The Gathering (Darkness Rising 1)

"And I'm sure you really don't want to make them. But don't forget the second part. You win, you gotta kiss me. Might be better to stick with the holds."

He laughed and heaved up to the next grip, pulling away now. I grabbed another and found toeholds first, shooting a couple inches above him, the advantage lost a second later when his longer arms found the next grips as I was still getting leverage. I kept my face forward now, climbing in earnest for the first time since we'd started.

A hiss and boo from below told me I was in the lead. Then a grunt from beside me. A sharp intake of breath and I knew he was pulling up. The crowd cheered. I looked up to see Brooke leaning over the side, ropes in hand, urging me on. Only three feet to go. I could see Daniel out of the corner of my eye, his chin level with my nose, just a scant inch advantage, but I knew it was enough and as soon as he grabbed that top ledge and heaved himself up--

A grunt. Daniel wobbled and the grip slid out of his hand. He dropped only a few inches, but by the time he'd recovered, I was pulling myself over the top. Brooke and Nicole were cheering. The others below called up good-natured boos.

I took a breather as I hung off the ledge. I could hear Daniel panting beside me, but I didn't look over.

There was no way he'd lost his hold on that grip. He'd let go. Given me the win at the last second as he realized what was coming if he'd won. A kiss he didn't want.

The ego bruise lasted only a moment. Was I surprised? No. How awkward would that have been? Neither of us wanted that kiss. As always, Daniel had done the right thing and, if I'd been in his place, I'd have done the same.

After a moment, I grinned over at him. "Loser."

"The rope slipped," he said, tugging at it, like he was testing the belay system.

"You just keep telling yourself that. It'll keep you busy while you're building those new holds."

"You still need to beat everyone else. You haven't won yet."

"Just keep telling yourself that, too."

He laughed and gave me a shove. I returned the favor, sending him swinging, then belayed down before he could retaliate.

The next challenger was Sam. She was strong enough to climb and obviously had some experience, just not enough to give her a serious shot at victory. She took the defeat well, though, just teasing me in a surprisingly good mood.

The other guys were easy wins. Everyone was joking about a rematch with Daniel and ribbing the guys about losing a kiss and gaining a weekend of work, when a familiar voice drawled, "Is the game over? Or is there room for one more?"

TWELVE

RAFE WALKED OUT OF the forest. The leather jacket was gone, replaced by a tattered denim one. Instead of boots, he wore sneakers that looked as old as the jacket. As he walked toward us, his gaze was fixed on me like he didn't notice anyone else there.

"You're late," I said.

"Yeah, had some trouble getting away. Then I figured I was at the wrong place until I saw the gifts and followed the papayas."

He stopped in front of me and smiled--his real smile, the crooked one that made my breath flutter. To my left, Daniel rocked forward. He didn't say anything, just stayed poised like that, watching for trouble. Rafe didn't seem to notice. His gaze stayed locked on mine, crooked smile fainter now, but his eyes still shimmering.

"So did I hear right?" he said. "Race to the top? Winner gets a kiss?"

"Maya's done seven climbs in a row," Daniel said. "You can race me."

"But I don't want to kiss you."

The others laughed. Rafe didn't even look at Daniel when he answered, just kept watching me with a smile that now held a hint of challenge.

"If she says no, she forfeits the new grips," Corey said. "She had to defeat all comers. That was the deal."

"I'm the one who offered," Daniel said. "So it stands as is. He's late."

"I am. So it's up to Maya. She's already won. I'm just the bonus round."

He grinned then, but it was a different kind of grin, a mock arrogance that made me laugh and shake my head.

I looked into his eyes and saw the challenge sparkling there, and I hadn't even decided what to do when I heard myself saying, "You're on."

As Rafe walked over to the dangling harness, he stripped off his jacket, earning him giggles and whispers from the girls and grunts from the guys, who weren't nearly as impressed. Rafe skipped gym whenever he could, so I'd assumed he wasn't the athletic type. I was wrong.