NewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorJillShalvistakes
youonawildernessadventureinthisBlazereissue

Adrenaline junkie Lily Peterson is no stranger to taking chances. She’s been there,
hiked/rafted/skiedthat.Butthatwasbeforeanaccidentnearlyputheroutofcommission
for good. Now, after months in physiotherapy, this former firefighter has a new motto:
lookbeforeyouleap.It’snotasmuchfun,butitworks.

Still,it’s killing herthat she hasto start all overagain, more slowlythis time. But she’s
goingtodowhateverittakes.Afterall,herlatestjobguidingasimplehikingtripthrough
the Sierras hardly qualifies as risky. That is, until she looks at hiker Jared Skye—and
wantstoleapintohisbed.Andifshe’slucky,he’lltakethingsslowly,too….

“Fast paced, and deliciously fun. Jill Shalvis sweeps you away!” —USA TODAY
bestsellingauthorCherryAdair

Originallypublishedin2006

DearReader,

ThankyouSOMUCHforbuyingaShalvisclassicromance!Thesebooksmightpredate
thedigitalage,butthey’restillfunandsexy!Wehopeyouenjoythispeekatmyearlier
work!

Bestwishesandhappyreading!

JillShalvis

www.jillshalvis.com

JustTryMe…

JillShalvis

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

ILDLANDFIREFIGHTER

ILY

ETERSON

stoodontheedgeofacliff,surroundedbyathree-

hundred-and-sixty-degree vista of what should have been glorious Montana mountains.
Instead,thepeakswerecharredblackandstillsmoking.

She was on mop-up duty. It meant walking and investigating every little plume of

smokerisingfromthedeadmountains;arduous,dirty,exhaustingwork.Shewasatthefar
end of the burn, standing between devastation and new growth. Her job—protect the
unscorched areas from a flare-up. No easy feat with the earth beneath her feet still
radiatingheat.

Both above and below her, the trees were nothing but skeletons. Hundreds and

hundreds of years of forest development destroyed because some jerk hadn’t put out his
campfireproperly.

But they’d saved this part of the forest. It’d taken weeks. As a result, she was

exhausted, right down to the bone, practically stumbling on her feet with it, but they’d
donegood.

Thesunwasjustrising.Eyesgrittyfromlackofsleep,Lilypattedherpocketsforher

sunglasses,butshemusthaveleftthembackatthebarracks.Liftingherhead,sheshielded
hereyeswithherhandandlookedaroundfortheothers.Shesteppedclosertotheedgeof
theplateauonwhichshestood,highabovethevalleybyagoodhundredfeet.Mattand
Tonywerefarbelowher,atleasthalfamileaway,separatedfromeachotherbyseveral
footballfields,walkingeast,headsdown,doingjustasshewas.

Watchingforflare-ups.

After six straight weeks of firefighting, eating while standing up, grabbing only

catnapswhentheycould,shefeltwoozy,deadonherfeet.

Andthesunwaskillingher.

Sheturnedherbackonthevalley,andobservedtheburnedareaaroundher.Therewas

so much to keep an eye on, too much. Budgeting and financial cutbacks kept them
perpetually understaffed, resulting in too many hours on-site and too few hours off for
recuperation,nottomentiontoofewpeopleworkingatanyonetime.

When she found herself actually weaving, practically asleep where she stood, she

backed up to a tree, slowly sliding down until she sat on the ground, her head resting
againstthetrunk.

Sheloweredherhandfromherfaceandthencouldn’tkeephereyesopeninthebright

glare.Sosheclosedthem,justforamoment.

Andneversawthenew,darkblackplumeofsmokerisingfromahotspot,onlyfive

yardsaway…

CHAPTER1

ILY LAY FLAT

on her back, her physical therapist pushing her leg up over her head as

thoughshewereapretzel,tellingherto“workit,Lily,stopwhiningandworkit,”while
painsearedafierylinefromherasstotheverytipofherhair.

Lilywouldliketoworkhim,allright—rightintoabloodypulp.

Instead she gritted her teeth and told herself that this was the price she paid for

stupidity.

Noself-pity,shedecidedasshebegantosweatlikeastuckpig,hertanktopstickingto

her skin, her leg quivering wildly as she stretched her abused, injured muscles… Damn,
shehurt.

Mayberetiringwasn’tsobad.Itwasn’tasifitwasthefirsttime.Fromhighschool,

she’dgoneintoexpeditionguiding,whichshe’dretiredfromtobecomeaparamedic.And
whenshe’dburnedoutscoopingstabvictimsoffthestreetsofLosAngeles,she’dretired
againtobecomeawildlandfirefighter.

And she’d loved it. Thrived on it, actually, moving from fire to fire, exploring

Montana,theDakotas,Idaho,Wyoming…aperfectfitforherrestlessspirit.

Untilshe’dscrewedupandnearlygottenherselfkilled.

Nope, there was no sugarcoating this retirement; she was no longer a firefighter—

because of injuries, not by choice. She felt weak and insignificant, and at the age of
twenty-nine-and-three-quarters, she wasn’t ready for either. She wanted to be back out
there,damnit,doingherthing,goingwhereshewished,doingsomethingshelovedand
wasgoodat.

But she couldn’t have passed an agility test to save her life. Hell, she couldn’t even

touchhertoesatthemoment.

“Harder,Lily.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and stretched harder, feeling her muscles pull and burn.

And yet still, beyond the pain, she also felt…itchy. She needed to be on the move,
workingwithadrenalineasherdailyfriend.Itwasapatterninherlife,anaffliction.Itwas
whoshewas,whatshedid.

Orwhoshe’dusedtobeanyway—aterrifyingthoughtbecause…whothehellwasshe

now? “Damn it, ow,” she said to her PT, a gorgeous man who resembled Denzel
Washington.

Eric nodded in approval and backed off. “Was wondering if you even had a pain

thresholdthereforaminute.”

“Gotit,andwehitit.”

Hesmiled—becauseitwasn’thismusclestheyweretorturing.“Waithere.I’mgoing

togetyousomeice.”

She’d spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital since her Screw-Up. Major, life-

threateninginjuriesdidthattoaperson.Butshe’dstillnotlearnedtobeagoodwaiter.In
fact, waiting was for sissies who needed a minute, and she absolutely did not. She had
things to do, places to go. Rolling over, she pushed up to her hands and knees, still
tremblinglikeadamnnewborn.

Or a wildland firefighter who’d woken up in the middle of a full-blown flare-up,

forcedbackwardbytheflames,whereshe’dtakenafalloffthecliff,hittingafewburning
trees on the way down. Forty feet down. An ex-firefighter now, who couldn’t move an
inch.Shecollapsedtoherbelly,andlaytherelikeabeachedwhale.

Okay,somaybeshedidneedaminute.

AroundherthePTofficebuzzedwiththelowhumofvoices,thewhirofequipment.

Morepeoplebeingpushedtotheedgeofsanity…Someone’scellphonerang.Lilyhated
cell phones. Truthfully, she wasn’t crazy about anything electronic, which she supposed
madeheranoutcastinherowngeneration.

Butgiveherawide-openspacewithnothingmarringthesoundofasoftbreezeany

day. Thinking it, yearning, she looked out the window toward the Golden Gate Bridge.
Unfortunately,SanFranciscodidn’thavealotofwide-openspaces.Notthewaysheliked
themanyway,thekindthattookthreedaysofwalkingtogettocivilization.

Nearby,somethingelsebeeped—someone’sBlackberry,oralaptop—andshesighed,

missing being outside. The mat beneath her smelled like the sweat and tears of all the
previous patients Eric had worked over, and she crawled to one of the chairs lining the
wall.

Allaroundherweretheinjuredandthehurting,anditdepressedherenoughtokeepto

herself.Shescannedthestackofmagazines.Fashion,gossiprags…thenhergazesnagged
onU.S.WeeklyReview,andthecoverarticle—“AdrenalineRush.”

Huh.Interestedinsomethingforthefirsttimeintoolong,sheriskedthepaintoreach

forit.“Ow,ow,ow…”Themagazineopenedrighttothecoverarticle.Beneaththetitle
wasasingle-linetestimonialfromtheeditorofthemagazine.

Thisarticlechangedmylife,giveitatry!

NoarticlehadeverchangedLily’slife,andwithnosmallamountofskepticism,she

begantoread.Theauthorbelievedlifewasallaboutrisk-taking,andhowtoofewpeople
actuallyriskedatall,muchlesslivedlifetoitsfullest.

So far, Lily agreed. Hadn’t she taken more than a few risks in her life, the latest of

which had resulted in her being here right this minute? As for living life to its fullest…
well,she’ddonethat,too.Inallareas.

Okay,inallareasexceptmaybeone,butshedidn’twanttothinkaboutherlovelife.

Orlackthereof.Mentendedtocomeinandoutofherworldlikethepassingofatide,

noonehavingmadealastingimpression.Sheknewwhatitsaidaboutherthatshe’dnever

hadareallong-termrelationship,andshedidn’tcare.Herlifewasn’tconducivetolong-
termanyway,includingmen.

Withasigh,shewentbacktothearticle.“Jumpstartyourlife”itdemanded,andwent

ontoexplainthatariskdidn’thavetobephysical,itjusthadtobesomethingoffherown
beatenpath.

Well,sincethepathshe’dbeenonhadbeenadizzyingwhirlwindofdoctorsandmore

doctors,shefeltmorethanreadyfordifferent,thankyouverymuch.

Buthowtodoit?Shewasamereshadowofherformerself.Howcouldsheeverfind

thecouragetoriskagain?

But…couldshestandnotto?

“Ah,hereyouare,”Ericsaid,returningwiththepromisedicepack.Hepattedthemat

nexttohim,andwithagroan,shetossedthemagazineasideandcrawledbacktowork.

Twomonthslater

***

ILYHADHEALED

justenoughtoberestlessashell.Andfrustrated.

And truthfully? Scared. It showed in the lingering nightmares of waking up

surroundedbyflames,itshowedinhersuddendislikeofbeingalone.

She could have called her mother, but her mother liked the idea of Lily “settling

down,”and“actingherage.”Lilyhadnosiblings,andherfather…welllet’sjustsayshe
wasentirelytoolikehim.

Orsoshe’dbeentold.Sincehehadn’tbeenaroundinyears,shecouldn’tbesure.

Itdidn’tmatter.Shewasalone,andthat’sjustthewayitwas.Butforthefirsttimein

herlife,shewasn’tstrong,andshehatedthat.Sheneeded…something,somethingtoshow
hershecouldbecomethepersonshe’dbeenbeforeheraccident.

Butmorethanthat,sheneededmoney.She’dbeensearchingforaviablejobforweeks

now, and had found nothing to interest her. But funds were running low and the criteria
weregoingtohavetochangefromwhatinterestedhertowhatfedher.

She opened her paper to the want ads and her gaze immediately locked on one in

particular. A trek guide was needed ASAP by an expedition company—Outdoor
Adventures,tobeexact.

Lilystaredattheadandfeltarushofemotion,alongwithasenseofdejavu.Outdoor

Adventures,whereshe’dfirstworkedasaneighteen-year-oldguide,nearlytwelveyears
ago.Jumpstartyourlife…takearisk…Itwaslikeasign,right?Shecouldstartover,back
at the beginning. Maybe she could become strong again. Become the person she’d once
been.

Withoutlettingherselfthink,shereachedforthephoneandcalledthenumberlisted,

though in truth, she somehow still had it memorized. A receptionist answered, and she

heard herself ask for Keith Tyler, but when he came on the line with his low, almost
unbearably familiar voice, she went still, bombarded by memories: climbing mountains,
leadingtreks,beingyoungandstrongand…andnothinglikeshewasnow.

“Hello?”Keithsaidagain,ahintofimpatienceinhistonenow.“Anyonethere?”

“Wow,”shefinallymanaged.“Yousoundthesame.”

Therewasapause.Then,“Lily?LilyPeterson?”

“Howareyou,Keith?”

“Thrilledtohearfromyou.Iwasjustthinkingaboutyounottoolongago,wondering

ifyourememberedme.”

“OfcourseIremember.Youwere…”Wouldshesayherfirstboss…orherfirstlover?

Bothapplied.

Hemerelychuckled.“Yeah,Ialwayswashardtopigeonhole.Stillam,tobehonest.”

Lilylaybackonherbed,closedhereyes,andwastransportedbackintime.Having

justgraduatedhighschool,she’dfinallybeenabletogiveintothewanderlustbug.She’d
leftLosAngeles,hermotherandfriends,andhadgonetoworkasanexpeditionguide.

Keith’sguide.Tenyearshersenior,he’dbeengorgeouslyworldly,andofcourse,sexy

ashell.Allthatlong,hotsummer,she’dworkedforOutdoorAdventures,guidinghiking
tripsthroughtheSierras,teachingpeopleabouttheoutdoorsbyday,andbynight…well,
Keithhadcertainlytaughtherplentybynight,everynight.

Untilshe’dmovedontohernextadventure,andlefthimandallthememoriesbehind.

Butnottoofarbehind,giventheoddpinglowinherbellyjustfromlisteningtohis

voice.“Isawyouradinthepaper,”shesaid.

“AndIsawyou,notinthewantadsthough,butthefrontpage.Youhadquiteafall.”

Afterallthesemonths,shestillflinched.Shehatedthathermistake,herfailure,had

beensopublic.“Yeah.”

“Youbrokeyourback.You…you’reinawheelchairnow,yes?”

“No.”

“Butthearticlesaidyouweren’texpectedtowalkagain,that—”

“I’mfinenow.”Iffinemeantastupidlimpandsomeseriouslingeringachesandpains

thatmadeherfeellikeanoldladyallthetime.

“Butnotfineenoughtofightfires?”

“Andtothink,onceuponatime,Ilovedyourcharacteristicallybluntmanner.”

“Yeah,IguessIhaven’tchangedmuch.”Therewasasmileinhisvoice.“Soyouwant

totrekagain?But…”

“IknowIcandoit.”Okay,thatwasalittlewhitelie.Sheknewnosuchthing.What

shedidknowwasthatonceuponatime,she’dbeenthefittestofthefit,andstrongashell.
Herbodyhadneverfailedher.

Untilshe’dfailedit.

“Justtryme,”shesaid,hatingthedesperationshecouldhearinhervoice.Pleasejust

tryme.Sheneededthis,neededtobeoutside,neededtofeelstrongenoughforsomething.

“Youalwayswereagreatguide,”Keithadmitted.“Iguess,ifyou’reserious,Ihavea

camping trek next week in the Sierras. It’s high-altitude though,” he warned. “And high
summer.It’salsoseventotenmilesofwalkingforfourdaysrunning.”

“Ican do it,”she said quickly,even as she paledat the thoughtof pushing her body

thathard.

“Well,onceuponatimenooneknewthatareabetterthanyou,”headmitted.“Should

berightupyouralley.Pre-tripmeetingisinthreedays,myoffices.”

She smiled, and that alone felt…amazing. She would do this, and she’d feel

worthwhileagain,alive.“I’llbethere.”

“Iguessatriplikethiswillbegoodforyou,huh?”

Goodforher?Probablynot.

Butsomethingtodo,adirectiontogoin?

God,shehopedso.

***

UTDOOR ADVENTURE’S OFFICES

werelocatedinalargebutoldartdecobuildingrighton

thebay.Twiceshedrovebylookingforaparkingspot.Therewasn’tone.Therewasnever
aparkingspotinSanFrancisco,anywhere.

She glanced at the magazine on the seat next to her—the one with the “Adrenaline

Rush”article,whichshe’dboughtforherselftokeepstaringat.

Risk.

Yeah.Shewasrisking,allright.

JustthenaparkingspotopeneduprightinfrontofKeith’sbuilding.Itwasasign,she

thought,asignthatshewasdoingtherightthing,andsheputonherblinkerand—

Andnearlycrashedintoabrand-newLexus,whosedriverwasgoingforthespotatthe

sametime.

Hertruckamereinchfromhis,helookedatherthroughhisdesignersunglasses.

Oh,noyoudon’t,shethought,andpointedtothespotandthentoherself.Mine.

Liftingabrow,hecockedhishead,asifnotusedtobeingtoldno.

Well,shehadplentyofnosforhim,butthenhedidsomethingshedidn’texpect.He

wavedherintothespot.

Goahead,hemouthed,hisglassesslippingdownhisnose.Pushingthemup,heagain

wavedherforward.Takeit.

Huh.Gofigure.Hewasn’tajerk.ShewatchedasheputhiscarinReverse,givingher

roomtotakethespot.

Still dazed by this, she pulled in. By the time she got out of her car, he was gone,

probablyhavingtodrivetoSeattletogethisownspot.

That’s when she looked up and saw it. The handicap tag she’d been given after her

injury,hangingoffherrearviewmirror.Thetagshehadn’tusedinmonthsbuthadnever
removed.

He’dgivenherthespotoutofpity.

Well damn if she didn’t hate that all the way down to her toes and back, where it

settledintohergutlikeaslowburn.Shedidn’tneedthecharityspot,damnit.Yankingthe
sign down, she stuffed it beneath her seat. Uncomfortably unsettled, she got out of her
truck,refusingtoadmittotheshootingpaininherlegs,theoneshealwaysgotwhenshe
firststoodup.

She ignored it. Her doctor had said she was healed enough to walk from here to the

ends of the earth, which she’d taken to mean she could certainly lead others there, or
anywhereelseshechose.

Shootingpainornot.

TheSanFrancisconightwascoolforJuly.Summerstillhadn’treallykickedintogear

yet,andasusual,probablywouldn’tuntilitwasnearlyover.Didn’tmatter.Shelovedthe
mistyair,thesaltybreeze,butitwastimetogetbacktothemountains.

Yeah,ifyoucanreallyactuallydothis…

Swallowing the doubts, she moved up the steps. Ahead of her was a man, tall and

lanky,withshortdarkhair,dressedinclean,neatlinesthatwouldhavelookedjustrighton
thepagesofaglossymen’smagazine.Heheldsomesortofdigitaldeviceinhishand,an
earphone in his left ear, and was typing something at the speed of light with only his
thumbashewalkedandtalkedtohimself.

No,wait.Hewasn’ttalking.Hewassinging.Singingbadlyoff-keyto…shecouldn’t

hear whatever it was he heard through his earpiece, but she caught his words. He was
definitelyscrewingupagoodU2song.

He slid the Sidekick in his back pocket, the display still lit up, suggesting he had

incomingmessagesand/oraphonecall,allofwhichheignoredtosquatandpatastray
dogonthestepsofthebuilding.

Thedog,amixtureofblackandwhiteandgrunge,rolledonitsbackandexposedits

bellyformorepetting,itshugetonguelollingoutofitsheadinecstasy.

“Good boy,” the man said, taking a seat on the step in his well-fitting beige pants,

whichmeantheclearlydidn’tdohisownlaundry.“You’reagoodboy,aren’tyou?”

Inanswer,thedogdrooledhappily,hislegsstraightupintheair.

AsLilycamelevelwiththem,theybothlookedup,themanlettingoutaneasysmile.

Herparkingspotsavior.

CHAPTER2

NRESPONSETO

Lily’ssurprise,theman’smouthwentfromsmiletogrin,thekindthatwas

instantly contagious, though she didn’t understand why. Because for her, a contagious
smile came from a different sort of man entirely: a rebel, a guy who could and would
transport her, make her wonder what was going to come next, give her a sense of…
adventure.

This guy, in his pretty-boy clothes and pocket full of toys was cute enough, but her

geekalertwasbeepinganalarmasloudashisSidekick.“Ididn’tneedthatparkingspot,”
shesaid.

“Okay.” He looked at her from hazel eyes that were more whiskey brown than sea

green.

“Youshouldhavekeptitforyourself.”

Heseemedamused.“Notusedtogiftparkingspots,huh?”

Shewasn’tusedtogiftanythings.

Leaningin,hearchedhisbrow.“Ahint?Thecorrectresponseis‘thankyou.’”

Damnit,hewasright.Shehatedthat.“Thankyou,”shesaid,movingthroughthedoor

he opened for her. “Twice.” She moved past him into the building’s lobby, refusing to
noticehowgoodhesmelled,orthatshecouldfeelhimwatchingherlimp.

“Youokay?”heasked,rightoncue.

Hershouldersstiffened.“I’mgood.”Toproveit,shemovedpasttheelevators,toward

thedoortothestairs.“I’mgoingtotakethesesinceyousparedmethetroubleofhavingto
hikeinfromTimbuktu.”

He laughed, a sound that seemed to come easily, and for some reason, she turned to

look at him. Laugh lines fanned out from those interesting eyes, assuring her that he
laughed often. “Glad I could save you the trouble,” he said. “Think of how much gas
you’dhaveusedgoingtoTimbuktuandback.”HisSidekickbeepedagain,andhereached
forit.“Excuseme.IfIdon’tgetthat,itself-destructs.”

“Soundsdangerous.”

“Yeah,it’snotpretty.”

Probably he couldn’t make a move without something beeping or requiring his

attention,andshewonderedhowaguylikethateverwenttobedwithawoman.Didhe
bringallhistoysandleavethemonthenightstandwhenhestripped?Notthatshecared,
butitwasaninterestingimage,himnaked,holdinghisPDA,saying“excuseme,honey,
holdthatthoughtwhileIgetatextmessage.”

Whileheworked,shedidassheusuallydidwiththingsthatmadeheruncomfortable,

she walked away, letting herself into the stairwell to begin the climb. Halfway up, she

thought she was going to die, and had to bend down at the knees and gasp for breath,
whichreallypissedheroff.

Damnedbody.

When she finally made it to the offices, she opened Outdoor Adventure’s door and

immediately took a deep breath. Ah, she remembered this place fondly. There were still
maps, topos and photographs of places from all over the world on the walls. The maps
weredottedwithpinssignifyingwhereKeithandhisguideshadtakenpeople.Onceupon
atime,she’dbeentheyellowpins,butsomeoneelsehadtakenthatcolor.Fromallaround
hercameafamiliarsenseofenergyandexcitement,andshewasassaultedwithmemories.

The first time she’d set foot in here, she’d been awed and thrilled and…excited.

During her interview, Keith had sat on his desk, right in front of her, larger than life,
gorgeousandsexy.He’dagreedtoteachhertoguidethatday,apromisehe’dkept.

Aftershe’dlosthervirginityonthatdesk.

Nowthereceptionareawasfilledwithagroupofpeople,drinkingsodasandnibbling

on munchies—the custom pre-trip meeting. She took in the faces, and then one in
particular—Keith’s,andjustlikethat,shewasnolongerquicklyapproachingherthirtieth
birthdaywithoutaplan,butwasanervouseighteen-year-old.

“Lily,”hesaid,andcrossedtheroomtowardher.Hissun-kissed-wheathairwasstill

longtohisshoulders.Hisbabyblues,alwayssmiling,hadafewmorelaughlines,butas
wastypicalofaman,theyonlyaddedcharacter.Atfive-ten,hisbodywasstillwhipcord-
leanandtough,readyforhisnexttriporclimboradventureorwhatever.

OneneverknewwithKeith.

It’d been part of his appeal. She waited for the onslaught of more emotions, but

interestinglyenough,theydidn’tcome,andthatdisappointedherevenassheknewitwas
silly.Whathadsheexpected,toimmediatelybetransportedbackto“herself”?

Maybealittle,sheadmitted,nomatterhowunrealisticthathadbeen.

Keithputhishandsonherarmsandpulledherin,kissingonecheek,thentheother,

lingeringwithbothfarlongerthansocialdecorumcalledfor.

NotthatKeithhadeverbeenconcernedwithsocialdecorum.He’dalwaysdonewhat

hewanted,whenhewanted,nevercaringwhatanyonethought.Thathadbeenincredibly
appealingtoherbackthen,andshesmilednow,leaningintohimasifhecouldinfuseher
withhisstrength,hiszest.

“Youlookamazing,”hesaidforherearsonly,handingheradrinkfromanearbytray.

“Now let me introduce you to your group. Everyone,” he called out, stopping the light
conversationandchatterintheroomwithjusttheoneword,clearlystillcarryingcharisma
aroundinspades.“ThisisLilyPeterson.”Hesqueezedhershoulder,smileddownintoher
face.“I’veputherbioinyourpacket,buthere’syourchancetomeetherinpersonandask
heranyquestionsyou’vestoredup.”

Everyonebeganchatteringatonce,andKeithlaughed.

NotLily.Shedidn’toftengetnervous.Afterall,she’doncebeenstuckonamountain

inablizzardwithnohopesofsurvival,andshe’dgonedownaclass-sixrapidandhadher
kayakbreakapartontherocksallaroundher.Hell,she’dfallenoffacliffandbrokenher
back,tobetoldshe’dneverwalkagain.

Butthisfirstmeetingofpeople…thisgottoher.Shetookaquicksipofherdrinkand

forcedasmile.“Hello,everyone.”

“Let’sstartwithRoseMcCall.”KeithgesturedtothewomanclosesttoLily.“Roseisa

real estate agent from downtown, and is looking for something new and fun to do with
herself.Hencethehike.”

Rose waggled her fingers at Lily. Her nails were long and purple-tipped, encrusted

withdiamonds.“Lookingforwardtothis,letmetellyou.”Sheworedesignerjeans,low
onhercurvyhipsandsotightLilyhadnoideahowthewomanmoved.Herblackhalter
top was covered in sparkles that matched her five-inch heels. Her carefully applied
makeupmaskedherage,butLilywouldhaveguessedlatethirties.

TheWomanontheProwl,Lilythoughtassheshookherhand.“Nicetomeetyou.”

Rosesmiled.“Likewise.Ihaveaquestion.Howdoyoufeelaboutsandals?”

“Onthetrail?”

“Yes.Myfeetliketobecool.Mytoesneedtobreathe.”

“Probably they’re going to want to breathe before and after the trip,” Lily said as

diplomaticallyasshecould.“Bootsaredefinitelybest.”

“Agreed,” Keith said, and with his hands on Lily’s shoulders, turned her toward the

nextgroupmember.“AndthishereisRolandRocklin.”

Roland was a twentysomething guy dressed in all in black from head to toe, black

fatigues, black form-fitting T-shirt, black combat boots, and he was so gorgeous Lily
actuallyblinked.

“Rock,”Rolandcorrected,andheldouthishand,amovementthatsetoffallkindsof

ripplingmusclestogowithhisengagingsmile.

“Wrestler?”Lilyasked,thinkingTheHottie.She’dneversayherlabelsoutloud,but

she’dalwayshadfuncharacterizinghergroups.Andshewasalready—shocking—having
fun.

“Boxer,” Rock told her with a quick grin. “My trainer bought me this trip for my

birthday,saidIwasapansy-ass—er,awussifIdidn’tmakeittotheend.”

“Oh,you’llmakeittotheend,”Lilyassuredhim.Noonewasgivinguponherwatch,

notevenher,notifitkilledher.“Weallwill.”

“Goodtohear.”Rock’sgazeslidovertoRose,whowasretyingherhaltertop.When

thematerialslipped,shecaughtitjustbeforeexposinganipple.

“Oops.”Shelaughedgustily.“Sorry,don’tmindme.Butletmejustsay,Idolikethe

ideaofallofusgettingtothe…grandfinish.”

Rock’stonguefellout.Lilyfiguredhewasluckyhedidn’tstartdrooling.

Keith cleared his throat. “Moving on. Lily, meet Jack and Michelle Moore.” He

gestured to the young couple on the other side of Rose. They were both dressed to the
nines,andbuiltliketheylivedinagym,nottomentionCalifornia-perfectblond.“Thetrip
istheirone-yearanniversarypresentfromMichelle’sfather.”

“Present…ortorturerack,”MichellesaidastheybothshookLily’shand.

“Notorture,”Lilyassuredher.

“Yeah.Um,Iwaswondering.”Michelleleanedin.“Ifthere’sanywayyoucouldjust

pretendwewentonthistrip.Youknow,ifmyfatherasked.”

Lilyblinked.“Pretend?”

“Don’tlistentoher,”Jacksaid.“We’regoing.”Helookedathiswife.“Youagreedto

gosoyoudon’tloseyourallowance.Ifit’sthatimportanttoyou,yougo.”

Michellesighed.“Fine.But…couldwearrangeforalaterstarttimesowedon’thave

togetupquitesoearly?”

Lilyshookherhead.“I’msorry,no.Wehavetoleaveateight.”

Michellepursedherperfectlyglossedlips.“Eightisungodly.”

“Thatmaybe,butwehaveaschedule.It’sthestarttime.”

“Huh.” She considered that a moment. “Well, what happens if someone’s…say, like,

late?”

LilyglancedatKeith,whosimplyraisedabrow.Passingthebuck.Somethinghewas

goodat,sheremembered.Hedidn’tliketobethebadguy.“Ifyou’relate,”shesaidgently
butfirmly.“You’llprobablygetleft.”

Michellelookedintriguedbythat,butJackshookhishead.“Michelle.”

“Oh,fine.We’llbethere.”

Behindthem,theofficedooropened,andincame…

“Ah,” Keith said, with a welcoming smile. “The last member of the group, Jared

Skye.”

Themanwhogaveupparkingspots,stoppedtopetstraydogsandopeneddoorsfor

temperamentalwomennowhadaname.

HesmiledatLily,andtheoddestthing…somethinghappenedlowinherbelly.Itwasa

pitofknowledge—bytheendofthistrip,theywouldhaveahistory,thismanandherself.
Somehow,insomeway,sheknewit.

Shejustdidn’tlikeit.

