Just One Night Together (Flatiron Five Fitness #3) - Deborah Cooke Page 0,97

good with that.

Nate was glad that The Hook had a textured grip on the inside. He stood at the bottom and looked up the wall, amazed to find such a tall one in the city.

“Okay?” Kyle asked in an undertone.

“Your ass is going to get kicked so bad,” Nate said and Kyle laughed.

He turned to the crowd. “Did you hear that? Nate thinks he’s going to beat me!” There was laughter and cheering. “Choose your climber: Kyle or Nate.” People started to chant names, most of them chanting for Kyle. Nate heard a few people saying his name and glanced over his shoulder.

The cute redhead was in front. She gave him a thumbs-up.

She must not have noticed The Hook.

Nate turned his attention to the wall, choosing his course even before they started. Thom did a countdown, then blew a whistle, and they were off.

He took to the wall like a spider, almost catapulting up the height of it. He knew his next three moves at any point in time, but was surprised that Kyle fell behind. He heard Kyle swear and knew that the partner had no intention of losing. This wasn’t about pity. It was a clean fight, and Nate was going to win it.

He surged up the wall. His grip slipped but he caught himself and kept from falling, although the harness wouldn’t have let him drop. Kyle gained a bit on him in that precious moment. They were halfway up the wall, with Nate only slightly ahead. At two-thirds of the way up, he pulled into a clear lead. He heard a cheer from below and his name being chanted.

He lunged for the top of the wall, moving faster than he could have believed possible and seized the lip at the top. He pulled himself up and gave a roar without thinking about it. “Oooo-rah!”

The crowd below took up the cry.

Kyle pulled himself up to the summit beside Nate, his breath coming quickly and his hair damp. “Damn, you’re fast,” he said.

“What took you so long?” Nate asked with a grin.

They laughed together and called to their belayers, then rappelled down the wall, Nate going first. Thom supervising the wall gave him a high five, not flinching one bit from The Hook. The redhead was applauding, her eyes shining. “Are you a Marine?” she asked, her approval of that more than clear.

“Was. I’m retired from active service.”

She didn’t even look at his hand, but offered her own. “I’m Melanie.”

“Nate.”

She shook his prosthesis as if it was no big deal, but her next words pretty much eliminated his optimism. “Have you ever heard of the Human Library?”

Nate shook his head.

“It’s a program in which people are the resources shared. It’s designed to overcome prejudices and assumptions. I teach grade six at a school in New Jersey and we try to have a human library day every couple of months. The idea is that someone comes and answers questions about whatever makes them different. It’s great for the kids. They move around and talk to each person.”

Nate lifted The Hook. “You want me to talk about living with this?” He really didn’t want to be in a freak show. He felt like he lived in one every day of his life.

But she was cute.

“No! I want you to come and talk about being a Marine,” Melanie said, her gaze locking with his. “What made you choose to enlist? What was it like? What was the best part? I think it would be great.”

“Sure,” Nate said, reassured. “I could do that.” She pulled out her phone to exchange numbers with him and Cassie appeared at Nate’s side.

“I’m so glad you beat Kyle,” she said. “It’s good for him to be humbled once in a while.”

“Maybe he let me win.”

Cassie laughed. “No. You are fast, and awesome.”

“Spider-Man,” Melanie agreed.

Nate guessed that all his commando training was good for something.

“Hi, I’m Meesha,” the woman in pink said with a bright smile. She offered her hand and also shook The Hook.

“Social media goddess for F5F,” Cassie whispered and Nate nodded understanding.

“Do you mind if we use some images of you in our social media?” Meesha asked “People were really into this and I’d love to share that.”

“Sure.”

She gestured to the dark-haired woman with the other camera. “Shannyn has a bunch of shots, too. You can pick and choose what you want us to show.”

“Do whatever you want,” Nate said. “I’m good with it.”

Meesha’s smile flashed. “Get ready to be famous,” she said, offering