Naked Edge (27 page)

“You’re it for me, too, babe. Always have been. Always will be. This is a forever thing.”

We drift off to sleep for a couple hours. I wake up with the moon in my eyes and find Rowdy gazing at my face. “Were you watching me sleep?”

“No. I was staring at you, hoping you’d feel it and wake up.”

“Why?” I yawn and stretch. “What time is it?”

“Time for round two.”
 

Eldorado Canyon has always been a sanctuary for me. A place to escape the relentless drama of my life. A place to hide when Keith’s drunken rages turned violent. A place to brood when Sky left at the end of every summer and winter stretched out before me like an endless desert. A place to grieve after Mom died and Skylar disappeared without a word.

As soon as I got out of jail, I fled to the canyon. I was so consumed with rage and grief I couldn’t contain it. Skylar and I had climbed The Naked Edge together the day before she disappeared. I wanted to climb it again. It was an undeniable compulsion. For some reason, I thought that climbing The Naked Edge would give me some relief from the unbearable pain.

And it did. As long as I was climbing.

Back then, I couldn’t afford my own gear, so I free soloed the five eleven route. The eagles, hawks and falcons, floating eye-level in the turquoise sky, were the only witnesses of my grief. And my foolishness. They watched without sympathy or censure.
 

I hid my suffering from everyone else. The only evidence of my despair was the salty, white residue of dried tears amongst the lime green and yellow lichen.
 

I shudder now as I think about the risks I took. I’m lucky to be alive. I haven’t attempted to climb The Naked Edge since that day, but I think, maybe, it’s time.
 

It’s also time to move on from the trauma that drove me to such extremes. Time to replace the memory of that climb with something else. Something better.

If we’re going to climb The Naked Edge and still have time to make our six-thirty reservation at The Flagstaff House restaurant, we need to get started. I shift my hips back, away from Skylar. If she wakes up with my morning wood poking her in the ass, we won’t get out of bed for at least another hour. Any other day, I’d trade the climb for a morning romp, but not today.

My gear’s already packed. So’s Skylar’s. I get dressed then wake her up with a kiss.
 

She groans and turns her face. “Morning breath.”

“Hey. I brushed my teeth.”

“Not yours.” She covers her mouth. “Mine.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t give a fuck.” I pounce on her and steal another kiss then hop off the bed, taking the covers with me.

Skylar grabs at the down comforter but I yank it out of her hands.

“Come on, sleepyhead. We have a mountain to climb.”

She buries her head under her pillow.

“I’ll let you lead the third pitch.”

She peeks at me. “Third pitch of what route?”

“The Naked Edge.”

She squeals and jumps from the bed straight into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. She hangs onto my shoulders and leans back. “Can I lead the first three pitches?”

Skylar’s climbing skills have improved over the summer. I feel comfortable letting her lead almost any route we climb. But this is The Naked Edge.
 

“How about you lead the first and third?” The second pitch is hard to protect. A lead fall could have fatal consequences.

“Okay.” Before Boone’s accident, she would have argued to lead the entire route.

She does a great job, cranking up the first pitch, pulling the crux like a pro. I lead the second, as planned, then let Sky take the sharp end on the third with a reminder to stay alert. “Don’t let the relative ease of this pitch fool you. There’re some runout sections you need to watch for.”

The fourth pitch is the crux of the entire route. We double check each other’s gear after swapping leads. Sky’s helmet taps mine as she kisses my cheek. “Be careful.”

“You too.” Following is much safer than leading, but there’s always the potential for disaster.
 

I question my sanity as I struggle to back up the old, fixed pin in the overhang just below the chimney. I’m so pumped by the time I get myself scrunched into the narrow space that I’m forced to rest for a few minutes, even though my back and neck are screaming in pain. As soon as I get the lactic acid shaken out of my arms, I crank right around the roof and clip into the three bolt anchor.

This hanging belay—with nothing but six hundred feet of empty air between my ass and the ground—is fucking outrageous. I take a moment to enjoy the view then yell, “Off belay.”

Skylar replies, “Belay off.”

I lean back in my harness to keep an eye on her as she approaches the crux. It’s already been a long, hard climb. Will she be able to pull it? I struggled with it and my wingspan is at least ten inches greater than hers. I protected it as much as possible with some small stoppers and a blue Metolius TCU. But I’m still nervous.

I keep as much tension on the rope as possible and still allow enough room for her to maneuver. If she peels off here, she’ll have a hard time getting back on route.
 

I don’t know how she does it, but she dances through the crux moves like a ballerina. She clips into the bolt on my left with a wide grin. “That was freaking amazing! I can’t wait until I’ve got the skills to lead that pitch.”

“Try to calm down, babe.” I don’t want to kill her buzz, but I don’t want her adrenaline to spike and then leave her depleted. “Save some energy for the final pitch and descent.”

“I’m good.” Her grin widens. “You look exhausted. Do you want me to lead it?”

“No way.” I reach across my body and start moving the pro she cleaned onto my rack. “I’ve got this.”

The fifth pitch isn’t technically as difficult as the fourth. It just seems harder because of the full-body workout I just endured. Skylar makes it to the top and joins me. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For climbing The Naked Edge with me, for letting me lead a couple pitches, for letting me back into your life. For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” My voice cracks.

Skylar crinkles her brow, obviously wondering why I’m so emotional.
 

I swallow, trying to clear the lump out of my throat. “This climb is sort of symbolic for me.”

She tucks a knee up and hugs it against her chest. “How come?”

“Lots of reasons.” I consider telling her about my solo ascent, but I don’t want to tarnish this day with bad memories. I also don’t want to give her any ideas about free soloing this route. “Our relationship up to this point has certain similarities to this climb. We were so young when we first got together. We believed we were invincible. We thought our biggest challenge was the long separation between summers.”

