Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (21 page)

His
eyebrows shot up. “
Cocky
?”

I
laughed. “Not in a bad way, just… more confident, more determined, and
self-assured.”

Kadyn
looked relieved.

I
continued cautiously. “Michael’s kisses were so pleading and full of hope,
especially in the beginning. When you kissed me like that, it brought back so
many memories. The only thing I could think of was how much I had lost. It just…
threw me off. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run out on you, and I feel like an
idiot for dragging you out in the rain.”

Kadyn
turned onto a vaguely familiar road. He glanced at me as the cars in front of
us slowed. “You’re still not over Michael.”

I
silently contemplated whether I’d ever get over Michael. I stared out the
window at the thick wall of trees. My eyes widened when I recognized the road.
I shot upright. “We’re going to Great Falls Park!”

Kadyn
laughed. “It’s been a while. I didn’t think you’d remember this place.”

I
leaned forward excitedly. “Are we going hiking?”

Kadyn
shook his head. “Nope.”

I
didn’t bother hiding my disappointment. “We’re not?”

Kadyn
paid the forest ranger before turning into the first parking lot. He snagged a
parking spot under a cluster of trees. He hooked his arm around the back of my
seat as he turned to face me. “I don’t know how or when I lost your trust, Kri,
but we’re here for one reason and one reason only.”

My
pulse quickened. At some primitive level my body registered the need to flee.

A
determined look settled over Kadyn’s face. “We’re here because I want you to
trust me.”

I
swallowed against the lump in my throat.

His
eyes captured and held mine.

I
slowly nodded. My nerves were pinging by the time we climbed out of the car. I
watched with baited breath as he popped open the trunk. I studied the contents
curiously. “What is that for?”

Kadyn
smiled. “Rock climbing.”

My
eyes widened. “You’re taking me rock climbing? But I haven’t climbed outside
before. I’ve only climbed on those fake walls at the indoor rock climbing gyms.”

He
laughed. “This should be a piece of cake for you then. Why don’t you grab this
backpack? I’ll grab the other backpack and the rest of the gear.”

I
eyed all the carabiners, slings, and harnesses swinging from Kadyn’s shoulder
as we hiked down the trail. “You know, that gear looks like something you’d
expect to find in some BDSM club.”

Kadyn
froze on the trail in front of me. He slowly turned around. “What did you say?”

I
took a step back. “Nothing,” I yelped. “I think maybe somebody else was talking…
on that other trail.” I nodded toward a heavily treed area.

Kadyn’s
eyes glinted with mischief as he took another step forward. “Hmm. I don’t know,
Kri... It sounded like you just asked me to take you to a BDSM club.”

I
blanched. “No. I’m not into being tied up, humiliated, or tortured.”

Kadyn
took another step forward. Heat rolled off his body as he closed the distance
between us. “What if the torture wasn’t really torture? What if it was someone
you trusted, and you knew he would only do things that made you feel really,
really good?”

Heat
flooded my cheeks as I attempted to back away. Kadyn caught me by the waist and
immediately yanked me against his chest. He lowered his voice until it rose
huskily from his chest. “You said you preferred cocky, determined kisses. Admit
it. You like to be dominated.”

I
opened my mouth to protest, but Kadyn’s lips crashed against mine. I tried to
pull away, but he locked me in his arms. My head swam as his kiss grew more insistent.
My arms wrapped hesitantly around his neck.

Kadyn
was relentless. He owned every crevice of my mouth as he demanded my
submission. His body hardened as his tongue made love to mine.

I
so wanted to prove Kadyn wrong, but my body refused to lie. My breasts swelled
against his chest as a searing need burned through my veins, my abdomen, and
thighs.

Kadyn
read my body like a much beloved book. His hands raked over my breasts as he ravished
my neck with deep open-mouthed kisses.

My
head fell back. I dug my fingers into his broad shoulders as the forest spun. I
moaned softly, then relaxed into his arms.

Kadyn
stilled, then slowly met my gaze. His eyes were two pools of unadulterated lust.
A look of complete and utter satisfaction slid over his face. “I told you… you
like being dominated.” He laughed as he patted my bottom. “Now, you take the
lead. I want to watch you hike in those shorts.”

I
gave him a dirty look as I stumbled over my feet. “But I don’t know where I’m
supposed to go.”

Kadyn
laughed as he nudged me forward. “I’ll tell you when to turn.”

We walked out onto a cliff twenty minutes later. Kadyn dropped
his backpack and the other equipment next to a tree. I hung back by the tree
while he hopped from rock to rock. My breath caught when he reached the edge of
the cliff.  He peered over the edge. “Looks like we’re in the right spot. Wow! We
must be about fifty feet above the Potomac River.”

“Fifty feet?” I exclaimed, suddenly panicked.

Kadyn smiled. “Piece of cake.” He picked his way back over
the rocks, knelt next to the backpack, and pulled out two ropes. He secured one
of the ropes around the tree by tying several knots. He unraveled the rope
until the middle section hung just over the edge of the cliff.  He tied another
knot, hooked up two carabiners, and unraveled the second rope.  He appeared to
be securing the second rope through the carabiners. He glanced over the edge of
the cliff, then yelled, “Rope!” as he tossed the ends over the edge of the
cliff.  

Kadyn grabbed the free end of the first rope and walked it
back over to the tree. I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

He smiled. “That’s our back-up. Just in case.” 

I fidgeted nervously. While his back-up plan seemed like a
really good idea, rock climbing suddenly did not.

Kadyn scooped up the remaining equipment, slung it over his
shoulder, then patted me on the bottom. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Go? Where are we going now?” I inquired in a voice that was
way too high to be my own. I followed him back onto the trail.

“We’re lowering a bit further down the trail,” Kadyn responded.

