Page 41 of Pretty Please Me
“There you go. You’re all set,” he announces as he stands.
I clench my fists nervously in my fingerless climbing gloves that Sam insisted I wear. Unlike Sam, my hands are soft, and I don’t have the protective callouses from years of climbing.
“Come on. We’ll start you on the bubblegum wall. It’s the easiest one, and we’ll go from there.” His eyes sparkle, and I can’t tell if he’s serious or teasing as he clamps me on the shoulder and moves me to a bubble gum pink wall with baby blue grips.
Maybe I should be embarrassed that I’m climbing in the kiddie section, but considering we’re the only two people here, with the exception of the person running the front desk, I have a feeling Sam already thought of that. It’s kind of sweet, actually. I can’t imagine how much it must’ve cost to rent out the gym for the day, but Sam doesn’t seem like he’s hurting financially, so I try not to feel guilty that he did this for me.
“Here’s your carabiner.” He twists it open, then places the large metal clasp in my hand. “You open it like this and always clamp it here before you climb.” He stares at me until I realize he’s looking for my acknowledgment.
“Oh, yeah. Right,” I stammer, but he doesn’t move, only quirks an eyebrow. “I mean… yes, sir,” I add.
A faint hint of a smile pulls on his lips as his pupils dilate, looking like he’s ready to swallow me whole. I don’t know if I’m more aroused or terrified when he looks at me that way. My body warms at the thought, and suddenly, the fear of climbing the rock wall takes a back seat. I’m in so over my head, but I can’t make myself stop. Call it morbid curiosity or plain stupidity, but after the bathtub last night, I haven’t been able to think of anything besides our next lesson. I don’t know what will happen next, and I feel like I’m constantly on high alert when I’m near him. A part of me hates not knowing what to expect, but I think a bigger part of me loves the thrill of relinquishing control. Handing all my trust over to someone else and letting them decide what I need.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s see what you’ve got.” Sam’s question startles me from my spiraling thoughts. I blink several times, then clamp my carabiner to the bottom clamp just as he showed me. I step up to the bubble gum wall and very carefully grab the highest blue rock I can reach while stepping on another.
The concept of rock climbing is easy enough. It seems pretty intuitive to climb, and I move up the wall fairly easily. It certainly helps that I’m an adult tackling the kiddie wall, but I’m proud of myself nonetheless. A few moments later, I’m ringing the bell at the top of the wall, and I hear Sam clapping and cheering below.
“What do I do now?” I call out, terrified to look down.
“You’re doing great, Maggie! Now, you just need to lean back and trust your rope. Push off the wall with your legs, and I’ll be right here waiting for you!” Sam shouts from the bottom.
Though it goes against everything in my nature, I listen to Sam and immediately lean back, trusting the rope to do its job. My stomach flutters with the falling sensation for only a second, but then it’s replaced by a shot of adrenaline. Before I know it, my feet are back on solid ground, and Sam scoops me into a bear hug.
“I’m so proud of you. That was incredible. You did amazing,” he whispers into my neck before planting a kiss on my forehead.
I can’t help my giant grin as I beam with pride, and suddenly, I feel like I can do anything. “Enough of the kiddie section. I want you to show me the course you take.”
Sam’s smile falls a little, and he studies me, “Are you sure you’re ready for that? We could stay here a little longer and let you gain some confidence.”
“No way, I’m tougher than I look. See?” I flex my bicep, and Sam squeezes it and laughs.
“That’s a pretty impressive goose egg you’ve got there. Come on, Hulk Hogan, let’s see what those bulging muscles can do.” He grips my waist, playfully pinching my exposed stomach on each side as he leads me to the other side of the gym.
“Here we are. What do you think?”
I stare at the most terrifyingly tall and chaotic rock-climbing course my mind can even fathom as my confidence shrivels in terror. “This is a thing people do for fun?”
Sam strips off his shirt, then tightens his climbing harness around his thighs and waist. His lean muscles ripple with every movement. It’s only the second time I’ve seen him shirtless, and I now realize just how he built those muscles. My forearms already ache from my kiddie course, and Sam’s got muscles on top of his forearm muscles.
He tilts his head to each side in a stretch and winks as he notices me watching him. My mouth actually waters at the sight of him, and I don’t even know what that means. It’s like my body’s acting on impulses that my brain knows nothing about.
I watch as he approaches the wall, clamps his carabiner on the safety latch, then climbs up the wall so fast you’d think a radioactive spider bit him. Sam’s moves are fluid and calculated as he scales the wall. Somehow he makes it look easy as he uses his legs to push himself up while reaching the most challenging positions.
Within a few seconds, he reaches the top of the wall, then propels himself back down, landing just in front of me.
A thin sheen of sweat coats his body, and his muscles are somehow even more defined than they were a moment ago. His veins bulge in his hands and forearms, and I try my best to memorize everything about him. I can’t imagine they make them any hotter than him.
He takes a step toward me and pulls me into him, grabbing my ass possessively before kissing me like he owns me. And I guess he does. I can practically feel the testosterone oozing off him as he deepens our kiss into something sinful and hungry.
Every nerve in my body is awake and reeling with desire as he kisses me like I’m his last meal, his last breath of air. I let myself go, chasing the sensations. I let myself feel everything he’s doing to me, the way his rough, calloused hands grip my hips. The way his thumb traces over my stomach just below my belly button. The way he stops himself just as his fingertip brushes under the hem of my yoga pants.
I’m putty in Sam’s hands, and I don’t care that we’re probably being recorded for surveillance footage. I’d let him take me right here in this rock-climbing gym if that’s what he wanted to do. I feel so alive when I’m with him. Like I’ve lived in a black-and-white world and am seeing color for the first time.
When he finally pulls away from me, I swear he actually growls under his breath. He holds my face in his hands and wipes his thumb over my bottom lip. “I’m starting to think this whole thing is a conspiracy you’ve derived to kill me. There’s no other logical explanation.”
I look down and blush at the compliment. Oh, how I wish that were true.
“What do you think? Are you ready to tackle big boy here?” Sam nods to the massive rock wall beside us, then smacks me on the ass. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
