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Kinley didn’t seem to know quite what to say to that, so she merely nodded. Alexis changed the subject to the couple who were considering the inn for their vows renewal ceremony. They would be arriving shortly to look around, and Alexis had no doubt Kinley would charm them with her usual skill.
She and Kinley talked mostly about business during their meetings, though they had strayed into somewhat more personal topics occasionally, usually when chatting about the history of Bride Mountain Inn. Through those casual conversations, Alexis knew a bit of Logan’s family circumstances, but she didn’t know how he felt about them. Facts, but no deep feelings, as suited a breezy affair. She and his sisters were on a very friendly basis, but she wouldn’t call them her friends, exactly. Not the sharing-confidences-over-drinks or shopping-for-shoes-together type of friendship she had with Paloma, anyway. She thought they could be, but she was the one who’d maintained a slight distance between them.
She suspected Logan was the reason for her reticence. It was difficult enough carrying on a secret affair with him while working fairly often with his sisters; it would be much harder if she and Kinley and Bonnie spent even more time together away from their professional interactions. Not to mention that the more connected she became to his sisters, the stronger the ties between her and Logan became—and the more awkward it would be when it inevitably ended.
She and Logan had agreed that whatever happened between them, their work and their personal lives would remain entirely separate. On the job, they would be civil—his idea of civil, anyway—focused on optimal end results for both of them, even after they mutually agreed that the off-the-job affair had run its course. Completely rational and sensible.
Mentally crossing her fingers that the whole thing wouldn’t crash down around them despite their efforts not to become too emotionally attached, she forced herself to put Logan out of her mind and concentrate on her meeting with his sister.
* * *
Pebbles shifted beneath her snugly laced boot when Alexis placed her foot carefully into a depression on the steep hill rising in front of her on the following Tuesday. She adjusted her weight easily to find more stable footing. Pausing a few feet above her, Logan looked back over his shoulder, where he was carrying a small day-pack. “Okay?”
Settling the padded straps of her own pack a bit more comfortably on her shoulders, she grinned up at him. “All good.”
He reached out a hand, and though she didn’t really need the assistance, she placed hers in it, letting him haul her up beside him. His fingers tightened briefly around hers before he released her. “Need a water break?”
“Soon. It’s a perfect day for a hike, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s nice.”
“Nice” was an understatement, in Alexis’s opinion. The morning sky was a cloudless blue, the air crisp and fresh. A steady breeze tossed her low ponytail and kept them cool despite the exertion of the somewhat strenuous hike. Still winter-nude but showing the first buds of spring, deciduous trees towered around them, interspersed with fragrant evergreens. Through the bare branches, she caught glimpses of the stunning Catawba Valley view they would admire more fully from the apex of the well-worn path.
Five days after their last encounter at the inn, she and Logan had driven separately to the hiking trail some forty minutes from Bride Mountain, meeting in the parking lot at the trailhead. They generally didn’t go out together—this was the first time—but when she’d mentioned to him recently that she’d been thinking of taking a day off for a hike, he’d impulsively suggested this trek. He needed a few hours away himself, he’d added casually. He could be back at work by late afternoon to catch up on anything that required his attention. Because she had no appointments until six that evening, there was no reason for them to rush through this rare outing.
There was some risk, of course, that they’d run into someone who knew one or both of them, but the chance was slight. Though a popular destination, the trail wasn’t crowded on this chilly weekday morning when most people were at work or school. In fact, they’d encountered only a handful of other hikers, none of whom they’d recognized.
When they’d first discussed taking the hike, Logan had pointed out that it wouldn’t exactly be a tragedy if they did encounter someone they knew, though the chances were slim. There was no particular reason for secrecy about their friendship, other than the comfortable freedom from outside expectations. She wasn’t quite as blasé about it as he’d sounded, uncomfortable with the thought of professional awkwardness if word got out they were seeing each other. Still, it was nice to be out together, to ignore everyone else and concentrate on each other and the lovely day.
They’d crossed several wooden bridges and passed a couple of primitive campsites in the almost four miles they’d hiked thus far. She stepped over a gnarled root that bisected the foot-flattened path, then glanced up at Logan again. Though the trail was rated as moderately strenuous, he handled it almost as easily as if they were walking on flat pavement. His slight limp proved no impediment to him, though it was somewhat more noticeable on the uneven ground. She wondered if it bothered him with this much exertion, but she knew better than to ask. His masculine ego would be dented at any suggestion he wasn’t in peak condition—which, of course, he was, she thought, admiring the view of him from behind.
They paused beside a rushing stream still somewhat swollen from recent spring rains. Logan leaned against a tree trunk and drew a water bottle from his pack. He wore his usual jeans and T-shirt, though he’d switched out his work boots for sturdy hiking boots. He’d shed the windbreaker he’d worn earlier as he warmed from the exercise, stuffing the thin jacket into his pack.
Alexis found a relatively flat and reasonably clean boulder to use as a seat while she dug into her own pack. She wore lightweight gray hiking pants with a yellow scoop-neck T-shirt and a yellow-and-white windbreaker. She’d pushed up the sleeves of her windbreaker, but didn’t remove it. The brisk breeze was a bit cool to her for short sleeves, though Logan seemed unaffected. She removed a square of microfiber cloth from her pack and cleaned her glasses, watching from beneath her lashes as Logan lifted his water bottle to his lips. Just seeing the way his strong throat worked with his swallows was enough to make her consider taking off her jacket, after all. Had the temperature just risen a few degrees, or was it simply her usual response to Logan’s easy, innate sexiness that made her feel suddenly warmer?
She pushed her glasses back onto her nose, bringing him into even clearer, sharper view, then made herself look away long enough to dig out her own water bottle. Several long swallows helped her reinforce her temporarily shaky composure, though it wavered again when she lowered the bottle to find Logan studying her with an expression she well recognized—and which would have led straight to her bedroom had they been at her house.
He cleared his throat before speaking. “It’s been a long time since I’ve made this hike. I used to come out here with Great-Uncle Leo when I was a kid. He was in his late sixties then, and could still run circles around me. I’ve heard it’s usually crowded with tourists these days, but I figured it would be less so this morning.”
She winked saucily at him. “I’m glad you were right. I rather like having you all to myself.”
She took another sip of her water, then capped the bottle and stowed it again. Standing, she brushed a hand absently across the seat of her pants, though she wasn’t particularly concerned about getting dirty on a hike. “Ready to forge on?”
“Almost.” He pushed away from the tree in one fluid move, caught her in his arms and planted his mouth firmly on hers.
By the time the kiss ended, her arms were around his neck, their bodies were pressed full-length to
gether and Alexis was definitely too warm for her jacket. She was grateful now for the breeze that ruffled her hair, brushed her cheeks and slipped inside her collar to cool her. She tipped back her head to peer up at him through her slightly askew glasses. “And that was because...?”
He chuckled as he released her with some reluctance. “Let’s just call it an energy recharge.”
She heaved a gusty sigh and glanced around. “Too bad we can’t be entirely sure we’re alone on the trail this morning.”
He grinned and ran a hand down her back to give a light squeeze to her bottom. “Don’t tempt me.”
She so enjoyed flirting with him, seeing desire heat his hazel eyes to a gleaming gold. A ripple of arousal surged through her in response, and he must have seen it in her expression, because his fingers tightened for a moment before he made a show of stepping away from her. “Let’s move,” he said.
They’d made their way only a few yards farther before they came across a couple of overnight backpackers making their way back down the trail. She heard a low, wry chuckle from Logan before they exchanged polite greetings and a few casual remarks about the nice weather and the beautiful views.
