On the Ridge by Jayda Marx

Chapter Ten

Zane

 

Once I hung up with my father (who assured me multiple times that he was doing fine), Ridge took my hand and led me into Mountain Trek.

My jaw dropped when we stepped inside the building. Every wall looked like a gray rock face and each one was covered in multicolored pegs of all shapes and sizes.

Loud, pulsing music blared through the building as people clambered straight up the walls, making it look as easy as climbing a ladder, though I was sure that wasn’t true. I was shocked to see there were even pegs on the ceiling, but no one was clinging to those. I wondered if anyone could.

“Hey there,” a voice greeted. I turned to the sound and saw a cute young lady with her brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and a welcoming smile on her face. “Are you guys here to climb today?”

“We are,” Ridge replied with a nod.

“Great. My name is Emily and I’ll be helping you out. Have you ever been climbing before?”

“It’s my first time,” I admitted, “But my…” Hmm, what do I call him? I certainly couldn’t refer to him as my mate, but ‘boyfriend’ didn’t exactly seem to cover an eternal, unbreakable bond. “My husband is a pro.”

Ridge snapped his gaze to me. I thought for a moment that he was angry because of the way his eyes bore into me, but when he gripped the back of my head and hauled me into a deep kiss right there in front of the employee, I realized I’d read the situation wrong.

“Damn, is it your honeymoon or something?” Emily teased. I pulled away from Ridge as my cheeks heated.

He offered, “I apologize,” though I wasn't sure if he was speaking to me (even though I was flustered, I certainly didn't mind) or Emily.

Either way, Emily replied, "I thought it was adorable, but you are making me feel very single." Ridge chuckled as Emily turned around and motioned for us to follow her.

She stopped at a desk, where Ridge paid for our entry, and then she left us to a row of shelves. "First, we need to get you into the right gear, starting with shoes."

"My hiking boots won't work?" I thought I'd made a lucky choice with them.

"You need special climbing shoes," Ridge explained. "They're flexible and the soles grip the holds on the rock."

"You know your stuff," Emily told him with a smile. "What size can I get you?"

"Twelve, please."

I'd always heard that big feet were related to big dicks, and in Ridge's case, it was certainly true. I snuck a peek at him last night during our sexy times and was quite impressed; he was about eight inches long, thick and uncut. The memory alone made my mouth water.

"Zane?" Ridge asked, snapping me back to the present. He and Emily were both staring at me expectantly. Oops, I zoned out while thinking about dick. "What size do you need?"

"Oh, um, ten," I replied, and Emily retrieved a pair of orange shoes from the shelf for me and green ones for Ridge. I removed my boots and strapped on the climbing shoes; they were lightweight and snug but not tight.

"Okay, let's get you into your harnesses." Emily pointed at me and said, "We'll start with you. Let's see here...I think this one will work." She picked up what looked like a tangled mess of seatbelts and held out a strap. "This part goes around your waist."

She stepped towards me, but Ridge snatched the apparatus from her hands. "I'll do that." He winced at her wide-eyed expression and offered, "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm a bit territorial." It was undoubtedly the shifter in him, and I loved that my big man was protective over me.

"Not a problem," Emily shrugged. "But I will have to watch to make sure it's attached correctly."

Ridge nodded and wrapped the strap around my waist, buckling the ends together. Next, he circled smaller straps around each of my thighs. It was good that Ridge took over; the fabric nestled against my groin and I could only imagine how he'd react if Emily put it there.

"That looks great," she said before handing Ridge a larger harness. "Do you need any help with yours?"

He shook his head no and I sighed in relief. Apparently I was territorial too. I didn't want anyone else's hands on my sexy man. Ridge snapped into his harness like he'd done it a hundred times.

"Okay, let's get you guys started!" Emily led us to a wall which held the most colored pegs. "Since it's your first time, you'll want to start on the beginner's climb." She looked at Ridge and added, "I can take you to the advanced climb if you want."

He shook his head. "I want to stay with my husband." Hearing the word on his lips made my knees weak.

"I figured as much," she smiled. "But I thought I'd offer. Okay, this little guy is going to be your best friend," she told me as she grabbed a circular piece of metal hanging on the end of a rope. "This is your belay device. If you slip off of the rock, it will tighten your line so that you don't fall to the ground."

"I like him already," I replied, making Emily and Ridge chuckle.

"When you reach the top or if at any point you want to stop and come back down, press this button." She pointed to a black circle on the device. "It will drop you a little at a time, allowing you to rappel down the wall."

