Chapter 9
‡
As Evan and Shayne navigated back down the steep mountainside, Kyle and Rob were nowhere to be seen. He’d lost sight of them approximately forty-five minutes earlier. From the pace they were keeping, they’d be near the mountain base by now. The group had made the ascent together but they’d had to improvise when part of the trail they’d been on was blocked due to several trees that had fallen. Once they started back down the mountain, Rob who was an experienced outdooorsman suggested that he and Kyle take the more challenging terrain. Evan had agreed to stay with Shayne while the two men went ahead.
It hadn’t been a hardship. The two men had talked almost nonstop. There hadn’t been a moment of peace on the way up the mountain.
Still, he knew that he wasn’t doing himself any favors by spending one-on-one time with her. The more time he spent around her, the more mannerisms and characteristics there were that were permanently imprinted on his brain. Like how her lips twitched in the most adorable way when she was concentrating. Or how she would blow out an audible breath when she was frustrated. And how perfect her rounded ass looked when she was climbing over a large tree trunk.
That vision was tattooed on his soul.
Beside him, he noticed Shayne struggling with her footing.
“We can take a break if you want,” Evan suggested to Shayne for the third time as they slowly made their way down the mountain.
She inhaled through her nose and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was only resolve in her vibrant stare. Her jaw clenched with determination as she shifted the strap of her backpack up higher on her shoulder.
“I’m fine.”
With her directive clear, they continued on.
He’d never been more thankful for his twenty-twenty peripheral vision. Keeping an eye on Shayne had become essential for her safety since she wasn’t familiar with this path. But in doing so, Evan had discovered something. The moment she became aware that anyone was watching her, she instantly put a mask on that hid any discomfort she might be in. It happened so seamlessly that he’d had to test his theory several times before he was sure that he was correct.
After alternating between blatantly looking her direction and covertly studying her, he’d concluded that she was struggling. Not that she’d complained. She’d barely said a dozen words total since they’d embarked on the hike and half of those were to tell him that she was fine. That’s what she was saying, but other signals were telling a different story.
Her breathing was labored, her skin ruddy from exertion, and the strain of the pack was evident by her posture and form. Despite all of that, he could see in her constitution that she was going to go the distance and she wasn’t about to complain about it.
She was tough. She was strong. She was determined.
They continued on, silently, until coming to a portion of the hike that was much more precarious than Evan was comfortable with. The incline was steep, the trail was narrow, and there was a twenty-foot drop off on their immediate left. That would’ve been difficult enough, but there was also a boulder sitting directly in their path.
Shit.
“Hang on.” Evan stopped and assessed the area.
Going back up the way they came would only give them the option of taking the path that Kyle and Rob had taken, which he knew had several steep drop-offs itself. He calculated the risks and made the decision. This roadblock was unexpected and he didn’t like it, but it was possible to navigate safely.
After tugging a branch that was hanging low to test its strength, he held it for stability as he carefully rounded the large barrier. When he was safely on the other side he found himself holding his breath as he waited for Shayne to do the same. Following his lead, she reached up and grabbed onto the same branch that he had and expertly navigated around the massive formation.
When she made it around and was standing in front of him, her lips pulled up in a smile so big, so warm, so bright that it heated him like the sun as she proudly exclaimed, “I did it!”
His entire body exhaled in relief and that’s when he heard it.
A loud snap.
Her eyes grew wide as she gasped in fear and lost her footing.
Although he knew it was impossible, he felt as if his heart stopped beating, his lungs stopped working, and his world stopped spinning.
Instinctively he leaned forward and wrapped his arm around Shayne’s waist. The momentum of reaching out to grab her caused his feet to slide out from beneath him. Knowing that he was going down and taking her with him, he did the only thing he could think of in that moment.
His muscles burned as he used all of his strength and pulled her on top of him as he tightened his abs and threw all of his weight away from the drop-off. His eyes shut as he prepared himself for the pain of impact as he slammed onto the ground.
Air was forced from his lungs as they landed with a thud on the hard weight of his backpack. The entire ordeal was over in a matter of seconds but while it was happening it seemed like much longer.
He cringed at the pain that shot through his spine as he forced his eyes open. At the same time that he felt the weight of her body, he saw that she was on top of him and relief washed over him.
