Page 49 of Nothing But Air

“Teague called for help when he needed it.” Steel ran underneath her calm voice. “That’s what good leaders do.”

She wasn’t letting Kyle weaponize this. Not when Teague had admitted vulnerability in front of everyone. Had trusted her to lead. Had let his pride take a hit rather than risk safety.

That took more strength than Kyle would ever understand.

Kyle’s smile tightened. “Of course.”

He took a step back toward her, his tone shifting to something more intimate. Possessive. “So, we won. You guys are on gear cleanup tonight. But we’re still on for dinner tonight, right?”

“I need to debrief with my team.”

My team.

The words fit right. Team One. Teague’s team. Her team.

She caught Teague’s eye across the small crowd. He was getting Noah’s lecture about route assessment. But his expression when he glanced at her—gratitude mixed with respect and something warmer—made heat spread through her chest.

“You can debrief while you clean gear.” Sierra appeared at Eden’s elbow, cheeks flushed from the climb. “You promised last night. We’ve missed you, Eden. Please.”

The sincerity broke through Eden’s resistance. As much as Kyle grated on her, she did want to catch up with Sierra. And Trey.

She glanced at Teague. He was watching her again—probably had been watching this whole time. When she hesitated, he offered a slight nod.

Go. It’s okay.

She turned to Sierra. “Okay. Dinner. I can’t wait to hear all the gossip from Willow Springs.”

“And I can’t wait to hear all the gossip about you and Mr. Yummy over there.” Sierra wiggled her eyebrows. “Because I don’t care what you say—you like him.”

She walked off toward her abandoned gear, leaving Eden’s gaze to dart toward Teague.

He was no longer looking at her. But with the slight smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth, there was no doubt he’d heard.

Perfect.

Eden finished coiling her rope. Around her, both teams packed up gear—racking cams and quickdraws, organizing ropes. The competitive energy from earlier had dissolved into quiet exhaustion.

But Eden didn’t feel exhausted.

She felt energized. Focused. Like a part of herself that had been sleeping had finally woken up.

“Rest up. You’ll all be taking off bright and early with your team tomorrow morning.”

Back into technical terrain. The kind of routes where mistakes could be fatal. And Marcus kept his secrets locked behind that guarded expression.

But for the first time in a long time, Eden wasn’t afraid of the challenge.

She was ready for it.

Six

Eden had climbed up to rescue him, and Teague was never going to live it down.

Not the professional embarrassment—though that stung. Not the talking-to Noah had given him afterward, arms crossed, disappointment carved into every line of his weary face. Not even the way he’d lost that stinking bet to Kyle.

It was the look in Eden’s eyes when she’d reached him.

The calm certainty. The competence as she’d talked him through the traverse, her voice steady while his whole body trembled. The way she’d made it look easy—reading the rock, finding the stable holds, guiding him down as if she’d been born to do exactly this.