“Thank you for unloading the dishwasher,” Addy said formally.

Jack sighed. It had been days since their spelunking adventure, followed by the makeout disaster at that weird restaurant, and the tension was palpable between them. Addy was trying so hard to keep things “friendly but separate” that the whole situation had become incredibly awkward.

And it’s my fault, Jack thought.

“Hey, what do you think about a hike this afternoon?” he asked.

“A hike?”

He heard the falter in her voice, but he wasn’t surprised. Hiking wasn’t totally out of the realm of caving, and they both knew how that had turned out.

“I mean, I’m off at four today, so I just thought…”

“Great! I mean, yeah, a hike sounds good,” she said cheerfully.

“Okay, good. I… I guess I’ll pick you up a little after four then.”

When Jack arrived back at the condo, Addy was waiting for him in what had to be the most unattractive hiking gear he’d ever seen. She drowned in a pair of baggy, shapeless capri cargo pants that looked like they came from the boy’s section of REI.

An oversized t-shirt hung off her petite frame. White socks poked out from above her beat-up purple hiking boots, and all her hair had been shoved beneath a baseball cap.

“I’m ready,” she said with a smile.

“If that’s what you call it,” he replied under his breath.

Jack packed a quick meal in his own Camelbak and tried not to overthink things.

It’s not like she should feel compelled to dress up for me, he reminded himself.

Still, even in that modest getup, he couldn’t stop from checking her out as they headed out. Addy started toward the car, but Jack stopped her.

“There’s a trail just down the road,” he said. “I figured why not explore close to home?”

“Sure,” she said with a grin.

Amenable Addy, he thought. Better than Angry Addy, I guess.

As they hiked toward the trail he’d noticed on his daily commute, the heat pounded down on them.

“Jesus, it’s hot,” he said, and wiped his brow.

“I thought it was hotter in Melbourne than here,” she teased.

“I think I’m spoiled from all the A/C in the ER.”

They hiked in comfortable silence toward the trailhead. Jack noticed Addy as she stole glances at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. He suppressed a smile.

She’s as hard up as I am, he realized.

That made him feel better, like the score was even.

The trail was blessedly shaded and several degrees cooler. As they reached a flatter area, Jack heard the trickle of a stream.

“Let’s follow it,” he said.

“Why?”

“Maybe there’s a lake nearby.”

“There’s no lake here, Jack.” She was right, but it did lead to a small pool.

“Small blessings,” he said as he pulled off his shoes and rolled up his pants.

Addy stared down at him, frozen.

“What, you think I bite?” he asked.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.” She said it jokingly, but he picked up on the serious undertones.

“C’mon, sit down,” he encouraged.

Grudgingly, she made her way beside him and slipped off her own shoes. Addy made sure there was plenty of space between them. Jack pulled out the snacks from his pack along with a bottle of wine.

“We’ll have to share the bottle,” he said. “I didn’t bring any glasses.”

“That’s fine,” she said, too quickly.

Addy inched a little closer to take the bottle, but he could tell she was still guarded.

Jack handed her the bottle, and pointed out the stars on the label.

“Guess which constellation that is,” he said. Before she could reply, he filled in the silence. “Leo.”

“How do you know?” she asked, genuinely surprised. Finally, the wall she’d put up started to crumble.

“I was obsessed with stars when I was a kid. I thought when I grew up, I’d be an astronaut. That’s one goal that will never be reached,” he said sadly.

She smiled as she took a swallow of the wine. “I can see that. I bet you were a cute kid.”

“The cutest,” he corrected. “Hold on, I think I have some photos on my phone.”

“Oh my God, you were so freaking cute!” she exclaimed. He watched her expression as she scrolled through the photos. “Ugh, it makes my ovaries hurt to look at you.”

“Thanks?” he said with a laugh. “But I was… well, precocious doesn’t quite cover it. Looks can be deceiving. What about you? What did you want to be when you were a kid?”

“A horse trainer,” she said without hesitation. “Never mind the fact that we couldn’t afford a horse. I was determined.”

She shook her head at the memory.

“When I was twelve, my parents saved up and bought me a trip to horse camp for a month in the summer. That was the best summer I ever had,” she said wistfully. “It was the summer before my mom got sick.”

“Ah. Adults getting sick does put a damper on things, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” she said quietly.

He saw her going down a road he wanted desperately to save her from.

“When my dad died, my mom went into a tailspin,” he said. “Well, that’s a nice way of putting it, actually. She was drunk all the time. Pretty much stayed that way ever since.”

“Yeah?” Addy asked. Her ears perked up. “Your mom has a… a drinking problem?”

“She’s an alcoholic, yes,” he said.

“Oh. Is that why you were so good with my dad?”

“Probably,” Jack said with a shrug. “I’ve been dealing with it my whole life, basically.”

