The next morning, Maddy woke early. Her head was pounding from all the drinks she had last night, but she managed to drag herself into the shower and after a good twenty minutes of standing under the hot spray—and an extra-large cup of coffee after she got out—she started to feel slightly human again.

She was up before everyone else, she realized when she got downstairs and found the great room of the lodge empty. Deciding to pass the time by the lake she’d spotted on the drive in, she grabbed a few of the scones that were set out on a table before venturing outside.

The air was cool and pleasant, but she could see dark clouds in the distance—a storm was coming. But it wasn’t here yet, and she was going to enjoy her time outside. She loved being in nature—hiking, camping, backpacking, she’d even done a little rock climbing, but ditched it after a scary incident with tangled ropes. She wasn’t much of a daredevil. But there were so many beautiful places around Portland, there was always a new trail to explore.

River Run was set in a stunning part of the Cascade Mountain Range, right in the shadow of Mt. Hood. For miles, forest stretched out in front of her and as she stepped off the deck and the crunch of her feet against a trail filled her ears, it felt like coming home.

This had been another thing she’d been neglecting when she was with David—he hated nature, and he didn’t like the idea of her hiking alone or with any of her girlfriends,—or, God forbid, any of her guy friends, who seemed to threaten him. So little by little, she had phased out something that she loved to please him.

God, Maddy, how did you let it get so far? she thought as she walked briskly down the path, heading away from the lodge and along the forest’s edge. There was a little wooden sign that said: This way to the lake with a line of little fish carved all over it, all swimming to the right.

She’d been stupid, giving up so much of herself for a guy who wasn’t even remotely worthy of her. Denying herself things—important things—because of his insecurities and jealousies. She was determined to learn from it, and not make the same mistake again.

From now on, you’re going to look for a good guy, she told herself. One who’s secure in himself. And secure in his feelings for you.

The cynical part of her wondered if she’d ever find that.

And the hopeful part of her wondered if maybe she had. It was hard not to think about Carter, about his devotion to his family and the easy camaraderie he had with his employees, the passion he had for his work and the way he looked at her, like he had things he wanted to say, but couldn’t.

She was being silly.

Maddy sped up on the trail like she could speed-walk away from the thoughts. She tried to focus on the wildflowers along the way, thinking about how her Dad used to make a game of identifying them with her and her brother when they were little. The pink and white wild sweet peas that grew along the edge of the forest here had always been her favorite as a child—and now, still. She bent down, plucking a few of the bright, scented blooms, gathering them in a little bouquet as she made her way down the sloping path toward the lake.

The air cooled as she neared the water. She was so focused on adding to her bouquet—there were Shasta daisies and lupine dotting the hill down to the lake—that she didn’t hear the splashing until it was too late.

Something crunched beneath her foot as she reached the edge of the lakeshore and she looked down, frowning when she realized it was glass.

Glasses.

Specifically, Carter’s glasses.

It hit her exactly three seconds too late, the splashing, the glasses she’d just broke, the stack of clothes folded on that tree trunk to her right…

Oh, God. He was skinny-dipping. He was buck naked. In the water. Right over there. Au Naturel. Showing the Full Monty. Starkers. In his birthday suit.

This is not the time for fun with naked synonyms, Maddy! Okay. Do not look. Do not look. Do not look.

Oh, who was she kidding? She was so going to look.

His back was to her—thank God—and she was going to back away, quickly and quietly, she swore she was…

But then he did this rolling thing with his shoulders and his muscles rippled and he kind of tossed his head back, and really, his hair was just the right amount of shaggy, and she could swear she could see the droplets of water flying off him….

And then he was turning around before she could even move or hide or bolt like a deer and he caught her, standing there, gaping at him like she’d never seen a naked man before.

Frankly, she felt like she’d never seen one before. At least not one who could compare to him.

What was it about Carter? It wasn’t just that he pushed all her sexy geek-loving buttons. Yes, he was the hottest man she’d ever seen and she wanted to climb him like a very muscled, very sexy brick wall. But it was something more.

It was in the way he was smiling at her right now. It wasn’t cocky. It was joyful. A little mischievous.

And there was just the barest touch of bashfulness that was just so incredibly sexy it had her pressing her thighs together tight, thinking bad, bad thoughts about him shooting her that kind of smile right before he disappeared between her legs.

He was standing up in the water, but mercifully—or maybe not—he was waist deep. So all she got to behold was his glistening-in-the-morning-light pecs, the thick muscles of his arms, the broadness of his chest, and the hint of ink on his hip she glimpsed, disappearing into the water.

Hot, geeky, and tattooed. Holy crap, I need an intervention. Stat. Or I’m going to do something stupid. Like tear my shirt off and jump in there with him.

The idea was more than appealing, it was downright sizzling.

“Hi,” he said, that on-the-edge of bashful smile on his face as he stood very still in the water.

“Hi,” she said, tearing her eyes away from him, directing them to the sky. It was one of the harder things she’d had to do in her life. “You’re up early.”

“I’m a morning person,” he said.

“Oh? Yeah. Me too.” Oh, God. She was doing that short-sentences thing she did when she was nervous. It made her sound all breathy. Or maybe she was breathy from being incredibly turned on at the sight of Carter skinny-dipping at dawn like some sort of earthy mountain man. She wondered if he was the type to jump in and get that first shocking plunge of cold water done in one swoop, or if he inched his way in. She was a total incher. She hated cold water. But loved bubble baths.

And she was getting distracted.

“I’m so sorry, I… I stepped on your glasses,” she said, latching onto the first thing she could think of. She bent down, grabbing the mangled frames and holding them up, trying not to stare at the neatly folded pair of Underarmor boxer briefs. She felt a little hysterical as she remembered a friend once telling her that kind of underwear were made for the really well-endowed guys.

“It’s okay, I’ve got a couple extra pair in my room,” he said. “I’m always losing them,” he added, a little sheepishly. “Nat’s always telling me I should get Lasik.”

“Oh, but you look so good—” she started, unthinking, and then she stopped, flushing, biting her lip. Don’t look at him! “I like the glasses,” she said, finally. “They suit your face.”

“I’ll tell you a secret, I’d feel naked without them,” he confessed, and this time, his smile was cocky. And her cheeks were even pinker as her flush went full-body at his joke.

“I should go. I’m going to go. Right now. This second.”

Move, feet!

“Okay,” Carter said, and when her eyes dropped from the sky to him again, he was still smiling, like he knew exactly why she was so flustered.

“This is me. Going,” Maddy said. “Bye!”

Oh my God, you are the most awkward person to ever awkward, she thought as she whirled around and marched away as if the hounds of hell were on her heels.

She was so intent on getting away before she did something stupid like shout Take me, here and now! that it was a good ten minutes before she realized she had chosen the path not back to the Lodge, but deeper into the forest.

You could use a walk, she thought as she moved briskly through the woods. You need to cool off.

So she kept going, trying to think about everything but the man she’d just left behind, glistening like some sort of nature God emerging from the water.