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He stifles a burst of laughter. “Correct, and I would prefer they stay that way, if it’s all the same to you.”
I’m glad he can’t see the irritation I’m sure is written across my face. I would hardly consider myself burning with jealousy, though. They’re both young, attractive people who work closely together and find themselves in close proximity all the time. It’s chemistry, pure and simple.
Not everybody can have something deeper than that. Something based on thought and feeling. Trust. Respect.
“The details are none of my business,” I assure him as we continue our hike. Her prints fade from time to time, but always reappear. The terrain is getting rough, and the rushing river is closer and louder with every step we take. “Though if you ask me, you’re a fucking idiot for ending it. She’s a quality girl.”
“She ended it, not me.”
I’m happier than ever his back is to me, since I doubt I could conceal my broad grin if I tried. “Smart girl. He walked right into that one.”
He snorts, throwing a smirk over his shoulder. “How about you?”
“Excuse me?” I challenge. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What, you think I didn’t notice how you totally changed around her when we showed up? All this time you’ve been miserable and sour and a pain in the ass.”
“I’m sure it couldn’t have had anything to do with being relieved that we tracked her down,” I mutter as we climb over a fallen tree in our path. There are bits of bark littering the ground on the other side, like someone scrambled over the surface recently.
“Are you sure that’s all it was?” he asks once we clear the obstacle.
All at once, my chest goes tight. “Still acting like a child.”
“That’s fine. Play it that way if you want to.”
It’s safer to bite my tongue, so I do, brooding silently. No, my relationship with Natalie wasn’t anything as common as a fling, the way he described theirs. The only reason I don’t take him down right now is the certainty that what Natalie and I share goes beyond basic biological needs. We understand each other. There’s a connection I neither sought nor encouraged. It simply exists. He may have known her body in the past, but he doesn’t know her heart. Not the way I do.
A flash of blue in the trees ahead makes my heart stutter. “There!” I breathe, taking hold of Griffin’s shoulder to stop him before pointing.
“Gotcha.” He drops to one knee, and I do the same, leaving us hidden in the shadow of a towering pine. She’s not moving, but it’s her. She’s crouched behind a row of rocks up ahead, maybe taking a breather while she considers her next steps. She must have left after thinking things through all night, but there’s a difference between going through a journey in your head and experiencing it for real. The cold is enough to make my face burn like it’s on fire, and I can only imagine she’s feeling the effects as well. Small puffs of vapor rise from her hiding spot, a sign of her rapid breathing. Does she know we’re here? Does she know she’s been spotted? Or is she simply catching her breath?
All at once her head pops up, moving from side to side as she scans the area. I hold my breath and so does Griffin, both of us trying to conceal our presence in any way possible. When she takes off toward the river, we follow, moving quickly but quietly through the terrain. I guess she’s planning on following the river east, though why she would travel on foot is anybody’s guess. She is that determined to get away. Why? What is compelling her?
“Shit!” With Griffin in front of me, there’s no way of seeing what made him drop into a crouch seemingly out of nowhere. Once my view is clear, I understand.
She turned around to look behind her and spotted him—and now she stares straight at me, standing here like a smacked ass. I may as well be wearing a clown wig. That’s how it feels, anyway.
“Natalie, stop this!” Needless to say, she pays no heed to my pleas, giving us no choice but to run when she takes off. We crash through the brush, stumbling over exposed roots. I’m now the lead, and I thrust my right arm outward to signal for Griffin to take that route while I veer left, intending to pin her between us and the river ahead. It’s so close now, the roar is deafening. She can only run so far.
I see her head up there, bouncing as she runs. Suddenly, she stops, and I take advantage, quickly catching up to her while Griffin does the same. She whirls around and scowls at the sight of me, then turns to find Griffin blocking her in the opposite direction.
