Thrown by a Curve by Jaci Burton

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    Maybe he could talk her out of wearing those ugly uniforms. She was a lot more pleasant to look at in this outfit.
    “Still doing all right?” she asked.
    “Great.” They’d made it three-quarters of the way. Even Alicia was sweating now, and Garrett’s shoulder no longer had any feeling in it. He wasn’t sure when he reached for a rock if he’d be able to hold on. But he’d be damned if he’d quit. If Alicia could make it, so could he.
    She waited while he grabbed the nearest rock and pulled himself up. He’d never tell her he used his legs to hoist himself up.
    “You’re looking a little shaky. Is your shoulder hurting?”
    “Hell, yes, it’s hurting. But we’re close to the top. I can make it.”
    She crossed over several rocks above him and ended up on his left side. He mustered up whatever he had deep within him to keep pace with her. And when Alicia’s foot slipped on a rock, despite the harness and the ropes the handlers held them steady with, he reached out with his left arm to grab her around the waist.
    “Crap,” she said, holding herself close to the wall.
    He pulled her tightly against him. “You okay?”
    “Here I was thinking I was such a monkey. I do this all the time, and I’ve never once slipped.”
    She was still shaking. He kept his arm around her, despite the strain on his other shoulder. He could handle this. “Just take deep breaths. We’re in no hurry to go anywhere.”
    She lifted her gaze to his, and he was struck by the clear blue of her eyes. Eyes that held more than a little bit of fear at the moment.
    “I’m the one who’s supposed to be taking care of you,” she said.
    “I didn’t slip,” he said, his lips curving.
    “Smart-ass. Thanks for grabbing me.”
    “You weren’t in any danger since you’re harnessed up and they have you in check on the ground.”
    “True. But it’s still pretty scary to lose your footing this far up. I’m grateful you reached out for me, even though you shouldn’t have. It could have hurt your shoulder.”
    He arched a brow. “No way was I going to let you fall—or dangle or whatever it was that could have happened to you.”
    She stared at him, and then, as if she realized he was holding her, she gently shifted away.
    “I’m all right now, but if it’s okay with you, can we descend?”
    “Sure. My shoulder’s pretty much done for, anyway.”
    Going down was a hell of a lot easier than going up had been, though they still had to take their time. Garrett kept his focus on Alicia the whole time, making sure she took each step slow and steady. She did, not scrambling around on the rocks the way she had on the way up.
    “Are you all right?” Dave asked when they reached bottom and unhooked.
    She gave Dave a bright smile. “I’m fine. My foot slipped. I’m so glad Garrett was there to grab me.”
    “You were perfectly safe up there with your harness and us down here anchoring you with the rope, you know,” Dave said.
    Garrett read the defensiveness in Dave’s tone. He crossed his arms and tried not to smirk about it. Though Dave was right and Alicia had been safe, Garrett liked knowing he’d been the one up there to catch her. For months now he’d felt useless, his bum shoulder making him feel inadequate. He might not have caught her with his injured shoulder today, but he’d held on to the rock with his sore arm, and grabbed her with his good one.
    To Garrett, that spelled victory.
    “Logically, I know I was fine up there,” Alicia said. “And there’s no way I could have fallen since I was hooked up to a harness. But there’s nothing like having someone there to grab on to. Garrett was a hero for me today.” She turned to him and laid her hand on his arm. “Thank you again.”
    “No problem.” He walked away with a big smile on his face, leaving Alicia to wrap everything up with Dave. Once she’d finished, she grabbed her bag, and they walked out.
    “So what’s next?”
    “We need to go back to the