She clipped a carabiner from the belay device onto a metal ring of my harness, and then did the same for Ridge using a rope next to mine. "You guys are all set. I'll be watching from the desk; just raise your hand if you need me. Otherwise, have fun!" 

"Thanks," I muttered before looking up at the wall before me. "I didn't realize how high it was until just now." It had to be fifty feet tall.

"I'm right here with you," Ridge promised, stroking his wide hand over my back. His touch instantly soothed my nerves. "Are you ready to have some fun together?"

I let out a slow breath and nodded. "Let's do this."

Ridge helped me choose which pegs to hold onto and where to place my feet. I slowly and nervously climbed while Ridge stayed right next to me, even though he could probably be halfway to the top already.

"You're doing great," he encouraged, and we shared a smile. "Now let's try falling."

"Wait, what? I thought the idea was not to fall. I don't want to fall!"

"Easy, my love," he soothed. "We're only a few feet from the floor." I looked down to see that we were only about five feet up and I felt silly for being afraid; I could leap from where I was and not injure myself. "I want you to see what it feels like so that if you fall when you’re higher up, you won’t be scared.”

“That’s actually a really good idea.”

“I have them from time to time,” he teased with a wink, making me chuckle. “I’ll go first.” Ridge kicked off of the wall, but he didn’t tumble. A click sounded from his belay device, and he hung suspended in the air. He pushed the button Emily showed me and he slowly floated down until his feet hit the floor.  “Nothing to it,” he smiled. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

I took a couple of deep breaths. Even though I knew I had nothing to be afraid of, flinging myself off of a cliff was still daunting, even if it was only five feet up. “Nothing to it,” I whispered to myself and pushed off of the rock face.

When my feet left the wall, I yelped and bent my knees, drawing them up towards my chest. I clung to the rope above my head and breathed heavily. I hung in mid-air, folded up into a fetal position.

“You’re doing great,” Ridge encouraged, even though I surely looked ridiculous. “Now just push your button and come down to me.”

I pressed the circle and yelped again when I dropped a few inches. Okay, that wasn’t so bad. I pushed repeatedly and slowly dropped to the floor. I didn’t put my feet down though, instead landing on my ass with a quiet plop.

“You did it!” Ridge squatted next to me and rubbed my back. “How do you feel?”

“I feel…” My heart was beating a little quickly and my breaths were shallow. My hands trembled slightly, but it wasn’t from panic; it was adrenaline. “I feel great! I’m ready to kick this wall’s ass!”

Ridge’s eyes widened when I reached beneath him and slapped his butt. I was high on excitement, feeling truly alive and like I could do anything, and it was all because of Ridge. His suggestion worked great; I knew that I had nothing to fear, and that nothing bad would happen to me even if I slid off of the rock.

Ridge’s eyes sparkled with pride when he told me, “I love seeing you like this. You’ve got fire inside you that is so beautiful to witness.”

“You lit that fire. Usually my mind is preoccupied and worried; don’t get me wrong, I still have my worries, but when I’m with you, I feel like everything is going to be okay. You make me feel strong.”

“You are strong, Zane. Since we met, you’ve shown nothing but bravery and selflessness. Being worried or even frightened doesn’t take away from your strength. You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He stroked his hand through my hair and smiled. “Your biggest worries are on behalf of others. You shoulder so much responsibility and ask nothing in return. That is a strength that few can carry.”

My heart fluttered. I was just a guy muddling his way through life and doing what needed to be done. I’d never thought of myself as a stand-out beauty or great man, but Ridge made me feel like both and more. Because he saw something special in me, he made me feel special.

I thanked him for his sweet words, but it didn’t seem like enough, so I palmed his scruffy cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. I wanted everyone around us to see how lucky I was to be with him, and for Ridge to feel just how deeply I cared about him.

He stood up and helped me onto my feet. “Ready to kick this wall’s ass?” He asked with a smirk.

“Absolutely. But can I touch yours again first?”

Ridge laughed and turned away from me, sticking his bottom out at me. It was framed so nicely by the straps of his harness. I swatted it again and he peeked over his shoulder to tell me, “You never have to ask, by the way.”

I chuckled and faced the wall. I took a deep breath. I was ready to face the climb with renewed strength and confidence.

Just a few minutes later, both my strength and confidence wavered. I was a little more than halfway up the wall and my arms were shaking while sweat beaded on my brow. My hands cramped as they wrapped around the pegs.

But Ridge stayed right with me, encouraging me every step of the way. "You're doing so great. Try to keep your body close to the wall and steady your weight on your legs; they're naturally stronger than your arms. There you go."

