The snuggling was a given. At this far below zero, River would have snuggled with him even if he was a less sexy than Hagrid version of himself or smelled like Oscar the Grouch on a bad trash can day. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t, which meant the snuggling was more than satisfactory.

Especially when Easton’s version involved long, slow kisses, murmured compliments against her skin, and promises that he’d take his hair down from the bun as slowly and as often as she wanted.

Okay, maybe that last one was wishful thinking on her part, but a woman could dream.

The snuggling was great, but talking with Easton was even better. Curled up together in their tent, River basked in the comfort of his presence, the sound of Easton’s voice lulling her into a sense of peace. Funny how all it took was Easton to turn an isolated campsite into one of the most romantic experiences of her life.

At some point, she’d like to know what it felt like to cuddle with this man without fifteen layers of puffy jacket fabric between them. Memories of a certain shower had been etched into her brain. In between talking and those soft, slow kisses that promised so much more, they did manage to sleep a bit. And in waking, River knew from the brightening light outside the tent that it was time to do what they’d come all this way for.

It was time to summit Mount Veil.

“You’ve got that look.” He playfully tugged at the braid she’d secured her hair in.

“What look?”

Easton rolled, drawing her across his chest as he relaxed back into the sleeping pad. “The look that says I need to be worried.” A contented expression had crossed his face, as if he had no concerns in the world.

“Oh, you definitely need to be worried. It’s summit day.”

“Most people are fighting to get used to the air at this point.” He added teasingly, “Are you sure you didn’t down a tank of oxygen while you were up here?”

“And risk the wrath of my guide?” River winked at him. “Don’t worry. I behaved. Mostly, I interviewed myself and tried not to worry about everyone else to the point of insanity. How are Bree and Jessie? Are they going to be all right?”

“Ash contacted me and said they’re okay. Beat up and exhausted, but they’ll be fine. She’s annoyingly responsible like that.”

“Annoyingly responsible sounds like a family trait.” River sat up, resting her palms on his stomach. “Are you up for this? Because I’m ready to climb this thing.”

Wrapping his hands around her waist, Easton sat up using only his abdominal muscles, holding her in place on his lap. “Where you go, I’m following.”

“Summit or bust?” she asked, breathless with anticipation.