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Scarlett was a lot of things, but she wasn’t slow. He couldn’t remember her being a track star in high school, but the way she could leap over fences and dart around obstacles left him wondering why she hadn’t been interested in more athletic activities when they were younger.
Her face whipped around to glance at him as he started gaining on her. A squeal escaped her lips, urging him onward. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he caught her, but it was going to be good.
She led him farther and farther away from the water and the mud. He’d have to get creative if he wanted to exact his revenge in the most appropriate way. Foot by foot, inch by inch, he edged closer and closer to her until she was just in reach. Then, out of nowhere, she darted left then right and jumped upward toward a branch that hung overhead. Within mere seconds she was perched above him on a branch, leaving his head spinning.
Elijah craned his neck, then stepped back a few paces to get a good look at her. He crossed his arms as he watched her swing her legs like she was the smartest person in the world.
“Whatcha gonna do now?” she sang. “Can’t exactly make me pay for anything up here, now can you?”
He continued to watch her, but every so often his focus would dart to the tree in the pasture they’d found themselves in. He might be able to scale it, but by the time he got up to where she was, she would have more than likely jumped down and escaped.
Scarlett tilted her head and her lower lip pouted. “Eventually, you’re going to have to give up and walk away.”
His eyes darted up to meet hers. “What makes you think I’m going to go anywhere?”
That caught her attention. She shifted in her seat and her eyes narrowed. “You won’t stay out here. You have work to do.”
“Yeah, that’s where you’re wrong.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Elijah nodded. “Yes, I have work to do, but I’m one of those guys who knows how to manage my time. How do you think I get so much work done? I’m working two locations right now. I’m pulling the weight of three men at least.” He took a step toward her, and she scooted closer to the trunk of the tree. “I’m ahead of schedule. I could stay all night long and not worry about meeting this week’s deadlines. You messed with the wrong Keagan. And now you’re gonna learn what that means.”
Her nervous laugh was music to his ears. “I don’t believe you. It gets cold out at night, and you’re wet.”
He shrugged. “By then I’ll be dry. How much do you want to wager that out of the two of us, only one will be able to last the night without shelter? If the cold doesn’t get you, the critters will.”
“Critters?”
He nodded again. “Sure. Remind me of something. Back in Germany, when you had that fancy desk job, how many coyotes did you run into?”
“Coyotes?” The smug humor had all but drained from her face.
Elijah made a show of pulling one of his hands out and pretending to examine something between his finger and thumb as he rubbed them together. He turned his back to her, calling over his shoulder so she could still hear him. “I’d reckon we might see at least one or two tonight. It’s getting colder. They’re gonna need to find food somewhere. What better meal than a pretty, young thing like you.”
What he’d expected to happen, did.
He heard her feet hit the ground with a thwump, and before she knew what hit her, he swung around and snaked his arm around her waist. She gasped and then screamed.
Elijah chuckled as he effortlessly tossed her over his shoulder and headed toward a creek they’d passed a while back. The bend came onto her property, but only just. Seeing as the water was coming from the mountains themselves, it had to be colder than anything they got from the spigot.
The second she noticed where they were headed, Scarlett screeched, kicked her legs, and struggled. “Elijah, no. You can’t. I’m sorry. That water is gonna be freezing.”
“Shoulda thought about that when you doused me with that water earlier.”
By the time they reached the water’s edge, she’d given up the fight. But the second the frigid running water came into view, it was like someone had rebooted her. This time, instead of kicking and trying to climb down, she’d turned into a cat who refused to be removed. She clawed at him, climbing higher and higher onto his shoulder.
Elijah effortlessly pried her away from him, one arm around her back and the other beneath her knees. Her hands remained locked around his neck and she shut her eyes tight.
“Any last words?”
Her eyes flew open, finding his. For a moment they just stared at each other. It was both the longest and shortest second of his life, because immediately after that, she leaned forward and crashed her lips over his.
Scarlett held him fast, tight, as if her very life depended on the kiss she gave him. Every single memory of their childhood when he’d pined for her came rushing back to the surface.
Every. Single. One.
Her laugh. Her eyes. The way she pulled her hair back into a messy bun when she wanted to work hard on something. But most of all, the way he’d always wondered what she’d taste like.
