Page 13 of Exposed

It was the twenty-first century, not the Victorian Age. Women could do it all. Have both a satisfying career and an awesome home and family life. It just took hard work and balance. Most of all, it took the right person to come along.

Didn’t it?

As they boarded the shuttle, her mind churned that idea around. In the years since Devon, she’d barely even thought about “having it all.” Her focus had been strictly on her career. Why was that popping into her head now? It made her heart thump in her chest to even consider combining family and career, but the thought didn’t feel bad, necessarily. A little scary, maybe, but not bad.

Eric slid into the seat beside hers, his thigh bumping into hers, and soon they were rumbling through the island’s tropical rainforest heading for the mountains in the distance. She’d read online that they were extinct volcanos, which also explained the abundance of flora and fauna in the area, as the soil was rich with nutrients.

Eric had retreated to Mr. Stoic and Silent, and she wanted him to talk. She wanted to know more about him, so she tried a different route to spark conversation. “Have you ever climbed before?”

“Some,” he said, staring out the window beside her, keeping his voice low to avoid being overheard. “We learned the basics of climbing and rappelling during SEAL training, since we never knew the kind of terrain we might be deployed in next.”

“I know the training is intense. Heath gave me a few details, but it must be amazing, too.”

“Can be.” He really was being reticent. “What about you?”

“Does the rock wall in my gym count?” she asked, grinning up at him.

He snorted and shook his head. “Just stick with me, kid. I’ll protect you.”

“That’s my plan.” The air between them seemed to shimmer with possibilities again and damn if that heat wasn’t back in his eyes. This time, it was her looking away, fumbling to zip her phone back into the pocket of her shorts instead of giving into the temptation to climb on his lap and kiss him until they were both gasping for breath.

She turned her attention to the view outside the window, and about ten minutes later, they pulled up at the base of the largest mountain in the range of three. All the couples piled out of the shuttle and their guide for the day went over basic instructions of how to use the equipment, what to watch out for on the cliff face, and when to engage the safety mechanism on the gear. They were split up into five groups of three couples each andplaced along the cliff face, where the gear had all been set up and a junior instructor waited for each group.

Because Eric had experience climbing, he and Beth were chosen to go first in their little group. She was fine with that. While heights didn’t bother her, the thought of plummeting to her death did, so the sooner she got it out of the way and conquered that fear, the better. Eric suited up while the instructor helped Beth into her harness and showed her how to work the ropes and carabiners. Finally, she and Eric started up the cliff face, side by side. Things were going well, and she was finding her hand and toe holds quickly. Then about halfway up her competitive streak kicked in.

Eric was taller than her and therefore faster, but she had agility on her side. Being smaller meant she could be nimbler. As long as she didn’t look down, she was fine.

She caught up to him then moved on ahead, casting him a challenging, triumphant grin as she passed him by. His deep chuckle sent a shiver of awareness clear down her spine.

“Slow down there, Speedy,” Eric said from a foot away. “This isn’t a race.”

“Isn’t it?” She reached for her next handhold only to hear an ominous snapping sound, like metal reaching its breaking point. Next thing she knew, she was falling. Her heart skipped and her scream lodged in her throat.Oh God! Don’t let me die this way! Please, God!

Her stomach went into freefall along with her body, the safety ropes waving uselessly in front of her. Time seemed to slow, and the only thing she could think about was that she’d finally screwed up, just like her parents always worried she would. Herambition had done her in at last. If only she hadn’t gotten cocky. If only she hadn’t tried to make this into a race. If only…

A strong hand wrapped around her arm and tugged her sideways into a hard, warm chest.

“Jesus, Beth! Are you okay?” Eric’s voice was rough with concern and his breath was warm on her scalp as he buried his face in her hair holding her tightly to him. Sounds slowly began to register again, the wind whipping around them, the shouts from their instructor below, the steady, reassuring thud of Eric’s heartbeat beneath her ear. “Sweetheart? Please say something.”

Beth tried to talk, but her vocal cords seemed to be paralyzed. She nodded vigorously instead, her entire body trembling in the aftermath of her near-death experience. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. Bad enough she’d made an ass out of herself in front of all these people. She’d sure as hell not cry in front of them too. No matter how terrified she’d been, no matter how close to dying she’d come.

Oh God!

A tiny sob escaped without her consent and Eric held her tighter, kissing the top of her head. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

His words felt like the greatest gift she’d ever received. She wanted to bury herself inside him and never come out. This went beyond a pretend relationship, beyond pretend feelings. This felt like the most real moment she’d ever experienced with anyone ever.

She clutched the sides of his shirt in her shaking fingers as he slowly lowered them both down to the ground. The instructor rushed over to them, but Eric’s arms stayed around her—and thank God for that, because otherwise she couldn’t have remained on her feet. Her knees felt about as stable as water.

“Are you all right?” the instructor asked, her face pasty white with fear. Beth didn’t imagine her own looked much better. “What happened up there?”

Eric mumbled something under his breath as he fiddled with her gear. “Son of a bitch.Thisis what happened.”

He held up one of the carabiners from her safety harness. “It’s been tampered with.”

The instructor’s face went even paler, if that were possible. “No. I checked all this gear out myself earlier this morning. It was all fine. Who would do that?”

“That’s the question of the day, isn’t it?” Eric said, unfastening the defective carabiner from the harness and holding it up for closer inspection. “Yep. You can see the marks on it right here.” He pointed to one side of the thing. “Definitely cut. Who had access to this gear besides you?”

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