He cheered me on as I huffed, reached, and clung to the little multicolored plastic knobs. "I…don't think...I can go…any further," I panted.

"Look up," Ridge urged, and when I did, I found that we were only a few feet from the top. "You got this."

I nodded determinedly and stretched my arm up for the next peg. A drop of sweat rolled down my neck as I grunted and pulled myself up. My shoulders ached. I hadn't used this much upper body strength since…well, ever.

I grunted and groaned through every step up as Ridge cheered me on. Just when I thought my body would give out, I gripped the top knob on the wall.  I couldn't go any higher. "I did it," I announced, and Ridge beamed as he nodded. "I did it!"

"I'm so proud of you." He fearlessly let go of the rock and swung over to me to kiss my sweaty forehead. I was proud of myself too, but I knew that I never would have made it without Ridge's help and support. "Are you ready for the trip down?"

I placed my thumb on the button. "Ready."

We slid down our ropes slowly and steadily and this time, I landed on the floor firmly on my feet. It felt a little strange to be on solid ground again.

As soon as Ridge unhooked us from our lines, I threw my arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "That was amazing!" I was sore and worn out, but my sense of accomplishment overshadowed any negatives. "We have to do this again."

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it," he replied before kissing the top of my head. "Would you like to climb again now?"

"I think I'm done for today; my arms are like Jell-O." I backed away and walked my fingers up his chest. "I wouldn't mind watching my strong, sexy shifter husband climb again though." I wanted to see what he was capable of without me slowing him down.

Ridge stood up straighter and his chest puffed out. He took my hand and all but strutted us over to another rock wall which held less than half of the rubber knobs than the first wall held. It was obviously the most difficult climb in the whole building.

"Whoa. I wonder if I'll ever be able to climb this thing," I thought out loud.

"I know you will. You made it all the way to the top of the other wall on your first try; that's amazing. It's only a matter of time until you kick this one's ass too."

I thanked him with a kiss before backing away to give him some room. Right now, I wanted to watch him kick some ass.

Ridge shoved his sleeves up to his elbows, attached his harness to the lead line, and took off like a shot. He leapt from hold to hold, barely letting his foot touch the peg before moving onto the next.

The muscles in his forearms rippled as he clutched the knobs, and his ass flexed gorgeously in his jeans. I couldn't take my eyes off of his luscious round cheeks as he effortlessly scaled the wall.

Ridge quickly reached the top, but he didn't stop there. My man crawled onto the damn ceiling, skittering across the pegs like a spider.

I flinched when Ridge's feet left the ceiling and hung below him. I thought he fell, but I quickly realized that he was just changing tactics when he zipped across the rock hand over hand. If I didn't know he was a cougar, I'd think he was part orangutan.

Ridge paused his climb and dangled from one hand to wave at me with the other while wearing a blinding grin. I slowly raised my hand to wave back. I wasn't sure if he was showing off or just having a good time, but I was in awe of his power.

I wasn't the only one. People all around the room stopped what they were doing to point and stare as Ridge made his way to the opposite end of the ceiling.

When he dropped himself bit by bit to the floor, the place erupted with cheers and congratulations. My newly discovered territorial side reared its head; I wanted to show all of the looky-loos who my sexy man belonged to.

Once Ridge detached himself from the line, I tangled my fingers behind his head and leapt into his arms, locking my legs around his waist. Ridge kissed me deeply, earning us another round of cheers (and a few groans and insults, which we ignored).

I didn't care what anyone else thought. Because when I was in his arms and surrounded by his love and strength, I was happy. My heart was full and my soul was at peace. Yes, I had worries and fears, responsibilities and pain, but I had a partner to help me through them; a partner who would never leave my side no matter how tough things got.

When Ridge pulled his lips from mine, I looked deep into his eyes in hopes that he would see my sincerity when I told him, "I love you."

A grin slowly spread across his lips until his whole face lit up, and his eyes crinkled and sparkled. "I love you too, Zane. You're my world."

I kissed him once more, and then shimmied down to the floor before I got carried away and got hard in front of everyone. It wouldn't be easy to hide since my harness framed my crotch like a display case.

"Are you ready to go?" Ridge asked, and I nodded. As much fun as this place was, I was wiped out. "Let's call and check on your dad. If he's doing okay, there's one more place I'd like to take you."

If I weren't already head over taint in love with the guy, that would've sealed the deal. He truly cared about my family. He was my family, and my future.

I took his hand and led him to the desk to return our gear, wondering what else he had planned.