Kiss
the Sky
by
MK Schiller
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Love
can move mountains . . .
Strong,
athletic, and driven, Tristan Sinclair is determined to fulfill his
late brother’s wish to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second
highest mountain. He never expects part of the challenge will be
getting along with one of his fellow climbers—or that the greatest
peril may lie beyond the summit . . .
A
passionate, life-long climber, Pakistan born Farah Nawaz is skeptical
of the hotshot from Arizona. But as she and Tristan help each other
conquer obstacle after obstacle, they find they have more in common
than they thought—including a simmering attraction. And when
suspicious deaths put them in the sights of a ruthless killer,
they’ll have to cover their tracks long enough to find out why—and
stay alive for a future together . . .
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If
she wasn’t surrounded by earthly beauty, she might have noticed
Tristan Sinclair more often. She might have studied the ways his
muscles bulged against his shirt. She might even have chanced a few
long looks of his backside and broad shoulders. Or observed how often
he dragged his hand through his thick hair when he was frustrated or
gritted his teeth when he was angry. Surely, she would have wondered
a thousand times what the band of black with tiny roman numerals
tattooed around his left forearm meant. It was a date, exactly one
year ago from today. Did that
have
anything to do with why he was acting so somber?
But
everything else was too beautiful, and she was far too busy so she
just didn’t notice. And if she kept telling herself that, she might
just start to believe it.
She
was doing the cooking tonight. She stirred a kettle of soup and
studied the landscape. They were at Camp II. They would be upon the
serac soon, a solid ridge of glacial ice. The days would be colder,
leaving less time and energy for wayward thoughts. Their days were
filled with hiking, setting up supplies, and acclimatizing. Each time
the group reached higher ground, they had to settle in and get used
to the thinning air for several days. Otherwise they would risk
exposure, pulmonary edema, or possible aneurysm. The human body had
to adjust to the physical changes.
Ahmed
and Tristan discussed the routes they were taking over the next few
days. In a big ice climb, there was usually a ratio of ten to one
between planning and actual mountaineering. Tristan suggested they
leave behind more supplies so they could reach higher elevation
earlier. Ahmed was quick to agree.
Tristan
had the kind of presence that turned heads. The few women she’d
noticed at the Shalimar when they had dinner had paused in
conversation to drink him in. Men seemed to affirm and favor whatever
direction he gave.
His
confidence never shifted toward arrogance, though. Tristan Sinclair
was wisdom interlaced with wit. A methodical explorer whose crooked
smile made the air at these high elevations even thinner.
She
quickly looked away when he glanced at her. This was getting
ridiculous. How could hormones live and thrive at six thousand
meters? The way he gazed at her, sought her out during hikes, and sat
next to her at meals left little doubt the feelings were mutual. That
didn’t make them any less dangerous. He released both the calm and
the chaos inside of her. If she gave into those feelings, it would
result in a tragic storm.
Being
the only woman in the expedition meant she had to remain professional
and distant. There were strong expectations placed on her, and her
failures would be judged more harshly. She had always listened to a
tune that others didn’t hear. It had been a difficult road for her,
especially when non-conformity was often confused with disrespect.
But she had endured the struggles to carve out a life she loved. She
wasn’t about to throw away all those years of hard work and a
chance to summit for a stupid crush.
“So
what does someone need to do to get a cup of coffee around here?”
Malcolm
asked, jerking his head toward the fire.
“Make
it,” she responded. “I could use a cup of tea myself. Thank you
for offering.”
Malcolm
laughed good-naturedly, a pretty rare occurrence for him. Except for
Ahmed, she hadn’t known the others in the expedition very well when
they started out. They’d had a few meet-and-greets via video chat
set up by Ahmed. But the days of hiking and camping had caused an
easy camaraderie among the team. Even Malcolm seemed less grouchy.
Ahmed still narrowed his eyes whenever Tristan and she talked, but he
never repeated his warning to her. Then again, she and Tristan had
remained friendly, always edging that symbolic line in the sand, the
one that had a huge sign posted no
trespassing.
They had both drawn the line out of necessity. Neither of them
crossed it, like an unwritten pact.
MK
Schiller is a hopeless romantic in a hopelessly pragmatic world.
In the dark of night, she sits by the warm glow of her computer
monitor, reading or writing, usually with some tasty Italian…the
food that is! She started imagining stories in her head at a very
young age. In fact, she got so good at it that friends asked her to
create plots featuring them as the heroine and the object of their
affection as the hero. She hopes you enjoy her stories and find The
Happily Ever After in every endeavor. M.K. Schiller loves hearing
from readers.
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