He slipped out his earpiece and shook hands with Keith, who turned to Lily and

broughtherclosetohisside.“Jared,meetLily,yourguide.”

Jaredlookedstartledforonemomentbeforecarefullymaskingit,probablywondering

howsomeonewithahandicapstickercouldpossiblybeahikingguide.That,orworse,he
was thinking she was some sort of fraud, and Lily ground her back teeth and cursed
herselfalloveragain.

Keith handed Jared a drink. “A word of warning with this one, Jared.” He said this

with a warm, intimate smile for Lily. “Don’t be late for the takeoff, or trust me, your
beautifulguideherewillleaveyoustandinginthedust.I’vebeentheremyself.”

“I’ll be on time.” Jared tipped his glass toward Lily in a toast, eyes warm, smile

genuine.“Toagoodstartandagreattrip.”

Again, she experienced an unsettling little sizzle, and she gave Jared Skye a second

look as they all drank to his toast. Sure his eyes were compelling with that odd mix of
chocolate and sea green, and yes, he had that contagious smile which mixed self-
deprecationandgoodhumor,butthosethingsweren’tenough.

Right?

Keith was dividing a glance between Jared and herself, as if he could feel the

inexplicableelectriccurrent.“Youtwoknoweachother?”

“Not exactly.” Jared smiled into Lily’s eyes. “But I’m guessing that this time I’ll be

thankingyou.”

“Ihaven’ttakenyouanywhereyet,”shesaid.“Youmighthateit.”

“Youthinkso?”

She scanned his lanky frame, and was surprised to find her gaze lingering. His face

was clean-shaven, and while not exactly pale, certainly not tanned and rugged from any
amountoftimespentoutdoors.Hiscleanathleticshoeshadclearlyneverseenatrail.His
glasseswereslippingagain,andshe’dbetherselfhe’dlosethemonthefirstdayunlesshe
putaleashonthem.

No, he didn’t look like much of an outdoor guy. He looked more like an indoor,

hunched-over-a-laptopguy,butbeforeshecouldfindanicewaytosayso,somethingin
oneofhispocketsbeeped.

“Moredigitalequipment?”sheasked.“Whatasurprise.”

With a wry smile, he reached for the offending unit, flicking it off with his thumb

withoutevenlookingatit.“Sorry.”

Keithshookhishead.“You’regoingtowanttoleaveallthatstuffbehind,man.”

“Really?”JaredslippedthePDAbackinhispocket.“Why’sthat?”

“Ittakesawayfromtheoutdoorexperience.”

JaredturnedtoLily,hisglassesprovidingjustenoughofaglarethatshecouldn’tquite

readhiseyes,eventhoughshehadafeelinghehadnosuchproblemreadingher.

Andagain,aninappropriatezingof…somethingsurgedthroughher.Crazy.Shereally

didpreferastronger,tougher,moreseasonedman,someonewhoknewhiswayonatrail,
whocouldclimbamountain,kayakarapid,someonewithaloveofanadrenalinerush.
Someonelike…Keith.

Andyetshedidn’texperiencethatlittlefrissonofheatwhenKeithlookedather…

Huh.

Jared was still smiling easily. “So you don’t think I look like the camping, hiking

type.”

“I’mnotheretojudgeyou,justtoguideyou.”

“Comeon,tellthetruth.”

“Okay, no. Sorry. You don’t seem outdoorsy to me. But I still think you’re going to

havealotfun.”

Sippinghisdrink,hewatchedherfromthoseintenselygrippinghazeleyes.“Onething

I’velearnedisthatlookscanbedeceiving.”

And in maybe the most surprising thing of all, yet another thrill went through her,

becausesuddenly,strangely,shehopedso.

***

HAT NIGHT

, J

ARED SKYE

lay in his bed staring at his ceiling, thinking about what he’d

done.Aconfirmedcityrat,he’dtakenaweekoffwork,ararity,togoonatrip.Notjust
anytrip,butacampingtrip,withrocksandbugsandnorunningwater.

Definitely not the norm for him. In fact, he’d never slept outdoors, not once in his

thirty-twoyears.

Butiflifehadtaughthimanythinglately,itwastogowiththeflow,andtrythepath

less traveled. To seize whatever the day brought, especially if the day brought a slightly
irritating,self-protective,sexy-as-hellguideleaderintoit.

Thisyearhe’dbeengivenasecondchance,ahellofasecondchance,whenhehadn’t

died as he should have. As a result, he no longer waited for things to happen. He made
themhappen.Andthatmeantwhenhesawsomethingofinterest,hedidwhatittookto
getit.

LilyPetersoninterestedhim.

It wasn’t just a gotta-have-you naked interest either, though that had definitely been

there,too.Butagotta-know-you-deeperinterest.

Withawomanhispolaropposite.

Itmightseemcompletelyillogical,thisattraction,nottomentionoutofcharacter,but

sincehenolongerdependedonlogictogethimthroughtheday,hedidn’tcare.

Nope,itwasallaboutlivingtothefullest,logicnotwithstanding…

Whenhefinallyfellasleep,hedreamed—nosurprise—ofhistrekkingguide,withher

vulnerableeyes,withthepolitesmilesheworetohideherthoughts,withhertoughlittle
bodythathewantedarchingandwrithingbeneathhis…

No surprise then that he woke up hot and bothered, and he had to laugh at himself,

evenashewishedhecoulddivebackintothedream…

Instead he got up. His first camping trip was going to be even more interesting than

he’dthought.

***

ILYSATSTRAIGHT

upinbed,pantingforbreathandjustalittlebitsweaty.

She’d dreamed of being in a kayak, fighting another kayak for the best spot on the

river. The best kayaker she knew was Keith, but it turned out not to be Keith out there
with her, but a guy with impeccable dressing habits, and neat, short hair and designer
glasses, a guy with a rather goofy, contagious grin and a rangy body that wasn’t sure or
coordinated.

JaredSkye,stilldisturbingher.

Shegotup,showeredawaytheachesandpainsandlingeringstiffnessshe’dneverhad

beforeherforty-footfall,tellingherselfbettertofeelpainthantobesixfeetunder,feeling
nothingatall.

Shedressedandwenttophysicaltherapy,whereshewaslaidflatasalwaysbyEric,

who’d missed his calling and should instead have been working for the government
torturing war prisoners for information. She showered again, dressed again, and then
shoppedandpackedforthetrip,tellingherselfthebutterfliesinherstomachwerehunger
pains,notnerves.

Butthenerveswerethere,quietlyeatingheralive.

After going over the topo maps, marking everywhere on the trail she wanted to hit,

withalternateplansforunforeseeneventssuchasoneofthehikersnotbeingabletogetas
far as she’d planned—or God forbid, herself—she drove to Outdoor Adventures to
coordinateforthesupplyandcanoedropsalongtheloopthey’dbewalking.

But instead of an assistant she got Keith himself, with his mischievous smile and

teasingvoicethatbroughtherback.Whentheyweredone,hehuggedhergoodbye,letting
hishandslingerandhisbodypressagainstherforjustabeatlongerthannecessary.

Andbecauseitwaswhatshethoughtshewanted,shelethim.

“Maybe we should get a drink tonight,” he said against her hair. “And toast

tomorrow’strip.”

She wanted to want what he was offering, but suddenly she realized she’d spent her

energyonsecond-andthird-guessingherselfandherabilitytohandlethistrip,toleadan
expedition into the wilderness…not to mention the doubts over her long-term goals, oh,
andherabilitytosupportherself.

Ortohavearelationship…

Shehadnothingleft.

“I’mleavingtonight,”shesaid,adecisionsheknewKeithwouldn’tquestionbecause

mostoftheguides,andprobablymanyoftheirguests,leftthenightbeforeaswell,staying
atinnsorhotelsclosertothetrailhead,threeandahalfhoursaway.

He looked disappointed, but let her go, and by late afternoon, she was making the

drive from the bay area to the Sierras. Highway 80 was wide open, the July foliage and
growth in full bloom on the hills. As soon as she hit the grade, she flicked off the air
conditioner and opened the windows, inhaling deeply to get the scent of the mountains:
sageandpineandeverythingelsethatfeltsomuchmorelikehomethananycity.

Shewasdoingtherightthing.Itfeltliketherightthing.Already,smileswerecoming

fasterandeasierthantheyhadintoolong.Shetookanotherdeepbreathandfeltsomeof
theterribletensionthathadbeenwithherbegintodissipate.

Feeling like the little engine that could, she kept repeating to herself I can do this, I

candothis…

ShearrivedattheB&Bjustafterdark,andgotasurpriseintheformofatall,leanand

lankymansittingsprawledinareclinerinthereceptionarea,sippingadrink.

Short, almost buzzed hair. Casual but elegant clothes. Easy I’m-comfortable-in-my-

own-skinstance.

JaredSkye.

At the sight of her, he rose, tugging out his perpetual earpieces. Reaching into his

pocket,hepulledoutaniPodandthumbedaswitch,slippingitbackintohispocket.

Somuchforleavingtheelectronicsathome.

“Hey,”hesaidwarmly,andthemostpeculiarthinghappened.

Shefoundherselfsmilingathim.

Hesmiledback,hiseyesheating.“Youstayingheretonight,too?”

“Yes.” Okay, this was bad. She’d wanted to be alone, the last time she would be for

fourdays.“But…”

Lookingintoherface,Jaredlaughedsoftly.“Lookatyou,eversothrilledtoseeme.”

“I’msorry,”shemanagedtofindenoughgracetosay.“It’s…nothingpersonal.”

For some reason, that had his grin spreading. “Oh, yeah, it is. But that’s okay.” He

flashed that smile again, the one that was slightly crooked, the one that made her feel
inexplicablyfeminine,andforsomereason,alsomadeherwanttotakeoffherclothes.

“Whydon’tyoujoinme,”hesaid.“I’llgetyouadrink.”

“Uh…”

“Comeon,”hesaid.“IpromisenottoaskyouifIcanwearopen-toedsandalsonthe

trip.”Helaughedatthelookonherface.“JackandMichelletoldme.It’sgoingtobean
interestingtrip,huh?”

“Very.”

Hesteeredhertothecouch,andthoughhesurelysawherlimp,hedidn’tsayaword.

Butshehadto.“Aboutthathandicapsticker,”shesaid.“It’sold.Idon’tuseit.”

He was quiet a moment while he sat. “As one who’s had his own sticker, I get the

wholelove/hatethingoverit.”

Shelookedathiminsurprise.Heseemedperfectlyhealthy.Hisgazemethers,dark,

still warm but now filled with a whole host of memories, some painful, and in that
moment,somethinghappened.Somethingnotphysical,andnotquitedescribable.

Shedidn’tunderstand.Helookedlikeaprofessor,sittingtherewiththoseglasses,the

khakitrousers,thewhitebutton-downshirt.Asexyprofessor,she’dgivehimthat.Hewas
studying her in that disconcerting way he had, seeing far more than she meant him to.
“You’regoodnow?”

“Yes.”

Shenodded.“Well,you’regoingtowanttoleavethosepretty-boyclothesathome.”

Helookeddownathimself,thenarchedabrow.“Pretty-boyclothes?”

Shejustarchedabrowback.

His eyes lit with good humor. “Pretty-boy clothes. And here I thought I was so

smooth.Gofigure.”

Damn, he made her want to laugh, too. “Well, they’re fine, if you want to ruin your

expensivethings…”

“It’sjustmoney.”

“Spokenbyamanwho’sprobablyneverhadtodowithout.”

“Ah,thereyougoagain.Judgingabookbyitscover.”

Sheopenedhermouth,thenslowlyshutit.“Youknow,IthinkI’mgoingtobedbefore

Iputmyfootinmymouthagain.”

“Wait,”hesaidwhenshestoodup.

“I’msorry.I’m…notreallyfitforcompany.”

Hisgazerandownthelengthofher,thensettledonherface.“Youlookplentyfitto

me.”

“Yeah.”Ifheonlyknew.“Ishould—”

“Onedrink.IfIannoyyoubeforeyoufinishit,youcanleave.”Heslidahandonher

arm.“Whatdoyousay?”

Histouchelectrified,andshestareddownathisfingers.“Um…”Wow.

“Nowthat’sinteresting,”hemurmured.

Hewascloseenoughthatshecouldfeelhisbodyheatseepintoherbones,andthough

hewastouchinghernowhereotherthanhishandonherarm,shefeltsurroundedbyhim.

Nottomentionhisscent—thatintangible,malescentthatwas…yum.

Whatwashappeninghere?

Slowlyheliftedhisotherhand,settleditonherarm,too,andgentlypulledheralittle

closer. His expression mirrored some of her own discomfort. “This isn’t the light and
fluffysortofattractionI’dtoldmyselfitwas.”

“It’snothing.”

Aghostofasmilecurvedhislips.“Youdon’tfeelit.”Heshookhishead,laughedat

himself.“Right.Ishouldhavefiguredthatpart.”

Withinsharing-airdistanceastheywere,hewascloseenoughthatshecouldseegold

specksdancinginthosehazeleyes,filledwithdisappointmentnow.

Damn.She’dhavethoughtshe’dfeelthisattractionforKeith,hadmeant to feel this

forKeith,butthetruthwas,shehadn’twantedtostareintoKeith’seyes,andshesureas
hellhadn’twantedtopressherfacetoKeith’sthroatandinhaledeeply.Yeah,timetogo.

“Goodnight,”shesaid.“I’llseeyouatthetrailhead.Injeans,Ihope.”

Nosmiletuggedathismouththistime.“’Night,”hesaid,anddroppedhishandsfrom

her.

With a nod, she turned away and headed for the stairs, and then realized something.

She’dcomeheretofindherself,tofindsomesemblanceofthepersonshe’dbeen.

But that person she’d once been would have never shied from anything. At that

thought,shestopped.“Jared.”

“Yeah?”

“I…”

“You…”

“Feelit.”Sheshookherhead.“Ijustdon’twantto.”

“Huh.Havetoadmit,I’mnotsorry.”Hisgazelitwithsomethingthatlookedlikeboth

heatandlaughterashecametowardher.

Shestoodherground,hernosequiveringbecauseGod,hesmelledgood,hesmelled

heavenly,andshewassniffingathim.“Ireallydohavetogo.Ihavetogotomyroom,I
needtolookoversomemapsand—”Andthinkaboutyou…

“I’msureyou’veplannedoutthistriptothenthdegree.”Hesnaggedherhand.“You

deserveanighttorelaxbeforefourdaysofwork.”

Relax? She’d been doing nothing but lying around healing for months, and if she

hadn’t managed to relax by now, it wasn’t going to happen. In fact, if she stayed down

here with him, with his hand downloading little electric currents of lust into hers, she
knew she’d start sniffing him again, and then…who knew. “I really…” She trailed off
whenhewaitedpatiently.“Ireallyhavetogo.”

“All work and no play.” He laughed softly when she frowned. “I wouldn’t have

guessedthataboutyou.Comeon,Lily.What’syourpoison?”

“Excuseme?”

“Whatwouldyouliketodrink?”

“Youdon’thavetoserveme.”

“How about, I want to?” He was close again, and she looked away because, oh boy,

justlookingathimsmilewaslikelookingatanunopenedbagofbarbecuepotatochips—
bothirresistibleandextremelybadforher.

Verybad.

“Wine?”heasked,lookingatease,lookingconfident,lookingsofreakingsexyittook

herbreath.“Beer?Soda?Painkiller?”

“Um,what?”

“Thelimp.Youmustbeinsomepain.”

“Oh.That.”Thereminderslammedhomeallofherfearsaboutthistrip.“It’snothing.

Abeer,I’lltakeabeer.”Shetookastepback,cameupagainstthewallwithacrash.“I’ll
takeittogo.”

“Lily—”

“No.”Shelookedintohisdisconcertinglygorgeouseyes,andtookabigstepback—

thankfullymissingthewallthistime—andanevenbiggermentalstep.“Really.I’msorry,
Ineedto…”Getmybearings.

“Go.”

She accepted the beer he bought her, thanked him, and ran upstairs, where she put

herselftobed.

Ofcourseshedreamedofhimagain.Thatwasgettingextremelyunsettling,shetold

herselfat3:00a.m.afterwakingupsweaty,hotandbotheredforthesecondnightinarow.
Whydidherattractiontohimbotherhersomuch?shewondered.

Becauseshe’dexpectedittobeKeith?

Yeah, that. She punched her pillow, flopped over and told herself to dream about

somethingmoreworthhertime—suchasthefactshehadfourgreatdaysaheadofher.

Please,God,letthembegreat.

She gave her pillow one more punch for emphasis, and then closed her eyes.

Mountains,shetoldherself.Thinkofthemountains,thewildanimals…

Onlyproblem,herbraindidn’tobey,notonelittlebit.Thistimeshedreamedaboutnot

takingherbeertogo,butsittingdownstairswithJared,thenmakingherwaytohisroom,
andthen…

Oh,boy,andthen.

SheshouldhavetakenKeithuponhisofferforadrinkwithwhateverelsethatmight

haveentailed.Itwouldhavebeeneasy,familiar,fast…anddone.

Certainlyifshehad,she’datleastbesatedbynow.

Andnotstillthinking,wondering,yearningaboutJared.

CHAPTER3

USTPASTDAWN

,LilystoodatthetrailheadatthebasinofBalsamPeakandstaredupatthe

vistaofgloryaroundher.

Doubtwaskillingherbutshetriedtoswallowit.Shecoulddothis.

Shecould.

Thesummerhadn’tbeenaparticularlydryone,andasaresult,thegreenmountains

seemed to pulse with life. The Sierras didn’t have a fancy name, or a photogenic
centerpiecelikeothermountainrangesdid,butmanohman,itwas,inheropinion,oneof
themostfascinatingcombinationsofjaw-droppingbeautyanduniquegeologyonthisside
oftheGreatDivide.

Being here, breathing in the thin but crisp, clean air, she felt great, and even greater

whensherealizedshewaswayaheadofschedule.

Thatwasoldhabit,beingpreparedbeyondanyshadowofadoubt.Shecreditedthat

slightanaltendencyinanotherwisecarefree,wanderlustexistencetothetwoyearsshe’d
spent as a Girl Scout as a young girl, when she’d been directionless and desperate to
please. Her mother had worked around the clock, her father had been living in Europe
somewhere,whichhadleftheralonemuchofthetime.

Toomuchofthetime.

Butshe’dgrownupfine.Orsoshetoldherself.Shewasherownwomanwhodidn’t

needapprovalfromanyone.Knowingit,sheopenedthetailgateonhertruck,andalsothe
shell, and began checking through the supplies she’d brought, dividing it into piles that
shecouldhelpherguestsloadintotheirpacksaswellasherown.

“Looksheavy.”

Craningherneck,hergazecollidedwithJared’s.“Nottooheavy.”

He’dlostthebusinesswearbutwasnolessputtogetherinhisexpensive-lookingjeans

andpoloshirt.Heworehikingboots,whichshesincerelyhopedweren’tnew,eventhough
theylookedit.Hisdesignersunglasseswerefirmlyinplace.“Needanyhelp?”heasked.

“Notyet,thanks.”

“HowdidIknowyou’dsaythat?”Hegesturedtothegoods.“Lookslikealotofstuff

tocarry.”

“Ifyou’renotupforit,youcouldalwaystryadifferenttypeofvacation.Sayadude

ranch.”

Uninsulted,heletoutasoftlaugh,thenshovedhissunglassestothetopofhishead,

revealingthatmesmerizinghazelgazeasheslidhishandsinhispocket.Hepulledouta
foldedpieceofpaper,stareddownatit,thensliditbackintohispocket.

“What’sthat?”sheasked.

“Alist.”

She waited for more, but he offered nothing. “A reminder to pick up your dry-

cleaning?”

Hesmiled.“No.”

“Ah.Aremindertohaveyourhousekeeperpickupyourdry-cleaning.”

Hissmilespread.“YouthinkI’mgoingtobeaPITA.”

“PITA?”

“Painintheass.Yourass.”

Notexactly.Shethoughthewasgoingtobeadistraction.Asexyone.“Caughtme.”

Shewentbacktoseparatingthesuppliesintopiles,buthedidn’ttakethehintandleave.

“Itbugsyou,”hesaid.“Ourattraction.”

“No,itdoesn’t.”

Hejustsmiledalittleknowingly,andsheletoutasoundthatshehopedmanagedto

conveyherannoyanceasshewentbacktoherwork.

Okay, so despite his pretty-boy appearance, he wasn’t prissy, or afraid of

confrontation.Damnit.Itdidn’thelpthathewasright.

Theirattractionbuggedthehelloutofher.

Fine. She’d get her revenge soon enough, when she planned to see him plenty

rumpled,wrinkledandpushedoutsidehiscomfortzone.“Onething’sforsure,”shesaid.
“You’regoingtogetthosebootsdirty.”

Helookeddown.“I’mnotgoingtomeltwithalittledirt.”

“Okay.”

He lifted his head, his eyes locked on hers. Normally she appreciated direct eye

contact,butwithhim,thelookwentdeeperthancasual,andpushedherfromhercomfort
zone.

“Youdon’tbelieveme,”hesaid.

Sheliftedashoulder,andlookedawaybecauseshehadtheuncomfortablefeelinghe

sawfarmorethansheallowedanyonetosee.“It’syourjobtohaveagoodtime,”shesaid.
“It’smyjobtomakesureyougetthatgoodtime.I’lldomyjob.”

“AndI’lldomine,”hepromised.“Isignedupforthistripwillingly,Lily.”Hegestured

withhischintowardthemountains.“Iwanttodothis.”

“Well,thenlet’sgettheshowontheroad.Oh,andthoughthere’snorainorsnowin

theforecast—”

“Snow?InJuly?”

“Ithappens.Justmakesureyoupackedeverythingonthelist.Includingraingear.”

“Gotit.”

“Andsprayyourselfwithinsectrepellent.Yougotstuffwithdeet?”

“Yes,ma’am,justlikethelistsaid.”

She ignored the gentle sarcasm. “It should be plenty dry, but the mosquitoes don’t

seemtocareonewayoranother.They’revicious.Trustme,you’llgetbiteseverywhere.”

“Everywhere?” He asked this evenly but the humor was still swimming in his gaze,

andalsothatunsettlingheat.

Damn,hehadquitethesenseofhumor.Shelovedasenseofhumor.“Bitesincertain

placesaren’tfunny,”shesaidintheuppiestvoiceshecouldmuster.

Hestoppedfightinghisgrinandletitfly.

Ah,man,hewassomethingtolookat,butsherolledhereyesandturnedbacktothe

truck.“Fine.Butwhenyou’rewalkingbowleggedbecauseyourbitesarechafing,I’llbe
gettingthelastlaugh.”

“I’llrememberthat,”hepromised.

“Good.”Sheputherportionofthesuppliesintoherpack,anditwasamomentbefore

shelookedupagain.Whenshedid,Jaredhadmovedbacktohisshiny,prettycarandwas
messingwithsomethinginhispack.

She let out a breath and told herself to concentrate on her fears and doubts. That

shouldkeephernicelyoccupied.

But she took another peek. He was still fiddling with his stuff, and definitely not

takingpeeksather.Good.Great.Shewentbacktowork,tossingthemarshmallowsinto
thepile.Whichremindedhersheneededtocheckthechocolatestash.Iftherewasevera
tripthatrequiredextraloadsofchocolate,thiswasit.

A truck with the Outdoor Adventures logo on the sides pulled into the dirt lot. The

windowwentdown.“Hey,gorgeous.”

Inshock,shestared,waitingfortheburstofhappyexcitement.“Keith?”

He hopped out of the truck and spread his arms wide, looking tanned, fit and

mischievous.“Intheflesh.”

“Whatareyoudoinghere?”

He wore cargo shorts and a T-shirt with the logo on a pec, and he looked ready to

guide.“YouknowIliketoseeatripoff.”

Shetookinhisruggedfeatures,hisslightsmile,hisheatedeyes,andknewhewasn’t

herejustforthat.Onceuponatimehersunhadrisenandsetonhim,amantenyearsher
seniorandahundredyearsolderinsomanyotherways.He’dbeenthefirststrongmale
influenceinherlife,andforthatalone,herheartwarmed.“Youwerecheckingonme.”

He shifted closer and put his hand on her shoulder as he peered past her to the food

andsuppliesshewasdividingup.“Justmakingsureyou’reokay.Shouldbeafairlyeasy

trip.”Hegentlysqueezed.“Yousureyou’reupforit?”

Whyohwhywasn’tshegettingwobblyknees?Whyweren’thernipplesgoinghappy?

“I’msure.”Liar,liar,pantsonfire.

“Sotough,likeoldtimes.”

Shewished.

Hetouchedhercheekandgrinned,andshewasreminded,vividly,ofhow,inthepast,

that grin would have melted her clothes right off. As if he was remembering the same
thing,heshiftedevencloser.“Feelslikeoldtimes.”Nudgingherbodywithhis,hemoved
heraroundthesideofhistruck,wheretheywerenowoutofviewofanyonedrivinginto
theparkinglot.Theywerealsooutofviewoftheonlyothercar,Jared’sLexus.

Lily looked into Keith’s smiling eyes, trying like hell to feel it, to feel the heat.

“You’reinmyspace.”

“Butit’ssuchanicespace.”Theyweretoetotoe.Hewasonlyafewinchestallerthan

her.Itusedtobeshe’dlovedthat,lovedthewaythey’dlinedup.

Everywhere…

Now his close proximity felt a little bit off, especially when compared to another

man’s recent close proximity—Jared’s. She’d wanted to jump Jared’s bones, which still
madenosense.“Keith—”

“Hushasecond.”Cuppingherface,hetilteditupandstaredintohereyes.“I’mtrying

toseesomething.”

“Seewhat?”

“Ifit’sstillthere.”

“Ifwhat—”

“Shutupasec,Lil.”Andhetouchedhismouthtohers.

Shewentverystill.Notbecauseshecouldn’tmoveaway,butbecauseshewantedto

see,too.Pleaseturnmeon…

But no, nothing. Damn it. She cleared her mind and tried again, because surely it

wouldcome.

Keithslantedhisheadforbetteraccess,andtouchedhistonguetohers.

Nofireworks.

Nomoltenhotlavaflowingthroughherveinsinsteadofblood.

Whatwasthatabout?

Butdeepdown,sheknew.ItwasaboutJared,becausehewastheoneshewanted.Oh,

boy.

Keith lifted his head, staring sleepy-eyed down at her mouth. “That’s how I should

havegreetedyouyesterday.”Hestrokedhisthumboverherlipandsmiled.“Haveasafe
journey,Lil.”

Andthenhegotbackintohistruck.

Blowingoutabreath,sheturned,and…

AndhergazelockedwithJared’s.

He’dmovedaroundthefrontofhertruck,raingearinhishands.Clearlyhe’dcometo

showherhewasprepared,andhadcaughtmorethanshe’dintendedhimto.

Nowhestoodtherewatchingherwithaninscrutablegaze.

Squirming,sheshovedhertopomapsintoherpack.Shehadtherouteallmarked,had

everythingplanned,andyetsuddenly,shefelt…lost.

As a woman who’d always prided herself on knowing who and where she was, she

hatedthefeeling.

Whenwouldshefindherself,damnit?

Jaredturnedawayand,withoutanotherword,walkedbacktohiscar.Sheswallowed

theurgetoapologize.Damnit,shehadnothingtoapologizefor.

Nothingatall.

***

ITHINTHENEXT

twentyminutes,therestofthegrouparrived.JackandMichellecamein

ablackHummerdrivenbyherdaddy’schauffeur.Whentheygotoutandthecardroveoff,
Michellestaredafteritlongingly.

“It’sgoingtobefun,”Jackassuredher.

“I’dratherbehavingfuninBali.”

Jacksighed.

Rockshowedupnext,inaJeep,andrightafterthatRosearrivedinataxi.

Howshe’dgottenataxiuphere,Lilyhadnoidea,butRosegotoutofthecar,tossed

the driver some cash, blew him air kisses, then straightened out her perfectly fitted and
possiblypainted-onDaisyDukeshortsandbarely-therecamisole.

Shedidhaveonhikingboots,whichshegleefullyshowedofftoLilybyliftingaleg

andwagglingherfoot.“Cute,huh?Igotadeal.”

HerDaisyDukesslidupaninch,toillegalheightsreally,revealingcheek,andquite

possiblymoretoanyoneofftothesideofher.

Rock,intheexactrightpositionofftothesideofher,inthemiddleofanunfortunate

sipofwater,choked.

Rosesmiledathim.“Youokay,sugar?”

Rockchokedsomemore,andRosestrokedahandupanddownhisback,whichdidn’t

seemtohelp.

Eyes watering, gasping, he nodded that he was going to live and Rose stopped

touchinghim.

Lilysighed.“Rose,you’regoingtowanttochangethoseshorts.”

Rock,stillhardlyabletotalk,shookhishead.“Ah,don’tdothat.”

Lilythoughtofthecliffthey’dbewalkingalonginlessthananhour,andpicturedthe

guyswatchingRose’sassinsteadofthetrail,thenfallingtotheircertaindeaths.“Well…”
Howtobediplomatichere?“Thoseshortsaren’tgoingtobecomfortable.”

“Honey,theseareascomfortableasanythingI’vegot.”

Wasn’tthatjustperfect?

Michelle came close. She slipped into a sunshine-bright yellow rain jacket that

required sunglasses just to look at. “Which direction are we traveling in?” she asked
anxiously.

