AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That was rude!” she said in mock indignation. “Anyone could’ve seen us!”
“Yes, there’s a horny bear somewhere over there.” He gestured vaguely, smiling.
She scowled at him. It was so adorable, he couldn’t stop himself from standing up and kissing her. Her mouth moved eagerly on his, reminding him of other things she could do with those lips.
He pulled away and sighed loudly. “You’re too distracting, woman. Get moving before I throw you down and fuck you. This boulder is the perfect height.”
Eyes wide, she scrambled back to the trail.
He wished the trail was wide enough to walk side-by-side so he could hold her hand. Instead, he settled on alternating between watching her ass and the scenery again.
Soon the dirt path slanted upward. They were far from the scrub brush and trees now, and on a narrow strip surrounded by steep cliffs. Ophelia trekked confidently up the rocky trail, but the fact that one slip could send her over the edge made all his protective instincts rise to the surface.
She slowed and squinted at something in the distance. “Hey, what are those white things over there? They look like rocks but I think they’re moving.”
He followed her gaze where the trail cut across the mountainside. Sure enough, several white blobs moved in a line toward them. He searched his brain for an answer.
“Goats!” she cried, clapping her hands. “They’re mountain goats.” Turning to grin at him, she added, “Our first wildlife encounter!”
He wouldn’t exactly call this an encounter but he nodded along in support.
“We should pick up some binoculars before we go out again tomorrow.” She resumed the trek and he followed, contemplating her suggestion.
“You don’t want to head home tomorrow?” he asked, thinking of the messages from his cousins.
“Already?” She spun on him, brow creased. “One day is too short.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t exactly a hard sell. He didn’t want to leave yet either.
“Do you have somewhere you have to be?”
Fox and Atlas were probably ready to kick his ass, but leaving her here alone went against his nature. He’d volunteered to accompany her and he’d damn well follow through. Not as if it was a chore. In fact, leaving her side tomorrow or the next day or the day after that felt so . . . wrong. A month from now would be too soon. Forever would be too soon.
Whoa. Slow down.
The thin air of the mountains was getting to him.
“You can go,” she said sadly. “You’re not obligated to stay.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and gazed down at her. “I have no interest in leaving, and it has nothing to do with feeling obligated to stay.” And that was the truth, even if he was shirking his responsibilities. “But, I should probably let my business partners know when I’ll be back. How long are you thinking you want to stay?”
She shrugged. “A few more days? I . . . have things I need to figure out.” Her lips turned down and her eyes lost their sparkle.
Way to ruin her fun, idiot.
Now that he’d brought it up, though, he felt like he couldn’t just leave things that way. “Like what?”
Wincing, she shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
So she had secrets too. Maybe he should’ve been offended but it only made him more interested. There were layers to this woman. She wasn’t just a pretty face. “Fair enough. But I’m here if you change your mind.” He hoped she would open up to him eventually. He may not have answers, but he was a good listener.
“Thank you.” She smiled shyly.
He’d bet it had to do with her dad. The whole trip seemed to center around him. Was she still grieving? She hadn’t even told him how he’d died. A quick Google search would answer that—it was probably all over the media—but he’d let her tell him when she was ready. Snooping around for information she didn’t want to discuss wasn’t his style.
“Let’s get going,” he said, turning her to face forward. “I don’t want to be on the trail in the dark.”
“Speed up then, old man,” she said, then skipped ahead before he could smack her ass like he wanted to.
