Not for a Moment: One Moment, Book 3 Page 8

  Jess tore her gaze from his mouth. “Well?”

  “Why don’t you pick?”

  Jess stifled a moan as her mind went into overdrive. It was just too tempting. Which meant there was only one thing she could do.

  “One word of advice and you have to leave me alone,” she said firmly. “For good. No deals. No negotiation.”

  Van had her tied up in knots. How bad would it be afterward? No. Jess needed to go into this exercise in insanity with the sole purpose of it being the last thing she did with Van. Anything else and she was flirting too close to danger.

  “Fair enough.” Van looked disappointed, but not surprised. “And what do I get if I don’t say anything?”

  “What? The pleasure of my sparkling company isn’t enough?”

  Van let out a sexy chuckle. “More than enough. Let’s do this.”

  The rock-climbing center was in an old warehouse, ten minutes’ drive away. Jess had been to the clip-and-climb area before, at the front of the complex. Walls stretched up three stories high and were fitted with climbing frames of wood, metal, and plastic. All the climbs had a basic clip-and-climb auto belay system with big, chunky pegs. A range of people, kids mostly, clambered over the walls, racing the clock to see who could make it to the top the fastest.

  Jess rubbed her hands together. She could do this.

  Except Van didn’t stop there. He led her past that entrance to the back area of the building.

  “I told you we were going rock climbing.” He opened the door and took her through to the side Jess had only caught glimpses of.

  This was where serious rock climbers hung out. Tiny colored holds covered every wall and false ledge, some at least thirty feet in the air. A handful of people were negotiating the walls, clinging like spiders to a web.

  Jess stopped just inside the door. “You expect me to do this?” she spluttered.

  “Yes. Unless there’s a problem…”

  Jess closed her gaping mouth. Okay. She would play his silly game. If he was waiting for her to beg off…

  She lifted her chin. “Okay then. Let’s do it.”

  Van went to talk to the supervisor while Jess studied the climbers. It didn’t look so hard. Not.

  He came back with harnesses and held hers open so she could step into it. Van had obviously done this before. He was secured into his harness while Jess was still struggling to work out which straps went with what buckle.

  He stood by patiently as she redid the fastenings twice before getting it right, then he checked her over, pulling on the attachments to make sure they were tight and secured. Jess’s heart started pounding when he fixed up the leg loop around her thighs. She jammed sweaty palms into her armpits so she didn’t give in to the temptation to touch or lean into him.

  “Now you check mine.” Van stepped back, spreading his legs and lifting his arms, inviting her in.

  Jess tried to hide the tremble in her fingers as she tugged on the straps and checked each buckle. The heat of his body seeped through his clothes and the beat of his heart accelerated as she moved over his harness.

  “Turn around.” Her voice came out coarse and husky. She cleared her throat and got on with looking over his attachments. “You’re done.” She let her hands drop, fingers curling at her sides. Climbing Mount Everest would be less dangerous than laying her hands on Van right now.

  Looking up at the high, imposing wall was an instant cure for Jess’s libido. Uncertainty gathered in a knot in her chest. The longer she looked, the smaller the holds appeared.

  “Why don’t you go first?” she offered, still looking up. Maybe watching Van would make it easier. She could pick up a few pointers, not make a complete fool of herself.

  “Have you belayed before?” He held out a coil of rope, all business now. Super serious.

  “Ah. No.” Jess wasn’t exactly sure what belaying was, but if he wanted her to act as an anchor while he climbed… She shuddered. Doing that would be worse than attempting the wall.

  Van must have thought so too. “I’ll grab someone else then, if you don’t mind.”

  “What. Scared I’ll drop you on your head?”

  “Yes.”

  He returned her frank look and Jess laughed. She found a seat on the couches set up for spectators in the middle of the warehouse while Van approached the supervisor who’d helped him earlier. They stood and examined the wall before choosing a section in front of where Jess sat.

  Jess took advantage of the time to gawk at Van. He had rolled up his pants to mid-calf. What she could see of his legs was lean and corded with muscle. As he stood there, he arched his shoulders, drawing attention to the definition of his back, the way his T-shirt rippled in tight curves, the breadth of his shoulders. A pool of warmth gathered low in Jess’s belly as everything tightened in appreciation.

  Van clipped a small bag to his hip and dipped in his hands. Chalk. He rubbed his fingers together. Jess wished it was her he was rubbing his hands over, looking at with such intensity…

  Van threw Jess a quick look before reaching up to grab at one of the holds, testing his grip. Satisfied, Van nodded to his partner and started to climb.

  Jess had seen other people do this before and it had been mildly interesting. Not so watching Van. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. There was nothing flashy about the way he climbed. He didn’t try to lunge at the holds, or skip up the wall to show off. Every move was measured. Van took risks, but they were well thought out. Jess admired that.

  The guy at the bottom fed out rope and he too, was quiet and watchful as Van gained momentum. Every limb played a part, Van’s toes digging in, nearly curved in half, or his fingers white with strain as he hung on by the tips. Then he would swing with an easy grace to the next hold where he would stay, his gaze always upward, searching, planning, assessing, until he was ready to make his move. Not a foot wrong. Not a finger out of place.

