Page 55 of Bound by Vengeance
I stretch out my muscles, moving my arms back and forth to loosen them up. Normally, I use the clubhouse gym to let off steam, but it’s been a while. Even going to the gym with Austyn, I didn’t push myself too hard. This, I have a feeling, is going to be a test.
“You’re all set.” He claps again, and I guess it’s the sign to start because Austyn attacks the wall, not looking over at me once. It’s mesmerizing, but I get my ass in gear.
In my peripheral vision, I watch as she grasps each of the pegs, maneuvering her feet to correspond with her hands. Her brows are knit in concentration as she eats up the distance between the floor and the top.
Focusing on my task, I make my way up the wall, thanking my arm strength. This is definitely a workout.
“Shit!” Austyn growls, falling from the wall.
I reach out just at the ropes grasp her and breathe out a sigh of relief she’s safe. Not giving two shits about making it to the top, I release myself and fall to the floor with her.
She’s breathing in and out heavily, looking at the wall like it’s the enemy and she needs to conquer it.
Inside, I sigh. This was my entire point of bringing her here. Her nightmares invade her, taking her over and crushing her. I want her to come to terms that she can beat it back. She has the strength to fight it away. To get her determination back and conquer her life.
Austyn is so much stronger than she thinks she is.
“You okay?”
“This wall is mine,” she growls.
I don’t hide my amusement.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Not a thing. Show me what ya got.”
Her brow lifts questioningly, but she says nothing as she attacks the wall again.
I follow. My second attempt, I don’t fall back to the floor with her when she trips up her feet. Instead, I go all the way up to the top and hit the bell. When the rope brings me back down, she has her hands on her hips, eyeing the wall again, seeming to make some sort of strategy.
Pulling her in for a kiss right now wouldn’t be the ideal thing, considering she wants to conquer this and I want her to do so, as well.
Moving up behind her, I brush my body against hers. “Think. Be patient. And tear it up.”
Austyn nods and goes at the wall.
Standing back, watching her, I can see her vibrating with determination. When I see her second-guessing herself, I yell up, “Don’t. You got this.”
She actually nods, acknowledging me, before she goes back at it. She continues up the wall, and not until she rings the bell do I let out the breath I was holding.
When she floats back down to the floor, I wrap her tightly in my arms. Her beautiful smile is wide, and as much as that’s my goal for the day, I need her lips, so I take them.
Our hot bodies collide, her hands coming to the side of my face as I deepen the kiss. She tastes so damn good that I don’t want to stop. She pulls away first, eyes half-mast and so damn sexy.
“I did it,” she whispers.
“Fuck yeah!”
Austyn laughs hard in my arms, a sound I’ll never get tired of hearing.
“Let’s race!” Her energy pulses off her, and I suck in this moment like a starving man.
“And what do I get if I win?” The low rumble in my voice catches her attention.
She focuses on my mouth. “A kiss.”
“Like the one I just got?”