“It’snotgoingtorain,atleastnottoday,”Lilyassuredher.“Youdon’thavetowear

—”

“She’snevercampedbefore,”Jacksaid.“She’snervous.”

Sothatmadetwoofthem,Lilythought.

“Whichdirection?”Michelleaskedagain.

“It’sgoingtochangequiteabitoutonthetrail,”Lilytoldher.

Michelleshookherhead,herprettyblondhairartfullylayeredaboutherface.“Can’t

youestimate?Iwanttoleaveanotehereatthetrailhead,sothatifwegetlost—”

“I can promise you that won’t happen if you stick with me,” Lily said. “I know this

trail—”

“Whichdirection?”Michelle’svoicecameouthigh-pitchedandjustalittlepanicked.

Jared slid a palm-held unit out of his pocket and thumbed a few buttons. “North by

northwest,”hesaid,andshowedMichellethedigitalcompasshe’dpulledup.“See?”

Everyone leaned in to see the new toy, oohing and aahing, and Lily sighed again. “I

thoughtthedigitalstuffwasgoingtostayathome.”

Helookedrightather,foroncehiseyesnotquiteaswarm—remindingherthathe’d

witnessedKeith’skiss—andwithoutawordslidtheunitbackintohispocket.

Something went through Lily at that. Her own regret? Yeah, probably. But she had

plenty of other stuff to worry about. “If everyone could bring their packs,” she said. “I
havethesuppliesdivviedupforyoutoputaway.”

***

ACKLIFTED

ICHELLE’S

packforher,andshouldn’thavebeensurprisedtofinditweighed

morethanhiswife.“Damn,Shell.Whatdidyouputinhere,rocks?”

She sent him a pout over her shoulder that he recognized well as he buckled her in.

“It’swaytooheavyforme.”

“Uh-huh,”heagreed.“Itoldyouthatyoupackedtoomuch.”

“Don’tstartinonme.YouwanttopleasemydaddyandhismoneyasmuchasIdo.”

Ah,backtotheirbiggestboneofcontention,hethoughtwithasigh—whichwasthatit

wasn’tjusthimandherinthismarriage,buthim,herandherdaddy.

He loved Michelle, loved her more than he loved any other thing on this planet, but

sometimesshedrovehimabsolutelyinsane.

How could someone so smart be so incredibly dense? “I could care less about his

money,” he said patiently, for what had to be the bazillionth time in their one-year
marriage.

“Right.”

Jackshookhishead.Whatmadehimthinkhecouldeverwinthisargument?Hewas

comingtounderstandthatwhathe’dheardwastrue—sometimeslovejustwasn’tenough.
“Atleasttakeoutthetenpoundsofmakeupandhairproducts.”

“Ineedit.”

“Youdon’t.”

“Myhairfuzzesatthisaltitude.”

Heshookhishead.Shewasgorgeous,atanyaltitude.“Sobraidit.”

“Jack.”

He groaned and tossed up his hands in defeat. “Might as well call back our driver,

you’llbedonebynoon.”

Shelookedhorrified.“Youknowwecan’tbackout.Daddy’llcutusoff.”

Right. And in her mind, that would be a fate worse than death. Heaven forbid they

makethisworkliketherestoftheworld—ontheirown.God,sheinfuriatedhim.

Butshealsolovedhimasnooneelseeverhad,andforthatalone,heintendedtogive

this all he had. “Look, just because your father is richer than sin, doesn’t mean he can
makeus—”

“He’snotmakingus.Hejustsaidthatifwewantedtokeepspendinghismoney,we

hadtodothis.Hethinksweneedthetogetherness.”

“He’smakingus,”Jacksaidflatly,andturnedhisbackonhertotendtohisownpack,

frustrated and…sad. Damn sad, because as much as he didn’t want to believe it, he was
afraidthey—he—couldn’tfixthisenoughtomakeitwork.

***

ILY WAS HANDING OUT

the supplies for everyone’s packs when Michelle came up to her,

stillwearinghersunshine-yellowrainjacket.“Um…Idon’thaveextraroom.”

Everyonehadreadthebrochures.They’dbeentothemeeting,wherethey’dgoneover

the particulars of the trip in minute detail, including the fact they’d be helping carry the
supplies.“Yourportionisn’tmorethanafewextrapounds—”

“Butmypack’salreadytooheavy.”

“Damnright,itis,”Jacksaiddryly,thenliftedhishandswhenMichelleglaredathim.

“Hey,youneededyourmakeupandhairstuff,right?”

Michelle let out a huff and opened her pack. “Fine. Bye-bye hair products. But if I

looklikeaBohemianinaday,youallhavenoonebutyourselvestoblame.”

“We’llkeepthatinmind,”JacktoldherandwinkedatLily.

Michelle took the supplies from Lily. “This doesn’t look like enough food for four

days.”

“We’llbegettingtwodropswithadditionalsupplies,sowedon’thavetocarryitall

rightnow.Justyourownthings.”

“Right.”Michellelookedatherpack.“That’sgoingtobeincrediblytaxing.”

Jackletoutahuffinglaugh.“Foronce,baby,we’reintotalagreement.”

Yeah,Lilythought,shewasgoingtohaveherhandsfullwiththisgroup.Sofar,she

hadacoupleclearlyontheouts,awomanontheprowl,andamanwhowasgoingtobe
saidwoman’slunch.

Jared,wearinghispack,movedintoherlineofvision,anenigmaticmanoffewwords

withasetofeyesthatmadeherbothyearnandwanttorunforthehills.

Andamanshewantedforlunch.

“Lily, honey?” This from Rose. “I think you’re right about the shorts. I’m going to

change.” She leaned in and whispered, “Wedgie City.” Straightening, she held up two
choices; a denim mini-skirt, or a pair of black Spandex short shorts. “Which would you
suggest?”

Lilystaredatthem.“Uh…Ireallycouldn’tsay—”

“No problem, I’ll wear one today, and one tomorrow.” Twirling away, she spared a

momenttowinkatRock.

Rock, looking a little dazzled, shifted closer to Lily. “I could take on some extra

weightforanyonewhocan’thandleit—”

“That’sverygenerous—”

“Forafavor.”

Lilylookedathim.“Whichis?”

“My tent goes next to hers.” He nodded toward Rose and grinned, and Lily had to

laugh.

“That’snotmydecision,”shesaid.“It’sbetweenyouandher.”

“Hopefully,it’llbemyprizeformakingitthroughtheday.”

She looked him over in surprise. So she wasn’t the only one nearly paralyzed with

doubt.“Whywouldn’tyoumakeitthroughtheday?You’rethefittestonehere.”

“Yes, but…” He grimaced, and spoke even more softly so no one could hear. “I’m

indoor-fit,youknow?Gym-ratfit.I’veneverspentmuchtimeoutdoors,andI’vecertainly
neverspentfourdaysstraightwalkingthroughthewoods.”

“Youputdownonyourapplicationthatyou’vecamped.”

Guiltflashedoverhisfeatures.“Uh,yeah.I’vecamped.InmybathtubwithG.I.Joe,

whenIwasseven.”

“Oh,boy.”LilyrubbedherforeheadwhileRockwinced.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said. “So maybe you’d better tell me now.” He looked

adorablynervous,thisbighunkwho’dcampedwithactionfigures.“Isthisgoingtobetoo
hardforme?”

“Are you kidding?” Lily gestured to Rose and Michelle. “I’m going to go out on a

limbhereandpredictyou’restillwayaheadofthegame.”

Heflashedanothergrin.“Thanks.”

Lily moved to the front of the group, ready to go, but before she could say so,

Michellesidledcloseonceagain.“I’vegottotalktoyou,”shesaid,soundingtearful.“I
reallydon’tthinkIcancarryeverything…”

“Youcouldloseanyofthefivepairsofshoesyou’retoting,”Jacksuggested.

“ButIbroughtonepairforeachday,andthenanextra.I’mnotrepeating,Jack.”

“Tellyouwhat,”Lilysaid.“Youlosetheshoes,andI’lldivideupyourportionofthe

foodandsuppliesbetweenmyself,JackandRock,whogenerouslyofferedtohelp.”

RoselookedatRock,shootinghimasweetsmile.

Rockblushed.

“Great,”Jackmuttered.“Igetextra,andRockgetslucky.”

“Oh, come on, Jack,” Michelle said. “Just help me here. After all, you like daddy’s

moneyasmuchasIdo.”

Jackshookhishead.“There’snoarguingwithyou.”

Theymovedasidetofixherpack.

JaredshiftednexttoLily,andshelookedathim,alreadytired.“Youhavearequest,

favor or demand, too?” she asked in that voice she used sometimes, the one that said,
hurry,becauseshewasalittletoobusyforthis.

Butdamnit,shedidn’twanttodiscussanything,especiallynotthekissbetweenher

andKeith,orthefactthatshewishedithadbeenwithJared.

Shereallywishedthat.

Hejustarchedaneyebrow.

Atthat,shehadtoletoutacarefulbreathandremindherselfthathecouldn’treadher

thoughts.“Isthatayesorno?”

He shook his head, looking quite comfortable in his own skin. “Nothing at the

moment,thanks.”

“Uh-huh.Butyou’rereservingtherighttomakealaterdemand,isthatit?”

Hismouthcurved,andhelettheirgazesstaylockedforjustabeatorsopastwhatwas

comfortable.

Mostdefinitely,hewasthinkingaboutthekiss.

Andmaybe,justmaybe,hewasthinkinghe’dratherithadbeenhim,too.

Heletherabsorbthatamoment,thenturnedaway.

Lilyletoutanothercarefulbreath.Oh,yeah,itwasdefinitelygoingtobeahellofa

trip.

CHAPTER4

S LILY CHECKED

andrecheckedeachperson’spackandstraps,Jaredmovedtothefront,

just next to the trailhead sign. With some amusement, he watched his group’s fearless
leader take control of the trip with clear-cut and concise directions and expectations for
her guests, her fawn-colored hair pulled in a single braid that fell between her shoulder
blades.

He loved how she looked, wearing cargo shorts low on the hips, fitted, but with

enoughpocketstooutfitathird-worldcountry,andtwotanktopslayeredovereachother,
thetoponewithOutdoorAdventures’logooverabreast.Shewasthepictureofefficiency
andcompletelyincharge.

Shedidliketobeincharge,hisLily.

He understood the need. In his life, which until recently had been consumed with

work, he’d always been in charge, as CEO of an international, billion-dollar corporation
thatcreatedandbuiltpartsforallthingsdigital.

Untilthatcontrolhadbeentakenfromhim.

“Anylastquestions?”Lilyasked,comingupnexttohim.

“Yeah.”Heslidonhissunglassesandsmiled.“Areyougoingtohurtme?”

SheglancedatMichelle,flappingherlipsatherhusband,atRocktyingandretyinghis

boots,atRoseapplyinglipgloss,andshesighed.“Somehow,Idon’tthinkyou’regoingto
betheonehurting.”

Thisclose,hecouldseethattherewassomethinginhereyes,thatlightofvulnerability

he’dseenlastnight,andalso…nerves.“Butyouare,”hesaid.“Hurting.”

Shelookedaway.“I’mfine.”

Yeah, she was pretty damn fine. But no matter what she said, she’d been hurt—the

limpattestedtothat—andshewasn’tallbetteryet.Hefeltahardtugofempathy,because
heknewwhatitwasliketowanttogetbetter,totrytoproveeverythingwasnormalwhen
itwasn’t.Yeah,he’dbeenthere,donethatandboughttheT-shirt.

Theybegantowalk,Lilyinthelead.Herpackcoveredmuchofherfromview.There

wasalightmorningbreezethathadloosenedsomesilkystrandsfromherbraid.Theyflew
aboutherheadlikeahalo,whichheimaginedwouldpissheroffbuthelikedit.Hecould
seeherass,whichwassweet,andherlegschurningupthepathaheadofhim,althougha
bitunevenly,asifshehadsomethingtoprove.

Hethoughtmaybeshedid.

Theyallfollowedbeneathanicelywarmingmorningsuntouchingdownonthejagged

peaksallaroundthem,theraysgildingthetreetops.Jaredlookedupandfeltsurrounded
bythem,ahugeawe-inspiringcircleofrocky,remotemountainshehopedtoknowalot
moreaboutbeforehegotback.

“This region is one of the most geologically young and tectonically active in North

America,”Lilysaid,lookinginchargeofherworldassheturnedtofacethem,walking
backward.

Their eyes met and Jared felt the bolt he’d experienced the first time he’d seen her.

Hell,everytimehesawher.Atfirst,ithadbeenapurelyphysicalsortofbolt,andthere
wasstillplentyofthat,butsomehowalsomore.

Muchmore.

Whichsuitedhimjustfine.It’dbeenaverylongtimesincehe’dfeltsuchapunchof

attraction.Granted,he’dhadotherthingsonhismind—likesurviving…

But he was past that now, and living life to its fullest, going after everything he

wanted.

Hewantedher.

Orhehadbeforeshe’dkissedherboss…

“Aretherevolcanoes?”MichelleaskedLily,soundingnervous.

“Not here,” Lily assured her. “Though this mountain system does straddle several of

the earth’s moving plates, huge forces that continuously build this sweeping arc of
mountains—seehowruggedandcraggythepeaksare?Itmeansthey’restillveryyoung,
comparatively.Justbabies,really.”

“Prettybigbabies,”Jacksaidbeneathhisbreath,makinghiswifelaughbreathlesslyin

agreement.

“Weretheredinosaurshere?”Roseasked.

“Oh,yes,”Lilysaid.“Backintheday.”

“The Mesozoic Era,” Jared offered, then smiled when Lily looked at him, clearly

startledathisknowledge.

“I’mimpressed,”shesaid.“Whatelsedoyouknowaboutthisarea?”

“OtherthantherearebigbearsandthatIshouldn’tfeedthem?Notmuch.”

Michelle scooted closer to Jack, a bright yellow spot of sunshine in her raingear.

“Bears?”

“Don’tworry,”Lilysaid.“Noone’sgoingtobebearbaitonthistrip.”

“So how high are these babies anyway?” Jack asked, pointing to the highest peak

ahead.

“Nearlyfifteenthousandfeetatthetop.”

“That’slike,threemileshigh,”Rocksaid,withalowwhistle.“Man,we’regoingtobe

huffingandpuffing.”

They were already huffing and puffing. Jared sure as hell was. But the exercise felt

good. Actually, it felt amazing, especially after so many months of being able to do so

little. The air held a silence that he never heard in the city, and that felt good, too. Not
havingtothink,work…

Gradually, the distance between the group members widened as they moved up the

trailthattookthemtobreathtakingheights,alongstarkridgesanddrop-awaycliffs.

He kept up with Lily with surprising effort. “You’re looking pleased with yourself,”

shesaid,breakingalongsilence.

“Iampleased,”hesaid.“Tobehere.”

Shesmiled,arealone,herealizedwithsomepleasure,anditlitupherentireface.“I

know.Me,too.I’d—Youknowwhat?Nevermind.”

“No,what?”

“I’dworriedthatIwouldn’tbeabletoholdup,”sheadmitted.

Henodded,knowingthatwasquiteaconfessionforher.“Youandmeboth.”

Shesmiledathim,anditwasabeautifulthing.

“It’ssuchaperfectdayforthis,”shesaid.“Nottoohot,nottoocold.”

“I’mdefinitelyjustright.”

Shelookedhimover,andbitherlip.

“Goahead,”hesaidonalaugh.“Mentiontheclothes.”

“Okay,soyouhadtherightclothesafterall.”

Shewasgenuinelyamused,andhelikedthelookonher,verymuch.Shewasnaturally

fair-skinned,whichmeantshehadanadorablesmatteringoflightfrecklesoverherhigh
cheekbonesandnose,thoughhedoubtedshe’dappreciatethewordadorable.Hereyes,so
light brown they looked like crystal-clear amber, or a very expensive whiskey, sparkled.
“Arethejeansbrand-spanking-new?”sheasked.

“I’llhaveyouknow,I’veownedtheseforyears.”

ShefingeredhiscrispT-shirt,wornbeneathanopenlong-sleevedbluechambrayshirt.

“Youironedthis.”

“No.”Butprobablyhishousekeeperhad.“Maybe.”

Shelaughedandeyedhishikingboots.“Thosearen’t—”

“Notnew.They’rebrokenin,Ipromise.”Hegrinnedatherinspection.“Let’shearit.

Anycomplaints?”

Shetookhergazeonatouralonghisbody.Didthoseeyesheatasshebroughtthem

backuptohis,orwasthathishopefulimagination?

“Nocomplaints,”shefinallysaid,soundingjustalittlebreathlessnow.

Nothisimagination…

Thewordsdissipatedanylastchillfromthemorningair,thatwasfordamnsure.He

mighthavebeensickthislastyear,verysick,butapparentlycertainthings,likeahealthy
lust,neverleftaman.

ThankGod.

That’swhenthedigitalringofacellphonepiercedtheair.

His.

“Oh,no,youdidn’t,”shesaid.

“Sorry.”Hepulledthecelloutofhispocket,eyedtheID,thensighedasheflippedthe

phoneopen.“Hey,Candace.”

“Hey right back atcha,” his fearless and irreplaceable assistant said cheerfully. “Just

callingtosayit’snottoolatetocometoyoursenses.Icouldhaveahelicoptertheretoget
youinhalfanhour.”

“I’mdoingthis.”

Shesighed.“Thoughtyou’dsaythat.Allrightythen,haveasafetrip.Oh,anddon’t

getbittenbyarattlesnake.Wedidnotnearlyloseyouthisyeartowatchyougodownso
easily.”

“I’llstayawayfromsnakes,Ipromise.”

Lily’sprettyeyeswerenarrowedwhenheshutthephone.“Howdidyougetserviceup

here?”

“Satellite.”

“Nocellphonesonthistrek.”

“Isthatahard-and-fastrule?”

“It’sjustthatyou’repayingmealotofmoneytotakeyouawayfromallthat.Ifyou’d

wantedtotalktothegirlfriend,youshouldhavejustbroughtherwith.”

“Assistant,notgirlfriend.”

“Oh.”

Was that just a smidgen of relief on her face, he wondered, or his own healthy

imagination?“Don’tworry,Lily.I’mreadytobetakenaway.”

Shelookedathimforalongmoment,thenbackattheothers,who’dslowedtotheir

ownvariouspaces.Heknewshewasgoingtomoveawayfromhimandgocheckoneach
oftheminturn,thathewasnothingspecialtoher,buthewantedtobe.“I’mcurious.Why
doyouguide?”

“Uh…”Shelookedbackathim,distracted.“Becausetheypayme?”

“Idoubtitpaysthatwell,whichmeansyoumustreallyloveit.”Helookedaroundat

thetoweringtrees,themountains,thesky.“Iadmit,it’sbeautiful,butyouprobablyendup
dealingwithalotofspoiledpeople.”

“Yes,butIgetpaidtowanderthewildsalldaylong…trustme,theprosoutweighthe

cons.”

“Ibet.Especiallyforapersonwithwanderlust.”

Sheglancedathim,alongstraystrandofhairacrossoneeye.“Judgingthebookbyits

cover?”

Hisfingeritchedtotouchthatsilkystrand,tostrokeitbackbehindherear.Insteadhe

laughed.“Areyougoingtodenyyou’vegotwanderlust?”

Shelookedaway.Andthen,afteramoment,sighed.“Youhaveawayofseeingthings

Idon’twantyoutosee.”

“Thankyou.”

“Thatwasn’tacompliment.”Thatsaid,shegesturedhimaheadofher,thenslowedto

talktotheothers.

Rockstoppedher,pointingtohisboots.Lilyslippedoutofherpacktobenddownand

takealook,sayingsomethingthatmadeRockrelaxabitandevensmile.

Abovethem,thesuncontinuedtowarm.

Lilystraightenedwithahandonherbackandawinceonherface,whichmadeJared

take a good long second look at her. She was hurting more than she’d let on. Hadn’t he
seenherdoherbesttohidealimpthatcouldn’tbehidden?Thewomanclearlyhadpride
inspades.

He knew all about pride. After the cancer there’d been people who looked at him

differently,withpityandconstantworry,treatinghimwithkidgloves,andhehatedthat,
soyeah,whateverherissue,heunderstood,andwhensheglancedathim,helookedaway
togiveheramoment.

Itwasn’tahardshiptotakeinthescenery.DespitehavinglivedinSanFranciscoall

his life, he’d actually never been in the Sierras before. Funny, considering he’d been to
Europe,SouthAmerica,evenAustralia…Butthosetripshadbeenallbusinessandlittle
else.

Up until recently, his entire life had been about business and little else. A classic

workaholic,he’dworkedaroundtheclock,runninghisworldwitheasyprecision.

Nowforthefirsttime,hewasallowingsomeoneelsetorunhisworld,atleastforthe

nextfourdays.HeglancedbackatLily,stillmessingwithRock’sboots.Ifhecouldhave
drawn his fantasy woman, she’d have been it. Five-sevenish, she was fit and tight and
toned.Hedoubtedifshehadanextrainchoffleshonher.Andyetsomethingabouther
wassoft,warm…withthatdashofvulnerabilityamongthesecretssheheld.

As he watched, she hoisted her pack back up, which he knew damn well weighed a

great deal more than any of theirs. Another wince as she set the thing on her shoulders,
adjustedit,clickingthestrapsinjustaboveherbreastsandaroundherwaist.

Jack and Michelle approached her about something. Lily reacted with some doubt,

thenwentaroundtobehindMichelle,adjustingherpackforher,whileJackjustshookhis
head.

Rose had stopped to rub some suntan lotion on her legs, bending over in that short-

shortskirt,whichhadevenhiseyescrossing.

Rock’seyesdidn’tjustcross,theyaboutpoppedout,andheturnedhishead,glancing

upatJaredwithasortofhelplesslycaughtexpression.

Lilywalkedpastthemall,movingbacktothelead.“Rose,ifanyoftheguyswalkoff

thistrailandfall,you’regoingtoconducttheirrescues.”

“Oooh,”sherespondedwithglee.“DoIlookthatgood?Really?”

“Yes,”Rocksaidreverently.

Jacknodded.

Michellesmackedhim.ThenshelookedatLily.“Howfararewegoingtodayagain?”

“Sevenandahalfmiles,”Lilysaid.

“Thatsoundsfar.Howmuchofthathavewealreadydone?”

“Uh…maybeahalfmile.”

“Maybe?”

JaredpulledouthisPDA,thumbedafewcontrols,thenlookedup.“Pointseven.”

Lilygavehimalonglook,andwithasmile,heslippedthePDAaway.

She sighed, then turned back to Michelle. “Look. See way out there…” She pointed

across to a neighboring peak, a long rock formation jutting out of the hillside. “We’re
goingtocampthere.It’sgotagrassfloor.Verysoft,verycomfy.”

Michellelookedintrigued.“Really?”

Lilysmiled,thoughitlookedalittlebitlikeanathleteonalosingteamtryingtobea

cheerleader.“Andwaituntilmiletwo,you’llseehugetroutintheriverbelow.Dinneris
goingtobeamazing.”

Michelleswallowedhard.“Trout.”

Jackleanedin.“Vegetarianalert.”

Lily’s cheerleader smile didn’t slip. “Right. So you’ll skip the trout. I have lots of

food, never worry. Soon we’ll be walking beneath hundred-year-old lodgepole pines,
throughbig-buckcountry.Trustme,you’llloveit.”

“Okay.”Michellezippedupherraingear.“I’lltrustyou.”

Theyallkeptmoving,up,up,up.Nowtheywereseveralhundredfeetoffthemeadow

floor,withtheriverwindingfarbelow.

Asthesunrose,theheatmadelittlepillarsofsteamriseofftherocks,vanishinginto

thinair.Theypassedseveralimpressivewaterfallsthatthunderedandcrashedtothevalley

floor. It was all both alien, and gorgeous. Jared inhaled deeply, the air feeling sharp and
pureagainsthislungs.He’dneverimaginedhimselfdoingthis.Asaconfirmedcityrat,
he’dnevergivenitmuchthought.

But,ashe’dlearnedrecently,lifewasaboutchanges.Thankfully,hethought,thiswas

agoodone.

Andstilltheywalked…

Itactuallytookhimawhiletosettleintodoingnothingwithhisbrain,butoncehedid,

hismindfinallyslowed.Relaxed.

Enjoyed.

Hedrewinanotherbreath,andthescentofpineandsageandclean,freshairfilledhis

lungsagain,withoutahintofsmogorgasoline,withoutthenoiseoftrafficonbusycity
streets,withoutpain.

Hereallylikedthatpart.

Buttheparthelikedthebest…wasbeingrightbehindLily.Shepracticallyquivered

withdetermination,whichhenowknewtobeafacadeforherownnerves.

Thewomanwasawalkingmarvel.

Evenwithherpackon,evenwiththelimp,heenjoyedwatchingherbodymove.She

had a way about her—utterly economical movements, no time wasted, nothing
unnecessary,andyetshewassoinnatelyfeminine,hejustwantedtonibbleonher.

But more than that, he wanted to hear her story. He had a feeling it would only

strengthenherattractionforhim.

The trail began to come down a bit in altitude, and he welcomed the easier going.

TheyallsettledintothecadenceofLily’sstride.“Look,”shesaid,andstopped,pointing
toprintsontheground.“Thisone’sadeer,andtherearethewolves,trailingit.”

Michellegasped.“Oh,myGod.DidthewolfeatBambi?”

JackrolledhislipsinwardandlookedatLily.

Lily looked at Michelle for a long moment. “No,” she finally said, and Michelle

beamed.

Theycutthroughafieldofmossygrasshighastheirwaist,filledwithwildflowers,the

splashesofcolorsobrightthescenelookedlikeapainting.

Jaredcouldn’tbelievehe’dgonesomanyyearswithoutdoinganythinglikethis.After

so many years of nothing but work, and then nothing but waiting for fate to decide
whethertogivehimasecondchance,justwalkingalldayfelt…wonderful.

Thedaywasglorious,notasinglecloudinthebrilliantazuresky.Thejagged,starkly

beautiful peaks jutted high and proud, some still white-tipped, as unbelievable as that
seemed.

Birdschirped.Squirrelschattered.Beneaththeirfeetthefallenpineneedlescrunched.

From somewhere out in the woods surrounding them came a howl, which Jared could
admit,gavehimamoment’spause.

Andstilltheywalked.

“IgetthefeelingIshouldhavetakenmywifeonacruiseinsteadofahike.”

Jared looked over at Jack, who’d caught up with him. “It said ‘strenuous walking

involved’onthebrochures,”Jaredpointedout.

Jacksighed.“Yeah.Michelledidn’tgetthebrochure.”

“Well,then,I’dsleepwithoneeyeopentonightifIwereyou.”

Jack laughed, but the sound was mirthless. “I didn’t pick this trip. See, Michelle’s

father…he’stryingtosaveourmarriage.”

Strangewaytodoit.“Canitbesaved?”

JackglancedbackoverhisshoulderatMichelle,whowasmutteringtoherselfabout

hershoes,aboutthealtitude,lookingveryunhappy.She’dremovedheryellowrainjacket,
and tied it around her waist. “She’s a mess,” Jack said. “A sexy, gorgeous mess. Life
wouldcertainlybeeasierwithouther.”

“Youmightbefindingthatoutsoonerratherthanlater,especiallyifshegivesup.”

“Ifwedon’tcompletethistrip,together,thenherfatheriscuttingheroff.Allowance,

trustfund,creditcards,allofit,bye-bye.”

“Harsh.”

“It’s his money.” Jack gave another shrug. “I couldn’t give a shit about it. But she

givesashit.Abigone.”

“Soyou’redoingthisforher?”

“IguessIam.”

“Maybeyoucaremorethanyouthinkyoudo.”

“Yeah.”JacksighedandglancedbackatMichelleagain,hisexpressionsofteningashe

did.“Youknow,callmeanidiot,butjustlookingathermakesmeache.”

Jaredhadbeeninrelationships,butnonehadlasted.Candacemoanedandgroanedit

was because he’d always worked too much, but honestly? He simply hadn’t met the
woman,TheOne,oratleastnothingclosetothelovehe’dwitnessedbetweenhisparents
forthirtyyears.Theywereatoughacttofollow,andhisrelationships,whilelovelyand
fun and exciting, hadn’t been magical, or ever made him ache. He’d begun to figure it
mightneverhappenforhim,butthathadbeenbeforetheBigChange.

OrsohecalledhisnearmisswiththeGrimReaper.

Now he looked ahead, his gaze snagged on Lily’s trim, purposeful figure as she led

themalong,herhipsswingingasshewent.

Now…hewasdeterminednottomissoutonanything,especiallyachancetofindthe

womantomakehimache.Buttruthfully?

Hehadafeelinghemighthavealreadyfoundher.

***

ILY KEPT TURNING

back to face them, talking about the types of trees and plants and

wildlife in view. He caught little of what she said, what with his gaze snagged on her
sweetass.Asifshesensedit,shecranedherneck,andcaughthimintheact.Shedidan
almostcomicaldoubletake,asifnotquitesurethatshe’dseenwhatshethoughtshehad.

Hesmiled,effectivelybutsilentlyadmittingthatyeah,he’dbeenlookingather.

Abreezeblewthatstubbornstrandofhairacrosshereyes,andsheimpatientlyshoved

itfree,thenwithanotherlong,adorablybefuddledglance,turnedforwardagain.Thenher
faircoloringgaveherawaywhentheskinonherneckpinkened.