  He neared the top and only the overhanging ledge remained to be conquered. Jess stood up to get a better look. Her heart rate picked up pace as his muscles tightened, poised to shift.

  Van’s gaze met hers for a split second before he lunged upward.

  His fingers slipped and he fell.

  Jess swallowed a scream as he plummeted from twenty feet down the sheer wall. The person anchoring him was pulled forward and he dug his feet in, leaning back against the rope to stop Van’s fall. Van came to a halt ten feet from the floor. Jess caught her breath, blood thundering through her veins as he dangled in his harness.

  “Sorry, got distracted.” Van laughed and clapped his belayer on the back when he was safely on his feet, thanking him for the save. He was still smiling when he came over to join Jess, who had slumped bonelessly onto the couch.

  “What did you think?”

  Jess hid the tremble of her fingers in her lap. “It was okay.” She shrugged.

  Van’s eyes crinkled in amusement.

  “Why don’t you show me how it’s done?”

  Van checked over Jess’s gear one more time before he attached the rope to her harness.

  She was worried, and he wondered again whether bringing her here was a good idea. He’d intended to take her to a nice, safe coffee shop, or perhaps a restaurant. Nothing scary in that. But when Jess had challenged him to take her hiking in the mountains, he’d had to pull out something special.

  Now she was standing here like a lamb in the slaughterhouse.

  He almost bit his tongue in half not asking her if she’d prefer not to climb. Van knew what her answer would be. A resounding fuck off. He loved that she kept her chin raised high, her lips curled into a devil-may-care attitude. No matter how uncomfortable it made her, Jess would do this.

  His touch lingered on the karabiner at her hips. Standing close, Van could feel her breath against his cheek, the flare of heat swelling between them. Her fear turned him
on.

  What kind of sick fuck did that make him?

  Her suspicious nature gave Jess an edge. One that Van was very much attracted to. She was like a prickly tiger cub—all fluffy cuteness with a sheath of hidden claws that would gut you at the slightest provocation.

  Jess expected Van to jump in and tell her what to do, but he had no intention of doing that. He wanted to see what she was capable of. Pushing the limits was exactly what his new program was based on.

  “What do these colors mean?” Jess was studying the wall. She touched a yellow hold, then a blue. “You only used blue.”

  “They denote how hard the climb is,” Van answered, surprised she’d picked up on that. He pointed to a chart in one of the small niches hidden in the wall. “See. It starts at brown. Red is the hardest.”

  “Blue’s in between?”

  “Yes. You don’t have to do the same climb as me, though.”

  It was a challenge. One Van wanted her to take. He waited for her comeback, wondering for a moment whether she’d outdo him and go for red.

  “I’ll do the same as you.” She reached out to touch the blue hold again, then looked back at Van, as if to see whether he would say anything.

  Van kept quiet. Blue would be hard for someone who’d never climbed before, harder still with a damaged knee, but not impossible. That was why he’d picked it.

  “Okay.” He nodded toward the wall. “Have at it.”

  Jess held out her hand. “Chalk? Or aren’t I allowed any?”

  Van unclipped his chalk bag and attached it to her hip. She dipped her fingers in and rubbed them together, giving her palms a good coating.

  “Ready?” he asked, bracing himself to catch her if she fell during the first few feet.

  “Ready.”

  Jess started off well. Better than Van expected, although it didn’t surprise him. He smiled to himself. She’d been watching him, it seemed. She followed his pattern of progress. Slow and steady.

  Point one to Jess. Van had thought she’d attack the wall in a frenzy. That was what most first-time climbers did. Not Jess. She looked comfortable in the holds and there was real strength in her arms and her good leg.

  She moved above head height and Van fed out the rope, watching as she latched the karabiner to the hook above. She had to stop a few times and adjust her holds to take the pressure off her bad leg, but she was managing well.

  Until she got to a particularly gnarly hold. Jess would have to lunge off her left leg, gripping the hold to the right, just out of reach above her head. Without the strength in her knee, getting enough momentum was going to be tough. There was another, easier way, but it wasn’t the route Van had taken.

  When Jess fell on the first try, Van pulled against the rope to lower her slowly.

  Without a word, she got back up and climbed back to the point she’d fallen from.

  She tried again.

  Fell again.

  And again.

  Still, Van said nothing, although he was practically chewing on words of advice. He admired the grit of her teeth, the determination in her eyes as she hauled herself back to the same spot above his head. Tried again and failed. Each time only a fingernail’s breadth from the grip.

  “Aren’t you going to help?” She blew hair out of her face, sweat beading her brow as he lowered her to the floor for the fifth time.

  Van shook his head. Her arms had to be getting tired. And she was angry. Her breath blew out in short puffs of frustration, her face dark and stormy.

  “Fine.” She turned her back, shook out her hands, and started to climb. She was definitely slowing down.

  “If it’s not working, try a different way,” he finally offered.

  Jess stilled and looked down under her arm. Her face was red with exertion.

