“I think I’d like that,” I say softly.
He goes to say something else, but his phone rings in his pocket.
Grumbling something, he looks down at the screen.
“Gotta go, sweetheart, but don’t think I’m done with you. Your turn will be coming.”
“I can’t wait.”
And that isn’t a lie.
I really can’t.
9
“Nope,” I say, looking up at the trees above and shaking my head. “No way am I going up there.”
“You’ll be fine,” Lake says, doing up the harness he just helped me put on.
“I won’t let you fall,” Emily calls, holding the rope that’s going to launch me up. “I swear.”
“I don’t trust any of you. There is no way I’m going up in that tree.”
There are two trees and between them a large rope ladder joining the two. We’re supposed to trust our partner for the day to haul us up there and hold on while we get across the rope ladder, where they’ll let us down the other side. I’m not a fan of heights, let alone when someone else is in control.
“That’s the point of trust exercises,” Lake says, tightening my strap and checking it. “You have to trust the person holding you.”
“Would you trust someone hoisting you up a damned tree?”
He grins at me. Man he’s attractive. “Nope.”
“That is not comforting.”
“You’ll be fine, I’ll be right next to Emily so if she can’t hold you, I can.”
“I ate a lot of breakfast this morning, will that affect this?” I squeak.
Lake grins. “Off you go.”
I glance at the rest of the group. Kara and Grace are together, Maria and Taj, and then Nathan and Rick. Each of us has one of the guys helping. Rhett is helping Kara and Grace, and I can’t help but stare at him, a hunger deep in my belly. I want him so bad it’s alarming. I’d never tell him just how attracted I am to him, because he’d probably run, but I haven’t been able to get him off my mind. There is something about him, and it sure as hell doesn’t help that he’s fucking gorgeous.
I look back to the tree, shaking Rhett from my mind.
“Now, first thing you’re goin’ to do is walk over and take hold of the climbing aides coming out of the tree. As soon as you start climbing, Emily will take the pressure off and you’ll find it easier and easier. Remember, you can’t fall.”
I walk over to the tree, stomach in my throat, and look at all the long steel posts coming out of it that they’ve obviously put in so people can climb up. I glance up and, from here, that bridge looks really god damned high. Feeling a little unwell, I put my foot on the first peg and then haul myself up. Emily takes the pressure, and it certainly does make it easier. I feel a little less terrified.
“Okay,” Lake calls, “this is the part where you trust your partner. You need to believe that they won’t drop you. You need to rely on them. Call out if you need, talk to them, tell them what you need from them.”
I look to my left where Kara is also climbing the tree next to us. There are about ten trees connected with the same pegs and the same rope ladder. They’ve put a lot of effort into making this, the least I can do is have a go. I swallow, take a deep breath, and keep climbing. I get about halfway up without any issues, and I’m feeling a little more confident with the harness.
That is, until I look down.
I just glance down for a second, to see how Emily is doing, and that’s when I see I’m up a whole lot higher than I realized. The ground looks far away and suddenly, everything in my body freezes. I can’t seem to get my arms and legs to move, instead, they decide to start shaking.
“You good?” Lake calls out.
“I can’t move,” I cry out. “I can’t move.”
“You’re freaking out. Take a deep breath, Lei. Calm yourself down.”
The more I think about it, the worse it gets.
A tear bursts forth and rolls down my cheek, and my trembling becomes so bad I feel like I’m going to pass out. I need to get down, I need to get down right now.
“I can’t move,” I cry out again.
“Hang on, we’re comin’ up.”
I close my eyes, hanging on, even though suddenly it feels as though I’m going to fall and not a single thing is going to stop me. I hold my breath, for what seems like minutes, before finally I feel a warm body come behind me, surrounding me, protecting me.
It’s Rhett.
“You’re okay, you won’t fall.”
“I can’t move, Rhett,” I croak.
“You can, I’m goin’ to stay behind you. One step at a time.”
“I need to get down.”