Chapter 7
Sun filtered down through the treetops, and out in the middle of the woods, the hot, heavy air barely stirred. Kevin waved an irritated hand at the gnats buzzing around his head and carefully felt for solid ground with each step he took.
“Why the hell are we doing this again?” he asked.
“You didn’t have to come with me,” Shanna retorted over her shoulder.
And give up this view? Not a chance.
He wasn’t talking about the view from the bluff they were climbing, but the view beneath her backpack his gaze had been trained on for the past hour as she walked in front of him. Yeah. Certain parts of the hike he was down with—even a little up with. Other parts—climbing slippery, rocky terrain in tennis shoes with no support—not so much. She had her hiking boots to rely on; he was going to twist a damn ankle.
“It’s not like I could let you go traipsing off into the woods alone.”
“First, I want to point out it’s not up to you to let me do anything. Second, why not?”
“I’ll give you the first part,” he conceded. “As for the second, it’s not safe.”
“I’m safer out here than you are, Princess.”
He doubted that, but kept the opinion to himself. He contained his amusement over her new nickname for him as well. She thought to needle him with the insult, but he could laugh at himself as much as she could. Silently.
“I’ve got a compass, an emergency first aid kit, extra water, food, a knife, and bear spray,” she boasted. “What’d you bring?”
“You.”
She laughed—that beautiful, carefree laugh that got him right in the gut whenever he was lucky enough to hear it.
The climb got steeper, until he stopped behind her, winded slightly from the exertion as she wiped her brow while staring at an eight-foot wall of rock barring them from their final destination. He ran most mornings, and worked out at the gym on a regular basis, but the rough terrain was giving him a run for his money.
“You’ll have to boost me up,” Shanna stated.
Because it was her way or no way.
He shook his head. “How will I get up then?”
Her gaze scoured the sheer rock face, searching for hand and foot holds he’d already determined didn’t exist.
“I’ll pull you.”
“No, you won’t,” he scoffed. Not a chance in hell she had the strength to get him up that rock. “I need to go first.”
He waited for her response, anticipating some creative argument. Looked forward to it even. But she surprised him when she ceded with a nod.
“Okay. You first. If you use that smaller rock there, then you can step on my shoulder to reach the top.”
His brows rose. “You know I’m two hundred pounds, right?”
“I can handle it. I’ll brace myself.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the steep incline that led them to this point. If she buckled under his weight, he was going to be in a world of hurt. They both would be.
“Trust me, Kevin. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”
He turned back and met her gaze. The sarcasm he’d expected was nowhere to be seen. Nothing but sincerity in those beautiful brown eyes.
“All right then. Let’s do it.”
First, he tossed up her backpack. Then, following her directions, he used the three foot rock, then her shoulder, and finally his upper body strength to pull himself up to the top of the massive boulder. Shanna had been a tad shaky beneath his weight, but supported him as promised.
He allowed himself a two second glimpse of the awe-inspiring view over the lake before turning back to reach for her. “Lock your hand around my wrist, and I’ll do the same to yours so I can pull you up.”
As they locked grips, she said, “You know I weigh a hundred and thirty pounds, right?”
She mocked his earlier words. He grimaced. “That much? Maybe I shoul—”
“Shut up and pull, Princess.”
The teasing note in her voice sparked his grin. “On three.”
She nodded, and three seconds later, he heaved her up. They fell side by side on the rock, their faces mere inches apart. Their gazes connected for a heart-thumping moment before she rolled to the side and pushed to her feet. He followed suit to stand beside her as she gazed out across the water with a soft smile on her lips.
“Wow,” she murmured. “Incredible.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off her regal profile, especially with the sun turning her hair into spun gold. “Sure is.”
She cast him a quick side glance, then stooped for the backpack and moved forward on the rock. He tilted his head thoughtfully. Was that wash of color on her cheeks from exertion, or was she blushing? A moment ago, he’d caught a glimpse of Fun Shanna. The one who could tease, and dish out shit as well as take it.
Maybe this hike wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
They sat on the rock for almost an hour, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from his cooler, and Nutter Butter cookies from hers as they enjoyed the view in companionable silence. He thought about how she’d made coffee over the fire earlier, and a breakfast of oatmeal with fresh blueberries from some bushes in a small clearing behind the outhouse. His breakfast had been water, another hot dog, and the fruit he’d picked for himself.