Skylar nods. “What do you think was our crux? My disappearance or Anna’s blackmail?”

“That shit with Anna was scary. It still is.” She’s locked up in the state mental hospital in Pueblo, but all she has to do is convince an overworked shrink that her meds are working and they’ll let her out. “When you disappeared, I lost my mind. I don’t know how I made it through that.” I bump Skylar’s shoulder with mine. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m so sorry.” Her eyes catch the afternoon sun. “That was my crux, too. I thought I’d never see you again.”

I take her hand and trace the scar on the back. “I know we’ll have lots more challenges. New untried routes with cruxes of their own, but I hope that’s the worst thing we’ll ever have to face.”

“Me too.”

“Whatever problems life throws at us, I know I can handle it as long as I have you.” Sweat beads across my brow and runs down the back of my neck. I unzip the top pocket on my pack and pull out the little blue velvet box. “You’re my lifeline.”

Skylar’s eyes widen. A quiet gasp slips past her parted lips.
 

I pop the box open. The small solitaire diamond catches the afternoon sun, throwing sparks of rainbow light across our bodies. “I know we’re young and you still have three more years before you graduate. But I’ve got a good job and we don’t have to get married right away. We can have as long of an engagement as you want and—”

“Yes.”
 

“Yes?”

She extends her left hand.
 

My own hands shake as I pluck the ring out of the box. The last thing I need to do is drop it six hundred feet to the ground. I slide it onto her finger then kiss the back of her hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Her eyes sparkle brighter than the diamond on her finger.
 

I know that as long as I live, I’ll never tire of gazing into those hazel depths. It won’t matter if they’re dimmed by time and hooded with wrinkled skin, they’ll always be beautiful.

She grins at me in true Skylar fashion. “I’ll race you to the bottom.”

Want to know what happens when the gang goes to Costa Rica for spring break? Curious about whether Cherri and Wade can overcome their differences? Wondering if Derek will ever settle down with someone special? Will Boone find the courage to come out to the rest of his friends? And what about Anna? Will that crazy bitch get her act together or continue to cause problems? These questions, and more, will be answered in future books of the Rocky Mountain Romance series.
 

If you’d like to know when the next book is available, sign up for my newsletter at
www.charliwebb.com

If you want to hear
“Where You Are”
and
“Naked Edge”
(the songs Rowdy wrote for Skylar) you can find them on Youtube.
 

I want to take this opportunity to thank a few people that have been such a huge part of this incredible journey. My husband, even though he doesn’t condone ‘sexually explicit books’ he didn’t judge me or try to censor this story.
 

Carol for hiking through Eldorado Canyon with me and sharing her awesome photos.
 

Scott, for sharing his expertise as a former member of Rocky Mountain Rescue (the
real
volunteer organization that I used as a model for Boulder Mountain Rescue). Any errors or inaccuracies in the story are mine.

I also want to thank my editor, mentor, and dear friend, Kris at
Final-Edits
. Without her support and encouragement I’d still be writing fan-fiction.

My beta readers for their insight and suggestions. The story is stronger because of them.

But most of all, I want to thank everyone that’s read, recommended or reviewed any of my stories. You make my dreams come true on a daily basis and I adore each and every one of you!
Mwah!

If you enjoyed
Naked Edge
,
please recommend it to your like-minded friends. I read every review I receive on Amazon, so if you’d like more of Rowdy, Skylar, Wade, Cherri, Derek and Boone, that’s a great place to mention it ;-)

I love to hear from readers, so drop me a line at
[email protected]
 

Follow me on Twitter
@CharliWebbBooks
 

Find me on
Facebook
 

Other books by Charli Webb (writing under Charlotte Abel)

The Channie Series:
An award-winning young adult paranormal romance series that will make you believe in magic.

Enchantment (Book One):
Channie Belks is trying to hide the fact she's a witch. Sorta hard to do after her parents slap a chastity curse on her for flirting with "dirty-minded, non-magical, city-boys." She can't even walk by a hot guy without zapping him. There's a way to break the curse; but one mistake could kill her. It's not worth the risk...until she meets a certain BMX champion named Josh. Suddenly, the threat of death isn't such a deal-breaker.

Taken (Book Two):
Bound by love and magic. Betrayed by those they trust. Not everyone survives. In this second installment of The Channie Series, Josh and Channie are tested physically and emotionally as the tough choices they are forced to make affect not only their future together but their very existence. The risks are high but the rewards are even higher.

Finding Valor (Book Three):
Josh awakes with no recollection of the previous six months of his life, including his relationship with Channie. Not only is it hard for him to believe that he's married and his wife was kidnapped, but accepting that he is a mage and prophecies of the Book of the Dead are almost impossible. Will he be able to save Channie from her mother's dark magic before she is sacrificed? And more importantly, will he live up to his power-name and find Valor in time to save all the clans?

The Sanctuary Series:
 

River’s Recruit (Book One):
A beautiful, young shape-shifter discovers a lost backpacker trespassing in her territory during a blizzard. She has two choices: recruit him into her cult-like tribe, or kill him.

River’s Remorse (Book Two):
Coming in 2014

Anchor -
Protective gear set up to support a belay.

Belay -
The act of protecting a roped climber with the aid of a friction device.

Biner -
Climber slang for “carabiner.”

Bolt -
Permanent protection drilled into the rock.
 

Cams
- A spring-loaded protection device that expands when placed into a crack.
 

Carabiner -
D shaped metal rings with spring-loaded opening used to connect rope and equipment.

Chimney
- A rock formation with somewhat parallel sides. A climber ascends using outward pressure of arms, legs, hands, feet, back and sometimes even the head.