“And you’ve been with lots of women…”
Oh no, why did I say that?
He raised a brow. “Does that idea bother you, sunshine?”
Yes.
“Of course not. You’re a grown adult. You can be with whoever you choose.”
“Mmm hmm. Well, you’re wrong. I mean, partially. Sure I’ve been with women but I haven’t been in a relationship in years.”
“Why not?”
“Never found anyone interesting enough. Went on a few dates. But most of them were boring and I often found out later they were just after me because my family has money.”
“Ah. So not only are you charming and funny, but you’re also rich,” I teased, wiping the sweat from my brow.
“You find me charming?” He tapped my nose with the tip of his finger as we stepped around a boulder.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. I suppose I do.”
“And funny,” he added.
“At the risk of feeding your obviously large ego, I should say no. But that would be a lie.”
“And…does it bother you that I have money?”
“I don’t care about wealth in the least. Otherwise I wouldn’t be working in academia.”
He laughed. “Good point.”
“But why are you working if you have that much money?”
“Because I love it. My father wanted to cut me off as punishment for not going into the family business. But the one person who always supported me was my grandmother. She wouldn’t let him and made sure I got my trust fund—something all the grandchildren have.”
“Trustfund? You really are rich, aren’t you?”
“I suppose so. But it’s not something I think about much. I don’t really use it. It’s just kind of sitting there.”
“Why don’t you use it?” I rolled my sleeves higher, trying to cool off. Sweat trickled down my back. I was sick and tired of this heat.
“Not sure actually. Maybe I’m waiting for something extraordinary to appear and give me inspiration. I don’t need it for my day to day life.”
I stopped, my eyes catching on something in the distance. “Speaking of extraordinary…”
“What is it?” Liam followed my gaze, his confusion turning into a disarming smile.
Snatching my hand with enthusiasm, he pulled me after him as he plunged through the brush. “The gods are shining down upon us, sunshine! Just look at this!”
Emerging from the thick trees, we stopped. I’d never seen something so beautiful in my life. We were in a grotto, completely surrounded on most sides—except for where we were currently standing—by moss covered cliffs. A small waterfall cascaded into a cerulean pool. How could something be so brightly colored and yet crystal clear at the same time?
Pink flowering vines hung from the tops of the cliffs, bright yellow butterflies flitting from bloom to bloom. And the best part? There was steam rising from the water.
“A hot spring,” I whispered.
Liam was already digging in his pack with excitement. “Aha!” He held out the bottles of soap we’d hardly used, trying to make it last as long as possible. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I am going to wash all our clothes. While they dry, we’re going to revel in this stunning oasis while we bathe and relax.”
“It’ll take at least overnight for our clothing to dry.”
