Beloved (Toni Morrison Trilogy #1)(38)

“Nope,” I say confidently. No way am I going to back out now. I’m in this—balls to the walls. I mentally roll my eyes at my false bravado. I’m so screwed.

I look over and realize I have no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do. Is there a safety harness or padding I can wear? Shit! I clear my throat and Jackson looks back with a knowing grin. “Ummm, how does this work? Do I start here or what?”

He walks me through the course, explaining whether to go under, over, through, or up. I keep shaking my head and huffing, each time earning a laugh or some other entertained reaction from Jackson. I sure hope he’s enjoying himself because I’m freaking the hell out.

We end back at the starting point and he places his hands on my shoulders, brushing his thumbs across my collarbone, sending chills through my body. His finger glides up my neck, just barely touching my skin. Without permission, my head tilts into his touch, naturally gravitating toward him like a magnet. His eyes swim with emotion as I try to decipher what he’s feeling. Jackson shifts forward and puts his lips to my forehead. My lids shut as I absorb the moment of intimacy. Inch by inch he backs away and I stare at him with questions floating in my head. One side of his mouth lifts and his low voice cracks through my daze. “Time starts now.”

“What?”

“Clock is ticking. You’re wasting precious time that you’re going to need if you plan to …” He looks pensive as he rolls his eyes up and taps his foot. “What was it? Oh I know, handle my ass.” He leans down and whispers in my ear, “Remember, I never lose.” He swats my ass and laughs.

I take off and start running, half surprised, half frustrated that his plan to get me flustered and then start the timer worked. Stupid boy and his stupid plan. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. The only thing keeping me moving is my need to win and the chance to watch Jackson run this damn course after me. I climb over the logs and then crawl through the metal tube. As I approach the huge building, I swallow nervously. Seriously? I have to climb this? Panting my way up the stairs, I make a mental note that the gym is now a daily requirement. It feels like someone’s sitting on my lungs. I continue to climb but stop when I notice Jackson standing at the top, smiling. Asshat!

As I move toward the ropes, he steps forward and puts his hands on my waist. I don’t have time for his stupid touch-Catherine-and-she-gets-flustered game—I have a challenge to win, dammit. “Place your hands on the rope,” his deep voice commands. “Now swing your legs up and grab it with your feet.”

My eyes widen and my mouth drops open. He’s joking, right? There is no way I’m sliding down this rope. “Yeah, no thanks. I’ll just slide down the net.”

His loud guffaw reverberates in the woods around us. “Fine. Then I’ll add two minutes on to your time.” He shrugs as he returns to his spot against the wall.

“Yeah, that whole endearing thing is total bullshit. They lied.” I narrow my eyes and then grab the rope, swinging my body forward but missing with my feet on my first try. I cast a quick glance at Jackson, who’s trying to hide his smile. Bastard. I bite my lip and try again, managing to get my leg around the rope this time. I hold on for dear life and lean my head back, smirking at Jackson with an I-told-you-so look. Okay, now what?

As if hearing my mental question, Jackson walks toward the rope. I’m hanging upside down with my head still tilted backward, giving him a perfect view of my breasts. Though he seems to be trying to keep his eyes on mine, he’s failing miserably as he glances more than once. A low grumble sounds from his chest and he closes his eyes. His voice is strained when he looks back at me. “Okay. Now, slide down the rope and keep your feet locked. If you fall, you lose.”

I groan, slowly starting to move down the rope. There are times I truly wonder what the hell is wrong with me and why I’m being punished. I look back at him when he grabs the rope and pulls himself up. It jumps and I clench my legs tighter, letting out a high-pitched scream. “Jackson!”

“What?” he asks innocently.

I’m not buying his act.

I slide lower down the rope, getting about halfway and feeling confident I can do this, when it jerks again and I bounce up and down. He smiles widely and I let him know what’s about to happen. “I swear you’re going to pay for this!”

He’s a dead man walking. I continue to slide until I reach the end, where I promptly let go and fall on my ass. Awesome. That’s going to leave a mark.

Running to the finish line, I hear his throaty laugh behind me as he claps his hands. “You did it!” he yells excitedly, moving fast in my direction.

My hands are on my knees as I gasp for air, trying to catch my breath from running and hurling myself all over this stupid course. People do this for fun? He moves toward me and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder. I gasp and squeak, “Jackson! Put me down!”

He lets out a chuckle while carrying me over to a bench near the starting line. His voice is happy. “Nope. You need to sit and see how it’s really done. Time to watch the master.” He plops me down and hands me his watch. I stare up at him as I realize I get to watch him run it now.

“Master? What if my time is better?”

He laughs and quickly recovers. “Should we bet?”

“Are you sure you want to chance it?” I smile, goading him.