“You say that like I’m jumpy or something,” I reply, chuckling softly.
“Nah, not at all,” he teases.
Damnit, am I blushing again?
“So, should we get going?” I ask, adjusting the camera strap against my shoulder.
He gestures toward the gate to exit the practice field. “After you,mate.”
My breath catches, pulse taking off at a gallop.
Yep, definitely blushing.
I turn away to hide it, grinning to myself like a lovesick idiot as I start toward the gate, Iver catching up in two long strides. He matches my pace, walking alongside me to exit the complex into the forest surrounding it. Then he points out which trail leads to Pike’s Point, the two of us starting up it in tandem.
He wasn’t wrong about the hike. It’s nice, even if itismainly uphill, and it’s made even better by the scenery and conversation along the way. Within twenty minutes or so, we reach the end of the trail at the peak of Pike’s Point, and it’s obvious why he brought me up here. The view from the top is breathtaking.
“This is incredible,” I breathe, sliding my camera strap off my shoulder and eagerly powering it up to shoot. “How’d you know I have a thing for nature photography?”
“Lucky guess,” he remarks.
I slide him a suspicious glance, still fiddling with the settings on my camera.
“Okay, Javi might’ve told me,” Iver admits with a sheepish grin. “But Ididhave the idea before I asked. Shifters have a deep connection to nature, so I figured it was probably a safe bet.”
“You’re cute,” I chuckle, lifting my camera up and looking through the viewfinder. I snap his picture as a test shot, lowering my camera to check the image I captured on the screen.
This is definitely one I’ll be keeping forever. The composition of the shot is way off, but that smile on his face, the look in his eyes…
Shit, I think I found my muse.
“I might’ve also had ulterior motives in bringing you up here,” Iver drawls as I adjust the light setting on my camera and lift it up once again. “I need some new pictures for the walls of my office at the packhouse, and since I now have a professional photographer at my disposal…”
“You thought you could exploit me for free labor under the guise of a second date?” I tease, pivoting to snap a test shot of the view over the cliff’s edge.
“Exactly,” he smirks.
“And they say chivalry’s dead,” I muse, lowering my camera to view the photo.Nailed it.
I raise my camera back up to my face and start snapping photos of the sweeping landscape, playing with different angles and perspectives to capture the beauty laid out before me. I somehow wind up with my camera pointed at Iver instead of the scenery, drinking in the way the sunlight clings to his golden skin as he gazes out over the cliff from a safe distance.
I hit the shutter button once, twice, then again when he realizes he’s become my subject and turns to look at me. I unabashedly capture a few more, then lower my camera to scroll through the images.
“Pretty romantic up here with this view, huh?” Iver comments as he gravitates in my direction.
“Soromantic,” I reply with a soft chuckle.
“It’d be a great spot for a first kiss,” he remarks.
Real subtle.
“It would, wouldn’t it?” I muse, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth as I lift my gaze to meet his.
He holds me captive in his stare, wetting his lips with his tongue. “We should for sure make a trip back up here sometime,” he murmurs.
He doesn’t move closer; doesn’t push the issue. Iver must have the patience of a freakingsaint, which is exactly what I need. Control. Consent. For anything physical between us to be onmyterms.
“Or you could kiss me now,” I suggest boldly, not knowing how I’ll react but certain that I want him to.