Hewasinmidgroanoverthatwhenfrombehindhim,Michellescreeched.

***

ACKRANTO

hiswife.Bythetimehegottoher,Michellewasdancingaroundincircles,

wavingherhands.Atherscream,hishearthadjumpedinhisthroat,butshelookedokay
tohim.“Michelle?What’sthematter?”

“Didyouseeit?”shecried,practicallycrawlinguphisbody.Helikedthatpart.Alot.

“Itjustranacrossmyfeet.Arat,ahugerat!”

“Notarat,”Lilysaid,cominguptothem.

Michellepulledherfacefromwhereshe’dplastereditagainstJack’sthroat.“Well,it

wasn’tasquirrel!”

“Probablyjustamarmot.”

“Oh, my God! A marmot?” She looked at Jack, panicked. “A marmot!” She turned

backtoLily.“What’samarmot?”

“They’reharmless.He’sprobablyscurryingaround,snackingonleavesandbark.”

“Hewasfat.”

“Andhappywithit,I’msure.Don’tworry,hedoesn’teatmuch.”

Jacklaughed,andMichelleshovedfreeofhim.“It’ssonotfunny.”

“Alittlebititis.”

Theyallstartedwalkingagain.

“Jack,”Michellesaidafterafewminutes.“Areyoutired?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Jacksighed.“RememberwhenyousaidIwasgettingasparetirearoundmymiddle?”

Michelleswipedatherforehead,pantingforbreath.“Iwasjustkidding.”

“Youwere?”Perplexed,heglancedather.Wouldheneverunderstandher?“Ididn’t

knowthat.Istartedrunning.”

Sheblinked.“Isthatwhereyougobeforethecrackofdawn?Running?”

“IalwaystellyouwhereI’mgoing.”Always.He’dmadesureofit.“Wheredidyou

thinkIwas?”

Michellegnawedonherlowerlip.

“Michelle.”

Sherolledhereyesandturnedaway.

Oh,noshedidn’t.Hegrabbedherhand,tuggingheraround,shocked.“YouthoughtI

wascheatingonyou.Jesus.That’sflattering.”

“WithTheresa.”

“Themaid?She’slikeeighteen!”

Michellejerkedashoulderandswipedherforeheadagain.

Jackcouldn’tbelieveit.“Iwouldnever…”

“Okay.”

He watched her trying to catch her breath. “Look, why don’t I lighten your pack a

little?”

“I’mfine.”

“IthoughtyourPilatesclasseswerehelpingyou.”

“I,um,haven’treallybeentakingPilatesclasses.”

Jack’s heart stopped again. “So what have you been doing? Or is this one of those

thingsIdon’twanttohearuntilwe’reindivorcecourt?”

“Shopping,” she admitted. “I haven’t been cheating on you either. I’ve been

shopping.”

“Shopping.” He chewed on that a moment. “But we’re on a tight budget. Which

means…” Ah, hell. “You’ve been using your daddy’s money again, when we agreed we
wouldn’t.”

“Isn’tthatbetterthanwhatyouthoughtImightbedoing?”

Jack sighed, and gave up. But why the hell was he so filled with tension and

resentmentifneitherofthemhadbeencheating?

***

HE DAY WARMED

. As they continued along, insects began to buzz. The dew dried and

fallenpineneedlescrunchedmoreloudlybeneaththeirfeet.Lilywashurting,butnomore
thanshe’dbeathome,afterphysicaltherapy.

Shehadnoideahowshe’dfeeltomorrow,whichdidnotloosenherknotofnerves.

Lookingback,shewatchedasRosepickedawildflower,andtuckeditbehindherear,

smilingatRock.

Rocksmiledback,andthenshepickedhimawildflower,too,makinghimblush.

LilyglancedatJared,justaquicklook,andhecaughther.Damnit.

Butshecouldn’thelpbutwonderifhe’dliketotuckawildflowerbehindherearand

claimherashis.Orifhe’drathertaketheflowerandrunitoverherbody,andthenfollow
thatpathwithhismouth…

Shehadnoideawherethesethoughtswerecomingfrom.Noideaatall.

Okay,sheknew.Butthatdidn’tmeanshehadtogivein.“Almosttimeforlunch,”she

announced.

“Don’tsupposewecanradiofortakeout,”Rosejoked.“MaybesomeThai?”

“Don’t worry,” Lily promised with a laugh. “I’ve got a lovely, luxurious lunch

planned.Nooneisgoingtobehungry.”

Jared’sgazemethers,andheld.

Sheknewjusthowhungryhewas,andexactlywhathewashungryfor.

Oh,boy.

CHAPTER5

FTER LUNCH, THEY

took up the hike again. Jared eyed the view as they came out of a

rockycanyon,asheerrockontheirleft,adrop-offontheirright,theriverwindingbelow.

“I’dswearwe’vegonetwohundredmiles,”Rosepuffed.“Jared?”

He pulled out his PDA, glanced at Lily, who rolled her eyes. Damn, she was cute.

“Fourpointsix,”hesaid.

“Orthat,”Rosemuttered.

Once again they heard water falling, a different waterfall this time. “Almost there,”

Lilypromisedthem,andthentheyclearedpastthetreesandpausedattheheart-stopping,
magnificentview.

The water fell down thirty feet or so, splashing with loud, wet grandeur into a large

naturalpool.Thepoolwassurroundedbyrocks,overwhichthewaterspilled,creatinga
second,smallerfalldroppingintotheriverthey’dwalkedalongtogetuphere.

“Canweswim?”Jackasked.

“Not here. It’s much safer from below, which we’ll get to in the morning. Keep

drinkingeveryone,nodehydrationtoday.”

“Okay,Igetitnow,”Michellesaidonahuffinglaugh.“ThisiswhyDaddywantedus

tocomeonthistrip.Hewantedtokillustosavehimtheattorneyfeesforourdivorce.”

“We haven’t decided to divorce yet,” Jack said, then hesitated. “Not that I know of,

anyway.”

Michelleliftedashoulder.“You’vebeensoupsetwithme,Ifiguredit’sonlyamatter

oftime.”

Jack’sfacewentcarefullyblank.“Don’tputwordsinmymouth.”

“Fine,butswitchplaceswithme,”Michellesaid.“Youwalkinfrontsoyouwon’tbe

temptedtopushmeoffthefallsintotheriver.”

“Youknow,”Jacksaidthoughtfully,“thatideahadn’toccurredtome.”

“Oh,”Michellesaid.

“—untilnow.”

“Oh.”

RosesmiledoveratRock.“Maybeyouwanttoswitchplaces,too,sugar,andgiveme

abetterview.”

Rockpassedher.“Isthatbetter?”

Roseeyedhisass.“Waaaybetter.”

Jared watch Rock finally get it, and blush beet red. The trail was flat now, and he

easily managed to stay right behind Lily. He figured he had the best view of all, and he
enjoyedituntilasquirrelpoppedoutofatreeandscreechedathimforgettingtooclose,
nearlygivinghimacoronary.

Lilylookedbackandsmiled.“You’rebeingscolded.”

“Tooclosetohishome?”

“Bingo.”

Jaredlookedatthetreethesquirrelhadvanishedinto.“He’sgotanicehome.”

“Gorgeoushere,isn’tit?”Shetookitallinandsmiledwithpleasure.“Ialmostforget,

untilIcomebackhere.”

“From…?”

“Oh.Well,IhaveanapartmentinSanFrancisco,thoughuntilrecentlyIspentmostof

mytimeasawildlandfirefighterinMontana.”

Yeah, he could see her as a firefighter, all sharp and toned and tough. “Sounds

exciting.”

“Was,”shesaid,andrubbedherthighs.

Itwasamotionhe’dseenherdobefore,andhedoubteditwasanervousgesture.The

trailwidenedenoughthathecouldmovetoherside.“Somethinghappen?”

“Youcouldsayso.Acliffhappened.”

“Youfell?”

“Fortyfeet.”

Hestaredather,horrified.

“Yeah,that’stheusualreaction,”shesaid.“ButatleastIlivedtotellthetale,right?”

“Right.Wow.”

“Livingwasdefinitelythesilverlining,”sheagreedgrimly,thenquickenedherstepas

ifshe’dtoldhimfarmorethanshe’dmeantto.

“Howbadwasit,Lily?”

Sheliftedashoulder.“Brokemyback.TheysaidI’dneverwalk.”Sheshruggedagain.

“Provedthemwrong.”

Hestaredatherbackasshekeptwalking,awedatherstrength,andalso,alittleawed

atthesimilaritiesinthethingsthey’dsuffered.“Butyou’rerecovered.That’samazing.”

“Notsorecovered.Ican’tbeafirefighteranymore.”

“It’s amazing that you’re out here at all, doing this.” He shook his head. “You must

havegonethroughhelltogethere.”

Amirthlesslaughescapedher.

Helookedatherproud,stiffshoulders,andimaginedallthatshewasn’tsaying.Andif

anyoneunderstoodthat,itwashim.“I’msorryyouhadtogiveupfirefighting.”

“Itwastimeforsomethingnewanyway.”

Onetoughcookie.“Wasit?”

“Yeah.Idon’ttendtosticktoanythingforlong.”

“Youlookhappydoingthis.”

Shepaused,considered,thensmiled.“Youknowwhat?Iam.”

“And Keith,” he said carefully, well aware that he was now on a fishing expedition,

“hemustbethrilledtohaveyouworkingforhim.”

“Oh.”Sheglancedaway.“Wegowayback,Keithandme.”

Hekeptbreathing,barely.

“But…thisismyfirsttrekforhiminyears,sowe’llseehowitworksout.”

Henodded.“Heseemedhappyenoughwithyou.”

Sheglancedathim,probablyrememberingthekisshe’dwitnessed.

Thehellwithsubtlety,hedecided.“Areyoutwotogether?”

Shetookalongdrinkfromherwaterbottle,anicedelaytactic,henoted.“I’mnotsure

thatmatters,”shesaidcarefully.

Reachingout,heputahandonherarmandstoppedherprogress,pullingheraround

to face him. The others were all still far enough back that no one was in danger of
overhearing.“Youcan’tseewhyitwouldmattertome?”

“You’reaclient,”shewhispered.

“Forafewdays,that’sall.”

Shelickedherlips.Nowthatwasdefinitelyanervousgesture,buthelikedit.Heliked

her.

Muchmorethanhe’dintendedto,whenit’doncebeenapurelyphysicalthing.

“We need to keep moving,” she said, her gaze dropping for the briefest beat to his

mouth.

Yeah,helikedthat,too,butthenshepulledfreeandbeganwalkingagain.

She’d picked up her pace, and he had to hurry to catch up with her, which stole his

breathandkepthim,temporarily,fromaskinganythingmore.

“Yourbiosaysyou’resomesortofelectronicswizard,”shesaid,becauseapparently

shestillhadbreath.“Afterseeingsomeofyourtoyssofar,Ibelieveit.Howmanydidyou
bring,anyway?”

“Uh…”

Shesloweddownandletoutadisbelievinglaughashepassedher.“Youknowwhat?

Don’ttellme.”

“Okay.” Turning to face her, he walked backward, smiling as he thought of the iPod

andthePDAhecarried.NottomentionhisSidekick…“Iwon’t.”

“Hey,watchout—”

Heturnedforwardjustasshepushedpasthimtoshovealargebranchoutoftheway.

Ifshehadn’t,he’dhavewalkedrightintoit,headfirst.

Feelingjustalittlebitstupidandalotawkward,neithernewwhenitcametobeautiful

women,heshotherasheepishsmile,whichfaded.

She’dgottenscratchedacrossherneck.

“Ah,hell.”Hereachedforher.“Thatwasmyfault.I’msosorry.”

Sheputahandtoherneck,thenlookedatherfingers,whichhadalittlesmearofher

blood.“It’snothing.”

Heputhishandsonherarmstostopherforwardmovement,andstudiedthescratch.

True, it wasn’t bad, but it bothered him just the same. He shrugged off his pack and
squatteddowntogothroughit.

Thefoldedpieceofpaperfelloutofhispocketagain.

Shelookedatit.“Iknow.Yourgrocerylist.”

“It’salist,butnotgroceries.”

“Ato-dolist.”

“Sortof.”HecalledithisTo-Do-If-He-Didn’t-Dielist.

“Whatdoesaguylikeyouputonalist?”

Aguylikehim?Whatthehell,hehandedittoher,thenreachedintothefrontzippered

pocketofhispackforatubeofantisepticandaBand-Aid.

Shelaughedatthefirstaidstuff.“You’rekidding.”

“See? And you thought I’d be totally unprepared. I’ll have you know I also have

sunscreen,waterproofmatches,moleskinandaspirin.”

“Nice.”Shepeeredintothepouch.“Andasnakebitekit?”

“Yep.Andalsowaterpurificationtablets.”

“Andthekitchensink?”Sheunfoldedhislistandbegantoread.

Hewatchedherface,andwhenshewasfinished,shehandedthepaperbacktohim.

“Whatdoyouthink?”heasked,unabletohelphimself.

“Ithinkthatmaybeeveryoneshouldhavealist.”

He’dneverthoughtsountilhe’dmadehis.Hehaditmemorized.One,takeaguided

trek in the mountains. Two, sail the Greek Islands. Three, eat less fast food and more
seafood, even if it’s slimy. Four, remember to smell the flowers. Five, tell the people in
yourlifethatyoulovethem.

“Whatwouldbeonyours?”heaskedher.

“You know, I have no idea.” She lifted a hand. “All my life, if I’ve wanted to go

somewhere,orseesomething,I’vejustdoneit.”

“That’s an amazing way to live,” he agreed. “But there’s got to be something you’d

liketodothatyouhaven’t.”

Ashadowcrossedherface,andshegrabbedtheantiseptic.

“Here.Letme.”Hetookitbackandstrokedsomeofthecreamoverherskin,which

feltlikewarmsilkbeneathhisfingers.

Warmsilk.Hewasthinkingofwarmsilk.Totakehismindoffthat,hereachedforthe

Band-Aid,butshepulledaway.

“It’sjustascratch.”Herbodylanguagesaidbackoffbecauseshecouldtakecareof

herself.Hereyessaidhe’dgottentooclose,andnotjustproximity-wise.

What had spooked her? he wondered. The list? No, she didn’t understand the

significanceofthelist.Maybeit’dbeenthewayhe’dtriedtotakecareofherscratch.Had
no one ever fussed over her before? And why did that make him want to do just that?
“Doesitsting?”

“No,”shesaid,aboldliethatmadehimlaughsoftly.“Here.”Puttinghishandsonher

shoulders,helookedintohereyesashetiltedhisheadandleanedin.Sheinhaledsharply
asheblewverygentlyacrossherneck.

“Jared—”

“Shh.”Hewaitedtoseeifshewould,andwhensheclampedherlipsshut,hetookthat

asapprovalanddiditagain,blowingyetanotherbreathoverherflesh,whichhenoticed
wasnowcoveredingoosebumps.

Sheshivered,andheknewdamnwellitwasn’tfrompain.“Better?”hemurmured.

“Um—”

Heliftedhishead.“BecauseIhaveonemoretrickupmysleeve,”hesaid,andkissed

herneck,rightabovethecut.

Sheslappedahandonhischest.“Whatareyoudoing?”

“Kissing it all better.” He lifted his head and smiled into her shocked face. “Did it

work?”

“I…”Lookingadorablyperplexed,sheputherhandtoherneck.Hervoicecamelow

andthroaty.Incrediblysexy.“Youkissedme.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Nah. Now this…this a kiss.” Sliding his hand around to the back of her neck, he

pulledherin,thenstoppedwithhislipsamerewhisperfromhers.Heabsorbedtheway
herbreathcaught,thewayhisowndidthesame,includinghisheart.

Then he closed the distance…soft, wet, warm lips connected, her body an arousing

heatagainsthis.

She hadn’t budged, not even to breathe since that initial little panting sigh, but he

couldfeelherheartstammeringagainsthis,andthen…thenshetookthehandonhischest
andfisteditinhisshirt,rightabovehisheart.

Helikedthat,likedthatsomuchhepulledhercloser,and—

Andfromdownthesteeptrail,Michellecalledout.“Lily?”

Withasigh,hemadehimselfeaseback.

Lilydidn’ttakehereyesoffJared’s.“Here!We’reuphere!”

TheothersstraggledalongwhileLilycontinuedtostareatJared.

Hesmiled.

Shetouchedherneckagain,asifnotsureanyofithadreallyhappened;thescratch,

the kiss… “Just about there,” she called out, and with one last look at Jared, she turned
andkeptwalking.

With the taste of her still on his lips, he followed, the walking helping to clear his

muddied-up heart. As far as the eye could see lay peaks and valleys and wide alpine
meadows like green inland oceans, blanketed by a sky of sheer azure blue. The falls
crashedloudlyahead,droppingintooneofthosegreenseas.

Theywereatthetopoftheworld.

“Here,”Lilyfirmlysaid,anddroppedherpack.

Everyonedroppedtheirpacks,too.RoseswipedherbrowandsmiledasRockhanded

heracanteenofwater.“Whatasweetie,thanks.Abigbuiltcutielikeyou,youmustspend
alotoftimedoingstufflikethis,huh?”

“No,”hesaid,swipinghisbrowwithhisarm.“Thisismyfirsttime.”

“Ah,”Rosesaidspeculatively.“Avirgin.”

Rockwentbeetred.“No,I—”

“Anoutdoorvirgin.”Rosesmiled.“Goodie.Wecanloseourcherriestogether.”

Rockcouldn’tsayanything,havingprobablyswallowedhisowntongue.

Roselookaround.“Bathroom?”

“Bushes,”Lilysaid.

“Oh,my.”ShelookedatRock.“Willyoustandguard?”

“Sure.”

“Jack?Michelle?”Lilyaskedastheysanktothegroundandleanedbackagainsttheir

packs.“Okay?”

“Great,”Jacksaid,actuallylookinglikehewasenjoyinghimself.

“Great?”Michelleaskedhimincredulously.“You’redoinggreat?”

“Well…yeah.You?”

“Mypack’stooheavyandmyfeethurt.”

“Youknewthiswasgoingtobehard.Ithoughtweweregoingtomakethemostofit.”

Shepiledherlong,thickblondhairontopofherhead.“I’dratherbemakingthemost

ofaspatreatment.”

“Youcanmakeyourownspatreatmenttonight,”Lilysaid.“Mudbathatthelake.For

now,checkouttheview.Thatshouldhelp.”

Theyalllookedatthefalls,notthunderingliketheearlierones,butfullenough.“It’s

pure snow melt,” Lily said. “Chilly. But the water’s so crystal-clear you can see to the
bottomofthatpool.Thefisharehuge.”

“Ican’tseethemfromhere,”Jacksaid.

“We’ll see them up close and personal tonight.” Lily glanced apologetically at

Michelle.“Sorry.”

Michellejustshookherhead,andclosedhereyes.“Noproblem.Exceptthisgroundis

hard.Ihopethebedsaresofter.”

“Um…yourbedisyoursleepingbag,”Lilytoldher.

“Oh.”Michellesighedagain.“Right.”ShelookedatJack.“I’mguessingthisvacation

wascheaperthanlastyear’sItaly,huh?”

“Butthatwasthen.”

“Whatdoesthatmean?”

“Itmeans,timeforustolearntospendonlywhatwemake.”

“We…orme?”

Jacksighed.“Okay,you.”

“That’sfineforyou.Youlikecamping.”

“Ifyoutry,”Jacksaidwiththepatienceofasaint,“youmightlikeit,too.”

Michellenodded.“Maybe.Areyougoingtokeepmewarmtonight?”

Jackblinked.“Uh…yeah.Ifyouwantmeto.Youhaven’t…”

“Itmighthelpmeenjoytheexperience.”

“Really?”

When Michelle slowly nodded, Jack let out a hopeful smile. “Yeah. I’ll keep you

warm.”

Jaredtriednottoinvadetheirprivacy,buthethoughtit’dbenicetohavesomeoneto

keephimwarmatnight.HelookedatLilyandfoundhergazeonhim.

Wasshethinkingthesamething?

Damnhardtotell,butthenshenibbledonherlowerlipasifsuddenlyunsettled,and

timeseemedtostuttertoahalt.

ThenRockcameskiddingbackintocamp,facepale.“It’sRose.”

Lilyleaptbackuptoherfeet.“Whatabouther?”

Rockliftedhishand,fromwhichdangledRose’sminiskirtandhaltertop.

Everyonegasped.

“Shewentskinnydipping,”Rocksaid.“Shejumpedintothefalls.”

“Oh,myGod!”Michellecried,whippingaroundtolookdownatthewater.

Theriverwasn’twildorrough,butitwasn’texactlyloworsmootheither.

“She’sprobablydead,”Michellesaid,horrified.

LilyturnedtofaceRock.“Showmewhereshejumped.”

Everyone ran after them, stopping short at where Rose had dropped her shoes. They

stared down at the falls, at the rock below it, and beyond that, the churning river as it
flowedwithshockingspeedalongitsmerryway.

Then,beforeJaredcouldgraspLily’sintentions,shetoedoffhershoes.

“Everyonestayhere,”shedemanded.“Donot,andIrepeatdonot,gointothewater.”

Andthen,inafascinatingshowofcourage,shedovein.

CHAPTER6

NDISBELIEF

ARED

rantotheveryedgeofthecliff,hisarmsflappingtokeephimfrom

fallingoverinhisrush.

Shewasgone.

Gone.

Ashewatchedinhorror,ascreaming—andnaked—Roseappeared,thenjustasfast,

disappearedoverthesecondfallsandintotheriverbelow.

Lilysurfacedinthefirstpool,tossingherhairandwaterfromherfaceasshesearched

aroundher.

Letting out his pent-up breath, Jared cupped his hands around his mouth. “Lily! She

wentoverthesecondfalls!”heyelled,pointing.

Nodding,sheswamtowardthesecondwaterfall.

Jesus. No one admired bravery more than him, because bravery had been what had

gotten him through the past year. Well, that and a healthy fear of dying, but that was
anotherstory.

Lilyhadgutsinspades,anditfascinatedhim.Shefascinatedhim.“Waithere,”Jared

toldeveryoneelse,andtookoffonthetrail,headingbackdown.

Because down was the way a screaming Rose was headed, and Lily would be right

afterher.

Heintendedtobethereaswell.

***

HEWATERCLOSED

overRose’sheadandherfirstthoughtwas,uh-oh.

Then she was caught in the current, which carried her over the second waterfall,

tumblingherheadoverheels,againandagain,untilshecouldn’tdecidewhichwaywas
upandwhichwasdown,andhernextthoughtwasOh,shit,nowI’vedoneit.

Yeah. Jumping had seemed like a fun adventure to have, but maybe she could have

thoughtthisoutalittlebetter.

Toobadthinkingaheadwasn’therstrongsuit.Justaskherex-husband.Ifithadbeen,

she wouldn’t be here…camping. But she’d been bored at work selling second homes to
richtechiesintheBayArea,tiredofflirting—andsleepingwith—thesametechies.She
wantedtomixthingsupabit,andgoingonanoutdooradventurehadseemedlikeagood
idea.

GiventhewayRocklookedather,ithadbeenagreatidea.

Shewantedhim.Shewantedtoplaywithhimfortheduration,thensaybye-byeand

walkaway.

Herspecialty.

Walkwhenthemagicfades,andyoucouldnevergethurt.Shelikedthat,shethought,

kickingto the surfaceand opening hereyes. Oh, my God,the sky wasa sharp blue, the
restofthelandscapeagloriousgreen-and-brownblur—

Blur.

Oh,shit,theriverwasmovingfast,andbecauseshewasinit,sowasshe.

Definitelynotherbestmove.Shegrabbedforabranch,andmissed.Twotrieslatershe

managed to grab on to a loose one. Shoving her hair out of her eyes, she surveyed the
situation.Shewasnakedinarushingriver,holdingontoabranchthatdidn’tfeelallthat
stable,andshoreseemedprettydamnfaraway.

So where the hunks were when she needed them? Jack with his quick smile, even if

that smile was mostly directed at his sweet, spoiled wife. Jared with that laid-back,
easygoing wit that was somehow much sexier than muscles, though he had those, too…
Unfortunately for her, he hadn’t taken his gaze off Lily since they’d started this hike.
Mostly, she hoped for Rock, because he had a body meant for nibbling, and eyes that
made her melt, eyes that spent a gratifying amount of time glued to her ass, but at this
point—thatbeingshewasgettingcoldandthebranchhadjustcrackedominously—she’d
takeanyofthem.

Leaning back, she let the sun beam down on her face and her breasts, and that felt

good.Shesupposedshecouldjusthangonandsunbatheforafew—

Crackwentthebranch,andbroke.

***

ILY WENT OVER

the second falls, plunging beneath the surface, held there for an

interminablylongmomentbyaviciouscurrent.

Painblossomedthroughherbody,eachmusclescreaminginprotestattheactivity.

It’dbeenawhilesinceshe’dswuminpuresnowmelt,andshewaslessthanthrilledat

doingitnowasthecoldseepedintohernewlyrepairedbones,makingthemstiff,leaving
themhurtinglikehell.

ShewasgoingtokillRose,iftheriverdidn’tdoitfirst.

Kickingtothesurfaceinthedeepriver,shegulpedinairasshesearchedaroundher

for the other woman. It wasn’t hard to find her, she simply followed the sudden scream
echoingandbouncingofftherockcanyonwalls.

Lilyspedupherstroketowardthesound.Whycouldn’tpeoplefollowdirections?

Thenthescreamabruptlycutoff.

Oh,God.

Heart in her throat, Lily whipped around a curve in the river, nearly decapitating

herselfonafallenlog.

Butthenshewastreadingwater,inshockasshefocusedonJared—notwhereshe’d

lefthimandtoldhimtostay,butontheriver’sedge—holdinganakedRoseinhisarms.

Obviouslyhehadn’tlistenedtoheranymorethanRosehad,anepidemictoday,which

really pissed her off. He’d clearly run back down the trail—at the speed of light if he’d
gottenherethatquick—andhadjumpedintotherivertosavethescreaming,misbehaving
Rosehimself.

Rose practically climbed up Jared’s body to glue herself against him tighter than

shrinkwrap.“Thankyou,thankyou,thankyou,”shewassayingoverandover,kissinghis
face,stillbare-assnaked,mindyou,withbreastsshe’dmostdefinitelynotbeenbornwith
bouncingallovertheplace.

Jared,notseemingtomind,sanktotheground,hisarmsfull.He’dlosthisglassesand

was squinting like crazy when he lifted his head and looked over at Lily with a smile.
“Gother.”

Yeah,shecouldseethat.Shewouldn’thaveguessedhe’dhavethestrengthforit,but

he’dprovenherwrong.He’dprobablylaugh,andsayshewasjudgingabookbyitscover
again,andshe’ddefinitelyhavetoagree.

Shewasgoingtohavetostartredefiningwhatshesawasstrength.

Itdefinitelydidn’thavetocomefrommuscles.

Gritting her chattering teeth, she began to swim to the edge, her body protesting by

shooting pain through every inch. The current was a bitch, and she could definitely see
how Rose had gotten herself in trouble. She was breathing like a misused racehorse
herself,thoughagoodpartofthatwasadrenaline.

Andtemper.

Oh,andpain.

Setting her feet down, she made her way out of the water. Jared looked at her as he

tried,unsuccessfully,topullRose’sarmsfromhisneck.

ProbablyRosewaspracticallystranglinghim.Good.

“Whatifyou’dfallenin,too?”sheasked,collapsingexhaustedtotheshorebeforehe

couldseeshewastrembly.“I’dstillbeoutthere,tryingtosavebothofyou.”

“You’rewelcome.”Jaredhadeitherdroppedhisoutershirtbeforehe’djumpedin,or

he’d lost it in the water. He pulled off the T-shirt that was clinging to his every inch,
tugging it over his head with the one easy motion that guys were so good at, and then
handedittoRose.

“It’s wet,” Rose said in a voice that said she wasn’t thinking about the wet shirt so

muchashisbarechest,whichshewasnowpracticallylappingup.

“It’s a cover,” Jared pointed out, standing there just a little bit attitude-ridden and a

wholelotmoretoughandlessskinnythanLilyhadthought.

LikeRose,shetookasecondlook.

Andokay,maybeathirdandafourth,because,um,wow.

With a low oath, Jared tried to stuff Rose into his T-shirt himself. He was blinking

rapidly,andwithouthisglasses,stillsquinting.

Lily watched him shove Rose’s arms into the sleeves, wondering why the hell she

caredifhehadtotouchRose’snudeandextremelygorgeous,lushbodytodoit.

Becausesheabsolutelydidnotcare.

Notonelittlebit.

Nope,shehadotherthingstoworryabout,thankyouverymuch.Thingssuchasthe

factthatforthefirsttime,she’dcomeclosetolosingsomeoneonherwatch.Whatdidthat
sayaboutherabilitytodothis?Notmuch.Shovingherhairoutofherface,sheputher
hands on her hips. “And what the hell was that, Rose? The taking-off-your-clothes-and-
jumping-off-a-cliffthing?”

RosesmootheddowntheT-shirtthatnowcoveredhertomidthigh,clingingtoevery

inchofhercurvybodyasifshe’djustbeeninawetT-shirtcontest.“Yeah,sorry.Thatgot
alittlecrazy.”

“Alittle?”

Sheshrugged.“Thewaterlookedsoinviting.”

