him again, then pulled back to hop up and down, her chest moving deliciously, making it impossible not to stare.
“Absolutely. Want to try a steeper climb?”
“Yes!” She let go of his hold and stepped back. “Wait. It’s your turn now. Show me how to belay.” Rayne started unbuckling her harness.
“Easy now.” He put his hand over hers, enjoying the heat of their bodies and feeling the racing of her pulse. “Keep that on. You can climb as many walls as you’d like. I’ve done this a thousand times.”
“I’m going to watch you this time and then I’ll go again. Can you climb that one?” She pointed to the Everest wall.
“If that’s what you want.” Leave it to her to challenge him with the most difficult, steepest climb. He’d mastered it years ago, so he wasn’t worried, but he didn’t want to come off cocky.
“It looks hard. Have you done it before?”
Mind. Gutter. Get out. “A few times.”
“Did you fall?”
“I have slipped, yes. Only you don’t fall if you have a strong belayer.” He winked, then called to one of the employees, “Cote. I’m going up. Can you spot me?”
“Hmph. I’m offended. I could totally spot you.” She crossed her arms over her perky breasts and almost pouted. The excitement in her face didn’t allow her to frown that much.
“I hope you do.” He winked and double-checked his gear. Cote did a quick spot-check as well before Trent started his climb.
Careful not to show off too much and accidentally slip, Trent climbed like Spider-Man, clinging to the overhang.
“Oh my God, Trent! You’re practically upside down. Don’t fall.”
He smiled and tried not to laugh, which would probably cause him to lose his grip and his cool status. The woman was worried about him, and damn if that didn’t boost his ego just a touch. Rayne deserved a show, and a show she was going to get. Letting his feet fall, he dangled, gripping tightly on to the holds. Using his forearms to pull himself up, he slowly lifted his body to the next tier, bringing his right leg nearly over his head. Yeah, he was that good, and yeah, he wanted her to know it. He prayed his legs didn’t break out in an Elvis and start shaking in front of his fan club.
Rayne gasped from below, and Trent did all he could to clear his mind of her and get himself out of this precariously challenging situation. Reaching over his head for another pull, his shaking arms carried his body over the last lip and up to the ceiling.
He may have pushed it a bit on the last stretch. His new sudden fame had kept him busy in the bakery and off the rocks for the past few weeks.
The whooping and cheering below caused a sudden spectacle around the gym. Everest had been empty all morning; it took months of training to climb this wall, and most enthusiasts climbed outside in the summer. As the onlookers slowly made their way over to Rayne and Trent’s private corner, he called out to Cote and slid down the rope until he hit the ground.
“Holy crap, Trent. Or should I call you Peter Parker?” Her Godiva eyes glowed and her sweet, shiny lips parted into a bright smile, enhancing her perfectly white teeth.
Damn, he’d like to take her mouth for a test drive. “Your turn.”
“Oh no. I can’t do this wall.” She backed away from him.
Trent reached out and grabbed her arm. “Not Everest, but I think you can climb Katahdin.” He led her toward an intermediate wall and prayed the group of women at the Shawnee Peak wall wouldn’t come over. Unfortunately, they recognized him, puffed out their feathers and sauntered over, not caring that he was with another woman.
“Hey, you’re that hot baker guy, aren’t you?”
“Um, I…uh…” He glanced at Rayne, who raised her eyebrow in question. Trent couldn’t tell if she was miffed or amused.
“You are,” the tall redhead fawned. “Can I have your autograph?” She sized him up with predatory eyes. “I guess you can’t do that now. If I swing by the bakery