Free Dating Outside Your DNA by Karen Kelley Page B

to it, she could outrun Roan, and she could always blend in to her surrounding if she had to take cover. But she couldn't do any of that with this stupid blindfold on. But when she reached up, he caught her hand.
    "We're almost there."
    "Almost where?"
    "To where we're going."
    "Do you really expect me to blindly trust you?"
    "Well, you are blindfolded so, yeah, I guess I do."
    "I barely know  you."
    "You don't have to know me that well, or anyone on the team
    for that matter. You only need to trust us." He tugged on her hand to
    stop her forward movement.
    "Are we here?" she asked.
    "We're here."
    She reached up to remove the blindfold, but again, he stilled
    her hand.
    "No, not yet."
    "This is ridiculous. I don't think it's a part of the training at all."
    "Scared?"
    "No."
    "Liar," he whispered close to her ear. His warm breath tickled
    her ear.
    Oh, God, what if he planned to tie her up and strip  away her clothes. Her nipples tightened in anticipation. When had she gotten

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    so pathetic?
    "Step up," he told her.
    She took a deep breath and raised her foot, setting it down on  what felt like a wooden step. She brought her other foot up. "What is  this?"
    "Trust me."
    She didn't want to trust him. He'd probably get her killed.
    They climbed up and up. Her hands began to sweat. How high were they?
    "This is as far as we go," he said.
    They were on some kind of platform. He turned her in the direction they'd come up. Were they going down now? He kept his hands on her shoulders, nudging her backward.
    "Right there. Don't move anymore. All I want you to do is open your arms wide."
    "Why?"
    "Just do it."
    Whatever. She opened her arms wide.
    "Now fall backwards. "
    Her breath caught in her throat. Was he serious? "I'm not going to fall backwards. That's crazy!"
    "Trust me."
    "No!" She jerked the blindfold off at the same time he pushed.
    She was falling! She was going to die!
    She landed on what felt like a bed of  the softest feathers. The
    blindfold still covered one of her eyes. She tugged it the rest of the  way off and looked up at him. He was only two feet above her. But  how?
    She looked at what she'd just climbed and saw that it had all been an illusion to make  her think they were climbing higher than
    what they had.
    "That wasn't funny." She glared at him.
    "It wasn't supposed to be. This was a lesson in trust. You failed.
    Before you can pass my training, you have to learn to trust me."
    She wasn't sure she could .

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    He jumped down, landing just to the side of the air bag, then reached out his hand toward her. "Come on, let's go eat."
    She hesitated, then took his hand and let him help her to her feet before they started the trek back to the Jeep.
    He'd cheated with this obstacle. It hadn't even been a real
    challenge. Something he'd probably created in his own mind to
    torture his students. It hadn't been fair to make her think she was
    falling to her death.
    It wasn't as though she didn't get the concept of trusting h er
    team. She did. She just didn't think it had to be carried to this
    extreme.
    She glanced up the side of the mountain, saw the cable they'd come down on, but nothing else. Good Lord, how far away was the
    Jeep? Her legs were burning from everything Roan had put her through today. He traipsed up the side of the mountain with little effort, but then, he hadn't run any of the course. She was the one who'd been working her ass off most of the day.
    He looked over his shoulder and she quickly made her expression neutral. She wasn't about to let him know just how exhausted she really was.
    "What?" she asked.
    He shook his head. "Nothing. Just making sure you were keeping up. I imagine you're pretty tired right now."
    "Nope, not a bit."
    "Good. After we eat and let our food settle, we still have more
    obstacles."
    "You've got to be kidding."
    "Did you say something?" he asked.
    "I said that I felt like a kid again. I'm looking forward to it," she