“YoumighthavegottenJaredkilled.”ThethoughtmadeLily’sbloodruncold,andshe

whirledonhimaswell.“Andyou…”

Heblinkedsomemore.

“Itoldyoutostay.”

“Again,you’rewelcome,”hesaid,squintingadorably.

“Damnit,yourglasses.Didyoulosethem?”Thatwasallsheneeded,himhalfblind

forthenextfourdays.

“No,they’refine.Idroppedthematthetopwithmypack.”Heshookhisheadlikea

dog, and water droplets showered around him. He shoved his fingers through the short
mop,butallthataccomplishedwastomakethedarkendsstandstraightup.

Jack and Rock came running into the clearing then, having clearly made their way

downthepath.InRock’shandswereRose’sclothes,andheskiddedtoastopinfrontof
her,panting,sweating,utterlyspeechlessatthesightofherinJared’swetT-shirt.

Apparently knowing exactly how stop-traffic-amazing she looked, and probably

having caused more than her fair share of speechlessness before, Rose patted his arm in
understanding and sympathy. Yeah, she seemed to be used to making men into stupid
blathering idiots. “Thanks, sugar.” She winked at him as she stepped into her mini skirt

andshimmieditupherhips.“Sweetofyou.”

LilylookedupbothsetsoffallstowhereshecouldjustmakeoutMichelle’soutline,

undoubtedly anxious. Not necessarily for Rose’s health, but her own, because she
wouldn’tliketobealone.

Notthatshe’driskasecondclimbbackupthehillinordernottobealone.No,staying

uptherebyherselfwasapparentlythelesseroftwoevils.“Allright,”Lilysaidwearily.
“Let’sgetbackuptoourstuff.We’lljustcampthereforthenightandregroup.”Andtake
abottleofibuprofen.“Startfresh—”shelookedatRose“—anddry,inthemorning.”

Rose had the good grace to look chagrined. “Yeah. Sorry about that, honey.” She

snuggled into poor Rock for some of his body warmth, making his expression go from
worrytolookingasifhe’dwonthelotto.

Lily sighed. She’d known coming into this thing that this group had little wildness

experience and she’d taken them on anyway. It was fine, it was her job to show them a
goodtimeouthere,andsheloveddoingthat.

Andinfourdaystheywouldbegoneoutofherlife,andshe’dbeontoanewgroup.

Thatwasthebeautyofthisjob,everythingbeingsotemporary—butshehadtheunsettling
feeling that maybe, just maybe, temporary no longer suited her. “Let’s go.” She led the
wayback,stoppingalongthewayatthefourmensittingontheedgeoftheriverfishing.
They were the first people they’d seen all day, and they had a full bucket of trout with
them. For an easy price, Lily negotiated dinner—five trout she could cook to go along
withthepastashehadinhergear.

Sheledhergroupbackupthewindingpath,drippingwaterontheswitchbacksasshe

carriedthefish.Shewasinagoodamountofpainnow,anddidn’tglanceback.Sheknew
themenwouldmakesureRosegotbackupthehilljustfine.

Honestly. Men were so stupid, letting themselves be led around by their penises.

ThankGodshewasfemale.

“Hey.”

SheheardJared,butkeptwalking,wringingwateroutofherbraidratherthanhaveit

dripdownherbackandchillherfurther.

“Hey,”hesaidagain,andgrabbedherarm,pullingheraroundtofacehim.

“Don’tworry,”shesaid,liftingthetrout.“Ipromisetheywon’tbeslimy.”

Hismouthquirkedatthereferencetohislistofthingstodo.Hishairwasstillstanding

straightup,andatsomepointtodayhe’dgottenquiteabitofsun,whichhadbronzedhis
cheekbones.

He had his shirt back from Rose, but it was wadded in his hand and not on his dry

torso,soshecouldn’tstophergazefromtakingitselfonahappylittletour,skimmingover
hisshoulders,whichwerebroaderthanshe’dhaveguessed,andhischest,whichhadjust
therightamountofhair,nottoomuchandnottoolittle.

Notthatshenoticed.

Good Lord. Had she bumped her head in the dive? What other reason could there

possiblybeforhergazetodipevenfartherandlockonhisbelly?

Flatandridged,itroseandfellfromtheexertionofthetoughwalk.

Andthentherewerehisjeans.

God, she was a sucker for a man in jeans, and these were still wet and just loose

enoughthatthey’dslippedlow,dangerouslylowactually,onhisnarrowhips,gapingaway
fromhisabswitheverybreathhetook.

A woman, if she was so inclined, could slip her entire hand down into that loose

waistbandand—

“Ididn’trealizethishadturnedintoaracebackuptothetop,”hesaid.

“Sorry.”

Reaching out, Jared slid his hand along her jaw, lifting her face, which he then

frownedinto,hisgazelockedonhercheekbone.

“What?”Sheslappedhishandaway.

Hislipscurvedslightly.“Youjustalsohavea—”

“What?”

Hewaggledafinger,pointingtoherface,thenreachingin—

“I’mfine.”

“Yeah,andonthat,I’mcompletelyonehundredpercentinagreement,butyouhavea

little…” Looking into her eyes, smiling, he pulled something off her cheek. A leaf,
probablystucktherewithdirtaswell.

Sheswipedatherface,groaningwhenhissmilewidened.“Ijustsmeareddirtaround,

right?”

“Ifithelps,youlookextremelycutewithitonyourface.”

Extremelycute?Shedidn’tknowquitehowtotakethat.Hell,shedidn’tknowhowto

takehim.Halfthetimehemadeherwanttosmile,theotherhalfofthetimehemadeher
yearnandburnforsomenamelessthing…Ack,themanmadehercrazy.Unabletocome
upwithanykindofreasonableresponse,Lilyturnedandbeganwalkingagain.

“Areyouokay?”heasked,keepingpacewithher.

“Why?”

Hewasquietamoment.“Yourlimp,it’smorepronounced.”

“I’mgood.”Andtoproveit,shespedup.Atthetopofthehill,sheorderedRoseand

Jared to change while she made camp and got everyone settled. This involved getting a
firegoingsoshecouldgetanow-chilledRosewarmagain.Asalwaysnowwithafire,she

staredintotheflamesandfeltacreepy,unwantedflashbacktoanotherfire,onethathad
almostcosthereverything,butshebeatthatback.Thiswasn’tacampfiremadebysome
recklessidiot.Sheknewwhatshewasdoing,andtherewouldbenofallingasleepuntilit
wasasoutasitcouldbe.

Noflare-ups.

“Whataboutbears?”Michelleaskednervously,herteethchatteringalongwithRose’s.

“Th-thinkbears’llfindus?”

Jaredpulledsomethingoutofhispocket.ThatPDAagain.Withacoupleoftapsofhis

thumb, he looked up. “No bears in the vicinity,” he promised, and showed them the
screen.Itwasaglobalpositioningsatellite,completewithaheat-seekingsystem.“It’dtell
usifsomethingalivewasaroundherebreathing.”

Nothingwaslitupintheirvicinitybutthesixofthem.

“Wow,”Michellesaid.“Iwantoneofthose.”

Jaredshookhishead.“Prototype.”HeglancedatLily,whowasfeelingtornbetween

extreme irritation at his toys, and the fact that it had actually seemed to ease Michelle’s
mind.

With the fire crackling, and Rose hunched in front of the flames, Lily put Rock on

Rose’stentdetail,whichthrilledhim.

Too bad he had no idea what he was doing, and she had to help him. And then

MichelleandJackaswell.

Afterthat,sheturnedtohelpJared,assumingthathe,liketheothers,wouldhaveno

ideahowtoerecthistentdespitethefactthatthey’dbeengiventheirequipmentdaysago
withdirectionstopracticeandbecomeproficient.

Only,onceagain,hemanagedtosurpriseher.Histentwasalreadyerected,andasshe

watched,hecameoutofit,walkingdirectlybehindhertosetsomethingonhershoulders.

Alargetowel.

“What’sthis?”sheasked.

He tugged playfully on her hair and slid an arm around her, sharing his body heat.

“Youmadesureeveryoneelsechangedandgotwarm,butyouneverdid.You’restillwet.”
Hishandssliddownhershouldersalongherarms,bigandwarmashegentlysqueezed,
sharingthatwarmthwithher.

“I’mfine,”shesaid.

“We’vealreadyagreedthatyouareasfineastheycome.”

Hisvoicetendedtodosomethingfunnytoherbelly,andittightened.Wasshe…No.

Shewasabsolutelynotlusting.

Oh,God,butshewas.

Heranhishandsbackupherarms,andsheactuallyshiveredagain.

Definitelylusting.Big-time.

“See,”hemurmuredinherear,hisjawbrushinghers,makinghereyeswanttoflutter

closedinordertosavorthesensation.“Youwerecold.”

“No,”shesaid.Alie,ofcourse.Justtryme,she’dsaidtoKeith,andnowshewanted

tosaythatverythingtoJared.

Justtryme…

When he flashed a quick grin that she could feel against her skin, she could have

kickedherself.

Becauseshe’djustadmitteditwasn’tachillmakinghershiver,buthim.

Oh,boy.She’dwantedtoclaimherlifeagain,andshewas.Onlyshewasbeginningto

discovershewasgettingmuchmorethanshe’dbargainedfor.

She clamped her mouth shut tight so she couldn’t inadvertently give anything else

away.Butitwastoolate,andhelaughedsoftly.“Soifyou’renotcold…”Hisvoicewas
lowernow,husky…pleased.“Thenit’smemakingyoushiver.”

Nope.

Not saying a word here, not a single one, not when her brain had so clearly

disconnectedfromhermouth.

Hislipsskimmedoverherskin,inthatdelicate,oh-so-sensitivespotjustbeneathher

lobe,anddamnit,sheshiveredagain.

“I’m tired, that’s all,” she said quickly to negate it. “And sore from the dive and

swim.”

“Need me to kiss you all better?” he whispered in a voice hot enough to set the

surroundingtreesonfire.“Becauseitworkedlasttime…”

CHAPTER7

ARED WAITED, HIS

mouth a mere breath from Lily’s soft, silky skin. God, she was

something,standingtheresotough,sofiercelyindependent,soutterlyarousing.

Andunexpectedlysweet.

Heknewhernow,orwasbeginningto,andhewantedhermorethanever.

“DoIneedyoutokissmeallbetter?No.”Tiltingherhead,shemethisgazestraight

on,nowavering,nohiding,notforthiswoman.“DoIwantyouto?Yes.Becausewantis
entirelydifferentfromneed.”

Turninghertofullyfacehim,hesmiled.“I’lltakethewantfornow.”Hewouldearn

theneed,forlater.

Never before had he made time to be in the middle of nowhere, doing nothing but

walking and enjoying the sights for four days. And he sure as hell hadn’t made time to
haveawet,sexy-eyedwomanstareupathim,flirtwithhim.

Him.

Thesheerpleasureofthathadagrinsplittinghisface.Beforehe’dgottensick,he’d

thoughthislifecomplete.He’dhavesworntoit.Butnowthathewasnolongerconsumed
byeitherworkorpain,heknewhowwronghe’dbeen.

“It’s not going to happen,” she warned. “Not here. Not now.” Having said so, she

backedupastep,andcamedirectlyupagainstatree.

Ah, wasn’t that perfect. Shamelessly using the situation to his advantage, he shifted

forward, gently pressing her to the trunk. Knowing he was now blocking her from the
others,hesethishandsoneithersideofherheadandleanedin.

Sheslappedahandtohischest.“Didyoumissthenot-here,not-nowpart?”sheasked,

coolasrain.

No,hehadn’tmissedathingwhenitcametoher,butfactwas,hereyeshadsoftened,

goneallsleepy-liddedanddreamy,andhermouth—God,hermouthhadopenedslightly,
her tongue touching one corner as she stared at his lips. Body language was definitely
conflictingwithherwords,andhefiguredbodylanguagestoodformore.

Orsohehoped.

Heshiftedforwardanotherinch,andthenitwasthatheart-stoppingbeatrightbefore

thekiss,thebeatwheretheybothknewitwasgoingtohappen…Hiseyeswantedtodrift
shutsothathecouldsinkintothefeelofher,thescentofher,butshekepthersopen,even
as he closed the distance and touched his lips to hers. He’d never kissed with his eyes
openbefore,anditwasoddly,shockinglyintimate.

Then,stillwatchinghimfromthosewhiskeyeyes,sheslowlysankherteethintohis

bottomlip,andheldon.Notdeepenoughtoreallyhurt,butnotexactlygentleeither.

Andhewentinstantlyhard.“Uh—”

Her teeth tightened, and when he winced, her tongue darted out and stroked his lip

beforeshepulledbackandlookedathimwithacockedbrow.

“Okay, so you meant it,” he said on a laugh. He’d never wanted to laugh while so

arousedbefore.“Nothere,notnow.”

Shesmiled.“Ijustloveteachingnewthings.”Withthat,shetightenedthetowel—his

towel—aroundhershouldersandbrushedpasthimtocheckontheothers.

Standing still, he watched her go, watched as she jumped right back into being in

chargeasifshehadn’tjustthoroughlyrockedhisworld,somuchsothathewasgoingto
havetostandhereforafewmomentsbeforeanyonegotagoodlookathim.

Onethingaboutnolongerbeingconsumedbywork,hehadthetimetoabsorbthings.

Rock was showing Rose how to raise the screen on her tent’s window, which faced…
surprise,surprise…Rock’stent.

Michelle had pulled something out of her backpack, and from here it looked like a

largechocolatebar.Jackshookhishead,butwhenMichellebrokeoffapieceandhanded
it to him, he looked at her, smiled. She smiled back as he popped it into his mouth and
heldouthishandforanother.

Lilyhunkeredinfrontofthefire,pokingatitwithastick.Inlessthantensecondsshe

hadthatfireleapingbacktolife.

Andwatchingallthis,itoccurredtoJared—ashestoodtherewaitingforthebloodto

circulate back into vital areas of his body, say his brain—that everyone here was
consumedbysomething.Work,food,love…

Nothim.Nope,forthefirsttimeinhislife,hewasnolongerconsumedbyanything,

and it felt odd. Like the-loss-of-a-limb odd. He needed something new to get excited
about, something other than work or family, something that was healthy, and soul-
rewarding.

Lily rose and bent over the backpacks, pulling out supplies and food for dinner. Her

still-wetcargoshortsclungtoherfeatures,herbestfeaturerightinbull’s-eyeviewasshe
rifledthroughthepacks.

Andheknew.He’dfoundhissomethingnew—he’dfoundher:hisenigmatic,fearless,

gorgeous,sexyguide.Yeah,thatsoworkedforhim.

Heonlyhopeditworkedforher.

***

ILYSERVED

ROUT

overlinguinifordinner,andconsideredthenightasuccesswhenshe

had everyone around the campfire singing silly songs, toasting marshmallows and
laughing.

Well,almosteverybody.Michellewasn’tsinging,shewassittinginthatbrightyellow

rainjacket,barefoot,staringmoroselyatherfeet.AsLilywatched,Jackcameclosewitha
fistfulofBand-Aids,andkneeledatherside.

Michellepulledherfeetinandshookherhead.

Shedidn’twanthelp,oratleastnothishelp.

Jackpatientlyreachedforoneofherfeetandinexorablypulledittowardhim,turning

itthiswayandthat,inspectingit.ThenhebeganopeningBand-Aidsandfixingherup.

Michelle tried to hold on to her frown, and managed for a good long time, but

somewhere between her right and her left foot, the frown faded, and she sighed her
husband’sname.

“Shh,”Jacksaid.

Andjustlikethat,thefrownwasback.“Whydoyoualwaysshushme?”

“Idon’t.”

“Youdo,youalwaysdo.Iembarrassyou.”

Jacklookedaround,caughtLilylookingatthem,andhunchedhisshoulders.“When

youpickafightinpublic,youdo.”

“Whatdoyoucarewhatanyoneelsethinks?Idon’twantyoutocarewhatanyoneelse

thinks.”

“AndI,foronce,wouldliketobeabletohaveadiscussionwithoutyelling.”

“Who’syelling?”

“You.”

“I’mtalkingloud,I’mpassionate.Excuseme.”

Jack sighed and shook his head when Michelle snatched the bandages and hobbled

towardtheirtent.

Alone.

Lily watched Jack walk off into the woods as a result, and it was her turn to sigh.

Making sure that everyone was having a good time wasn’t always the hard part,
sometimesthepeoplewerethehardpart.

Andthistime,unlikeonanyotherexpeditionshe’deverled,shehadadistraction—

shewasattractedtooneofhergroup.

Andnotjustanoh-gee-he’s-cuteattraction,oranI-wanna-jump-his-bonesattraction.

Butsomethingmuch,muchdeeper.

Luckilyshe’dcometohersenses.

Notbeforehe’dkissedyou…

Shakingherheadoverthat,shedecideditwastimefordishes.Shetooktwopotsand

walked to one of the creeks that ran into the falls. Hunkered at the water’s edge, she

caughtamovementoutofthecornerofhereye. She wasn’t alone. Two masked bandits
watched her very carefully—raccoons. “Sharing the water hole tonight, boys,” she said
softly,andremindedherselftomakesurethefoodwaslockeduptightandsafe,because
she didn’t want a bigger unwelcome guest later—a foraging, hungry bear. Rising, she
turned,thengaspedatthetall,darkshadowrightinfrontofher.

“Hey,”Jaredsaidsoftly,hisglassesreflectingthestarlightfromabove.“Didn’tmeant

tostartleyou.”

“Youdidn’t.”

Hekindlydidn’tpointoutthatshe’dnearlyswallowedhertongue.

“What’s everyone doing?” she asked, trying not to notice that he looked clean and

warmandputtogetherinanewpairofjeansandanotherbutton-downshirtopenedovera
sharpwhiteT-shirt.Somehowitmadeherwanttorumplehimup,gethimalldirty.

“They’retellingstoriesatthemoment.Theystartedoutwithghoststories…”Smiling,

he shifted closer, then stroked a runaway strand of hair from her jaw to behind her ear,
making her breath catch. “But at the moment, Rose is telling one that sounds more like
‘DearPenthouse.’”

“Oh, boy.” Lily thought of how Rose had looked earlier, rising out of the river, her

enhancedbreastsperfect,hereverythingperfect.Clearly,shetannedinthenude,because
therehadn’tbeenabathing-suitlineonher.Jared’shands,bigandpalerthanRose’sskin,
had showed up as he’d pulled her from the current, his hands on her hips, her belly, his
armwrappedaroundher,plumpingupthosebreaststhatdidn’tneedplumping.

Whathadhethoughtaboutashe’dhadthosehandsalloverher?

Jared tipped up her chin and looked into her eyes, stepping even closer, so that they

weretoetotoe.Allaroundthemcamethatextraordinarysilencethatwasn’treallysilence
at all. Trees rustling, the water gurgling, the hum of a thousand invisible insects…
wildlife… With a small smile, he kept his fingers on her and made her forget all of it,
everythingbuthim.

“You’relookingatmeasifImightbite,”hesaid,“whenwebothknowit’syouwho

bites.”

Shelaughed.“Sorry.”

“Areyou?”

“Notsomuch,no.”

Nowhelaughed.“Iloveitouthere.”

Therewasjustenoughsurpriseinhisvoicetohavehertakingasecondlookathim.

“Whydoesthatsurpriseyou?”

“I didn’t know what to expect. But out here, in the mountains…” He looked around

them into the night. “It’s different than being at sea level. You can breathe deeper, you
know?”

Yeah. Yeah, she did know, and she found herself fascinated that he did, too. “What

else?”shewhispered.

“Well…”Heconsidered.“Thedirt’sdirtier.Thewater’sclearer.Thewildflowersare

brighter. It’s like… I don’t know, time moves differently. Better. It’s worth more, here
somehow.”

She was so moved that he got it, it took her a moment to say anything. “I’ve never

hearditdescribedquitethatwaybefore.”

Helookedather,hisgazeopenandhonest,yetsomehowenigmatic,aswell,andshe

had to turn away. Above them, the stars were scattered across the sky like a million
fireflies.Itwasmesmerizing,buttruthfully?Sowashe.Completely.Shecouldgetlostin
him,evenpullhimdowntotheground…

Hewaslookingatthesky,aswell,andonlywhensheturnedbacktohimdidhecrane

hisheadtowardher,patient.Waiting.

“What?”

“Iwaswonderingwhatyouwerethinkingabout,”hesaid.

“Nothing.Iwasn’tthinkingaboutanything.”

“Liar,”hechidedsoftly.“Tellme.”

Shegesturedtothetwopots.“Ineedtogetthisstuffputawayandcheckontheothers

—”

Hepulledherup.“Talktome,Lily.”

“TodaywhenyousavedRose—”

“Ididn’tsaveher.”

“Youhelpedher.Shemighthavegonealotfartherdowntheriverifyouhadn’t.”

Heacknowledgedthatwithashrug,andpushedhisglassesfartheruphisnose.

Modest.Shehadn’tspentalotoftimewithmenlikeJaredSkye.Infact,she’dspent

mostofhertimewithmenhisexactopposite,onpurpose,thoughnowshewonderedwhy.
Therewasdefinitelysomethingtobesaidforsuchquietstrength.

Maybeitwasbecausewhenitcamerightdowntoit,sheknewshecouldresistacocky

guy.Shecouldkeepherheartlockeduptightasadrum.

ButnotnecessarilywithamanlikeJared,whosestrengthcamefromwithin.

Oh,boy,thoseweredeepthoughts,fartoodeepforrightnowwiththewoodsaround

themdarkandsilent,makingthislittlegatheringtoointimateforhertastes.

“Isthatreallywhatyouwerethinkingabout?”heasked.

Shedidn’tintendtolookintohiseyes,butshefeltthepullofhimlikethatofthetide,

ortheneedforhernextbreath.

His gaze was dark, but not guarded. Nope, everything he felt was right there on his

sleevefortheworldtosee.

She’dspentherentirelifemovingaround,shiftingfromoneprofessiontoanother,free

as a bird. And yet it was all an illusion, she realized, because for as free as she’d been,
she’dneverbeentrulyopenwithherfeelings.

Thoughthenightwasmoonless,shecouldseeJaredwithshockingclarity,ormaybe

that was because he stood so damn close. His shoulders were surprisingly wide, wide
enoughforhertosetherheadonandletgoofhertroublesifshechose.Andthoughshe
had no idea how he managed such a feat, he smelled incredible. Her nose twitched
pathetically. She wanted to inhale him. “You got me,” she finally admitted. “I was
thinkingofotherstuff,too.”

“Like…?”

Likekissingyou.

Likedroppingtomykneesandtouchingyou.Havingyoutouchme.

Asifhecouldreadhermind,hisfingersstrokedherjaw,heldherfacesothathecould

seedeepintohereyes.“Lily.”

Oh,God.Thatvoice.Itmadeherwanttodothings.Itmadeherwanthimtodothings.

Toher.

“I’mgoingtobehonestwithyou,”shesaid.

“Uh-oh.”

Sheshookherhead.“Thisismyfirstexpeditionafteratoughyear,andIneedmywits

aboutme.ButwhenIlookatyou,mywitsscatter.”

Heflashedagrin.

Sheshookherheadwithalaugh.“No.Don’tdothat.BecauseI’mgoingtoresistyou,

JaredSkye.Withallmymight.”

“Where’sthefuninthat?”

“I’mserious.”

“Okay.”

“You’renotevenmytype,”shesaid,stillbaffledbythis.“Notevenclose.”

“Huh.”Hecockedaneyebrow.“What’syourtype?”

“Oh…”Shewinced.“Well…”

“Justsayit,Lily.”Awrysmilecurvedhislips.“Moreofanoutsideguy,right?”

Shethoughtofhowhe’drundownthetrailafterRosewiththeagilityofamountain

cat. How he’d waded into the river without thought to his own safety. Seemed fairly
“outside” to her, didn’t he? Damn, she’d been so sure she’d had him pegged. “Maybe

someonewith…”Withwhat?Moresexappeal?Notpossible,becauseshewasbeginning
torealizehehadsexappealinspades.“Damnit.Idon’tknow.”

Henoddedbutdidn’tbackup,didn’tgetoutofherspace,andtruthfully,shewasn’tall

thatreadytohavehimmove,nomatterwhatshe’dsaid.

“It’dbegoodbetweenus,”hesaid.

Oh, yeah. She knew that much. Turning from temptation—him—she faced the tree

andsetherforeheadtoit.“Idon’tevenknowyou.”

“Yes,youdo.Oryou’restartingto.”

“Idon’tknowyouwellenough.”

“Andyouliketoknowaguy.”

No.No,shedidn’tliketoknowaguy,thankyouverymuch.Shewasmoreofaone-

night-standgirlifthetruthwasgoingtobetold.

Whichitwasn’t.

Heputhishandsonherhipsandturnedherbackaround,holdinghergazeinhiswhile

shefelthishandcoverhersonherthigh,whichshe’dbeenunconsciouslyrubbing.

“You’rehurting,”hemurmured.

“No,I’mfine—”

“Ihavesomeibuprofen—”

“I’mfine.”Humiliatedthatshehadn’thiddenit,thathe’dbeenabletosothoroughly

seerightthroughhertothethingsshehadn’twantedanyonetosee,shetriedtotwistfree,
butheheldherstill,studyingherfacecarefully.

“Youthinkofitasaweakness,”hesaidindisbelief.“Yourinjury.”

“It is a weakness. I’m your guide, I’m not supposed to be whining about a little

residualpain.”

Puttinghishandsonhershoulders,heturnedherbacktofacethetreeagain.Thenhe

lifted her hands to the trunk and pressed gently, signaling that she was supposed to stay
likethat,justwhereheputher.

Nooneevergottotellherwhattodo,andyethedid,andshe’dlethim—

Hedughisfingersintothemusclesofhershoulders,andohmigod,allthoughtsflew

right out of her head because he hit it right on the nail. His fingers moved over her
muscles, coaxing out the tension, and before she could stop it, also a throaty moan that
horrified her with its neediness. She clamped her lips shut tight, but he just leaned in,
puttinghismouthtoherear.“Relax,”hesaid.“I’mgoodatthis.”

Hewasn’tkidding.Shetriedtorelax,shereallydid,butshecouldfeelhisbodyjust

behindhers,notquitetouching,butalmost…

“Relax,”hesaidagain.Thosetalentedfingersmovedupherneckanddownherback

andshoulders,unbelievablypullingoutthetensionandrelievingthepain.

Nottomentionmeltingherbones.

Seriously, if he kept this up, she was going to slip to the floor in a boneless heap,

maybeevenhaveanorgasm.Ormaybeshe’djuststripandbeghimtotakeher.

“Good?”heasked.

“Youmusthavegirlsfallingalloverthemselveswiththistalent,”shemanaged.

His fingers went still for a beat, then resumed. “Yeah, I have them lining up at my

door.”

Tippingherheadback,shelookedupathim.

“I’m not exactly a babe magnet,” he explained, and at her bemused look, he smiled.

“Techgeek,remember?”

“Well,” she said softly, oddly touched, her voice suddenly gruff. “Women can be

extremelyshortsighted.”

Atthat,hissmilereachedhiseyes.“Itdoesn’thelpthatIusedtowork24/7,without

timeforanythingelse.I’mtryingtofixthat.”

“What,beingatechgeek?”

Helaughed.“Working24/7.”

Reachingup,sheranherfingersthroughhishair.“YouknowwhatIthink?Thatany

womanwhopassedyouoverwasanidiot.”Includingherself.

“Iprettymuchflyundermostwomen’sradar.”

It shamed her to know that he’d nearly flown under her radar. That she would have

passedhimbyonthestreetwithoutasecondthought,shrugginghimoffasnothertype,
simplybecausehisworldwassodifferentfromhers.“Womenneedtoberetrainedfrom
adolescence,”shedecided.“Thebadboys?Notwhereit’sat.”

He laughed. “Yeah. Thanks.” He set her hands back on the tree and resumed his

incredible assault on her tense muscles, and pretty soon, she was a puddle at his feet.
Another minute, or even less, and she was going to start drooling. “That’s good,” she
managed.“Thanks.”

Hedidn’ttakethehintandremovehishandsfromher.Infact,hekeptatituntilshe

couldfeelthelastofhertightmusclesloosen,untilshecouldhardlyrememberherown
name.

“Yeah,that’sit,”hesaidquietly,stillmassaging.“Better,huh?”

Somuchbetterthatshehadtolockherknees.

“You’relikearockquarry.”

“Iknow.”Shefelthisgazeonher,andkeptsilent.

He didn’t. “So you fell off a cliff trying to fight an out-of-control forest fire, you

nearlydied,weretoldyou’dneverwalkagain—whichyouprovedwrongbysheerwil—
and…helpmeouthere…youhonestlythinkofitassomethingtobeashamedof.”

“No.”

“Youdo,”hesaid,puttinghishandsonherhipstoturnhertofacehim,dippingdown

abit when shetried to lookaway. “Seriously, Lily. Life’stoo short forthat kind of shit.
Trustme.Iknow.”

Shewaseyelevelwithhisthroat,whichjustthismorninghadbeensilkysmooth,fresh

fromashave.Nowtherewasaday’sgrowththere,andsuddenlyhedidn’tseemquiteso
neatandtidy.“There’s…somethingyoudon’tknowaboutwhathappenedtome.”

“What?”

“BeforeIslippedoffthecliff,there’dbeenafire.”

“Ifiguredthat,sinceyouwerethereasafirefighter.”

“Iwasonmop-upduty.Itwasmyjobtomakesuretherewerenoflare-ups.AndIfell

asleep.”

