Page 56 of Nothing But Air

Smooth, you two. Very smooth.

Eden caught Trey’s eye and saw concern there—the protective instinct of Landon’s brother. Evidently, he didn’t understand what was happening with Kyle either.

But he recognized something was off.

“Yes. I should go too.” Eden pushed back from the table. “Need to change before karaoke.” She grabbed her tray and headed toward the dish station, pulse jumping when Kyle stood as well. But Sierra looped her arm through his, chattering about song choices, giving Eden space to slip away.

I owe you one, Sierra.

The evening air hit her as she stepped outside—cool and soft, carrying sage and juniper and the faint mineral tang of the canyon. The sky was shifting from blue to gold.

Farther down the sidewalk, four figures headed toward the ranger station. Teague’s auburn curls were unmistakable in the group. And she’d guess the other three were Xander, Liam, and Noah.

Her feet carried her toward them before she could think. “Teague. Wait.”

He turned, surprise flickering across his face before settling into something softer. The golden light of the setting sun caught his eyes, turned them impossibly green. He glanced back at the guys. “I’ll meet you in there.”

The three disappeared into the ranger station and he met her gaze again. “What’s up?”

“Hey.” Her mouth went dry. “I wanted to ask—the team’s doing karaoke tonight. At the lodge. It’s kind of a tradition for us before a climb.”

“I heard about that.” His eyebrows rose. “Karaoke isn’t really my thing.”

“Because you’re secretly a terrible singer? Or because you’re afraid of having fun?”

His mouth twitched. “Maybe I don’t want everyone to know what a great singer I am. Maybe I was supposed to be the next Justin Bieber but chose to work here instead. And if word got out?—”

“It would be worse than the treasure hunters. It would be hordes of screaming teenage girls.”

Amusement and warmth sparked in his eyes. “That does sound worse.”

“I’ll keep your secret, but you do really need to come watch me massacre Journey.”

He laughed—a real laugh, surprised out of him. “You sing Journey?”

“Badly. Very, very badly.” She stepped closer, emboldened. “Come on. One hour. You can’t spend the whole night second-guessing yourself about today.”

The humor in his expression flickered. “Eden?—”

“Please.” The word came out softer. More vulnerable. “I’m asking you. Not as your teammate. Just…” She couldn’t finish. Didn’t know how.

Something flickered across his face—want, uncertainty, fear. He was close enough now that she could see the tension in his jaw.

“Why?” His voice was low. Rough.

“Because I want you there.” Her heart hammered. “Because I think you need to stop punishing yourself for being human. Because—” She stopped, aware of how much she was revealing. How close she was standing. “I want you there. Isn’t that enough?”

The air between them crackled. The evening breeze wrapped around them, carrying sage and pine, and the rest of the world seemed very far away.

Teague’s gaze dropped to her mouth for half a second before returning to her eyes.

“Hamilton!” Xander’s voice shattered the moment. He appeared in the ranger-station doorway. “Noah’s getting impatient. Says the comms equipment isn’t going to check itself and he’s got plans.”

Teague stepped back.

Eden missed his proximity immediately.

“Right. Sorry.” His voice was rougher than usual. He turned back to her. “I need to handle this. But I’ll try.”