Shanna appeared as comfortable out here in the wild as in the boardroom when they were handling multi-million dollar investment accounts. He’d banked his bet on the high-class woman from the boardroom. How had he been so wrong?
“How is it you know how to do this stuff?” he asked, picking a dried leaf from a crevice in the rock.
She gave him a quizzical look. “You mean climb a rock?”
“That, the canoeing, what to pack, how to make drinkable coffee over a campfire. You don’t just research that stuff and get it perfect the first time.”
A shift forward had her hugging her knees to her chest. “Did it ever dawn on you that I’ve done this all before?”
“Honestly? No.”
She dropped her head, resting her forehead on her knees as a soft laugh carried on the warm breeze. “I spent summers with my grandparents from the time I was three until I was seventeen. We tent camped in a different National park every year.”
Talk about being wrong. He crushed the leaf in his palm and let the pieces flutter to the ground. “I am truly fucked then, aren’t I?”
She tilted her face toward him, a smile still curving her lips. “Pretty much.”
“Great.”
Because he always kept his word, he was going to have to quit his job. He’d made a stupid, ill-informed, cocky bet that would change his life forever, yet right now, all he could think about was tucking her blond hair back and leaning forward to kiss her tempting mouth.
“Are your grandparents still alive?”
“Grandma is. Grandpa passed the year after I graduated college.” Sadness tinged her smile as her gaze met his. “I haven’t been camping since.”
The husky emotion in her voice made his chest constrict with sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
From one heartbeat to the next, awareness sizzled to life between them. Her gaze lowered to his lips, and his pulse skipped. Her smile faded, and then her eyebrows drew together. Pain or regret—maybe both—flashed in her eyes before she stiffened and turned to start packing up the backpack.
“So how is it you don’t know this stuff?” she asked. “The camping stuff.”
Kevin drew in a steadying breath. “My grandparents all passed when I was little. I don’t really remember them.”
“Grandparents aren’t the only ones who take kids camping,” she pointed out with a little smile.
“Oh, you mean my parents?” He gave a short laugh as she zipped the pack shut. “My stepmother detests being outside, my father only does what she wants, and my mother had to work two jobs when I was growing up. We didn’t have time or money for vacation.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
He shrugged. “It was fine. I can afford to do what I want now. And my mother no longer has to work two jobs.” He’d made sure of that.
Shanna’s smile warmed as she faced him once more, her fingers gripping the top of the backpack. “So much for doing what you want. You’re stuck out here with me.”
“It’s not so bad,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to her lips once more.
Her breath hitched, but she quickly pushed to her feet, backpack in hand. “We should be getting back.”
He rose and dusted off his hands. After lowering her back down off the rock, he dropped the backpack into her arms. Then he flipped to his stomach and eased his legs over the edge so he could drop the remaining five or so feet to the ground. Pine needles, leaves, and little bits of loose rock shifted when he landed, sweeping his feet out from under him.
Shanna gasped as he landed on his hip before sliding partway down the steep incline on his ass. She scrambled after him. “Are you okay?”
He grimaced as he stood to brush off. “Bruised ego, that’s all.”
“I should’ve helped you. I’m sorry.”
“We might have pulled a Jack and Jill, so probably best you didn’t.”
Her grin told him she was picturing them both tumbling down the hill.
She swept her gaze down the length of him once more. “You’re sure you’re good?”
“I’m fine.” He shifted from one foot to the next to demonstrate, then took the backpack from her before extending his hand for her to go first. “After you.”
After their time on the rock, easy conversation now flowed between them, and he thoroughly enjoyed weaving through the woods after her and her trusty compass for more than just the unobstructed view of her backside. She made a smartass comment about his Jack and Jill reference, and when he laughed, she twisted around to share his amusement.
Seeing the joy in her expression, his heart swelled with heavy emotion that grew stronger with each passing hour.
When she faced forward once more, he slid his gaze down past the curve of her hips once more. He gave a mental sigh. Even the woman’s calves were sexy. With her next step, he saw her ankle bow outward, and she went down with a surprised cry.