Page 57 of Waiting for You

"And why," he murmured, his voice dropping, "are you suddenly telling me to stay away?"

"Because," I breathed, the truth slipping out, "if you don't back off, nobody's going to be able to pry me off you."

He stared at me one long heartbeat. His dark brows pulled together for a microsecond, and then his jaw relaxed. A slow smirk curved his mouth.

"Okay," he purred. "We'll see about that."

And he turned and walked away.

Andrew came flying in a moment later. He stuck a solid landing and crossed the platform toward me, putting a warm hand on my shoulder. "You hold up okay?"

"Fine," I lied. "My heart's blazing, but I loved it."

"You screamed the whole way across the canyon."

"Yes," I grinned. "That's the point of the activity."

He let out a booming laugh.

I glanced behind his shoulder. Eliza had launched while we were talking, and her landing was rougher. She stumbled hard on impact, her knees buckling. Xavier was already there waiting, his hands gripping her waist to steady her. When she laughed at her own clumsiness and shook her head, he kept his hands on her waist until she found her footing, then took over to help her work the complicated harness buckle with steady, efficient fingers.

I stood there, watching.

He steadied her, worked the metal buckle, held on until she was safe. The same patience, the same protective hands he'd just used on me. The care wasn't reserved for me. It was just who he was.

Then he turned his head and locked eyes with me.

I looked away.

Eliza was pale by the time our group hiked back down the trail. We found her slumped on a wooden bench near the base camp, her sun hat discarded in her lap, sweating through her linen shirt.

"I think I'm getting heat stroke," she groaned. "I need to go back to the house."

"Yes," Violet agreed, going into crisis mode. "We should all head back. That's enough heat for one day."

Xavier crouched down in front of Eliza. "Get on my back," he ordered.

She stared at him, mortified. "I'm not getting on your back."

"Eliza. Get on my back."

She begrudgingly climbed onto his back. He carried her the whole grueling trek to the waiting SUV, and for the entire drive back, she stayed folded against his side with her head resting on his shoulder. I sat in the backseat next to Andrew and stared out the tinted window at the passing jungle.

Once we got back, most of the group skipped lunch. Xavier walked a dizzy Eliza back to their suite. Simon and Violet vanished into their room shortly after. Andrew and I were the only ones left at a shaded table on the terrace, a big bowl of tropical fruit between us, the afternoon heavy and quiet.

"Did you have fun today?" Andrew asked, leaning back.

"I did," I smiled. "Zip-lining's the only extreme outdoor activity I can commit to."

He chuckled. "You screamed your lungs out."

"I did."

I plucked a piece of fruit from the bowl, turning it over in my fingers before I changed the subject. "You enjoying the trip?" I asked. "This isn't a normal social dynamic to get pulled into."

"I really like them," he admitted. "They're a fun group. Simon's impressive. He's clear about what he wants in life." He paused, selecting a grape. "I had a great conversation with him earlier on the boat. He seems like a man who knows what empire he's building."

"I don't know much about Simon's corporate life, other than the fact that he's wildly in love with my best friend," I noted.