Celeste had absolutely no idea what had come over her back on the trail. One minute, she’d been so mad at Drake that she wanted nothing more than to land a sharp slap across his face. The next, she was wrapped up in his arms and pinned up against a tree while he claimed her mouth in a kiss. She couldn’t remember if she’d been the one to pull him in or if he’d been the one who initiated it all, but the two of them had gotten so involved in the whole thing that it had overcome any sense of propriety she had left.

Drake had gone back to hiking after everything was said and done like nothing had happened, so Celeste decided to go along with it and pretend that the two of them hadn’t been having sex out in the woods like a couple of crazy hormone driven teenagers less than an hour ago. It was the only way she really knew how to deal with the situation at the moment. She’d never been in a place to have to figure out how to act after you’d randomly grabbed your boss and wound up hooking up after a random fight out in the middle of the woods. Celeste had to admit it was a first for her, and this wasn’t exactly the kind of situation an etiquette class taught you how to handle.

The moment had happened, and she wasn’t sure if Drake was even going to acknowledge it or just go about his business like nothing had happened. She wasn’t sure if he regretted it, if he’d enjoyed himself, if he’d brought her out here with just that kind of thing in mind, or if it was all just a giant mistake. Celeste knew why she’d come out here. She just wanted to prove to him that she was just as good as he was at whatever she set her mind to do, but her body had decided to betray her. It had been long before the two of them had even kissed.

It didn’t help that the day before she’d found herself wrapped up in his arms as he stopped her from falling even more seriously than she already had. Her mind had been turning since that moment. Add in the close sleeping quarters last night, and her dreams had been something that made her blush to even think about and definitely nothing that she would have admitted out loud. Then she had to go and lose every last bit of sense she had left and let this happen. There was no way he was going to take her seriously after all of that. She’d ruined her credibility and her entire case in one moment due to temporary insanity.

As much as she’d liked to have blamed all of that on being out of her mind, there was a part of her that had enjoyed it far more than she should have. Drake was attractive, and he was the type of guy who would have been dangerous to her if he wasn’t a client and stubborn as hell. Every time he opened his mouth, she wanted to shut him up. The way she’d chosen to do it, however, left something to be desired as far as being a professional went, but it did have something of a desired effect. Drake stopped ribbing her like he had for every step of the hike today until both of them had lost their minds.

Celeste wasn’t certain if he was being quiet because he was upset with her or regretted what had happened between the two of them. She didn’t know how he felt about it because he stopped talking entirely until they got where they were going. He barely said two words to her for the rest of the hike after he told her they needed to get going before the sun set. She was still lagging behind so that meant she had a view of his backside without even the commentary to keep her mind engaged. It was enough to have her second guessing everything she’d done since she met Drake and analyzing it to figure out exactly where she’d gone wrong with this entire situation.

She tried to keep up pace in spite of the fact that her entire body was aching. She didn’t want to be left behind for the rest of the afternoon if he was going to give her the silent treatment. Celeste made a few attempts to start up a conversation with Drake, but he always kept his answer down to a minimum amount of words, almost like he was afraid to talk to her after what happened.

Celeste didn’t regret what had happened. She was surprised, and a little disappointed in herself for getting carried away, but she really wouldn’t have taken it back. She was starting to wonder if he was ever going to speak to her again when the two of them emerged from the trail into a huge clearing where an unexpected sight met her.

She’d known they were hiking to a waterfall. Drake had been very clear about their final destination, but she hadn’t known anything as pretty as this was going to exist out in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. Things like this were stuff you found on post cards and calendar photo shoots. She was pretty sure they computer generated half those pictures anyway, even if they were pretty to look at, but here it was staring her directly in the face. It was way more beautiful in person than anything she’d seen in photographs or any of the touristy destinations she’d visited in her travels for work or vacation. Those places were always crawling with people and vendors and all the commercial trappings that came with a vacation spot. This was something else. There was an element to it all that was just entirely untouched and wild. It was something she hadn’t expected to find out here in the mountains in Colorado, and it took her entirely off the track her thoughts had been going down now that Drake wasn’t really talking to her.

Celeste breathed in and held her breath for a moment, just studying the scenery around her and taking it all in.

“Nice, eh?” She’d half-forgotten Drake was there standing just behind her, and his question pushed her out of her silent awe at the scene in front of both of them.

Celeste just nodded, shoving her hands into her pockets and forgetting all the rest of the crap that had happened today. She wanted to take in as much of this sight as she could before she had to get about the business of setting things up for the night here. He moved over to her side close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off his arm, and she instinctively leaned closer. Her body remembered being close to his and wanted it again, no matter what her brain might be thinking. That had been the problem all along as far as Drake was concerned. Her body and her brain were never cooperating, and lately her body had been winning.