Shayne’s eyes were squeezed shut and she was gripping his chest like a cat hanging onto a screen door.
“Are you okay?” His voice was low and gruff.
He watched as her inky eyelashes fluttered open. When their eyes met, his heart started beating again. He inhaled, and his world was once more on its axis.
“I think so,” she panted, desperately trying to catch her breath.
He could see that the force of the fall had knocked the wind out of her.
“Breathe. Slow, deep breaths,” he instructed. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth so that she could imitate his action. The heat of her sweet breath fanned across his face, and he was sure that his was doing the same to her.
As they stared at one another, their breathing in sync, he became aware of the way that her body melted into him. Yes, there were several layers of clothing between them, but he could feel her curves. He noticed the way her slender frame fit perfectly in his arms. In particular, his attention was drawn to the way her hips were lined up against his like a puzzle piece. These discoveries caused all of his blood to travel south. He felt himself begin to swell under the arousing pressure of her hips.
At the same moment that his pants were growing tighter, the aqua blue pools of her stare flared with something that he’d seen in other women. Especially women that he’d rescued. It was the “hero glint.” That was not a role that he was comfortable with. When women got that look, he ran the other direction.
Not wanting to see that look in her eyes, he blinked and looked away, breaking the bubble that managed to form around them. Their connection was so real, so intense, that it took every ounce of self-discipline not to act on it.
He reminded himself of the reasons that this was a bad idea.
She was too young. She was in recovery. She made him do things, feel things, and forget things that he shouldn’t.
Acting on his desires, on his urges, on his impulses was wrong, so why in the hell did it feel like it would be so right?
Frustration and uncertainty battled with his arousal as he held her tightly. And he hated it. He was used to being completely in control, and he had no control over any of the feelings that she was inspiring in him.
Perhaps sensing the shift in his energy or just wanting to get the hell off of him, she flattened her palms and pushed herself up.
“Wait,” he spoke gruffly as his arm tightened around her.
At his command, her entire body stilled. His internal battle was still waging and he just wasn’t ready for her to be out of his arms yet. Her eyes shot up to his and what he saw in them was a mirrored reflection of what he was feeling.
Uncertainty. Desire. Confusion. Need.
With her lips just inches away from his, the temptation to lean forward and kiss her was so great, it almost won. But as he started to lift his head, moving it closer, he stopped himself.
If he did this, then what? He had no plan. No answers. Giving into this would only cause more uncertainty and confusion. And more than likely more desire and need.
This was exactly the kind of bad decisions he’d been worried about making.
Using every bit of strength he could muster, both physical and emotional, he rolled slightly to his right, pushed off of his elbow, and stood, taking her with him. As soon as he was solidly on his feet, he carefully set her down. Slowly. Deliberately. The motion caused her entire body to slide against his, and he felt himself stiffening to the point of pain. It was inappropriate, and at the same time, he couldn’t blame himself. All of his reactions to her were involuntary. Still, he hoped she hadn’t noticed them.
When he was sure that she had her footing, he gently released his hold on her. She licked her lips and tilted her head back. She was still breathless, but now her breaths were heavier. And her cheeks were flushed with a pink tint, but this time he didn’t think the dangers of the mountain were the cause. He was pretty sure it was the danger of whatever was transpiring between them.
Her baby blues gazed up at him beneath dark lashes, and he saw that she was trying to figure out what had just passed between them.
Join the club.
After several moments of searching his stare, she took a tiny step back, straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat before speaking in a formal tone, “Thank you.”
He sensed a distance between them that he’d never felt before. The connection that they had was broken. Even if it was for the best, he didn’t like it.
Not knowing what else to do, he teased, “If you wanted to take a break, all you had to do was ask.”
His comment must’ve caught her by surprise, or she still had pent up nerves from what had just happened because he knew it wasn’t that clever or funny, but her head fell back and she laughed. The sound was melodic, light, and tinkling. It reminded him of the wind chimes that hung outside his window growing up.
The last thing he needed was for there to be one more amazing thing about her. Her laughter was familiar and sweet. It was also contagious and he felt himself grinning from ear to ear.
“You ready?” he asked, as his smile remained firmly in place.
She stared up at him and nodded, and he could see that the walls she’d put up had disappeared. The connection was back. And even though it shouldn’t have, it made him smile even wider.