Before I knew it, I was following his instructions, stepping into a harness that lodged my underwear deep into my ass crack. “I see you brought your own helmet. What an impressive helmet it is.”
I proudly plunked it on my head. “Careful what you say, or I’ll have to stab you with Stardust’s horn.”
“For complimenting you? Harsh.” Luke’s fingertips grazed the underside of my chin as he snapped the straps into place. I could’ve done it myself, but thanks to the resulting cascade of tingles, I didn’t bother pointing that out. He quickly fastened his own harness and helmet, and as he told me the plan, I forced myself to focus on his words instead of how hot he was.
Tall and muscular, with a strong jaw and a sturdy frame, I found myself searching out handholds I could use on Luke, the way I was supposed to do once we got to the top of the ladder. Fingers crossed this climbing lesson would be all-encompassing when it came to ascending tall objects, as I’d like to use my newfound knowledge to climb him like a tree.
Bad, Ellie. Luke is your buddy ol’ pal, not a tree. Although if he were a tree, it’d be safe to say he had a nice, thick trunk.
“Most people only think of climbing as a physical test of your abilities, but it’s mental, too. You have to think about your next step and solve the puzzle in your mind.”
I scrunched my nose. “Uh-oh. I’m not good at puzzles. I get bored before I can even find all the edge pieces, much less put them together and fill in the middle.”
Luke tapped my nose, stirring up an internal tornado of butterflies. “That’s why you have me. I’ll help you solve the puzzle.”
“Like onWheel of Fortune?”
“I wasn’t aware anyone under the age of fifty watched that show, but sure.”
Admittedly, it was my grandma’s favorite, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting that. “I will neither confirm nor deny whether or not I watch it, but I’m much better at word puzzles than jigsaw puzzles. Just FYI.”
That groove popped in his cheek again, and I had the urge to dip my tongue inside it and see if it tasted as yummy as it looked. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.
From there, Luke followed me up the ladder. Once we reached the top, I clung to the side post, not fully trusting the small flat platform, and that went double for the planks threaded across the rope bridge. They were so far apart! No one said anything about having to do the splits in order to cross.
“Here’s the trick.” Luke’s warm breath hit my neck as his hand came to my hip, leaving me even dizzier than the misguided moment I’d foolishly looked at the ground. Declaring it a long way down would be a huge understatement. . “Don’t focus on the finish line. Concentrate on that first step. Then the next step. As long as you’ve got a good grip, you can always work out the rest.”
Every ounce of oxygen leaked from my lungs, and I accidentally glanced at the ground again.
Gentle fingers tipped up my chin. “That’s not where you’re going. You’re going to that next step and then the next one, until you reach the platform opposite us, and I’m right here with you.”
I swallowed and nodded—anyway, I think I did. With my pulse thundering out of control, I didn’t quite feel like I was in charge of my body anymore.
“Ready?” Luke asked.
No. But I also didn’t want to be a chicken in a unicorn helmet.
“Slow and steady, and again, I’m right behind you. But I’ll wait till you move to the second step to start so it doesn’t sway as much.”
“Shit, there’s going to be swaying?”
Luke clamped his lips together, but not in time to prevent part of his chuckle from slipping out. The things I did in the name of hanging out with a hot guy. After giving the rope Luke had attached to my harness a tug to ensure it was secure, I slowly stepped onto the plank of wood. The fibers of the suspension rope scraped at my palms, yet I held firm anyway.
“See, you’ve got it,” Luke called from the freaking safety of the platform. “Nothing to it.”