“Youwereprobablyexhausted.”

“When I woke up, the fire had started again. That’s my fault. I missed a flare-up. I

screwedupbig-time,Jared.”

“Everyonemakesmistakes,Lily.”

“Yeah.”Shelookedaway.Neededtolookaway.“Thanksforthemassage.”

“But?”

Shelookedathim,andwascaughtbyhiswrysmile.“But?”

“I’mprettysureIheardabigbutattheendofthatsentence.Thanksforthemassage,

Jared,butyou’renotmytype…right?”

“You’renot,”sheremindedthemboth.

“Look,I’mwellawareofthefactthatyou’retotallyoutofmyleague.”Heletouta

roughlaugh.“AndonlysixmonthsagoI’dhavehadtotalkmyselfintotryingforyou.A
yearagoI’dneverhaveevenconsideredit.”

“Whynot?”

“Because,likeIsaid,Iwasanordinaryworkingstiffturnedclassicworkaholic,who

putintwenty-hourdays,sevendaysaweek.Iwasaddictedtotheoffice,tothework,to
theadrenalineandexcitementthatcomesfrommakingmoneyhandoverfist.Iwouldn’t
havehadtimeeventothinkaboutgoingoutwithyou.”

“Whydidyoustopworkinglikethat?”

Helookedaway,ararethingwithhim,andherstomachdipped,insinuatingsheknew,

thatwhateveritwas,itwasbad.“It’sokay,”shewhispered.“Youdon’thavetotellmeif

youdon’twantto.”

His smile was a tad crooked, and extremely endearing. “Don’t really want to know,

huh?”

“IjusthaveafeelingI’mnotgoingtolikeit.”

“Igotsick.”

Her stomach dipped again. “What happened, your boss fire you for missing a few

days?”

“I’mmyownboss,”heremindedher.“AndImissedfivemonths.”

Sheswallowedhardpasttheuncomfortablelumpinherthroat.Yeah.Definitelybad.

“Thatmusthavebeenahelluvasickness.”

“Itwascancer,”hesaid.“AndIknowthissoundsclichéd,butIshouldhavediedandI

didn’t.IcheatedtheGrimReaperandbecauseofthat,I’mnotthesameanymore.”

“Cancer?” she whispered, and found her hands clutching his arms. “Are you… Did

you…”

“I’mrecovered,headingtowardremission.”

Shecouldn’ttakeherhandsoffhim,asifhemightvanishifsheletgo,andheseemed

tounderstandthereaction,becauseheletoutalittlesmile.“I’mokay,Lily.”

“Ofcourseyouare.”Shetriedtoloosenherfingerssoatleastshewasn’thurtinghim,

but couldn’t. He felt okay, she assured herself. Beneath her fingers he was warm and
strong.“MyGod,Jared.Youmusthavebeenthroughsomuch.”Shemanagedtoletgoof
himtoreachupandrunahandoverhisshort,shorthair.

“Yeah.”Hissmilewentalittleself-consciousasheranhisfingersoverit.“That’sall

newgrowth.”

Andjustlikethat,rightthenandthere,shefeltherheartcatch.Oh,God.Thatcouldn’t

begood.

Shehadn’trealizedthatshe’dputahandoverherachingheartuntilhetookherfingers

in his. “Mostly,” he said. “I learned, along with the newfound humility, and how much
beingsicksucks,thatlifeisdamnprecious.Imissedtoomuchofit,Lily.Nomore.”

Shecouldn’ttearhereyesoffhimeither.More,shefoundshehadtohearhimsayit

again.“You’re…finethough.Right?”

“Very,”heassuredher.

Stillstaringathim,sheletoutalongbreath.“Okay.Okay,then.”Shebreathedsome

more.“Wow.Thatwordsortofjustgrabsyoubythethroat.Cancer.”

“Notmanypeopleactuallyusethewordinfrontofme,”headmitted.“Ihatethat.”

“Cancer.” She fisted both hands in his shirt. “Cancer. It’s just a word, not so scary,

right?”

Hesmiled,andcuppedherface.“I’mreallyokay,Lily.”

Sheresistedthechildishurgetomakehimpromise.“So…itchangedyou.”

“Yousawmylist.”

“Yes.”Andnowthesignificanceofitmadesomuchmoresense.

“IwroteitonthedayIdecidednottodie.”

She wanted to flinch from that word, but refused, for him. She imagined him in the

hospital, writing that list, not sure if he was going to live to do those things on it. It
grabbed her by the throat and held tight. To combat it, she bent for the two pots she’d
cleanedintheriver.

“Actually,”hesaid.“I’vethoughtofanewadditiontothelist.”

“What’sthat?”

He smiled and nudged her backward against the tree again. “To be with a fiercely

independent,prideful,toughashell,prickly,oblivious-to-her-own-appealwoman.”

“Jared—”

“You,Lily.”Hisgazedroppedtohermouth.“Iwanttobewithyou.”

Shefeltherinsidesmeltaway.She’dbeensobusytryingtobestrong,andhadalways

wanted a guy with that same obvious strength. But here the quiet, easygoing guy had
turnedouttobetheonewiththestrength—theinnerstrength.

Anditwasmorearousingthananyshowofmuscleshadeverbeen.“Bybewith,you

mean—”

“Well,thisforstarters.”

Andpressingherupagainsttheroughbark,hekissedher,longandhardandwet,and

ohmigod,likehewasnevergoingtolethergo,andatthemoment,thatworkedforher,it
reallyworked.

CHAPTER8

ISSING

ILYWAS

like…well, Jared didn’t really know because there was nothing like it.

Nothing.Heexperiencedtheunique,rushingthrillofhearingherdropthetwopotsather
feet,asifshecouldn’tconcentrateonbothhismouthandasingleotherthing.

Oh,yeah,helikedthat.

Andthentherewasthewayherhandscameupandsankinhisbarelytherehair,tight,

likemaybeshedidn’twanthimtogetawayuntilshewascompletelyfinishedwithhim.

Ditto.

God. Her lips had been a little chilled at their first touch but they warmed quickly

beneathhis.

Anotherthrill.

Aswasthefeelofhertongueasitslidtohis.Definitelyhecoulddrowninher,justlet

himself go right under, and, happily doing just that, he leaned into her, a move that
sandwichedherbetweenthetreeandhisownbody,pressinghersnuglyagainsthim.His
handsfree,heslidthemupherbody,groaningatthehot,tightfeelofher,andgiventhe
sexylittlesoundsthatescapedherthroat,shewasdrowning,too.

Nevercomingupforair,hethought,never,andfrustratedbythelayersbetweenthem,

heslidhishandsbeneathhershirttofindwarm,silkyskin.Oh,yeah—

Ascreamshatteredthenight,andtheybothjerkedfree.

“Shit,”Lilygasped,andshovinghershirtbackdown,wentrunningbackintocamp,

withhimrightonherheels.

Theyskiddedintotheclearingaroundthecampfire,takinginthesituation.Itlookedas

if everyone had dropped whatever they were doing to rush over to Jack and Michelle’s
tent,includingJack,whowasnowholdingasobbingMichelle.

“Whathappened?”Lilydemanded,afterpushinginfrontofRoseandRock.

Everyone started talking at once, including Jack, but Lily held up her hand. “Wait.

Michelle?”

MichellehiccuppedandkeptherfaceburiedinJack’sT-shirt.

Jack rolled his eyes, and at the movement, Jared sensed Lily relax. If Jack was

annoyed,thenMichellewasn’tdying.

Probably.

“Michelle,”Lilysaid,droppingtoherkneesbesidesthem.“Talktome.”

“Aspider,”shegulped,tighteningthefistedgripshehadonJack’sshirt,makinghim

wince.“Abig,fat,hairy,humungousspider!”

“Okay.” Lily glanced back at Jared, but somehow managed to keep a straight face.

“Therearealotofspidersouthere,we’reintheirterritory.”

Michelleshookherhead.“You’vegottogetitoutofthere!”

Jacksighed.“Michelle.”

Lily patted the sobbing Michelle on the back. “Listen, don’t make yourself sick.

Where’sthespider?”

“Onmypillow!I’mnevergoingtosleeponthatpillowagain!”

“SoIcarteditsevenmilesupthismountainfornothing?”Jackasked.

Michellepushedhimawayfromher.“Thisisnotatimeforjokes,Jack.”

“Whowasjoking?”

Lilyignoredbothofthemtoduckintothetent.Shereappearedamomentlater.

“Yourhandsareempty,”Michellesaid,hervoicetightwithpanic.“Lily,yourhands

areempty.”

“It’sgone,”Lilysaidregretfully.

“Probablyyourscreamingscaredhimoff—What?”JackaskedwhenMichellestopped

cryingtosmackhim.“That’sagoodthing,right?”

“Ithinkso,”Lilysaid,nodding.“Areallygoodthing.”

Jared glanced down at the door of the tent. “Hey. Look.” He grabbed a stick and

nudgedtheindeedbig,black,fat,hairyspiderontoit.“Gothim.”

Michellescreamedagainandburiedherfaceagainstherhusband’schest.

“I’lltakeitintothewoods,”Jaredsaidquickly,andmovedtothefaredgeofcamp.By

thetimehe’dturnedback,Michellehadanewhorror—thechancesthatthespiderhadlaid
babiesinhertent.

“Doubtful,”Lilywassaying.“Verydoubtful.”

“Doubtful,butpossible,right?”

Lily shook her head. “They don’t lay babies at night.” She said this with an utterly

straightface.

Jacknoddedhisagreement.“That’sright.Ireadthatsomewhere.”

“Yeah?”Michelleroundedonhim.“Wheredidyoureadit?”

Rocksteppedforward.“Look,youguyscanswitchtentswithme.”

Jackshookhishead.“That’snotnecessary—”

“Thank you,” Michelle said gratefully, and with a scathing look at her husband,

stalkedofftowardRock’stent.

Jacksighed.“Sorry,”hesaidtoRock,whoshrugged.

“Nosweat.”

“We should all get to bed,” Lily said into the silence. “We have an early start

tomorrowmorning,soweallneedtosleeptight—”

“Andnotletthebedbugsbite,”Jackjoked,onlytohaveMichellewhirlbackinhorror

fromRock’stent.

“Justkidding,”hesaid.“Justkidding!”Andheheadedtohisnewtentforthenight.

When it was just Lily and Jared, she looked at him. “It’s getting to be that maybe I

shouldgetyouonthepayrollforthisexpedition.”

“Itwasjustaspiderremoval.”

“Atimelyone.”

“Nobigdeal.”Heshrugged,andwatchedalizarddartbeneathamanzanitabushatthe

edgeofthefire.“Hopeshedoesn’tseethatlittleguy.”

“She’sboundtoseeplentyofthingsshedoesn’tlike.”Shedidn’tcomeanycloser,he

noted.Becauseshedidn’ttrustherself?Hesortoflikedthethoughtofthat.

“Thanks,”shesaid.“Fortonight.”

“Nothanksrequired.Butifyouwanttobegrateful…”

Hersmilewentjustalittleguardedwhenhesteppedaroundthefiretogetcloser.

“Jared.”

“Don’tsayitwasamistake,”hesaidquietly,andtheybothknewtheywerenolonger

talkingaboutthespider.

“Notamistake,”shesaid.“Justnotwise.”

“Thenwhydiditfeelsogood?”

“Good doesn’t always equal right. Look…” She turned in a slow circle, clearly

searchingforwords.“I’vealwaystriedtobeinchargeofmydestiny,youknow?”

“So?”

“So,rightnowmydestinyiskickingmeintheass.”

“Becauseyoucan’tbeafirefighter?”

“BecauseIdon’tknowwhatIwanttobe.”Shetossedupherhands.“OrwhoIam.I

cameheretotrytostartover,backatthebeginning,totrytofigureitallout.”Atthat,she
shookherhead.“AndIhavenoideawhyItellyousuchthings.”

“Becauseit’sanaturalfitbetweenus.”

“Anaturalfit?”Shefrowned.“Thatmakesitsoundlikewe’reathing.”

Hesmiled.

“Oh,no.”Withalittlelaugh,sheshookherhead.“Nothing.”

“Wekissed,”heremindedher.“Thatfeltlikeathing,abigone.”

Sheshookherheadagain.“Idon’tknowwhyIkissedyou.”

“I know.” He cupped her jaw for the sheer pleasure of touching her again. “I don’t

knowwhatexactlywhatitisaboutyoueither.ButI’mwillingtofindout.”Helookedinto
herbeautifuleyes.“Andasforyounotknowingwhoyouare,you’llfigureitout.”

Shestaredupathim.“Haveyoualwaysbeensoself-assured,alwaysknownexactly

whoyouare?”

Atthat,helaughed.Hadhealwaysknown?Trynever—untilrecently.

“Itakethatasano.”

“Ahellno,”hecorrected.“Igrewupasmall,skinny,sickly,self-consciousnerd.”

“Nerdmadegood,”shesaidsoftly.

“Ittookawhile.Years.Andthen,whenitallcamerightdowntoit,noneofitmeanta

damn.Notthesuccess,thehugecorporation,themoneyinthebankaccounts,nothing.I
couldn’thavetakenathingwithme.”

“Exceptthis.”Surprisinghim,sheputherhandoverhisheart,andhecovereditwith

oneofhisown.

“Youknowwhat?”shewhispered.

“What?”hewhisperedback,unbearablymoved,wantinghertokeepherhandonhim

allnightlong.

Hersmileshimmered.“Everyminuteyouspendinthesemountains,youseemtolose

alittlebitofthatcityboy.”

“Oh,yeah?”

“Yeah.Idon’tknowhowyou’redoingit…”Sheranherhanduphischest,histhroat,

tohisjaw,thepadsofherfingersmakingaraspingsoundoverhisday-oldgrowth.“But
yousurearetougherthanIimaginedwhenIfirstsawyou.”

Bringing her hand up to his mouth, he pressed his lips to her palm. “Know what I

thoughtwhenIfirstsawyou?”

“ThatIwasgoingtostealyourparkingspot?”shewhispered.

“Well,that,andalso…”Hisgazemethers.“ThatyouwerethesexiestwomanI’dever

laidmyeyeson.”

“Iwasfrowningatyou,”sheremindedhim.

“Ah,yes.Thefrown.Ithinkthatclincheditforme.”

Shetriedtotugfree.“Stopit.”

Heheldonandsmiled.“Serious.Sexiestwomanever.”

“Wow.” Her voice sounded a little shaken. “I think it’s bedtime. ’Night, Jared.”

Turningaway,shewentstill,thenglancedback.“Don’tletthebedbugsbite.”

He knew a dismissal when he heard one. “Maybe it will make better sense in the

morning.”

“Thebedbugs?”

“No.”

Hergazedroppedtohismouth.“Thekiss?”

“Allofit.”

“Includingthereasonswhyweshouldn’tdoanyofitagain?”

Hewantedtosaythehellwiththat,butshe’dturnedawaytodealwithputtingthefire

out.

Hewentintohistentandlaydown,surroundedbynightnoisesthathewasextremely

unusedto.Cricketschirpedtheiroddsong.Fromthehillscamealonely,edgyhowl.

Heknewthefeeling.

Thencameanansweringhowl,apause,andthenbothofthemtogether.

Asone.

Withasigh,Jaredturnedoverandwisheditwasthatsimple,thathecouldsimplytoss

backhisheadandletloosewithahowlandhaveLilyappearrightherenexttohim.But
he wasn’t an animal, he was a human, and supposedly they’d evolved way past such a
thing.

***

ILYDIDN’TSLEEP

ashardasshe’dhaveliked.First,shekeptjerkingawaketocheckonthe

campfire.

Butshe’dputitoutcompletely,andshehadnothingtoworryabout.

Otherthingsthough…otherthingskeptbouncingthroughherhead.

Jared.

Cancer.

He hadn’t come right out and said it, but she knew, and it’d been bad. So bad he’d

seemedjustalittlesurprisedtostillbearound,andifthatdidn’tgrabherbythethroatand
holdontight…

But he’d made it, and she was fiercely glad and proud and overwhelmed with a

newfound sense of wonder. It was far too easy to forget how fragile life could be, how
short,howabsolutely,stunninglybeautiful.

She for one wouldn’t waste the reminder, and the next morning, with thoughts of

Jared,oflifeingeneral,stillonhermind,shegotupearly.

Up at this altitude, dawn came as a rose strip where the streaked sky met the spiky

blackridges.Thebreathtakingviewwouldn’tlastmorethanamoment,butshe’dlivedher

life by the moment, without too much thought to the past or future. She certainly didn’t
have a list in her pocket of things she wanted to experience. The thought of a
predeterminedplanlikethathadalwaysseemedcompletelybeyondher.

ButJaredhadalist,andthistripwasonit.Thatmeantshewasgoingtomakesurethat

thesefourdayswouldneverbeforgotten.

Alittleheatfilledhercheeksatthat,becausehadn’tshealreadymaybedonethat?

Oh,yes,shehad.

She went to the water and took a quick bath. Then she busied her hands, and her

mouth, with breakfast. As always, the scents of coffee and bacon cooking over an open
firedreweveryoneoutoftheirtents,andsheputasmileonherface,determinedtomake
todayagreatone,spidersorskinny-dipping,orwhatevercameherway.

Jaredshowedupfirst,hisshorthairstickingstraightupinclassicbedheadthatshould

havelookedridiculousbutsomehowseemedsexilyrumpledinstead.Indirectcontrast,his
sweatshirtandjeanswerecleanandneat,notawrinkleanywheretoindicatethatthey’d
been in a backpack overnight. He seemed rested and warm and just a little bit groggy,
whichshefoundevenmoresexy,andherbraindisconnectedfromlogicagainasasmall
part of her wished it was just the two of them, that she could have crawled into his
sleepingbagtoseehiseyesopenonher.

Those eyes landed right on her anyway, dark and sleepy-lidded, and she wondered

whathewasthinking.

He didn’t look away, didn’t shutter his gaze, just let her see the truth—that what he

wasthinkingaboutwasbeingwithher,preferablynakedandwrithingandsweaty,and,oh
God,shehadtotakeadeepbreathandlookaway.

Hewenttothewater,passingRock,whoappearedinhisblackgear,lookingfreshly

clean,hairstillwet.Hehadahopefulexpressionashecircledthefryingpanfilledwith
sizzlingbacon.“You,LilyPeterson,areagoddess.”

“Thankyou,”shesaid.“Althoughyoushouldprobablywaituntilaftertoday’shiketo

seeifyoustillfeelthatway.Andcareful,”shewarnedashepouredhimselfcoffee,“it’s
hot.”

“Toughhiketoday,then?”

“Nothing you can’t handle,” she promised. “We’re going to take a trail that bisects

RainbowRidge.There’sahandfuloflakesonlyablinkawayfromthetop.Goodthing,
too,’causewe’llbewantingaswimbythen.Careful,”shesaidagainasheliftedthemug
tohislips.“It’s—”

Hehissedoutabreathwhenheburnedhistongue.

AndLilyjustsighed.

Roseactuallypokedherheadoutnext.“Gimme,”shesaid,honinginonthecoffeepot

withaneagleeye.“Gimmequick,beforeIrememberIhavenomakeupon,orthatthere’s

nohairstraightenerinsight.”

Rockrushedtogiveherhismug,waitinguntilshe’dhadabiggulpbeforehesmiledat

her.“Youdon’tneedmakeup,Rose.Orahairstraightener.”

Shelookedathimasshecontinuedtosipthesteamingbrew.“No?”

“Noway.”

Shelookedathimsomemore.“Dolineslikethatusuallyworkforyou?”

“Lines?”

“Uh-huh.”Rosetookanotherlongsipofthecaffeinatedbrew.“Wheredidyoulearnto

sweet-talkawomanlikethatanyway?”

Rockblushed.“I’mnot—Idon’tknow.”

Rose laughed and handed him back the mug as she climbed out of her tent, wearing

low-slung shorts and another halter top. “God, how is it you’re still so sweet?” She
rumpledhishair.“Hasn’tanywomaneverscrewedyouover?”

“No,ma’am.”Hetriedtopretendhewasn’tstaringatherbody.“Atleast,Idon’tthink

so.”

Onthefarsideofthefire,Jackbackedoutofhistent.Michellefollowed.Shelookeda

littleworseforwear,butJackpouredhersomecoffee.

Shelookeddownatthesteamingbrew.“Nocappuccinoright?”

Jack’smouthtightened.“Michelle—”

She laughed, the first time Lily had even heard that sound from her. “Just kidding,

Jack.Jeez,lightenup.”

JackstaredatMichelleuntilsheranaself-conscioushandoverherowntousledhair.

“What?Ismyhaircrazy?Itoldyou—”

“No,it’sjustthatyoulooksoprettywhenyousmile.”

AndMichelle’ssmilebrightened.“Really?Thanks.”

Lilymovedintofeedeveryone.“Eatup,”shesaid,enjoyingthat,forthemomentat

least,everyoneseemedrelaxedandhappy.“We’vegotahiketogetto.”

***

HE DAY’S SIX-MILE

hike was tough but went smoothly, and at the end of it, everyone

droppedtheirpacksandchangedintotheirbathingsuitsbehindthetrees.Michelle,stillin
heryellowraingear,draggedJackwithherto“protect”herfromspiders.

Lily thought she’d do better to worry about sunburn with that tiny bikini she came

back in, but then Rose came out in an even smaller itty-bitty set of black strings and
blindedthemen.

Jaredcameoutfrombehindhistreeinnothingbutadark-bluepairofswimtrunksthat

startedwellbelowhisabsandfelltohisknees,theCEOwithinhimnowheretobefound
—not in the two-day growth on his jaw or his finger-combed hair, and without a single
pieceofdigitalequipmentonhim.

HehandedsomethingtoRoseandMichelle,whothankedhimprofusely,andthenin

thenextmoment,musicfilledtheair.

Okay,almostnodigitalequipmentonhim.

“iPod,”hesaidashesatnexttoher.“They’vebeenbeggingme.”

“Uh-huh.”

Unperturbed, Jared sighed in bliss and leaned back on his elbows. “My mom and

sisterswouldneverhavewantedtohikefortwodaystogethere,butthey’dsurelovethis
view.Wedidalotofsittingatthebeachinmyyouth.”

“Soundsnice.”

“Oh,sure.Mysisterswouldburymeinthesandandforce-feedmeseaweed.Nice.”

Shelaughed.“Mymomdidn’tliketotravel.”

“Butyoudo.”

“Yeah, well, it’s hereditary.” She rolled her eyes, a little uncomfortable with the

revelation.“Gotitfrommyfather.”Asshehadalotofthings,apparently.

“He’saguide,too?”

“Nope.Atravelwriter.”AllLily’slifeshe’dbeentoldshewasjustlikehim,andall

herlifethathadbroughtheramixtureofgreatprideandalsoahealthydoseofuneasiness.

“Hemustbeproudofyou.”

“Iwouldn’tknow.HeonlymanagedtostaywithusuntilIwasone.Iunderstandthat

wasarecordforhim.”

“Hejustupandleftyouboth?”

He sounded horrified, and after the way he’d grown up, surrounded by family and

swaddled in affection, she could understand why, and felt a little pathetic. “He went to
Italy,”shesaidlightly.“ThenFrance.Ithinkhe’sinGermanynow.”

“Didyourmomeverremarry?”

Sheclosedhereyesandleanedback,too,morecomfortablewhenshecouldn’twatch

him watch her. “Hard to, since she’s still married to my dad. He coaxes her to him just
oftenenoughtokeepherinlovewithhim.”

Hewasquietamoment.“Sowasitjustyouandyourmom?”

“Oh,no.SherunsaninninSantaMonica,sotherewerenewpeopleinandoutofour

livesallthetime.”

“Myhousefeltlikeaninnwithfoursistersandalltheirfriendscomingandgoing,”he

said.“Butreally,itwasalwaysthesamepeopleallthetime.”

She opened her eyes. The others were sunning, swimming, having a good time.

Enjoyingthemselves.Anddespitethefactshewastalkingaboutherself—nevereasy—so
wasshe,sherealized.Enjoyingherself.“We’redifferent,youknow.Asinnight-and-day
different.”

Jaredletoutaslowgrin.“Ihavetoadmit,someofthosedifferencesI’mgratefulfor.”

She arched a brow at the teasing note in his voice. “Isn’t it time for you to go

swimming?”

“Asamatteroffact,itis.”Standing,hetossedhisglassestothegrassandleaptinto

thewaterwithaneasethattoldherhehadn’tbeenallworkandnoplay,nomatterwhat
he’dsaidabouthimself.

Andshehadtoadmitthatwhilehelookedextremelyfineinhisextremelyfinehiking

gear,helookedevenfinerinfarless.

Shehadnoideawhatitwasabouthim,butthetougherthegoinggot,themorealpha

hebecame.Andthemoreattractive.

Andsexier…

Oh,boy.Shewasindeeptroublehere.

RoseandMichellestretchedoutontheshoreandslatheredeachotherinsuntanlotion.

Astheywatchedthetwowomendoeachother’sbacks,Rock’sandJack’stongueshung
outasiftheywerewatchingapornoflick.

Jared appeared at Lily’s side, dripping wet, of course, and, hunkering down, smiled

intoherface.“Hey.”

“Heyback.”

“Sunfeelsgood,huh?”

It did, but that wasn’t what went through her mind as she looked up at him. She’d

managed to stay ahead of him most of the hike today, because she’d needed time to
process.

Butallshe’dprocessedwasthis…shewantedanotheryummykiss.

“Whydon’tyougoinforaswim?”heasked.

“I’mnotquiteready—Hey!”wasallshehadtimetosqueakwhenhesimplybentand

hoistedherupinhisarms,hiswetarms,armsthatwerefarstrongerthanshe’dgivenhim
creditfor.

Fromabove,ontherocks,MichelleandRoselaughed.JackandRockyelledforJared

todunkher.

“Jared,don’tbesilly,”Lilysaidquickly.“Putmedown.”

Anevilgrinflashedacrosshisfeatures.“Well,allright,ifyousayso.”

And the next thing she knew, she was flying into the air, then landing with a splash

intothelake.

Thewaterclosedaroundher.

Goingtokillhim, she thought, breaking the surface, just as another huge splash had

hertreadingwaterandclosinghereyestothewildcheersontheshore.

Jared surfaced next to her. He shook his head like a shaggy dog and grinned at her.

“Well,hello.”

“Isupposeyouthinkyou’refunny.”

“Youscreamedlikeagirl.”

“Didnot.”

“Oh,yeah,youdid,”Jackyelledhelpfullyfromtheshore.

Rock,grinning,nodded.

“Ourfearlessleader,”Jaredlaughed,andsnaggedherclose.“Squealingforherlife.”

“Ididnotsqueal.”

“Wanttobet?”Hiseyesturneddaring.“Anything.Younameit.”

Shewouldn’ttakethatbet.Shenevertooksuckerbets.

The water was cool, but Jared’s body against hers brought a warmth that couldn’t

entirelybeattributedtosheerphysics.

Hegrinned,waitingherout.

Oh,boy.Therewaschemistryinvolvedhere,plenty,andforalongmomentshelether

bodybumpupagainsthis,bellytobelly,thightothigh…andeverythinginbetween.

Eitherhewascarryingsomethinginhispocket,orhe’dgottenhard.Andevenasshe

thoughtit,hisgrinslowlyfaded,hiseyesheated.Flamed.

An answering shiver came from deep inside her. It’d been so long since she’d

experiencedthefeeling,ittookamomenttorecognize.

Sheer,sensual,earthy,sexualanticipation.

Hishandswenttoherhipsashetreadedwater,keepingthembothafloatwithanease

that startled her. Where was her beta-electronic-city-boy geek? She needed him to make
anappearance,damnit,sothatshecouldcometohersenses.

Buthewasnowheretobefound.Inhisplacewasaconfident,strong,easygoingalpha

male whom she was finding harder and harder to resist. And speaking of hard…she
nudged up against him for the sheer pleasure of feeling him again. Oh, boy. “Who are
you?”shewhispered.

“Justaguy,Lily.Aguywho’slookingatyou.Seeingyou.”

“Jared.”

“Wantingyou.”

“Please,”shewhispered.

“Toomuch,toosoon?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.Well,thatIcanfix.”Withaflashinggrinthatshouldhavebeenherwarning,

heletgoofher,putahandonherhead,anddunkedher.

Okay,thatwasit,shethought,sputteringashejustcrackedup.Hewasdead.

Andthusbeganthewildest,mostfunwaterfightshe’deverhad.

Bythetimeitwasover,theywereallinthewater—well,exceptforMichelle,who’d

remainedsunningonherrock—allofthemhavingthetimeoftheirlives.

Missionaccomplished,Lilythoughtwithapleasedweariness.

And finally they dragged themselves out of the lake and onto the shore, lying there

gaspingforbreath,happilyexhaustedastwomonarchbutterfliesflutteredthroughtheair
overthem,alightingontherocks,fanningtheirbrightorangewings.

“Ah,”Rosesaid.“Thisisthelife.”

JaredsmiledatLily,hiseyesagreeing.

Lilyherselfhadtoadmit,itwasnice,verynice.

Andthen,farabove,aheadappearedovertheridge,andanarmwaved.

Lilysatup.Theirfirstdropofsupplieshadarrived,whichhadbeenexpected.

Whathadn’tbeenexpected…itwasKeithhandlingthedelivery.

CHAPTER9

“Y

’

RELOOKINGGOOD

.”

