Chapter 48

Elena froze halfway up the wall, more than five meters above the ground, her back pressed tightly against Richard’s solid, overheated body.

For a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

She could feel every rise and fall of his chest behind her.

If she tilted her head even slightly, the top of her hair would brush against his jaw.

The thick crash mats below suddenly looked impossibly far away.

“...Thank you.”

Elena finally managed to speak.

It took her another second to remember that she was still wearing a safety harness.

A quiet chuckle sounded above her.

“You’re welcome.”

Richard’s voice came from just behind her ear, so close that his lips nearly brushed her hair.

“Still want to keep going?”

Elena’s lashes fluttered.

“...I don’t think we made a rule for something like this.”

She took a breath.

“Besides, if you’d ignored me and kept climbing, you would’ve won anyway. It’s not like the harness would’ve let me fall.”

“True.”

Richard lowered his gaze to her.

“But I wanted to catch you.”

Elena drew in a slow breath, suppressing the strange flutter in her chest caused by the sudden drop—and by having him this close.

“I lost.”

She finally relaxed, letting the harness take her weight.

“You win.”

She hated losing.

But she wasn’t someone who couldn’t admit defeat.

Richard looked down at her for two seconds, a trace of amusement passing through his eyes.

“All right.”

He released the arm around her waist, and the two of them descended smoothly on the belay system until their feet touched the thick mats below.

The instant Elena landed, she hurried two steps away and began fumbling with the buckles on her harness.

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Richard removed his much faster.

But instead of returning it to the equipment rack, he casually tossed the entire harness onto the mat.

Then he rolled one wrist and tilted his neck from side to side.

Elena looked at him in confusion.

“?”

“I was taking it easy on you just now.”

Richard glanced back at her, something bold and almost arrogant flashing in his dark eyes.

“Watch.”

Before she could respond, he turned and walked toward the far-right side of the climbing wall.

The red route.

The hardest one.

The same route that ran into the fifteen-degree overhang near the top.

He wasn’t wearing a harness.

Elena’s eyes widened.

“Hey! You’re not even wearing a harness—”

Richard was already moving.

Climbing a wall more than ten meters high without a rope or harness was dangerous, even with thick crash mats below.

But the restrained climbing style he had used earlier disappeared completely.

The instant both hands locked onto the starting holds, his entire body exploded into motion like a fully drawn bow suddenly released.

His legs drove hard against the wall.

He launched himself upward.

A dull thud.

Both hands caught a red hold high above his starting position.

Momentum sent his tall body swinging sharply through the air, but his arms remained locked onto the hold as though they had been welded there.

The muscles across his back contracted violently, stretching the fabric of his tank top and revealing the explosive strength beneath.

Elena stopped breathing for a second.

Richard moved across the wall with astonishing speed.

Every burst of strength sent a visible ripple through his muscles. His broad shoulders and narrow waist twisted through the air with a combination of raw power and precise control.

Then he reached the fifteen-degree overhang.

It was the most punishing section of the route.

Richard barely slowed down.

His hands shifted rapidly between the smaller holds while his core kept his lower body controlled beneath him.

One move.

Then another.

Then one more—

Smack.

His palm struck the finish marker at the top of the ten-meter wall.

The entire climb had taken only moments.

Then he started down.

He descended almost as quickly as he had climbed, skipping holds in a series of controlled drops rather than carefully retracing the route.

His hands released and caught again lower down, his feet touching the wall only long enough to redirect his momentum.

A few meters from the ground, Richard pushed away from the wall.

He dropped the final distance onto the thick crash mat, knees bending smoothly to absorb the impact.

Then he straightened.

Unhurt.

As though the climb had been nothing.

His dark-gray tank top was now soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to his chest and abdomen.

His breathing was heavier, and damp strands of hair had fallen across his forehead.

There was something almost wild about him now—far removed from the impeccably dressed chairman who normally sat behind conference tables and gave orders with an unreadable expression.

He strode across the mat toward Elena.

“Well?”

He stopped in front of her and raised an eyebrow, his voice low and slightly hoarse from exertion.

Elena stared up at him.

Her eyes were shining.

The flush on her cheeks hadn’t faded. If anything, after watching that brutally impressive display, it had only deepened.

As someone who had spent years training her own body, Elena had always appreciated exceptional control, coordination, and athleticism.

And she had to admit—

That had been impressive.

Every movement Richard had made on the wall had hit her aesthetic preferences almost perfectly.

Richard watched her stare at him and let out a quiet laugh.

“Lost your voice?”

He leaned down slightly, bringing his face closer to hers.

“Did I scare you?”

Elena looked at the sharp, handsome face now only inches away.

Her gaze dropped briefly to the movement of his throat, then lower to the rise and fall of his chest beneath the damp neckline of his tank top.

Suddenly, she stepped forward.

Half a step.

Her hands shot up and grabbed both sides of his tank top near the collar.

Using the fabric for leverage, Elena pushed off the mat and rose onto her toes—

Smack.

She planted one loud, unapologetic kiss directly on Richard’s lips.