Addy sat back in silence, an intense expression stretched across her face.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jack asked.

“Sure.”

“What are your goals?”

She let out a small laugh. “Is this a career counseling session?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Well, taking care of the restaurant, making sure we stay afloat. Taking care of my dad. Making sure Kenzie doesn’t get into too much trouble—”

“You’re just telling me what you’ve been doing the past few years. Not that you’re not kicking arse at it,” he said. “But I mean your goals. Those are the goals set by your mom and dad years ago. Tell me what you want to do.”

Addy looked at him in surprise. “I don’t… I guess I don’t know. Nobody’s asked me that in so long …”

“Come on,” Jack pushed. “I know you’ve made a list. What’s on it?”

“Okay,” she said with a blush. “You’re right. Well… I want to travel.”

“Where?”

“London, Paris, Rome, all the usual places. But also Pondicherry, Istanbul, I want to see the monarch butterfly migration in Mexico. And… I want to fall in love.” She said the last part with a shrug, almost like an apology.

“Travel and love,” Jack said. “Those are both reasonable.”

“Can I have some more wine?” she asked abruptly.

He gazed at her intensely, then purposefully set the wine aside. As he leaned toward her, he watched her blue eyes flutter shut.

It was like touching a flame to tinder. Her mouth opened to his greedily.

Jack couldn’t tell if she pulled him on top of her, the plush green clover below them, or if he pushed her down. Either way, as soon as they were on the ground, they started to rip each other’s clothes off.

The stiff, too-big shirt she wore came off with ease. The hat came with it and her hair spilled out down her back. She pulled down his pants while he turned her khakis inside out.

Jack lunged for her, desperate to be inside her, but Addy was faster. She went straight for his cock and plunged his length deep into the back of her throat.

He moaned into the forest as she began to work him with an expertise he would have never guessed she possessed. Addy gently cupped his balls.

He looked down at her slender back as she crouched before him. Jack wrapped her long hair around his fist to get a better look of her licking and sucking his hardness. With one hand gripped at his base, the other teased him. She knew exactly how to command his body.

“Fuck,” he whispered. “You’re going to make me come.”

She smiled up at him, her hand still clenched around his base.

“Right here,” she said. Addy stuck out her tongue and tapped his tip against it twice. “I want to taste you.”

As soon as she took him into the back of her throat again, he exploded inside her. It took all his strength not to grasp her head and stay buried down her throat.

She moaned in pleasure at his taste. The vibration of it milked more out of him than what he thought he had.

Addy wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Did you… did you swallow?” he asked, shocked.

She grinned and felt her jaw. A trickle of his come had run down her lips.

“Well, most of it,” she said. She started to search for her clothes to get dressed—but she hadn’t wiped all of it from her face.

“Not so fast,” he growled.

She squealed as he gripped her thighs and flipped her onto her back. With his thumb, he wiped the wetness from her jaw and spread it across one nipple and the next.

Jack bit her neck and kissed his way down her torso. He flicked her wet nipples with his fingers as he made his way to her mound. Addy spread her legs wider, eager and welcoming.

Jack plunged his tongue into her and she let out a cry. He teased in circles around her clit. She wiggled beneath him, desperate for his lips on her. When he finally did lick and suck at her clit, she writhed in pleasure.

“I’m going to come,” she sputtered. “Fuck, I’m close.”

She gripped his head and dug her fingers into his hair as she came against his tongue. He felt the gush and lapped up the flood between her thighs.

Gently, he kissed her swollen clit as the waves started to subside. She shivered, but didn’t stop him.

“Gentle,” she whispered.

“Will you come for me again?” he asked.

Addy moaned in response.

“Come for me again, Addy,” he said, and slipped a finger into her.

She gasped. Her body responded with a squeeze to his forefinger. The second time was slower. He could tease her, bring her close to the edge, and back off right before she came.

“Please,” she urged finally through gritted teeth.

“Please, what?” he asked with a smile.

Her clit was engorged. He’d managed three fingers inside her and still she pushed up against him, demanding to be fucked with his hand.

“Please let me come,” she begged.

He fucked her with his fingers, slow and steady, while his tongue flicked firmly against her clit.

“Oh, Jesus!” she started to cry. “Jack, yes! Jack, I’m coming. I’m coming…”

He felt the pulse against his fingers as she climaxed again. Her cries rang through the forest. She tasted even sweeter the second time around.

When he finally pulled himself up and lay beside her, Addy’s eyes were half-closed.

“I needed that,” she said as she caught her breath. “But, hey?”

He looked toward her. Addy leaned up on her elbow.

“There are so many reasons it can’t ever happen again,” she said. “We’re on the same page, right?”

“Uh, right,” he said, surprised.

But I made you say my name, he thought.

Addy started to get dressed in that ridiculous getup. In a minute, she was fully clothed and had started back toward the trail without him.