“Listen Celeste, I’ll set up the tent and you just hang out here. You’ve had a rough couple of days…”

Maybe Drake was trying to be friendly, and maybe the fact that it struck Celeste as patronizing was just her brain overcompensating for the fact that her body was betraying her every time he got close. Something in her snapped when he said that, and she wheeled on him, eyes burning as she faced him.

“Well aren’t you just a damned gentleman now, Drake? Where was all of that when we were hiking up here and you were giving me the silent treatment like I’d fucking done something wrong? Or did gentleman go out the window once you got in my pants? I think I can manage well enough with setting up whatever you need setting up. I’d hate for you to think I was just out here to flirt and twist my ankles.” She wasn’t quite yelling, but it was loud enough that it overcame the sound of the falls crashing in the background and echoed off the rock walls behind the rushing water.

She could see his expression melt entirely as she started in on him. This time it was him that pulled her into his arms and crashed a kiss on her lips. She wanted to melt into it again. Part of her was dying to pull him in closer and thread her fingers into his hair one more time. The tips of his fingers digging into her back felt like they were on fire and burning into her skin with every touch. Her body was betraying her again, but the anger that was roaring through her brain kept her just the slightest bit sane.

Celeste put her hands on Drake’s chest, pushing him away and took a step back, putting a little space between the two of them as she stared him down.

“What the hell are we doing, Drake? Just tell me you didn’t bring me out into the woods just for this. I had a lot of respect for you, and I didn’t want to think that you were that guy. Was I wrong?” Celeste was hurt. She let that show through her expression as she folded her arms across her chest, fighting the urge to thread her fingers back through his hair and just forget about the rest of this. She wasn’t certain what the two of them were doing here. If he was just out here to use her, then he’d picked the wrong girl, even if she was out in the middle of nowhere. She’d hike right back out to where they’d left their cars right now, even if it took all night.

Drake moved closer, and she could tell from the look on his face that her words had stung, just like him not talking to her the entire afternoon had been a blow to Celeste. The two of them were crossing wires over and over again, and it was time for some of the sparks to fly.

“Don’t be silly…” He started to reply, but his choice of words hit her wrong again. She interrupted him in mid-sentence.

“Silly. That’s what you think of me, right? I’m just some silly girl who flew in here from the city who doesn’t know her ass from a hole in the ground. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do to prove you wrong here, but I don’t think some damned silly girl would be out here in the middle of nowhere after a two day hike into the woods arguing with the man who is technically her boss over the fact that the two of them wound up fucking against a tree this afternoon. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe that’s exactly what a silly girl would do. Maybe I have been silly, but I’ve been trying. I’ve been trying since I got here, and I don’t know if I was trying to impress you or prove something to myself.” Celeste had no idea where she was going with this, but she was finally letting out all the frustrations she’d felt about Drake since the two of them met. It felt good to finally let it all out even if she was pretty certain she was going to lose the firm this client and in turn lose her job and her chance at getting back to the branch in Los Angeles as a senior partner.

“Celeste listen to me, please?” His voice was soft, and it took her just slightly off his guard as he moved in closer. She let him reach out and place his hands on her upper arms, pulling her in closer as she stopped ranting on about everything she’d been keeping inside all this time.

“I don’t think you’re silly or stupid. I think you’re new at a lot of this stuff, but I like the way you’re trying. I like the fact that you give me a hard time. I even like it that you call me out on my bullshit like this right here. I’d rather be yelled at by a woman who gives a damn than anyone else, and from what I’ve seen since you walked out of that car down at the base of this mountain is that you definitely give a damn. Most of the spoiled ass princesses that I knew back in Los Angeles wouldn’t have made it half this far. They’d have had a helicopter come pick them up and take them back to the car after the first time they twisted their ankle or the first time a bug landed on their shoulder.” He took a breath and let his hands move down her arms towards her wrists. She let him for the moment.

“And what about the rest? Why exactly did you bring me out here Drake?” She studied his eyes, daring him to tell her the truth without saying in words.

“I brought you out here to show you this place. I wanted you to see it. It’s my favorite place, and maybe I wanted to see how you reacted to the hike and everything else before I passed final judgement on you. But I promise you I didn’t plan what happened this afternoon. It just… happened.”

“But you regret it?” He shook his head as soon as the question was out of her mouth.

“No. I don’t regret anything. I don’t do things I’m going to regret later, Celeste.” He looked sincere. He’d lost that joking glint he’d had in his eye when he was teasing her earlier in the day. She didn’t know him well enough to know how honest he was, but in the short amount of time she’d known him, she’d come to trust him. Celeste didn’t know what it was about Drake that made her believe him when he said something, but when he looked into her eyes like that and held her arms near the wrists she didn’t doubt him for a moment.

