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The scaly, russet trunks of ponderosa pines whirred by in his peripherals as he sprinted off into the thick woods, blending in with the herd of runners and leaving Kenna in the dust. Dayton planned to slow down for her, but not yet. She had to earn it. The course was marked. It wouldn’t be difficult to find her if they got too separated.
“Dr. Merino!” came Kenna’s distant call.
Rather than wait for her to catch up, Dayton hustled to create more distance between them. He wanted to know how far he could push her. How long would she chase him before throwing in the towel?
The sensation of the wet earth beneath his pummeling feet felt like home. Everything here was beautiful: the tarrish black bark of youthful trees, the decaying moss-covered logs, the way the budding sun and cotton clouds hung overhead like an outdoor Sistine Chapel. The familiar scent of recent rain and the saccharine vanilla fragrance of the pines intensified as he progressed on the trail. Kenna’s pleas had become so distant, they were no longer audible.
When it seemed unlikely that she’d reappear, Dayton turned on his heel and retraced the winding course in search of her. Several participants gawked at him, as if to question, ‘Do you know you’re running the wrong way?’ A quarter of a mile back, he found her, trotting along at a beginner’s pace.
“You’re a jerk.”
Wrath guided Kenna’s footfalls. She made the most contemptible emotions appealing.
He jogged backward in front of her. “Lighten up. It’s going to take us a month to finish at the rate you’re going.”
“Slow and steady.”
“Don’t throw that Aesop shit at me. This isn’t a race. It’s for a good cause.”
Kenna bolted past him, exuding a sudden surge of energy. “Oh, yeah? Then why did you leave me in the middle of the woods?”
Dayton closed the gap with minimal effort.
“I came back for you, didn’t I?”
“You’re infuriating,” she spat.
He risked a glance at her form, enthralled by the tight fit of her track jacket. Her figure was revealed to him in a new way, no longer disguised by the loose tops and flared jeans she wore to campus. The jacket’s material clung to her fragile wrists, her narrow shoulders, her subtle suggestion of an hourglass waist. For someone who had such delicate features, Kenna was the furthest departure from the word.
Their pace had quickened to the point where conversation became challenging.
He didn’t mind the silence, at first, satisfied with stealing glimpses of the ethereal being trotting alongside him. But Dayton’s frustration grew as they advanced on the trail. Kenna was a tough nut to crack and she showed little sign of easing up. She’d surprised him when she complimented his appearance in the office.
Beyond that, it was hard to tell if she was interested.
When they hit the two-mile marker, their speed reduced to a jog. Her pin-straight ponytail bobbed in time with her feet hitting the ground.
He yearned to grab a fistful of that glamorous hair, to hear what breathy sighs might accompany such an action.
“I’m sorry I blew up on you. But you have to admit, that was a shitty thing to do.” Kenna expelled the apology while rubbing her nose with the back of her hand.
“I deserved it.”
A splintering ache spread through his chest. Lightheadedness enshrouded him with the haziness of a fog, hindering his ability to focus on the path ahead. Dayton knew he needed to stop and take a breather, but he refused to appear weak in Kenna’s presence. He ignored his body’s warning and pressed on against his better judgment.
“You’re adorable when you’re angry.”
She shook her head and let a faint smile slip. If Dayton’s heart didn’t give out first, that demure expression would be the death of him.
“You can’t talk to me like that. We have a conflict of interest. But I don’t suppose that means much to you.”
“Careful, you’re treading hypocrisy.”
Irritation bubbled at his core, spiking his body temperature. Her mixed signals were vexing. She had gone from ogling him in his office to rejecting his innocent romantic advancements. Their cat and mouse game had grown stale.
How apropos it would be to claim his forest queen against the backdrop of these picturesque woods. Dayton yearned to rip Kenna from the course and kiss her senseless against a white oak. He knew she wasn’t ready for that.
She wasn’t convinced; she didn’t trust him.
