“You’ve clearly forgotten my one-month rule.”
“Hey, can’t blame me for trying.” He had blocked it out, dammit. Another month would feel like an eternity. “I want to check out a potential bouldering site. Thought maybe we could go hike in the afternoon, then I’ll take you out for a proper dinner.”
“Now I understand Trip’s remarks.” Avery’s forehead creased a bit. “Your knee isn’t ready for heavy-duty hiking, Grey.”
“This wouldn’t be real hiking. We’ll take the van as far as we can, and then go slowly. I’m told the trail to this particular spot is fairly flat and clean, so the worst that will happen is I’ll get a little sore. No risk of turning an ankle or twisting the knee.”
“Promise we’ll turn back if the terrain is too risky for this stage of your recovery.”
Frickin’ stages of recovery. Being held back angered him, but not nearly as much as being deemed fragile or feeble did. “I’ve been working hard to rebuild my strength.”
“I know. Still, there are limitations in the healing process. You’re not superhuman.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He yanked her up against him. “And I can prove it.”
This kiss was more demanding—almost savage. He wouldn’t allow her to see him as some kind of pathetic project. Some weakling who needed to be coddled and protected. He was a man, dammit. A strong man who knew what he wanted and how to get it. Who knew what she needed and how to give it.
He felt the instant she submitted. Her body softened, and her hands found their way into his hair, which sent tingles fanning out over his scalp. He moved his mouth along her jaw to the sensitive spot behind her ear and then down along her neck. She arched into him.
He kissed her again, walking her backward until her back hit the wall. She gasped, but he didn’t stop. He grasped her wrists and pinned them over her head, pressing his body against hers until they both shuddered.
With the aching need in his body, waiting another month to have her fit the definition of cruel and unusual punishment. He released her wrists so he could fondle her body, her breasts. But he’d barely got the feel of her in his hand when she pushed him away.
“Whoa, slow down.” She swallowed hard before meeting his eyes. “I want to see where this leads, but I move slowly. It’s a self-preservation thing, you see.”
He wasn’t sure if she was afraid he’d break her heart because he’d prove to be the player she feared, or because he’d end up forcing her out of her home. Either way, he understood her hesitation. Couldn’t even blame her, really. He’d be wise to follow her lead in that regard or they could both end up in a lot of pain.
“Okay, Bambi. I’m in no rush.” Liar! His raging hard-on protested. “So how about Saturday. Is it a date?”
“It’s a date as long as you promise to be honest about how your knee is feeling.” And there it was again—her concerned scowl.
Between her worry and Trip’s warnings, Grey’s good mood began to tank again. Maybe he did need to brace himself for the possibility of being permanently sidelined by this damned accident.
“I have a question for you, and I want an honest answer.” He stepped back and crossed his arms. “Will I be able to ski again by winter? And I’m not talking about slopes at the resort. I mean my kind of skiing.”
Bambi blinked at him and chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Don’t you think I would make promises if I could, not only for your sake, but so you could also settle things with Andy? No one can know if you’ll be able to put the extreme stress on your knee required for leading hardcore ski tours, let alone know when. But I remain hopeful it can happen.”
No promises. No certainty. She’d hedged with him as he’d hedged with her about the lawsuits. Turnabout was fair play, he supposed.
Hopefully their insidious optimism wouldn’t act like water, slowly undermining the foundation of their relationship.
Chapter Fifteen
By noon on Saturday, Grey and Avery had hiked to a clearing alongside a narrow trail following the river, about one hundred yards from an outcropping of twelve- to twenty-foot-high boulders. Ideal for climbing without ropes and harnesses, and for perfecting specific moves at a safe distance from the ground.
Shaman scampered around the area, barking and sniffing under the brush. Although the sky was virtually cloudless, the shaded area felt cooler than the sixty-four degrees predicted. Grey noticed Avery rub her hands over her biceps for warmth.
He dropped his pack on the ground, unzipped it, and removed a lightweight jacket. “Here.” Smiling, he draped the fleece over her shoulders. “I know it isn’t pink or lime-green or yellow, but it’ll keep you warm.”
“Thanks.” She slipped her arms into its sleeves. He grinned when she then unwittingly held them up to her nose and inhaled. She likes me. “I’m surprised you didn’t make fun of the color of my Merrells, too.”
“A lot of purple.” He handed her a fresh bottle of water.
“Grape! Your favorite flavor.” She stuck one foot out, wiggling it around.
“Careful, Bambi, or I might come over and suck on your toes,” he teased, stepping closer.
She shook her head. “I’m ticklish.”
“Good to know.” He bent over, reaching back in the pack to retrieve a blanket and several small Tupperware containers.
Avery sat cross-legged on the blanket and glanced at the boulders. “So this is where you’ll teach bouldering?”
“Seems so.” Grey quickly surveyed the area. “It’s easy to access. Should be a good training spot, and then when things progress, we could begin heading up that way,” he motioned farther down the canyon, “to access some switchbacks and reach better terrain—good walls with views.”
“Who will sub for you this summer?”
“I can handle bouldering, for God’s sake.” Grey sensed an oncoming lecture, so he cut her off. Plus, he’d hoped to avoid discussing the obstacles between them, like his recovery. “I don’t need you and Trip to babysit me and my knee. I’ve got to be involved with the clients. I can’t build relationships sitting in my office.”
“I’m just looking out for your long-term recuperation. That’s all.”
He drew a deep breath, looking at her with a sheepish grin.
“Sorry for snapping at you.” He popped the lid off a container of fresh berries and set it between them. “I hate being seen as an invalid. I’m already at a disadvantage here, with your being a PhD and my being an undereducated, dyslexic ski bum.”
Avery straightened up, tilting her head slightly. “Do you actually think I look at you that way?”
He shrugged while opening another container filled with a brown rice-cranberry-pine nut-chicken salad, then passing her the last two containers: one with olives, feta, tomatoes, and cucumbers, the other with hummus and pita chips. “I know a girl like you has a lot of options.”
“A girl like me?” Avery began to load up her plate.
“A girl like you.” He stretched himself out on his side, propping his torso up on one arm. “Pretty, smart, ambitious, confident, with a hint of smart-aleck.”
Avery glanced away, appearing embarrassed by his compliments. When she finally looked at him, a shy grin appeared.
“First of all, thank you for this excellent spread. Not at all what I’d expected given your lollipop fetish.” Avery bit into a big strawberry and held up her index finger. “Secondly, thanks for the high praise, but obviously my exes didn’t quite see me as a great catch, so consider yourself warned.”