tabby

Bae’s hot-and-cold attitude.
Dressed, I opened the door and let out a little squeak. Arin stood in front of it, dressed only in a pair of tight shorts and a Swiss seat harness. My hand went to my chest to keep my thumping heart inside as my gaze involuntarily raked over him. He was leaner across the shoulders and chest than the other two, but that didn’t mean he lacked muscles or definition. They just came in a compact way, like a swimmer.
“Wow. Looking goo-od.” He whistled, taking my hand. I flinched at the shock of static that sprang between us, but he didn’t even react. Like with Kasim’s touch, Arin’s calmed me despite the frantic pace of my heart. By the time we walked to the base of the wall, even it succumbed to the calming effect.
Kasim handed me the harness, which I put on as he explained the plans. “Ever climbed with the automatic belay?” When I nodded, he continued. “Good. We’ll use those after we’ve done a few climbs, rotating who’s belaying to build your trust with all of us. First round, I’ll hold your line while you climb with Arin. Then you’ll climb with Bae while Arin is on your line. Finally, I’ll climb with you while Bae is on your line. You’ll be on the line for whomever was on yours during your climb. Got it?”
“Yup.” I took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and said with more confidence than I felt, “Sounds great. Let’s go.”
Kasim beamed at me, and I returned it. This smile more heartfelt and true than my first.
We started up the wall, and to my surprise... I. Had. Fun.
Arin talked as we went up, asking me questions about various pieces of tech and questioning their use. Gone was the sneering, smug, and challenging tone he usually used when he spoke to me. Instead, he spoke like someone who was truly interested in what I had to say. Before I knew it, we were at the top of the wall, faster than I’d ever bothered to climb it on my own.
At the top, he turned to me. “Do you trust Kasim?”
“Yes.”
He grinned. “Good. Because we’re going down Aussie style.”
I bit my lip. He couldn’t mean going down face first, could he?
He pulled my lip from between my teeth, settling the questions that raced through my mind. The touch sent flutters into my stomach but not the ones that I normally sported from nerves. The ones that made my meals want to reappear. Instead, these settled low below my belly button and radiated warmth.
“Trust me.” His peppermint breath washed over me, pulling me toward him. Lacing our hands together, he gave a little squeeze before turning to look out over the edge. “Ready?”
I tightened my grip on his hand and nodded.
“Just run down. Kasim will control your descent.” He smiled and then winked, setting my cheeks on fire. “On three.”
“One.
“Two.
“Three.”
We raced down the wall. Laughter and glee streamed from my mouth, catching on the wind at the speed of our descent. I’d never experienced such a rush before. It pushed everything from my mind. All my worries, all my problems, everything. It all fled as I focussed on the ground coming closer and the feel of the air rushing past.
The moment my feet hit the ground, I turned to Arin and jumped into his arms. “Oh my gosh. Thank you. That was so amazing.” And without thought, I pressed my lips to his.

9
Arin
I brushed my fingers over my lips as my gaze met my reflection in the mirror over the bathroom sink. Shaving cream that needed to be washed off dotted my face. With each pass of my fingers, I swore I could still feel the press of her lips on mine.
Even three days later.
The burn. The softness. The hint of strawberry from her earlier choice of flavoured water. It was all still there.
The kiss had been unexpected, and it had taken a moment for my brain to catch up, having been stuck on the feel of her body in my arms. The lush curves she’d revealed during her striptease nestled into me, fitting like a glove, sending a course of energy through my system. It was like a jolt from one of my fruit juices when my blood sugar was on the low side. It electrified me.
Add to that the brilliance of her full smile. One without any wariness. Only unadulterated joy. If I hadn’t been focussed on holding her, the smile would have knocked me to the floor. As it was, it packed a solid punch... right into my heart.
There was no denying it now. The reason I liked to bug her, to get a rise from her—juvenile as it was—was because I liked her. Against my better judgement, which was probably why I fought against it so hard, I wanted something more with her.
And if I hadn’t come to that conclusion in my split-second hesitation after her lips touched mine, it would have smacked me across the head the moment I returned her kiss. When my lips responded, she melted, sinking deeper into my body. My cock stood up and took notice.
But our kiss didn’t last long, much to my dismay. I wanted to sink into her, to delve deeper, feel more, but the predator glare Kasim sent my way had me backing away. Instead of doing what I really wanted, I set her back on her feet, patted her back, and pushed her toward Kasim. Of the three of us, until that kiss, Kasim had been the one who seemed to have formed a connection with her not based on antagonism.
I bent over the sink, filled my hands with cold water, and splashed it on my face, washing the shaving cream off. I repeated it over and over in the hopes of avoiding yet another cold shower.
Today was my day to spend with Tabitha, and I couldn’t arrive sporting the hard-on that only withered whenever I