I shook my head, thoroughly confused. “How do you know where
we’re supposed to lower and tie the back-up rope?”

Kadyn
glanced back at me. “There are a number of guys in my office who are rock
climbers. They told me what to look for when they recommended this place.” The
trail branched into another clearing along the edge of the cliff. Kadyn knelt
on the ground as he began digging through his backpack again. He pulled a new
pair of rock climbing shoes from the backpack and handed them to me. “These are
for you. Hopefully they fit.”

My
eyes widened in surprise. I had fully expected to make do with my running
shoes. I kissed his cheek as I sat next to him. “Thanks, Kadyn.” I kicked my
shoes off and slipped the climbing shoes on. “They fit perfectly,” I exclaimed.

Kadyn
smiled as he tugged his own pair of rock climbing shoes on. “Good.” He pulled
another rope from the backpack before cramming our running shoes inside. He
stood and pulled me to my feet. “I’m going to put you on belay and let you
climb down first. Be careful though
. You’re going to touch
down right next to the river.
”

My eyes widened as he fit a harness around each of our waists.
I cinched my backpack a bit tighter. “I was thinking maybe you should go
first.”

Kadyn tugged the harness to make sure it was secure. “Why are
we here?”

I rolled my eyes as he secured the rope to my harness with a
couple of knots. “We’re here because you want me to trust you.”

 Kadyn nodded as he looped the other end of the rope around a
rock.  He secured his harness to the rope and attached the belay device before pointing
toward the edge of the cliff. “Okay. Head down over there.”

My heart scrambled back toward the trail as I inched toward
the edge of the cliff. I held onto the rope as I peered over the edge. “Holy
crap,” I breathed.
The Potomac River boasted a beautiful
white froth as it pounded against large jagged rocks. T
he rocks that lined the river’s edge didn’t look very forgiving.
“I think I prefer the mats at the indoor rock climbing gyms,” I called back to
Kadyn.
A
shiver ran down my spine as I calculated the odds of surviving a fall.

“Don’t worry. You’re on belay. I’ll catch you if you fall,”
Kadyn called out. 

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered under my breath. “Don’t
worry. I’ll catch you if you fall,” I mimicked irritably. “The man is standing
on the wrong end of the cliff. He can’t catch me when he’s standing at the
top.”

Kadyn laughed. “I heard that… and you know the rope allows me
to catch you from the top.”

I
knew the longer I st
ood
there the harder it
would be to gather the courage to climb down
, so I called over to
Kadyn. “Ready to lower.”

“Lowering,”
he called back.

I
inched toward the edge of the cliff.
“
I’m tied in… I’m tied
in… I’m tied in
,” I chanted under my breath.
I gripped the rope
as I turned my back to the cliff. My stomach plunged into the river below.

“Okay.
I’ve got you. Just lean back,” Kadyn called.

I
looked pointedly at Kadyn before I sat back into my harness. I planted my feet
against the edge of the cliff, breathed a silent prayer, then slowly began
walking backwards down the side of the rock.

My
legs were shaking, so I paused briefly and tried to relax my limbs. I felt for
the next ledge with my toe, then yelped as my foot slipped. My knee hit the
rock.

The
rope tightened immediately. “I’ve got you,” Kadyn yelled.

I took a deep breath and continued. Eventually, I touched
down at the river’s edge. I looked around in wonder. I had never seen a more
breathtaking view. Ominous looking cliffs loomed above me on either side of the
river, which sounded really, really loud.

“Are you down?” Kadyn shouted from over the top of the cliff.

“Yes!”
I hollered. I untied the rope from my harness. “Rope’s free,” I yelled up to
Kadyn. The rope began moving as he pulled it over the top of the cliff.  I watched
the rope disappear. Then I hopped over to a rock that was a bit more flat. I
peered up at the cliff while perched on the rock. I was beginning to wonder if Kadyn
was even going to climb down. “You’re not eating lunch up there, are you?”

Kadyn’s
laughter carried over the thundering river. “No. All the food is in the
backpack that you’re wearing!”

“Just
making sure,” I mumbled.

“I
take it you’re hungry?” he yelled.

I
laughed. “No. I just miss your pretty face,” I shouted toward the top of the
cliff.

Kadyn
peeked over the top of the rock. His chin was resting on top of his hands. “In
that case…”

I
narrowed my eyes at him. “You do realize I could start eating without you,
right?”

Kadyn
shook his head. “I’d be down there before you even got that backpack unzipped.”
He glanced over at the Maryland side of the river and pointed toward the top of
the cliff.

I turned around and quickly noted the hikers walking along
the top of the cliff. I wondered how the rock climbing was on that side of the
river.

Kadyn touched down next to me. The rope was coiled around his
shoulders.

I gaped at him. “How the heck did you get down?”

He laughed. “I climbed down, same as you.”

I punched him in the arm. “But no one had you on belay!”
I
planted my hands on my hips. “You know, sometimes you make it really difficult
to like you.”

He
shook his head. “You might want to be nice until
after
I’ve fed you
lunch.”

My
eyes widened. “I’m the one carrying lunch!”

He laughed. “Like I couldn’t get that backpack away from you.
Do you want to eat down here or back up at the top?”

I turned around and eyed the river again. “It’s kind of loud
and a little bit scary being this close to the water. I think I’d rather eat at
the top.”

He
nodded. “Okay. Follow me.” We jumped from rock to rock as we made our way back
up the river to the spot where Kadyn’s first rope was hanging.

“Who’s
going up first?” I asked as he tied each of us to either end of the rope.

He
tugged on my harness. “You are.” He attached the belay device to his harness.
“Whenever you’re ready.”

I
shook out my arms and studied the rock. “On belay?” I asked as I noted a couple
of crevices for my hands.