Their Festive Island Escape

She nodded slowly. “I’m sure. I don’t run from things,” she offered with a shaky smile. “Then again, that might just be the ouzo talking.”

Without waiting for his response, she turned toward the stage and stepped toward it. Reid shook off his shock and quickly followed her up the steps onto the platform.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause once more. Reid placed his hand gently on her waist at the base of her spine. Bowing slightly to the crowd, he took the mike.

“What are you doing?” Celeste asked him.

He shrugged. “Can’t let you have all the fun, can I? What are we singing?”

CHAPTER SIX

IF SHE HAD somehow managed to sing in front of a throng of beach partygoers last night, the task before her should be a piece of cake.

Celeste took Reid’s hand as he helped her off the charter boat onto the smooth beach they’d spent half an hour sailing to after leaving the Baja Majestic earlier this morning.

She could do this. Besides, part of her was looking forward to it maybe just a little. The waterfall they were to climb up couldn’t be that tall, could it? She got her answer soon enough.

The falls was tall, all right. But it didn’t seem terribly steep. She took a steadying breath, reminding herself that she’d signed up for this. There would be no backing out now. Just like last night onstage.

Hard to believe but she felt a quiver of a smile tug her lips at the memory. She and Reid had butchered “Jingle Bells” so badly, it was a wonder they hadn’t been escorted off stage. To think she could laugh about it now, when at the time she’d thought she might faint with nervousness. What choice had she had? She wasn’t going to hightail it and run away in front of all those people. And what was the other option? To kiss Reid.

She’d thought about it, she really had. In fact, she’d found herself oh-so-tempted to just lean into him, even in front of all those people, and find out once and for all what his lips would taste like, how they would feel up against her own.

Singing in front of strangers had absolutely been the safer choice.

Though singing might be too generous a word. Reid had stayed onstage with her and “sung” too.

“You ready?” he asked her now.

“I suppose.” She followed him to the base where two guides were waiting for them. After a brief summary of safety measures and what to expect, they began the climb by stepping on the first big boulder.

So far so good.

Granted, it was literally the first step. But she’d take any encouragement where she could get it. They were both absolutely soaked in no time. Reid seemed unfazed by the sheer physicality required. Lithe and agile, she got the feeling he’d be bounding upward boulder to boulder if he wasn’t hampered by her. Despite the early-morning heat, there was enough of a breeze and shaded areas that she found herself shivering with cold.

In response, Reid rubbed his palms absent-mindedly over her arms when they came to a brief stop before scaling the next large boulder. More than once, she lost her footing on the slippery rocks and he was there to catch and steady her. She’d always prided herself on her independence. Even after her broken engagement, Celeste defined herself by her own successes, for being her own person. But something about the way Reid kept rescuing her from slips and falls awakened a side of her she didn’t recognize. It was nice for once to literally have someone to fall back on.

The noise of the gushing water made conversation impossible. Not that she would have known what to say. His touch sent electricity over her skin.

Forty-five minutes later, they’d finally reached the top. Her muscles quivered with exhaustion. But that wasn’t all she felt. She was elated. She’d done it. She’d conquered the phenomenal task—to her, anyway—of climbing up a one-hundred-and-fifty-foot waterfall.

Their guides congratulated them with a round of high fives. Reid reached for his waterproof wallet and handed several wilted bills to the two men.

He turned to her with a wide grin. “You did it!”

She didn’t get a chance to respond as he lifted her by the waist and twirled her around in a tight embrace.

Celeste didn’t even bother to try to suppress her squeal of laughter. She had done it! She’d successfully conquered a feat she wouldn’t have even attempted a week ago. All because Reid was by her side throughout it all.