Lilylookedup.Keithstoodafewfeetaway.He’dhelpedhercookdinner—stirfry—

charmingtheguestsinhiseasyway,snubbingherideaofregularchocolatechipcookies
fordessert,insteadbrandishingwhathe’dbroughtthem…blackforestmousse.

Everyone had dived right on that, and he’d sent Lily a knowing smile. He loved

makinghispeoplehappy,andhedidconsiderthegrouphis.

Including,shehadthefeeling,herself.Hemadesuretotouchher,alot.Hefollowed

her to the water when she went to clean the dishes, then took over the task himself,
squattinghisleanlymuscledframedown,scrubbingapanwithease.

Watching him, it all came back to her. Being eighteen and inexperienced, knowing

onlythatshe’dneverbeengivenachancetopleaseherfather,andwantingdesperatelyto
pleaseherfirstemployer.

Keithhadlovedthatneedinher.

She’d come here lost, looking for herself, wondering if she could go back to that

womanshe’dbeen,andpossiblypickupwherethey’dleftoff.

Butshewascomingtorealizehowmuchshe’dchanged.Shewasnolongerayoung,

needygirlbutherownwoman,awomanwhorarely,ifever,letanyoneelserunherworld.

Sheknewnowthatitcouldn’tworkbetweenherandKeith.Whatshefeltforhimwas

firmlyrootedinherpast,andasmuchasshe’dthoughtshe’dwantedto,shecouldn’tgo
back.

Fromwherehehunkeredatthewater’sedge,hesmiledupather,thatsamesmilethat

hadoncebeenherentireworld.“Yourbackokay?Youneedmetostickaround?”

“No.I’m…fine.”

His smile remained but she felt his disappointment. He finished the pan and stood

close. His sun-kissed hair was slightly disheveled, which only added to the fact that he
wasgorgeous.Onceuponatimeshe’dspenthoursjustlookingathim.Days.

Months.

“Seriously,”hesaidsoftly.“You’relookinggood.”

She knew damn well her hair was a wreck, her jeans were dirty, and that, overall,

especiallywhencomparedtohim,shelookedlikesomethingthecathaddraggedin.

Shealsoknewhegenuinelydidn’tcareaboutanyofthat.“Thanks.”Shetookthepans

from him. Unlike at last night’s camp, she was in plain sight of the tents and campfire,
where the rest of the campers lounged and relaxed. Or where Rose was lounging and
relaxing.Rockwasdoingpull-upsonatreebranchandtryingnottotakepeeksatRose.
Michellewasgivingherselfapedicure,sittingonheryellowrainjackettokeepherselfoff

the ground and presumably spider-free. Jack and Jared had gone into the woods to get
somefuelforthefire.

Jared.Hehadn’tsaidonewordaboutKeithappearingwiththesupplies.Shewondered

ifhethoughtshe’dinvitedhimhere.

Notthatitmatteredwhathethought.

“Beingoutherereallyagreeswithyou,”Keithsaid,bringingherattentionbacktohim

as he moved close. Smiling into her face, he ran a finger over her cheekbone. “Getting
somecolorbackonyou.”

Used to be, his touch had melted her. Now she just wanted him to go because she

hatedtheconfusingmixofpastandpresent.“CanIaskyousomething,Keith?”

“Sure.”

“Doyoueverthinkaboutus?”

“A lot, since you called.” He took the pans back from her. “I was thinking you had

someideasaboutstartingupwithmeagain.”

“Idid,”sheadmittedsoftly.“ButnowI’mthinkingthatwasstupid.”

“Stillsaywhatevercomesintoyourhead,Isee.”Hedidn’tseeminsulted,butamused.

“Ithoughtmaybeyou’doutgrowthat.”

“Apparentlynot.”

“Actually,it’srefreshing.There’snosubterfugewithyou,Lil.Noguessing.It’sallout

there in the open for anyone to see.” He laughed softly. “I wasn’t mature enough to
appreciatethatthefirsttimearound.Ihopetorectifythat.”

She looked into his eyes. Back then, she’d loved looking into his dark, unwavering

eyes,lovedguessingathisthoughts.She’dalwayshadtoguess,sincehehadn’teverbeen
goodatrevealinghimself.“How?”

Heansweredwithasmileandawickedgleam.

“Doyoureallythinkit’sagoodideaformetojumpbackintoyourbed?”

“Oryours.I’mnotpicky.”

Shelaughedathisaudacityandsmoothconfidence,thenhersmilefaded.“Keith…”

Hissmilefaded,too.“I’mnotgoingtolikethis,amI?”

Shetookhishand.“ItookthejobbecauseIwaslonelyandhurtingandafraidI’dlost

myself.”

“Youdon’tlooklosttome.”

“That’s because being here reminds me of the woman I was back then—strong,

confident,readytotakeontheworld.”

“Youwere—are,anamazingwoman.”

“Keith…”

Hetookinherexpression.“Ah,hell.Ihatethetruth.”

“I’mnotthatsamewoman.AndmaybethesoonerIfacethat,thebetter.”

“Maybethat’strue.Maybeyou’renotthatwomananymore,maybeyou’rebetter.”

Sheletoutalowlaugh.“Better?Uh,no.”

Hisgazewentonaslowtourofher,fromheadtotoe,andbackagain,stoppingateach

spotinbetween.“You’relookingjustasfineasalways.”Helookedherintheeyes,then
leaned in and kissed her cheek. “And I hope you end up seeing that.” With a sigh, he
tippedhisheadbacktothegorgeousnightsky,litupwiththeglowofamillionstars.“It
nevergetsold,thatview,doesit?”

“No.”Onthisonethingatleast,theywereincompleteagreement.“Itdoesn’t.”

“We were here once together, near this exact spot actually, beneath a night just like

this.”Heflashedagrin.“Remember?”

Hersecondexpedition,asamatteroffact.He’dsetherupinatentthatthey’dnever

used. Instead they’d spread out a blanket and lain beneath a sky just like this one. He’d
pointedoutalltheconstellations,tellingherstoriesabouteachone,andhereighteen-year-
oldhearthadsighed.

She’dfallenhard.“Iremember.”

“Weweregoodtogether,Lily.”

“Were.”

“Ah.”Henodded.“It’ssomeoneelseyou’rethinkingofnow.”

Jared.God,itwastrue.“I’msorry.”

“It’sokay,Lil.”Hisgazewenttoaspotoverhershoulder,andthen,reachingout,he

putafingeroverhermouth,ranitoverherlowerlipinacaress.“Onemorethen,forold
time’ssake.”Hekepthiseyeslockedontohersasheslowlyleanedinandkissedher.

Her first thought—he felt warm and comfortable, nothing more. Her second, and far

more unsettling thought—that she could think at all meant she wasn’t feeling anything
closetowhatshe’dfeltwhenJaredhadkissedher.Itwasshockinglysimple.ForKeith,
shefeltamixofaffectionandyouth,allofitfirmlypasttense.

Inthepresent,righthere,rightnow,shefelt…nothing,andshepulledback.“Keith,I

—”

Hisgazewasdriftingoverhershoulder,andshefoundthatjustoddenoughtoturnand

seewhatitwasthathekeptlookingat.

Jaredhadcomebackintocamp.Hedroppedaloadofwood,brushedoffhishandsand

hisshirt,butevenwiththefiftyyardsseparatingthem,andthedarknight,Lilycouldfeel
hisshock.

“Youdidthatonpurpose,”shesaidtoKeith.

Hisgazecuttohers.“I’mthinking,someday,you’llthankme.”

Lily whipped her gaze back to Jared. He looked at her, then turned away and went

backintothewoods.

***

P UNTIL THAT

moment when Jared had seen Keith kissing Lily, he’d found the act of

dragging fallen logs and branches through the woods incredibly cathartic. Better than
sittingonabikeinagym.Muchbetterthanrunninglapsatthehigh-schooltrack.

Maybenotquiteasgoodasamarathonboutofup-against-the-wallsex,butthenagain,

he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had that, so he might be remembering it
betterthanitreallywas.

Buthedoubtedit.

Andthenhe’dgottenthatone-twosuckerpunchtothegutatthesightofKeithwith

hismouthonLily.

Damn,thathadhurt.

Hedumpedawholearmfuloflogsnearthefire,andJack,sittingontopofoneofhis

ownprevioushauls,heldupahand.“Whoa.We’vegotmorethanenough.”

“Yeah.”Jaredkickedaparticularlylargelog,andfeltthepainsingupfromhistoeto

hisshin.“Shit.”

“Yeah,thetrickisnottoletthemgettoyou,dude.”

“Thewood?”

“Women.”

Jaredslouchedagainstatree.“Howdidyouknow?”

“It’salloveryourface.”JacktwistedtowherehecouldseeLilystilltalkingtoKeith.

“Can’tblameyoueither.She’shot.”

At Jared’s long look, Jack lifted his hands. “Hey, just because I’m hitched, doesn’t

meanIcan’tappreciateagoodlooknowandthen.Butlisten,whenitcomestowomen,
you’vegottotakeabigmentalstepbackorthey’llgetyouinthehearteverysingletime.”

“Yeah?Howdoyoutakeastepback?”

“You keep yourself just a little removed, you know? I mean, sleep with ’em. Marry

’emifyouhaveto.Justdon’thandoveryourheartonasilverplatter.”

“SoyounevergaveMichelleyourheart?”

“Hell,no.She’dhavekilledmealongtimeago.”

JaredwatchedLilysaysomethingtoKeiththatmadehissmilefade.

Good.

Then Keith shook his head, said something else, and Lily touched his cheek and

walkedaway.

Jaredlikedthelookofthatevenbetter.

Keith walked away, too, and the knot in Jared’s insides loosened slightly so that he

could let out a deep breath. He hadn’t felt so tense since…since he’d been sitting in the
hospitalstaringinshockatthedoctorwhosemouthwasformingthewordcancer.

Crazy.Crazythathefeltsostrongsosoon.

Lily,athertent,turned,andunerringly,acrossalltheyardsthatseparatedthem,found

andlockedhergazeonJared’s.

Neither of them moved for a long beat, and then finally she crawled into her tent,

whichshefirmlyzippedclosed.

Jackletoutabreath.“Sometensionthere,huh?”

“Yeah.”

Lily’s tent shook a little as she moved around in there. Jared pictured her stripping

down for bed—an image not helped by the fact he’d had his hands on her now, and
wantedthemonheragain.“Youknow,”hesaidtoJack.“Ithinktheremightbesomething
toopeningupandlettingawomanin.Reallyin.”

“Sure,”Jackexplained.“It’scalledcertaindeath.”

“Noteverytime.”

“Ninety-nine-point-ninepercentofthetime,then.”

Jared shook his head, still looking at Lily’s tent. It’d gone still. What was she doing

now?“Mightbeworththerisk.”Hehadtothinkitwas.Hehadn’tbeentohellandbackto
livelifethewayhe’dusedto.Therehadtobemorethanthat,hebelieveditwithevery
singleounceofheartandsoulhehad.“Becausewhenyougetitright,there’snothinglike
it.”

“Yeah?”Jacklookedathimcuriously.“Andhasiteverbeenrightforyou?”

“Notyet.”

“Irestmycase.”

“I’mnotgivingup.”

Jackshookhishead.“You’reinforaworldofpain,dude.Seriously.”

“It’sworththerisk.”

“Howdoyouknow?”

“Becausewithoutit,whybotheratall?”

Jackcockedhisheadtothesideasheabsorbedthat,lookingthoughtfulnow,instead

ofall-knowing.“Toavoidthepain?”

“But one of these days, when it’s right, there won’t be pain. And then you’ll have it

all.”Jaredshrugged.“Ijustthinkit’sworththetry,that’sall.”

“Huh.”JacklookedatthetenthesharedwithMichelle.“Yeah,maybe.”Standing,he

brushedoffhishands.“Seeyouinthemorning.”

Jared watched him vanish into his tent and wished he had the right to be heading

toward Lily’s with that same intent and purpose. Instead he headed toward his own.
Always,he’dbeenfinewithonlyhimselfforcompany,butnow,tonight,ashelookedat
hisemptysleepingbag,hefeltlonely.

The hell with this. The hell with not having the right, or being polite and letting her

mullthingsover.Thehellwithbeinglonely.

The hell with all of it, and he stepped back out of his tent. The campfire was out,

everyonewasinsidetheirtents.Inthedarknight,heheadeddirectlyforLily’s.Lightly,he
tappedonthecanvasdoor.“Lily?”

Noanswer.

Hunkeringdown,hetuggedopenthezipperenoughtostickhisheadin.“Lily,I—”

Butthewordscaughtinhisthroat,becausethetentwasempty.Hecheckedthewater’s

edge,checkedtheentireclearingandalittlebitintothewoods.

Nothing.

Thenhelookedacrossthelakeandsawamovement.Shewassittingontheedgeof

thewater,huggingherknees,staringupatthesky.

It took him a while to figure out how to get to her, but he found the trail that led

aroundandcameupbehindher.

But before he could speak, she stood up and faced him. “Look, here’s the thing. I…

don’tknowwhatI’mdoing.”

“Lily.”

“I’mserious.Idon’t.”

“Youseemlikeyouknow.You’reanincredibleguide,Lily.”

“Imeantwithyou.I…don’tknowwhatI’mdoingwhenitcomestoyou.”

“Well,that’sokay.Wecanwingit.”

“I came here to find myself. Pre-mistake Lily. Pre-weak Lily. But the thing is, I’m

beginningtoseeI’mnevergoingtoliveuptothatperson.I’mnotthesameanymore.I’m
notstrong,andthere’ssomuchIcan’tdo.”

“You’rebeingalittleharshonyourself.”

“Justbeingreal.”

“So…what, you think that’s going to scare me off? Knowing you have doubts and

fearsliketherestofushumans?Iknowwhoyouare,Lily,andwhoyouaren’t.Nowgive
yourselfamoment,youjusthadanepiphany.”

“I’mokay,”shewhispered.“Idon’tneed—”

“Iknow.”Buthepulledhercloseanyway,andtohissurprise,shewrappedherarms

aroundhim.

“You see me,” she whispered. “You, Jared, the city guy, the business guy, the

sophisticated,elegantdigitalwizard…who’dhavethoughtyoucouldseeme?”

Hesmiledagainstherhairandheldon.Onceallofthosethings,andmaybeasmall

partofhimstillwas.

“But you’re also more,” she whispered, and if she hadn’t worked her way into his

heartyet,shedidinthatverysecondforunderstandinghim.“Somuchmore,Jared.”

Helethismouthbrushhertemple,thenlower,justbeneathherear,andinresponse,

she let out a long shuddery sigh that went through him like an erotic touch. “You’re so
muchmore,too,Lily.”

Shepausedatthat,asifunfamiliarwiththeconcept.Glidinghishandsintoherhair,he

tuggedherheadbacksothathecouldgetagoodlookathermouth,whichhewantedon
his.“Andhere’sanotherthought.”

“You’regoingtokissme?”

“Oh,yeah,butfirstIwantyoutoknowsomething.”

Hereyeswentwary.“What?”

Heputhisfingertohersilkysoftlips.“Ithinkyou’rethemostamazingwomanI’ve

evermet.”

Her soft exhale warmed his finger, and when she finally smiled, it also warmed his

heart.“You’realsoalittlebitstubborn,”headded,“incasenoone’severmentioned.”

“Uh-huh.”Hersmilehithereyes.“TellmesomethingIdon’tknow.”

“Howaboutthatyou’resexyashell?”

Shestaredathimforalongmoment.“Ineedamomentawayfromhere,whereI’m

notincharge,whereIdon’thavetothink.Doyouthinkyoucanmanageanyofthat?”

Shetrustedhimtotakeover,tolead,evenifonlyforalittlewhile.“I’mcertainIcan.”

CHAPTER10

ILYFELT

ARED

’

handslipintohers,andshefollowedwhenhegentlytugged.Inthefar

recessesofherlogicalmind,sheknewsheshouldsendhimofftohisowntent,andfind
herwaytohers.

She also knew the folly of letting him lead her anywhere in these mountains that he

didn’tknowlikeshedid.Butshedidn’tstophim.Nor,forthefirsttimeinherlife,didshe
evenattempttonavigatethesituation.

Shesimplylethimlead.Wantedhimto,soshecouldshutherselfoff,justforalittle

while. It’d been a long, long time since she could do so, certainly since before her
accident,andeversincethenshe’dbeenfightingthatall-consuming,unrelentingfearthat
she’dneverbethesame,thatshe’dnotbeabletosupportherself,andanyofamyriadof
otheranxietiesandconcerns.

Shewantedoblivion…nirvana.

Mindlessness.

Jared’s broad shoulders blocked out of most of the view of where they headed, and

that was fine, that was perfect. For the first time in too long, she emptied her brain of
thought,leavingonly…emotions.

She’d had only herself to rely on. Or at least that’s what she’d always wanted. But

somehow,onthistrip,thatwasjustanothermisconceptionshewasdiscovering.

Leaningonsomeonemightbegood.Ifonlyforafew…

Jared stepped into the shadows and became a tall, dark sinewy outline of a man.

“Comehere.”

Sheshiftedtowardhim,andhepulledherdowntoarock.Shesawtheywereonthe

farsideofthelake.Theywerestillwithinearshotoftheothers,butjustoutofview.

Fog hovered on the water, drifting over them, smudging the night scenery like a

glorious wet painting. With a sigh, Lily let it all surround her, the crickets singing, the
branchesbrushingtogetherinthelightbreeze.

Herownheartbeat.

Jared didn’t say a word, just sat next to her, taking in the magnificent night in utter

silence.Shelookedathim,athisprofilewithhisstrong,masculinefeaturesandthemouth
thatshe,quiteshockingly,wantedonhers.“Jared.”

“Iwanttostripyououtofyourclothesandtakeyourighthere.”

“Theothers—”

“Canhear,Iknow.We’dbequiet.”

Thesharpdesireinhisvoicewhencontrastedtohiseasyposture,tuggedashortlaugh

outofher.“Uh—”

He looked at her then, his glasses slipping just a little, a frown on his mouth. His

stubblehadfilledinalittleaftertwofulldays,andhishairhadbeenfinger-combedagain.
Overallimpression:

Badass.

When had that happened? Looking at him, a little frisson of sheer desire zinged

throughher,beginningathertoes,travelingthrougheverysingleerogenouszoneshehad,
plusafewshe’dforgottenabout…Yeah,she’ddefinitelyfoundheroblivion,hernirvana.
“Jared.”

“Iknowitsoundscrazy,”hesaid.“Youcouldhave—”

“Jared.”

“—anyguyontheplanet—”

Cuppinghisface,shegavehimalittleshake.“Jared.”

“Yeah?”

“Idon’twanttotalk,”shewhispered.

“Youdon’t—”

She kissed him. He didn’t protest, and neither did the night. A breeze blew her hair

acrossherfaceandsheimpatientlyshoveditaside,shootingcloser.

Withagroan,hepulledherin.Shesankintohim,thescentofhisskinbetterthanany

scent she could remember. Around them, the water hit the rocky shore with a rhythmic,
almost hypnotic regularity, in tune to their heavy breathing as she strained to get even
closer.

Shecouldhearthemurmursofvoices—Michelle’sandJack’s,shethought.Ormaybe

Rose’s and Rock’s. There was something incredibly arousing about that, knowing they
werewithinearshot,especiallygivenwhatshewantedtodo.

“Lily—”

“No. No talking.” To that end, she took his mouth again, dancing her tongue to his,

absorbinghislowgroanofpleasure,lovinghowhisarmstightenedonherashekissedher
back,hotanddeep.

“God,youtastesogood,”hemurmured,draggingkissesalongherjawtoherear.“So

damnedsweet.Ican’tgetenough.”

She couldn’t either. His kisses, his touches, were as quietly demanding as the man

himselfcouldbe.Hekissedheragainandagain,andleaningoverher,urgedherbackon
therock,stretchingherout,supportinghimselfwithhishandsoneithersideofherface.

Oh,yeah,nowthiswaswhatshe’dwanted.Desire.Hunger.More,please.

Liftinghishead,helookeddownathersprawledoutbeneathhim.“Youlooksweet,

too.”

Sheletoutasoundthatwashalflaugh,halfgroan.Heneededtoshutupandkissher

somemore.

“What,noone’severtoldyouthatbefore?”

“Notexactly.”

“Well,theyshouldhavebecauseyouare.Andhot.DidImentionyou’realsohot?So

damnedhot.Lily—”

“Notalking.”

“Can’thelpmyself.”

“Tryharder.”

“Maybe if my mouth was busy—” In the interest of her wishes, he kissed the spot

beneathherear,thenslowlyexhaled,makinghershiverwildly.

Goodstart.

“Mmm.”Heshiftedtoherneck,dragginghot,wetopenmouthedkissesdownthebase

ofherthroat,whereshewascertainherpulsehadapproachedheart-attackspeed.

“Andyoutasteprettydamnhot,too,”hesaidwithasmile,theonethatseemedtomelt

herbraincellsandherbonesatthesametime.“Sweetandhot.”

Thenightaddedtotheintimacy.Aroundhershecouldhearthethingsthathadalways

lulledher,soothedher;thecrickets,adistanthowl…herfavoritesounds.

Butnowshehadanewfavoritesound—thequickeningofJared’sbreathashestared

atherhungrily,andalsowithjustalittlebefuddledsurprise,asifhecouldn’tquitebelieve
his luck. Then he bent over her again, touching his mouth to hers, and she knew she’d
beenright.Therewasnobetterwaytobeatbacktheemptinessthathadtakenoverthan
withthis.Him.Slidingherhandsintohisshort,silkyhair,sheheldhimtoher.

“Lily—”

“Shh.” Beneath him, her body was coming alive, the loneliness and emptiness she’d

feltonlyashorttimebeforewithKeithquicklybeingreplacedbyaheatthatwasworking
outwardfromeverywhereJared’smouthtouched.Thenhiswarmhandsslidbeneathher
T-shirt, skimming over her ribs, his fingertips just barely stroking the undersides of her
breasts. Her nipples had long ago hardened, but they hardened further, into two tight,
achingpeaks.

“Icouldkissyouallnight,”hewhispered.“Tellmeyoufeelthesame.”

“JaredSkye,whatdoesshhmean?Notalking,that’swhat!”Withahuffofimpatience,

shesatup,pulledoffhershirtandtosseditaside.There.Shelookedupathim,figuring
thatwouldfinallygethermessageacross.

Hisgazetookinherwhitelacebra,hiseyesonfire.Risinguptohisknees,hepulled

offhisshirt,too.

Finally.Inreward,sheranherhandsdownhistorso,buthebackedaway.

Huh?

Smiling,hestoodup,thenkickedoffhisshoes.

Okay,shelikedwherethiswasgoing.Alot.

Andthenheshuckedhispants.Yeah,shereallylikedwherethiswasgoing…

Therehewasstandingbeneaththemeagerstarlightnakedasthedayhewasborn.

Shelickedhersuddenlydrylips.“Okay,thatworks.Now—”

Butshewastalkingtoherselfbecausehe’dturned,andwithoutasingleword—which

was just as she’d asked so what could she say?—he dived into the water in one clean,
catlikemovement.

Sittingup,shestaredindisbeliefattheblackripplesonthelakeuntilhere-emerged

andtossedthewaterfromhiswethair.

Without a moon for light, she couldn’t be sure, but she thought maybe he was

grinning.

“Comeon,”hesaid,andliftedahand.

“Skinny-dipping?”

“Whynot?”

“Because…”BecauseI’dthoughtyou’dbeinsidemebynow.

“It’sjuvenile.”

“Actually…”Hestoodupsothatthewaterlappedathisshins.Hisbodygleamedby

themeagerstarlightaswatersluicedoffhim,downhisshoulders,hisarms,hischest,his
belly…

Lower,and,ohyes,shelooked.Hewasaroused,hugelyso,andhermouthwentdry.

God,hewasabeautifulman,sobeautifulshewantedtolaphimuponesipatatime.

“Idon’tfeelsojuvenile,”hesaidverysilkily.

Oh,boy.

“Youcomingin?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured, still staring at him. She’d wanted mindless, wild,

animalsex.Himinside,herwild,nothoughtsallowed.

Andyeteverythinghedid,everytimehetouchedher,orspoke,orevenjustlookedat

her,herthoughtsraced.Shewasyearningandburning,allofher,notjustherbodybuther
heartandsoul,andthatscaredherdeep.

Damn it, she’d just wanted to have some mutually satisfying sex, that’s all. Why

couldn’theoblige?

Asifreadinghermind,heletoutaslow,daringsmile.“What’swrong?Someoneelse

tookchargeofthemoment,andyoulostyourplace?”

Sheopenedhermouth.Thencarefullycloseditagain.“No.”

Buthelaughed.“Yeah.”

“You’repissingmeoff.”

“I know it.” He splashed her, just scooped his hand into the water and splashed her,

wetting her from her roots to her toes and all the places in between, including her bra.
Waterdrippedoffhernoseasshelookedathim.“Thatwasjuvenile,aswell.”

“Yeah?Whatareyougoingtodoaboutit?”

“I’msittingherewithoutmyshirton,andyouwanttoplay?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You’recrazy.”Butshetoedoffhershoes.

Hesmiled.

“I don’t want any strings between us,” she said, pointing at him. “Just this.” She

unzippedherjeans.“Gotit?”

“Thisbeing…”

“Us.Naked.”Sheunhookedherbra.“Canyouhandlethat?”

Hewasstillsmiling.“Whatifyoudecideyouwantmore?”

“Iwon’t.”Sheletherbrafall.“Canyouhandleit?”sheaskedagain.

“Icansureashelltry.”

And then she slid her jeans and panties down in one fell swoop. His smile faltered,

replacedbyafierylookofdesirethatstoleherbreath.

“Comehere,”hesaidverysoftly,andheldouthishand.

Alightbreezeblewoverherandsheshiveredasshesteppedintothewater,reaching

outforhim.Hepulledherin,tight,close,andjustlikethat,atthefeelofhiswet,warm
bodyagainsthers,hebanishedthechill.

He kissed her as he pulled them both down into the water, and as the water closed

around their shoulders, lapping at their bodies, she tasted the inside of his mouth and
foundunbelievablecomfortinthefamiliarityofhim.

Comfort, even as she wanted him to make her explode. So, so unbelievable. But at

least she wasn’t alone in this odd phenomenon. She could hear his ragged breathing, as
well, feel the pounding of his heart as he nudged her even closer, wrapping one arm
aroundherlowerback,theotherslidingintoherhairtotugherfaceuptohis.Hefeltit,
too,whatever“it”was,andalittlestunned,alittleoverwhelmedatitall,shetouchedhis
jaw.

“Lily,”hewhispered,hislongingmakinghisvoicethickandhusky.

She was a strong swimmer, and yet he held her up in the water. It felt incredible,

leaningonhim,lettinghimdothework,knowinghewouldn’tletgo.Hertoesbumpedhis
shins,theirbarethighsslidtogether.Hishardabspressedintohersofterones,andwithout
consciousthoughtsheranherhandsuphischestandaroundhisneck,pressinghermouth
tohisformoreofhisachinglyslow,meltingkisses.

Shehopedlikehellnooneelsedecidedtogoforalate-nightnakedswim,butthenhe

slidahanddownherspine,stoppingtosqueezeherbuttbeforestrokingfurther,downthe
backofherleg,urgingitaroundhiswaist,whichopenedherupforhim,andohGod,he
archedhishipsintoherssothatshecouldfeelexactlywhatshedidtohim.

He was hard, gloriously so, and boldly nudging at her opening, and she forgot all

abouttheothers.

Hewasastranger,andyetshe’dneverfeltclosertoanyoneinherlife.Pressedeven

closer, she made a sound of intense need, and he met her more than halfway, his mouth
welcominghers,harderanddeeperthistime,asifhe’dpulledtheplugonanyhesitancy,
ontheleashofhiscontrol.Hishandsroamedwildlyoverher,andhersdidthesame,and
when she wrapped her fingers around his glorious erection, he swore and staggered
unsteadily,andtheybothfell.

Water closed over their heads, and laughing breathlessly, they crawled to the shore.

Lilylaybackonthesand,herheadandtorsooutofthewater,lookingupatJaredashe
toweredoverher,hiseyesglittering.

“God,you’rebeautiful,”hewhispered,loweringhisbodytohersasthewaterlapped

attheircalves.“Sodamnedbeautifulyoutakemybreath.”Heburiedhisfaceinherhair,
then her neck, breathing her in as if he meant to inhale her, his hands skimming up and
downherbody,spreadingtheheatwithinher.

When she opened her legs for him, he groaned, low and raw, and made himself at

homebetweenthem,cuppingherfaceforanothersoul-wrenchingkiss.Thenhetookthat
kissonacruisedownherthroattoherbreasts,andshecouldn’thelpit,shecriedout.

“Shh,”hemurmured,andsuckedherhardintohismouth.

Itturnedoutitwashardto“shh.”Shetried,shereallydid,shejustcouldn’t,soheput

hisfingersoverherlipsandslidfartherdownherbody,kissingeachrib,herbellybutton.

Lower.

Oh.God.

Slippinghishandsbeneathher,heliftedherhighenoughthathecouldkissher.

There.

And with the water lapping at her legs and Jared lapping at her center, he took her

right out of herself and back again, leaving her gripping wet sand in her fists, staring
blindlyupatthestars,shuddering,stunned.

“Again,” he commanded, and though she’d just exploded so hard she thought she

couldn’tcomeagain,heprovedherwrong.

