Stuffing away her reservations, she held her shoulders high. She tilted her head back and scanned up the rock, noticing a long rope dangling from the top of the rock right to the bottom.
“Where are the bolt thingies?”
Aidan zipped up the bag, glancing to her. “That’s sports climbing, and you need experience to belay.”
Cora folded her arms. “To what?”
His mouth arched slightly as he approached her. Normally, she didn’t have his full attention unless they were in the dungeon. And when Aidan walked to her with a harness in hand her body zinged to life. She shivered and glanced away. It made the moment at once simple and not simple at all.
When the heat of his body engulfed her, she turned to him. He stared at her with those shadowy eyes that held such power and she damn near went boneless. He cocked his head, eyes zeroing in on her mouth. “Clipping the rope into the bolt is tricky. This is easier, believe me.” He held the harness up. “Let’s get you into this.”
Cora closed the distance, and Aidan got right to work. Her body hummed with each move and with every brush of his fingers against her skin. In Club Sin, his touches were always sexual, with intent to arouse, and now was no exception.
She studied his skilled fingers working her harness, and a slow, delectable burn engulfed her. When he cleared his throat, Cora’s gaze flew to his eyes. A small smile broke over his face, and she grabbed for her thoughts through the filament of hazy arousal. “It’s easier to climb, says the man whose body is packed with muscle.”
His fingers froze on the harness and his eyes flared, smoldering with intoxicating dominance. “Compliments are nice, but you’re still getting up there. Besides, it’s only a five-point-six grade.”
Swallowing hard, Cora rolled her eyes. “Which means in English that a nonclimber can understand?”
His mouth twitched. “It’s not difficult.”
Aidan continued to move Cora this way and that, getting her into the harness, and she stole looks at him. His assistance was sensual, seeping fire into her loins. The harness fit very much like the ones they used on a sex swing, hugging her lower half like a pair of shorts with missing pieces in all the important areas.
Match that with the ropes hanging down from the top of the cliff, and she understood why Aidan leaned toward this sort of sport. The gear, from the harness to the ropes, were items also found in the dungeon. Perhaps this is where Aidan’s love for kink developed. Maybe using the items in the sport gave him his fantasies.
Ideas she was quite fond of.
He finished with the final clip on her harness and added, “It looks hard, but trust me, you’ll be all right.” He straightened, holding her stare. “Wait until you see a five-point-twelve grade. You’d think this was a baby rock face in comparison.”
She glanced up the mountain. It didn’t look babyish to her. In fact, it might as well have been Everest. Though her hands trembled, his beaming face left her breathless. Rock climbing and the outdoors warmed his gaze in a way she’d never seen. Her smile couldn’t be contained. “How do you know about grades and such?”
He shrugged, giving the straps on her harness a tug. “I have a book.”
Stepping back, he gave her a once-over. With a firm nod, he added, “You’re good to go.”
“Um …” Her heart hammered as she turned to the cliff. It still looked huge, and she heaved a sigh. “Don’t you think it’d be better to—I don’t know—start with a climbing wall in a gym?”
Aidan gave a half shrug. “You’ve got this. Cliffs in Nevada have more sandstone than anything else. It has texture and is easier to climb.” He approached the backpack, a
nd Cora’s gaze zeroed in on his tight ass.
She licked her lips. Damn.
He reached into the backpack and took out a small black bag. “You’ll need this, too.” With fingers far steadier than hers, he wrapped the strap around her waist and fastened it. His features softened, implying calm, as he added, “Before you start your climb, dip your fingers into the chalk. It’ll keep them dry.”
Cora glanced to the white chalk and snorted. “Which is a good thing, since my palms”—and panties—“are already soaked.”
His unforced laugh warmed her; regardless, her insides jumped around with the desire to flee. With a deep, satisfied breath, Aidan leaned away and regarded her. She’d never noticed the light brown highlights in his hair. It was normally so dark in the dungeon she’d never experienced those softer shades.
Her palms itched to feel the strands through her fingers.
She nibbled her lip and looked to his face, and discovered Aidan’s smirk. His gaze darkened, catching Cora’s breath as he reached for his shirt. She froze, pinned to the spot, as he removed his shirt and dropped it onto the ground.
The sun beaming down on his tanned, smooth shoulders had her fighting off a way-too-obvious shudder. An impossible feat, since he had suntan lotion making his skin glisten. At her soft sigh, his hands clenched briefly before they released.
His jaw clenched and he took a step forward. Then he stopped a foot away, seemingly fighting the same desires. He shut his eyes for a moment. Once they opened, his smoldering expression had vanished.
Cora’s heart panged. All the same, it reminded her of his cold distance in the dungeon, controlling her arousal. She shook her head and concentrated on the task. First thing first, climbing the damn rock and not dying in the process. “Okay, details to keep me alive.”