  “Is that what you’re doing?” she asked. “Trying it a different way? Showing me how hopeless I am so I’ll beg to go on your program?” She let go of the wall and Van’s fingers dug into the rope as the weight of her sudden fall took him by surprise.

  Her accusation was a slap in the face. Van let her dangle just above the floor and stepped in close. Close enough to feel the tremble of her breath, the vibration of anger radiating from the tight clench of her jaw.

  “I brought you here because I like you.” He spat the words out between his teeth. “I liked fucking you. I was kind of hoping we might get to do that again.” His own anger drove him on until he didn’t care what he was saying. There was no point hiding the fact he wanted her.

  Jess’s nostrils flared. She gripped his harness and used it to swing herself in, planting a lip-smacking kiss on his mouth. Shock stole Van’s breath and his grip on her tightened, the rope falling to the floor as he yanked her close. She stumbled as her feet hit the floor. Van tried to stabilize her, but she stepped back, wiping at her mouth.

  “Okay then.” She looked back up at the wall, studying it before climbing back up again.

  Van picked up the rope, wondering what the hell had just happened. One kiss and he felt like he’d just taken the twenty-foot tumble all over again. He gripped the rope tighter, fighting to get his head back in the game.

  Jess had paused just below the area she was struggling with. She took a deep breath, then shifted to the right. Just like she needed to do. A quick adjustment and Jess moved past the point she’d failed on time and again.

  “Nice.” Van’s lungs expanded and he wanted to let out a whoop of joy. Fuck. He was proud of her.

  “Are you perving at my butt?” She grinned down at him.

  “You know it.”

  Jess started giggling and lost her grip. Van held fast to the rope and lowered her until she was in front of him again. He pulled her close.

  They stared at each other for a long moment.

  “Time to go,” he said, dropping her to the ground reluctantly.

  Her legs were a little shaky as he helped her to her feet. Jess stripped out of her harness, dusting off her chalky hands, leaving smudges of white powder down her legs.

  “I’ll make my own way home from here,” she said as she handed back her climbing gear.

  “No. I’ll take you.”

  “You said you’d leave me alone if you offered any advice.” Jess threw him a sly look. “Telling me to try a different way was helping.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Van wasn’t buying it. “If I were coaching you, I’d have told you to shift your leg to the right from the start.”

  Jess settled one hand on her hip. “Then maybe you should have.”

  Frustration gnawed at the lining of Van’s gut but he reined it in.

  “Have you always struggled to do what you’ve been told, or do you save this for me?” he asked sweetly.

  “I never used to be like this at all.”

  Van caught the edge of rawness clouding her voice. “I don’t believe that.” He shook his head. “You’re like a live wire. You’re determined and independent. No one tells you what to do.”

  “But they try to,” Jess said. She leaned back, tilting her head to appraise him. “You say you don’t like people who are dependent, but that’s what you want me to be. You want to make me rely on you by shoving me in your program.”

  “No I don’t,” Van disagreed, wondering where the hell she’d gotten that idea from. “It’s your body. You take care of your own recovery.”

  “Bullshit,” Jess came back vehemently. “Oh, you’ll start by saying that, but then it’s the fifty things you have to do each day and the three hundred things you can’t.” She stepped right up to him, shoving her face in his. “That’s not living.”

  “Why are we even talking about this?” Van threw up his hands. “I didn’t bring you here to discuss my program. I just wanted to spend time with you.”

  “Because you can’t help it.” Jess gathered up her jacket, s
crunching it into a ball in her hands. “Don’t you get it? That’s who you are.”

  Van watched her walk away and wondered whether he should laugh or punch the nearest wall. She was annoying as hell. And she also turned him on more than any other woman he’d met.

  Van shook his head. He couldn’t win. Not yet, anyway.

  Good thing tomorrow was another day.

  Chapter Seven

  Cole had never looked so relaxed. Whatever was happening between him and Madison, Jess could see it was good for him.

  It was good for Jess too. Madison provided the perfect distraction to take her mind off Van, and Cole had shut up about exercising and stopped fussing so much about Jess’s knee. He hadn’t even interrogated her over her failing grades. All the things Jess usually expected from her overprotective brother.

  She loved that he was so happy. So she was just as devastated as Cole when his relationship with Madison suddenly blew apart. One day it was happy families…the next Jess was choosing which parent to live with.

  “I’m not going,” Jess had told her brother when he’d stormed into her room, demanding she leave with him. She was happy living with Madison. And she didn’t want to end up back at the dorms. Or in Buffalo with Cole.

  Jess never wanted to go back there. Too many memories.

  Plus, Madison needed her. She was heartbroken and so obviously in love with Jess’s stupid, obstinate brother. Cole accused Jess of being stubborn, but she thought he should look in the mirror sometime. He was too used to calling the shots. And thinking no one was capable of making a decent decision, except him.

  Jess was torn but in the end decided to go where she was needed most. Madison was a good person. She’d become more than a friend since Jess had landed on her doorstep. She was a confidante. A sister. They’d spent the last few weeks getting ready for a charity auction Madison was donating her time to. Jess had been hoping Cole would buy her a ticket…