Free Caching In by Tracy Krimmer

their eyes trying to push themselves forward, while others moved up the wall, smiles spread across their faces. “Seth, when I reach the top, where do I go?” I didn’t see a ledge or anything to grab onto at the top.
    His arm moved around me, his hand resting on my shoulder, not before grazing my neck and moving my pony tail out of the way. With a touch that gentle, I could imagine what his hands felt like elsewhere.
    With his arm on my shoulder he pointed to the top of one of the walls. “After you reach all the way to the top, you simply hop your way down.”
    “Hop my way down? Like a bunny?”
    He pulled me into his chest. “You’ll be fine.”
    I sniffed him in, trapping his sweet scent of grapefruit and mint. I had to remember to get the name of his cologne so I could pick up a bottle. I tore myself away before any more psychotic girlfriend thoughts entered my mind, but staying nuzzled in his embrace forever lingered in my mind. “You’re going first, right?”
    He shook his head. “Nope. I thought you would.”
    “What? Are you crazy?”
    He patted Mike on the back. “Go ahead and get her started.”
    I didn’t want to go first, but I also didn’t want to argue with him. Mike got me started by slipping me into a harness. The straps fit snug against by ass cheeks, and I doubted Seth minded with the view. Maybe he chose rock climbing for this very reason. “Does that feel good?” Mike asked.
    “Um, it feels okay I guess?”
    He flashed his sexy smile. “I mean is it tight or do you think it’s too loose?”
    “It’s pretty tight, so I’m sure it’s fine.” Get your head out of the gutter, Ally . He hooked a long leash onto me. That may not have been the official name, but the rope sure felt like a leash. All I needed was a collar. Hopefully it would save me in the event of a fall.
    “This is hooked up way up there.” He pointed to the top of the wall. “You don’t need to hold onto it at all. It’s only there should you need it.”
    “Need it?”
    “Fall.”
    “Fall?”
    Mike chuckled. “If you fall, you don’t really fall. That’s what the rope is for. You just hang onto the cable and you’ll be fine. I’ve only lost one customer.”
    What? My eyes widened and the fear shot through into my face.
    “I’m kidding, Ally.” He smirked at Seth. “A scaredy cat, isn’t she?”
    No. No one called me a scaredy cat. I hiked up my big girl panties. “Okay, let’s do this.”
    “Someone hit a soft spot,” Seth slapped me on the back, although I wished it were on my ass.
    I hated being called names like that, even if just a joke. I’d show him a thing or two. I approached the wall, the first stones staring at me in their corny primary colors. I placed my hand on the green rock, and my other hand on a red one and hoisted myself up. Okay, simple. I looked around and saw a yellow one to the left I could grab onto and another one on the right. I moved my hands and then my feet.
    “You’re doing awesome, Ally,” Seth encouraged me.
    Only a few rocks into my trek, I didn’t offer a response. A couple feet up didn’t require any sort of praise. But, before I knew it, I was halfway up. Like I was born to climb the wall, I found a rock and put my hand there, lifted myself up and swung my body around. If I wasn’t Spider-Man, then I might have been a monkey in a past life. You’ve got this, Ally . Then Seth called out to me and I looked down. I. Looked. Down. Why the hell did I do that? I sucked in a breath as my heart beat hard in my chest. My whole body trembled as my brain registered how high I climbed. The only thing between me and the ground was this slim rope attached to me.
    “Ally?”
    My body froze, allowing the only movement to be in the form of my pounding heart. I started to get dizzy as sweat dripped down my face. I doubted I could exude any more sexiness than in that moment. Gross.
    “Ally? Are you okay?” Seth yelled again from below. Way below.
    I managed to shake my