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 "
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.
He wore an old T-shirt with the sleeves torn off, and his lean muscles moved under coppery skin. He had a tattoo on the inside of his forearm--a small one that looked like raven wings. When he turned around, I caught the faint edge of another tattoo on his shoulder peeking from under his shirt.
He glanced over, like he'd sensed me looking. When I didn't turn away, he grinned and mouthed something I didn't catch, probably didn't want to.
"Maya's done seven climbs in a row," Daniel said. "You can race me."
"But I don't want to kiss "
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.
He wore an old T-shirt with the sleeves torn off, and his lean muscles moved under coppery skin. He had a tattoo on the inside of his forearm--a small one that looked like raven wings. When he turned around, I caught the faint edge of another tattoo on his shoulder peeking from under his shirt.
He glanced over, like he'd sensed me looking. When I didn't turn away, he grinned and mouthed something I didn't catch, probably didn't want to.
( Kelley Armstrong )
[ The Gathering ]
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