This time when Celeste pulled him in for a kiss it was much less feverish than it had been before. She did it with intent instead of losing complete control of the walls she’d built up against him. This time, she was taking her walls down voluntarily instead of falling apart in the heat of the moment.

He let go of her wrists, winding his arms around her body again and pulling her back in to deepen the slow kiss. This was nice. She melted into him this time and ran her arms across his back, mumbling against his lips.

“Can we please just set up the tent before we both lose our minds in this? I don’t want a repeat performance of earlier. I want to do this differently…” Celeste wasn’t certain what she was talking about or doing, but she didn’t want another heated quickie out in the open on the side of a hiking trail. If she was going to repeat the same mistake, she was going to do it the right way this time.

Drake pulled away with a soft chuckle. “As you wish, Princess. Come on and we can get this done in a few minutes.”

The two of them worked as a team this time, setting up the tent poles until the tent was set back up. This time they cooked dinner together, working to make sure that everything was right while they watched the sun set down behind the falls. It was probably one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen in person. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into, but at least she was enjoying it for now. Celeste just pushed the doubts out of her mind. Tonight she was just going to live. She wasn’t going to let her job or the thoughts about what she was supposed to do and where she was supposed to be stop her from enjoying herself.

Those had been the things that got her into the worst predicaments since she’d come here. Her damned pride and ambition were useless if she couldn’t back them up with action, and tonight was going to be all about action. That was why she pulled him into the tent by one of his belt loops when the pink in the sky was completely gone and the two of them had finished eating. Tonight was a night for her to finally live a little instead of mourning the life she thought she was supposed to have.

“Get in here.” The two of them had to get down on hands and knees to get into the tent. It was small and low built for backpacking, and the two of them were in close quarters in here. Celeste intended to use that to her advantage. It meant that Drake had to crawl in over her to fit into the tight space once she’d sprawled out across the sleeping bags at the bottom of the tent.

Celeste tugged him back down to press her lips to his, her fingers working slowly at the buttons of his shirt as he moved into place, settling between her hips and just letting her do whatever it was she wanted. She placed her arms on his shoulders, slipping her leg around his and pushing him onto his back. She eagerly climbed up his body and straddled his lap, leaning down and pinning his arms above his head. A small giggle escaped his mouth, “Shut up.” She enunciated both words emphatically as she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his.

The first time the two of them had been together, it was rushed, heated, and hungry. This time, she was going to take her time and enjoy every moment of it. What fun was absolutely breaking all of your rules if you rushed it?

The two of them moved together. Taking time in getting each other’s clothes off and into a pile at the edge of the tent. The night air was cold, but the heat of his body pressed against hers was enough to keep her from catching a chill. She shivered a little as he moved away, kissing a trail along her chest and down her stomach toward her thighs. When he pressed a kiss to her clit the shiver was replaced with a shudder that rolled up her body until she had to reach down for his shoulders to steady herself. He took his time doing that as well. Licking and exploring her body with his mouth until she was writhing beneath him and he had to hold her hips into place to keep her from squirming completely away.

She had to admit he was good at this, and she wouldn’t have known it from their first experience together. It had been good, but it was so fast. This time every move was intentional, and it was clear from the beginning that his intention was to make her climax as many times as possible before the night was through. He was making good on that intent because by the time he moved to kiss his way back up her body she’d already been a moaning mess, her body tensing and shuddering beneath his touch until she fell apart three times. She wasn’t certain she was going to be able to take much more of this, but when he settled himself between her hips and looked down at her, she used her legs to pull him into her out of pure instinct. Before she could fully pull him inside her he reached over and pulled a condom out of his bag.

He groaned as he finally entered her, his hands going to her hips to pull her up into him at the same time he pressed his weight into her body. She cried out softly while her body took a moment to adjust to being filled, and he finally spoke to her.

“I hope you know how sexy you are, Celeste, and it’s not just about the way you look. You’re smart and funny and you can take my bullshit with the best of them. I just want you to know that. I wouldn’t be out here shacked up in a tent with just anyone. There hasn’t been anyone for me for a long damned time, not since Vanessa, anyway.”

She looked up at him with a slightly shocked expression. That wasn’t what she’d expected to hear. She knew Drake was reclusive and kept to himself, but the two of them had divorced a long time ago. The fact that he hadn’t been with another woman in all that time was a bit of a shock, but it fit what she was learning about Drake’s personality.

“Shhh…” She pulled him down into the kiss, cutting off his confession, and focused her attention on the way their bodies fit together as the two of them moved together. There wasn’t any more talking, just the two of them getting lost in each other until they fell asleep wrapped up in a pair of sleeping bags they’d joined into one for the night.