Page 73 of That Rush

“Trade me,” he says.

“Why?”

“Yours is heavier, and mine will fit you.”

“You brought water?”

“Two bottles, a jacket, food, and the first-aid kit you told me to pack.”

“Very responsible.”

“Paige.”

He waits. He doesn’t reach for the pack or decide that being bigger means he gets to take it from me.

I slide the pack from my shoulders. “You still follow my pace, and I lead the last climb.”

“Yes.”

“Then we can trade.”

His eyebrows lift as he hands me his lighter pack. “Was that permission?”

“Don’t make it weird.”

“I’m trying to enjoy the occasion.”

The final section rises sharply through a series of rocky switchbacks. Aiden stays close without crowding me, his breathing deeper but steady. The rancher looks good in my terrain, especially when the climb pulls his shirt tight across his back.

“Disappointed?” he asks when he catches me looking.

“I’m assessing your stamina.”

“You’ve had three days to think about it.”

My stomach tightens. “Fictional men would have pushed the heroine against a tree by now.”

“Fictional men don’t worry about other hikers.”

“We haven’t seen anyone.”

“You want me to stop?”

His blunt question sends a rush of heat between my thighs. “I want to reach the lake.”

“Then the cabin.”

“Eventually.”

He steps close enough that his voice reaches the back of my neck. “You told me exactly what you want when we get there. I’ve thought about it every night since.”

I keep climbing because turning around would put his mouth far too close to mine.

“Maybe the altitude is affecting your memory.”

“You want me naked in your bed with my cock inside you.” His tone stays controlled. “My memory is fine.”

Heat pools low in my stomach. “Keep up, rancher.”