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“You’re incredibly full of yourself.”
“I have no reason not to be.”
I consider my response for several heartbeats before replying. Our destination is growing closer, which is good. The sooner we’re out of this truck, the sooner reminiscing about the past will be over.
“We all have faults, Blaze. I think a person is much more impressive who admits to them.” His laughter dies away as he glances at me before focusing again on the road in front of him.He looks serious and I almost wish for the light-heartedness from a moment ago.
“I don’t think we have faults. I think we have characteristics that shape us. Nothing we do is right or wrong, it is just the way it is.”
“Maybe,” I say with hesitation. “But there are turns in my life I’d change if I could go back.”
He raises a brow at me. “Am I one of those turns?”
I can’t look away from him as he makes another turn that takes us into the park. He says nothing else as he waits for my answer. I could lie, maybe end all of this suffering I feel. But for some reason I don’t want to taint this memory from one of the best times in my life.
“No, Blaze. That was a critical part of my growing up.”
He stops the truck and shifts, pressing himself closer to me. He looks as if he’s going to kiss me again, and I hope he will. The inconsistency of my emotions is too insane for me to try to figure out.
“Maybe we aren’t done growing.” I grow lost in his gaze. I’m not entirely sure I want to be found.
Chapter Eighteen
Blaze
The road trip was both exhilarating and torturous. Having Cori pressed close to my side for an hour and a half felt right, but made me want to press her down onto the seats in a horizontal way.
I’m rock solid in my pants as I jump from the truck, move around to her side, then hold out a hand to assist her down. She looks at my fingers as if they’re snakes, then climbs out on her own, refusing my help. This might be a good idea on her part at this particular moment. With my hormones raging, I’m not sure I won’t press her up against the metal of the truck and ravage her in a very public park.
I feel like a rowdy teenager who chased the girl for too long. What makes the situation worse is the kiss we shared the night before. It woke every cell in my body, images flash through my mind of the two of us twined together as she calls out my name in ecstasy. I wish we’d never left the damn resort. We’ve proved again and again that we’re great together. Why in the hell does she want to fight it? We’re wasting valuable time as the clock nears midnight.
When I step back from Cori, she reaches inside and grabs her backpack, clutching it in her fingers, her knuckles white as she holds on tightly. To fight these feelings is insane for both of us, but I don’t see another option.
I’m sure Cori feels as much as I do, but for some strange reason I don’t understand, she doesn’t want to do anything about it. It isn’t as if either of us is in another relationship. I don’t see what it will hurt to ease the strain we’re both under. But I have to admit, I’ve never really understood women. I grab what we need from the truck and lead Cori to the tailgate and lay out the map.
“I don’t see how this is leading us to a clue,” she says as she looks over it again.
“Do you see that mark there?” I point at a spot on the map, the beginning of our journey.
“Yes,” she says, her brows furrowed.
“That’s a grave marker. It’s been a long time since I was here, but I believe this is the cemetery out back and we’ll find whatever clue was left behind if we go to it.”
She gazes at the map a while longer and then smiles. “I hope so. If this isn’t it, we’re not going to know what to do.”
“Why would this woman send me on a treasure hunt that I have no chance of figuring out?”
“Why would she putmyname to help you? It doesn’t seem that I’m helping at all.”
“We have to keep following the clues so we can figure it out.”
“I guess so,” she says, with little confidence.
As we look out at the abandoned place, I glance over and see a slight tremor run through Cori. “Are you okay?”
She turns and gives me a brilliant smile that makes my muscles tense. Damn, she’s beautiful. It’s nerve-wracking how much so. “Do you realize you were the first person to give me a real adventure?”
“Today?”