Twice.

Good lord. He might have been a classic workaholic, a self-described ordinary

workingstiff,buttherewasnothingordinaryaboutwhathedidtoherthereontheshore.
Whateverhisexperiencehadorhadn’tbeen,hewasearthy,giving,amasterfullover,and
even when she had him in her hands, making him tremble and swear as she slowly
stroked,hetookcareofher,almostintuitivelyknowingwhatsheneededandwhen,which
washim,insideher.

Whenhesankintoher,theirtwingroansmingledinthenightair,andwhenhebegan

tomove,shecouldn’thavecomeupwithherownname.

“Lily.”

Right.HernamewasLily.Good.Great.Butshepromptlyforgotitagainbecausehe’d

openedhiseyesandlockedthemonhers,lettingherseewhatshedidtohim,lettingher
watchthepleasure,thehunger,thesheerneedforherrolloverhim,throughhim,andback
intoher.

Noonehadeverbeenthisdeepwithinherbefore,insideherbody,hermind,hersoul.

Noone.

Andshegaveherselfuptoit.Really,shehadnochoice.Itwasthefirsttruejoyshe’d

experiencedinaverylongtime.Giventhelookinhiseyes,hefeltthesame.Marveling,
she touched his jaw, his mouth, her heart quickening as he kissed her fingers and thrust
deepwithinher.

Unbelievably, she felt her body tightening again, but then he did the one thing she

wantedhimtoneverdo—hestopped.

“Lily—”

“No.Pleasedon’tstop.”Wasthather,allbreathlessandpanty,soundinglikeMarilyn

Monroe?Yeah,andshedidn’tcare,allpridehaddesertedher,becausedamnit,sheneeded
him to keep moving, she needed that more than she needed anything else in the entire
world.Hertoeswerecurling,herbodyontheveryedge.“Please,please…”

“God.”Droppinghisforeheadtohers,hepantedforbreath.“Lily,don’tmove.”

“I have to.” Arching up, she wrapped her legs around his waist, which brought him

evendeeperwithinher,andtheybothgaspedinpure,unadulteratedpleasure.“Jared,you
haveto—”

“No condom.” He grated this out, his fingers gripping her hips as if she was his

lifeline.

Condom.

Howshe’dnearlyputthatlittlethoughtrightoutofherheadwasbeyondher,buthe’d

friedherbraincells.“Frontpocketofmyjeans.”

Heblinked.“Youhaveacondominyourpocket?”

Shestaredupathim.“Ithinkthecorrectreactionhereisgratitude.”

“Oh,trustme.”Hereachedupfortheclothesthey’dtossedontheshore,andfumbled

through her pocket. “It is sheer gratitude. I’m also flattered.” He was back, kneeling
between her thighs, his hands sliding slowly up her legs, his gaze following his own
movements,hisbreathinggoingraggedagain.

“Hurry,”shepanted.

“Onit.”Butheleanedinandkissedherinnerthigh,thenturninghishead,nuzzledher

verycenter.

Hergaspfilledthequietnight.Liftinghishead,hiseyesweredarkashetoreopenthe

packetandrolledthecondomdownhislength.Thenhewaspoisedatheropening,going
stillashelookedather.“Sobeautiful,”hemurmured.

Shetouchedhismouth,hisjaw,thensankherfingersintohishairtotughimcloser.

“Kissme,”shewhispered,rockinguptomeethim,andwhenhesankintoheragain,she
letoutasoundofsheerrelief.Betweenthedarknight,theheatbetweentheirbodies,and
thepowerofhisthrusts,shewaslost.Lost.

Andapparentlyhefeltthesameway,becausehetorehismouthfromhersandarched

hisbacktothrustevendeeper,grippingherhipsashedid,hisgazelockedonhers,driving
herhigherandhigher,watchingherwitheyesgoneglossywithpassion.Hewasbeautiful,
too, so beautiful, and then, with a surprised cry, she shattered again, and this time, took
himwithher.

Ittookagoodlongmomenttocomebacktoherself,andwhenshedid,thenightair

wascoolingherdampskin,blowingherhairinherflushedfaceasshelaybare-assnaked
onarockwithanequallybare-assnakedmanshe’dknownallofafewdaysholdingher
tighttohim.

Oh,boy.

Sittingup,shereachedforhertop.

Besideher,Jaredsighed.“Funtimeover?”

She’d told him she didn’t want any strings, just this. She’d made sure he knew that,

and yet she’d forgotten one tiny little thing—to believe it herself. Now she was fighting
the urge to cling, and that was just disconcerting enough to have her needing to run for
cover.“Ishouldgetback.”Yeah,thatwasit.

He watched as she slipped into her jeans and shoved her panties in her pocket. She

pushed her hair out of her face and looked for her ponytail holder, but it’d vanished.
Willingtowriteitoff,shejammedherfeetintohershoes.

“What was it?” he asked quietly as he rose. “The intimacy? Or the fact that you

engagedyourheart?”

Her entire body went from limp-as-a-noodle satisfied to drawn tight as a bow. “Not

thatIhavetoexplainmyselfhere,butIprefernottoliearoundnakedforanyoneelseto
findus.”

“No one is even going to look for us.” He smiled grimly. “It was both. We got too

closetoosoon,andyouregretit.”

“Idon’tdoregret.”

“Right.Youjustshutyourselfoff.”

Sheturnedtofacehimashepulleduphisjeans.“Shutmyselfoff?”

“Sure.”Hejammedanarmintohisshirt.“That’seasierthanfacingthetruth,right?”

“Andwhatisthetruth?”sheasked,knowingshewasn’tgoingtolikethisonelittlebit.

Hebuttonedhisshirtatoptheabsshe’djusthadherhandsallover.“Thatwhatwedid

got a little too close for comfort. And now you need to back off. You need to be alone,
where you can tell yourself that no, you didn’t just nearly come right outside yourself
becauseitwasthatamazing.”

Sheputherhandsonherhipsandabsorbedthatunexpectedpunchoftruth.“Alittle

sureofyourself,aren’tyou?”

“No.”Helaughedharshly.“Hell,no.It’sjustthatIwasthere,Lily,andIknowdamn

wellthat’snothowitusuallyis.Atleastforme.”Heshovedhisfingersthroughhishair
andjustlookedather.

Sheknewwhathewantedtohear.Thatno,hellno,itwasn’tusuallylikethatforher

either, but she was still reeling from what he’d pulled out of her. She was nearly
staggeringwithit.

Thiswassonotwhatshe’dexpectedtonight.

She’d wanted a little escape, a little fun, a little oblivion, that’s all. Only what she’d

foundwassomuchmorethanthat.

Somuchmore.

Hating that he was right, about everything, she turned away and started back toward

camp.“Actually,myusualMOisjusttowalkaway,”shecalledback.Likeshewasdoing
rightnow,asamatteroffact.

“’Night,Jared.”

“Lily.”

Sheturnedbackandliftedherchin.“Iwarnedyou.”

“Thatthiswouldbejustsex.”Hestoodtherewatchingher,hairstandingstraightup,

eyessleepyandsexy,clothesrumpled.Rumpled.“Yes,yesyoudidwarnme,thankyou.
Yourconsciencecanbeclear.”

“Ihopethiswon’taffectourworkingrelationship.”

He just looked at her in disbelief, and yeah, she felt stupid. Working relationship?

God. “Good night,” she managed around a thick throat, knowing she was being
impossiblyrude,butwasutterlyunabletostopherself.

She’dbeenlookingforherself,andhereshewas.Pathetic.Weak.Needy.

Andshe’dlethimsee.

“If we don’t talk about it,” he warned as she turned away again. “You’re going to

dreamaboutit.Aboutme.”

Yeah,ofthat,shehadnodoubt.

CHAPTER11

F COURSE SHE

dreamed of him, how could she not? What Jared had done to her in the

woodsbythelake’sedgebeneathastarlitsky,hadbeenthemosterotic,sensualtimeof
herlife,andshewasn’tlikelytoforgetit.

She’dwantedoblivionandhe’ddelivered.Inspades.Shestaredattheceilingofher

tent,herbodystillhummingwiththeaftermathofgreatsex.

It’dbeenawhile,shetoldherself.That’swhyshe’dgoneofflikethat.

Butnowshehadtofacethedreadedmorningafter.Noregrets,sheremindedherself,

and,facingthemusic,gotup,dressedandlefthertent.Keithwasgone,whichwasvintage
Keith.

She’d turned him down, however gently, and he’d moved on without a backward

glance.

Justashehadthefirsttime.

She looked around at the group of tents, at the fire she’d rekindled, and felt a real

pang. She did love doing this. She had, for a few days at least, loved the thought of
continuingtodoit,eventhoughit’dmeantroots,ties.

Relationships.

Hadn’t it happened already, with Jared? At that thought, another not-so-little pang

tuggedatherheart,whichonlyprovedherpoint.Ifthethoughtofwalkingawayfromhim
washurtingalready,shewasinfartoodeep.

Rubbingtheacheinherlowerback,shegottowork.Nolookingback,shetoldherself

firmly.She’ddonetoomuchofthatandithadn’tgottenheranywherebutHeartacheCity.

Fromnowon,forwardwastheonlydirectionshe’dmovein.Over-HerselfCity,here

shecame.

***

OSE WOKE UP

earlyforthethirdtimeeverandrewardedherselfwithabathinthelake,

which turned out to be cold enough to shock her skin into glowing like a twenty-year-
old’s.Gofigure,she’djustgivenherselfacheapspaday.Laughingatherself,sheputon
hermakeupandheadedbacktocamp.

Lily was cooking breakfast, which made her a hero in Rose’s book. She was also

pretending not to be watching Jared’s tent for signs of life, something she understood
extremelywellbecauseshe’dmadeanewOlympiceventoutofwatchingRocktheCutie
Patootie.“Smellsdelish,”shesaidwithasmile.

“Itisdelish,”Lilyresponded,andhandedheraplate.“ButI’mafraidyou’vewasted

yourmascara.Youknowwe’regoingcanoeingtoday.”

RosetookapeekatRock’stentandwasrelievedtoseehimcomingoutofthewoods

with his toothbrush. He wore his black jeans, black boots and a black T-shirt that
emphasized the physique that made her need a bib. Good Lord, the boy was hot. “It’s
waterproof, and don’t worry, a good application of makeup is never wasted. God, he’s
such a muffin. I just want to spread him with butter and eat him up. Do you think I’m
gettinganywherewithhimatall?”

Rocklookedoveratthetwoofthemandsmiled.

Lilywavedandbeganthenextomeletassheanswered.“Andwhereisityouwantto

begetting?”

“Preferablyinhispants.”

Lilynearlydroppedherpan,makingRoselaugh.“Comeon,Iamnotshockingyou.”

“No.No,you’renot,butjeez,Rose,atleastwaituntilIeatsomething.”

“Likeyoudon’twanttogetintosomeone’spants.”

Lilykepthereyesonthepan.“NotbeforebreakfastIdon’t.”

“You’re not fooling anyone, you know.” Rose gestured with her chin over Lily’s

shoulder to where Jared appeared from his tent; six feet of long-legged, leanly muscled,
rumpledman.

With eyes for no one else, he looked right at Lily, and Rose let out a low whistle.

“Holdontight,Lily,it’sgoingtobeabumpyride.”

Lilyburnedherfinger.“Damnit.”

Roselaughedsoftly.“Soyou’vealreadybeenthere,donethatthen?”

“Rose.”

“Comeon,admitit.Thesexualtensionbetweenthetwoofyouisenoughtoignitethe

treetops.”

“That’sridiculous.”

“Soyoudenywantinghim?”

Lilyturnedaway,butherbrightredneckgaveheraway.“I’vegottogetcooking,”she

said.

Roselaughed.“Honey,youknowyoualreadyare.”

***

EAH,SHEWASCOOKING

.LilystoleanotherpeekatJared.Hislightweightcargoswereneat

andclean—howthehelldidhedothat?—hisT-shirtwrinkle-free.Sheknewtheoutdoor
gearwasalientothemanwho’dlivedinanofficeforsomanyyears,andyetheworeitas
ifhe’dbeenbornoutside.

Hehadsomethinginhisbackpocket,somethingshe’dbetmoneywasdigital,which

wouldnormallyannoyher,butwithhim,itsomehowmadehersighbecauseitmeantthere
wasindeedarebelinhim.

And,God,shewassuchasuckerforarebel.

He was helping Michelle and Jack take down their tent, and laughing at something

Michellesaid.

The sound of his amusement drifted over her, into her. In the past year he’d been to

hellandback,andyethelookedsocarefree,easygoing.

Hehadn’talwaysbeenthatway,sheknewthat,he’dtoldher.Peoplechanged,andshe

knewthat,too.

Didshewanttochange?

Shewasstubborn,setinherways.Abitofahandful.Howmanytimeshadsheheard

that? Her lifestyle didn’t exactly bode well for a relationship of any kind, and hell, she
didn’tevenknowifhewasinterestedinarelationship,but…butifhewas…couldshe?

Wouldshe?

God.Itwasacoolmorning,completewithachillybreeze,andshewassweating.“It’s

hotalready,huh?”

Roselaughed.“Baby,that’sallmanmakingyouhot.Admitit.”

“Rose.”

“Admit.It.”

Lilylaughed.Whatelsecouldshedo?AndRoselaughedwithher,givingheraone-

armedhugwhilestillholdingontoherplate.“Ah,lookatthat.You’resoprettywhenyou
smile.Yououghttotryitmoreoften.”

WhenRosewalkedaway,Lilystaredintothefire.Didn’tshesmileallthetime?Okay,

maybenot.

At least, not until the past few days anyway, because she felt as if lately she’d been

smilingnonstop,atleastwhenonecertainmanlookedather.

“Hey.”

Speakingofsaidman.Hewasstandingrightbehindher,andshedidn’tneedtolook

downathersuddenlyhappynipplestoknowthatherbodyrecognizedhimwithouteven
turningaround.

When she didn’t respond, he merely turned her to face him. Nope, no avoiding the

wholemorning-afterthing,notwiththisguy.Hewastoodirectforthat.

“Youokay?”heasked.

“Fineanddandy.You?”

Hismouthquirked.“Fineanddandy.”

“Good,becausewe’regoingcanoeing.You’llneedeveryounceofenergyyouhave.”

“I’mupforit.Lily—”

Shethrustaplateinhishands.“Eat.”

“Aboutlastn—”

“Youreallyneedtoeat,becauseit’sabigday.We’regoingtostartatthenortheastern

tipoftheBalsamRimandendupatitssouthwesternreach.Hardwork,butforareward,
we’ll spend the night on a precipice among giant spruce and Fraser firs. It’s
unforgettable.”

“Lily—”

“Oh,andwe’llwalkthroughaforestthatonlyjustbarelyescapedthesawduringthe

area’sformerlifeastimber-companyland.It’sagotta-see,soyeah,geteating.Grabsome
bacon.”Shejerkedherchintowardthetray,avoidinghishazeleyes.“There’smelon,as
well.Doyoulikemelon?”

“Melon?”heaskeddoubtfully.“We’regoingtotalkaboutmelon?”

“Well,wecouldgobacktothewholetimberlandthing.”

Hejustlookedather.

“Fine,”shesaidonalong-sufferingsigh.“Whatelsewouldwetalkabout?”Mostmen

wouldgorunningnow,shethoughtgrimly.Yep,anysecondhe’ddojustthat.

Buthedidn’tgoanywhere.“Gee,Idon’tknow,”hesaiddryly.“Howabouthowmuch

energyweuseduplastnight,andhowgooditfelt?No,makethatamazing.”Hestepped
close,letherseetheheatinhiseyes.“Itfeltamazing,Lily.”

Shebrokeeyecontacttostudythefire.“I’dratherdiscussfood.”

“Okay,yougoaheadanddothat.Icanwaityouout.”

“Jared.”Sheclosedhereyes.“Wecan’tdothisnow.I’vegotbreakfasttoserve.And

thenthecanoeguytomeetontheriver,and…”

And she couldn’t handle talking about last night. She just couldn’t. She took a deep

breath,heldit,thenslowlyletitout.“AndIdon’tthinktalkingaboutitisgoingtohelp.”

SilencefromJared.

“We’re both adults,” she said, filling it. “And what happened between us here in the

mountains—”

“Shouldstayinthemountains?”

Hereyesflewopen.Jaredwasgone.

In his place was Jack, who’d clearly moved in close while she’d been talking to

herself,andwaslookingprettyamused.

Jared now stood on the far side of the fire, holding his plate, chewing on a piece of

bacon,watchingtheflames.

“Damn it,” she said, and ignoring Jack’s soft laugh at her side, she began another

omelet.

“Hey, someone should be getting some out here,” Jack said. “I’ve always wanted to

makeitinthewilds.Tellme,doyougetmosquitobitesinprivateplaceswhenyoustrip
down,because—”

“Jack?”shesaidsweetly.

Heshovedabiteintohismouth.“Yes?”

“Shut up and eat.” She refilled his plate with more bacon and tried to pretend she

wasn’tblushing.

She also refused to look at him again, or at Jared for that matter, and spent the next

halfhourcleaningup.ThenshemadesurethatMichelleatesothatshewouldn’tbeable
to complain about hunger a half hour down the river, that Rose didn’t eat Rock for her
nourishment,thateveryonewashappyandcontentandreadytogo.

Becauseshewas—atleastthereadytogopart.Thehappyandcontent?Notsomuch.

***

ATERLAPPEDAT

Lily’scanoe,whichshewassharingwithJackatthemoment.Infrontof

her, Rose and Michelle, who’d not wanted to be with Jack because she wanted to sun
insteadofpaddle.AheadofthemwereJaredandRock.

Everyonewasdoingwell,thoughhergazekeptstrayingtoJared.Therewasnothing

morerelaxingorsoul-rewardingthancanoeingdownaslow-movingriver—thatisifshe
couldtakehermindoffthings.

Hopethiswon’taffectourworkingrelationship.Hadshereallysaidthat?Yes.Yes,she

had,andshewincedatthestupidityofitalloveragain.

Of course it was going to affect their working relationship. He’d watched her strip

nakedforhim.He’dhadhishandsoneveryinchofher.

Andhismouth.God,hismouth.He’dhadthatoneveryinchofher,aswell,andshe

wasprettysureshe’dscreamedhisname.

Severaltimes.

Feelingherfaceheat,shegroanedandshookherhead,tryingtodispeltheimage.

But it stuck. It all stuck—Jared dropping his clothes and diving into the water, then

gettinghertodothesame.Andthen…andthenshowingherhowtorelaxandloseherself
withamutuallysatisfyingsweatyboutofsex.

Okay,morethanjustsex.

Damnit.

“Youokay?”

ShelookedatJack.“Um,yeah.Fine.”

This was all Jared’s fault. Last night, he’d stood there with the water lapping at his

feet,lookingsodecidedlyun-citylike,andincrediblygorgeous.Thewayhe’dcrawledup
herbodyasshelaysprawledovertherock.Howhe’dspreadherlegswithhis,thentaken
agoodlonglookather.Thenhe’ddonealotmorethanjustlook…

Now, in the river, paddling away to get out some aggression, she felt her nipples

hardenbeneathherlife-vest.Yeah,thatwasprofessional.

Butitwasnothingcomparedtowhatwasgoingonbetweenherthighs.

Orbeneathherribs,damnit,intheregionofherheart.Nowthatreaction,thatwasthe

scarypart.

Jackwaslookingatheragain,andsheforcedasmile.Stillfine.

As she thought it, Jared slowed his and Rock’s canoe until it came even with theirs.

Jaredwaswieldingapaddleasifhe’dbeenborntoit,andhegaveheralookthatforonce
shecouldn’tread.

Hedidn’tsayanything.

Shedidn’teither.

Afteramomentofthesilentstandoff,hismouthquirked,thoughthesmiledidn’tquite

reachhiseyes.

Andthenhepaddledon.

“Whew,”Jacksaidquietly.“Isitme,orisitgettinghotouthere?”

“Funny.” She watched Jared go, her chest tightening. She’d told him she didn’t do

regrets,soshehadnobusinessgoingthereinherhead.Itdidn’tmatterhowhe’dlookedas
she’dwalkedawayfromhim,hishairrumpled,hiseyesdarkandsexy,hisbodylooseand
stilldamp…

God. Her knees actually wobbled whenever she thought about it, so really, it was a

goodthingtheywerecanoeingontherivertodayinsteadofhiking.

She forced herself to look around her at the tall, majestic mountains, at the utter

serenityallaroundthem,andcametoanunderstandingwithherself.

Shetrulydidloveitouthere.Shelovedwhatshewasdoing,lovedhavingpeoplewith

hertoshareitwith,lovedallofit.

Andweakorstrong,shewasmeanttobehere.

A laugh behind her brought her out of herself, and she whipped around in time to

watch Rose flash Rock her bare breasts. She was standing to do so, her top up over her
face.

“Rose,”Rocksaidquickly,clearlytornbetweenlookingattheadmittedlyspectacular

breastsandthenowunsteadycanoe.“Yourcanoe—”

“Uh-oh,” Rose gasped, because her motions had caused the canoe to rock back and

forth,highereachtime.

Inthesameunsteadycanoe,Michellescreamed.

SodidRose.“Ohmigod—”

“Rose!”Lilycalledout.“Don’tmakeanyquickmoves,just—”

Rosesat,grabbingontothesidesofthecanoefordearlife.

Toolittletoolate.EspeciallywhencombinedwithMichelle’sownfranticmovements.

The canoe rocked even more. Rose was still screaming as the canoe rocked, rocked,
rocked…rightover,andsettled,upsidedown.

AsRoseandMichellehitthewaterintandem,thescreamingabruptlystopped.

“Michelle!”Jackyelled,grabbingthesidesofhisandLily’scanoeashestood,clearly

freakingout.“Michelle!”

Uh-oh.Theybeganrocking,too,violently.“Jack,sit!”Lilyyelled.Jesus, did no one

listen?

“You’vegotto—”

Toolate.Theircanoerolledover,too,andsheandJackjoinedMichelleinthebrink.

Damn it. Once again cold water closed over her head. She broke the surface and

shovedherhairoutofhereyes.Jaredpaddledupnexttoherandofferedherthetipofhis
paddletoholdonto.“Youallright?”

Shelookedintohiseyesandhadtoshakeherhead.“Savingmeagain?”

Hesmiled.“IfIam,doesthatmeanyou’lloweme?”

“Ha-ha.”Shestruggledtoflipthecanoes,andJaredslippedintothewatertohelpher.

“Thanks,”shesaid,andathiseasysmile,shesighed.“Fine.Ireallydooweyou.”

“Aren’tyougoingtoaskmewhatIwant?”

Sheshrugged.“Icanfigureitout.”

He actually looked insulted at that. “Well, since you’re so sure,” he murmured, and

then, pulling his and Rock’s canoe free, he paddled away, leaving her to wonder as she
watched them go…had she misjudged him by accident, or on purpose so as to further
alienatehim?

Neithersaidanythingflatteringaboutherself,thatwascertain.

CHAPTER12

Y THE TIME

they stopped for a picnic lunch, Jack was starving. He’d worked up an

appetitewhilewatchinghiswifebouncearoundinherwetbikinithepastfewhours.

Rose’s bikini wasn’t bad either. She sat in the grass clearing eating her sandwich,

shruggingoffherearlieradventure.“Justawasteofagoodhairday,that’sall.”

Michelle, however, hadn’t quite found her happy place yet, not that Jack was

surprised.Thewomanhadthecornerongrudge-holding.“Thisissonotavacation,”she
saidtonooneinparticular.“Cookingwithoutakitchen,puttinguptentsbeforeyoucan
gotosleep,cartingeverythingaroundthatyouneed—”

“Really?”Jackinterjected.“Allthatcooking,andputtingupyourowntentisgetting

toyou,huh?”

Shesighed.“YouknowwhatImean.You’renotusedtothiseither.You’remuchmore

at home behind a desk and your computer, where everything you need is online at your
fingertips.”

“AsIrecall,thelastthingIdidonlinewastoputsomethingononeofyourfingers,”

hesaid,andalleyesslidtothehugediamondglitteringonMichelle’sringfinger.

Ithadcosthimbig,buthe’dloved,loved,buyingitforher.Lovedknowinghecould.

But Michelle lifted a shoulder. “Easy enough to buy something like this with Daddy’s
money.”

Jackstaredather,stung.“Probably.Ifthat’swhatI’ddone.”

Sheblinked,herbabybluesconfused.“What?”

“Mycomputerconsultingbusiness,”Jacksaidevenly.“It’sdoingwell.It’ddoingreal

well.Itriedtotellyou.”

“But…Daddytoldyoutousehisaccountwheneveryouboughtmesomething.”

“MaybeIwantedtobuyyousomething.Iamyourhusband,youknow.It’sallowed.”

Shelookedathimasifhewasanalien.

Jacklookedback.

Michelle laughed, as if he’d told a joke, but Jack just kept looking at her. “You…

boughtthering?”

Jack nodded, and Michelle stared down at the ring as if seeing it for the first time.

“Oh.”

Jack touched it, and then Michelle surprised him by entangling his fingers in hers,

holdingon.Whenhelookedintohereyes,sheshothimatentativesmile,butitwasreal.
Afteramoment,hereturneditwithaslowsmileofhisown.

Maybe,justmaybe,hethought,thistripwouldpayforitselfyet.

Lilyhandedoutcookies,whicheveryonedevouredonthespot.Jackatehis,andhalf

of Michelle’s, who tossed back her now dry hair. “Yeah, it’s too bad I didn’t get hurt
today,”shesaid,tryingtoseeherselfinJack’sreflectivesunglasses.“Icouldhavegotten
airliftedrightoutofhere.Afirst-classticketbacktocivilization.”

“Justyou,huh?”Jackasked.

“Well,you’rehavingsuchagoodtime…”

Helookedaroundateveryone,nolongersurprisedthathewas.Hewashavingaball,

thanks to the great company, not to mention the lack of his father-in-law. “Well, yeah,
actually.Iam.”

“Butsee,youcouldhaveagoodtimeanywhere,”Michellesaid.“InaDumpsterfor

God’ssake.”

His stomach knotted all over again, and he set down his drink. “I could, yes. If you

werethere,too.”

Michelle’sbrowfurrowed.“Youmean…”

“Yeah.”

Shelookedconfused.“That’s…”

“Marriage?”heaskedsoftly.

Michelle stared at him, eyes suddenly suspiciously bright. “Yeah,” she whispered

softly, and warming him as nothing else could have, she ran her fingers over his jaw.
“Thanks,Jack.Youalwayshaveawayofmakingmefeelspecial.Loved.”

“Youare,”hesaid,turninghisfacetokissherpalm.

“Ah,that’ssosweet,”Rosewhispered.SheworeoneofRock’ssweatshirts,andsighed

dreamilyasshereachedforhishand.“Younglove.There’snothinglikeit.”

“Yeah.”Michellesippedathersoda,eyesonJack.“Nothinglikeit.”Andshesmiled

andleanedintokisshischeek.

Jackpulledherontohislap,huggingherhard,thinkingaheadtotonight,whenmaybe

she’dshowsomemoreofthiswholelovingthing.

***

HEY CANOED UNTIL

theriver spilledintoa gorgeousalpinelake surroundedbytowering

pinesandstaggeringlytallmajesticmountains.

Fortheseconddayinarow,Jaredlookedaroundattheamazinglandscapeandfeltan

increasing tug on his heart. He glanced at Lily, who was making camp in their grassy
clearingoverlookingthewater,helpingeveryonegetsettled,andmarveled.

Shewasamazing,too.Byturnsshetookhisbreathandmovedhim,andlookingather

now,hethoughtmaybehedidthesameforher.Orhehopedhedid.

Earlier,she’dmetupwithastaffmemberofOutdoorAdventuresforthecanoepickup

andnewsupplydrop,afterwhichLilyhadservedstew,cornbreadandsalad.

NowJaredbroughtherwoodtostokethefire.“Keithdidn’tmakethedropthistime.”

Shewatchedhimdumpthewoodintothepile.“Hey,youdon’thavetohaulwood.”

“Iliketohaulwood.”Hesquattedinfrontofherandwaiteduntilshelookedathim.

“NoKeith?”

“No.”

“Youokay?”

Shelookedaroundher,tookadeepbreathandsmiled.“Actually…yes.”

Shesaidthatasifhalf-afraiditwouldn’tlast.Thenasifkarmawasprovingherright,a

screamsplittheair.

Michelle’s.

***

ILYRANTOWARD

MichelleandJack’stent.MichellehadprettymuchdesensitizedLilyto

thesoundofherscreambutshestillhadtoinvestigate.

Whatnow?shewondered.Whatcoulditpossiblybenow?

Loud crying came from inside the tent. “What happened?” Lily asked Jack, then

turnedtothesobbingtent.“Michelle?”

“Hebr-broughtmeapresent,”shehiccuppedfrominside.“N-notmorediamonds.”

Jacksighed.“Michelle,I’msorry.Ididn’tknowyouwouldn’tlikeit.”

“Likewhat?”Lilyaskedhim.

Hespreadhishandshelplessly.“Iwasjusttryingtobringhersomethingdifferent,you

know?Somethingthatdidn’thavemoneysignsattachedtoit.”

“Afrog!”Michellecriedthroughthetentwall.“Hesetitrightinmyhands,anditwas

slimy!Itleaptontomyhead.Inmyhair,Lily!”

Rock chuckled and Rose glared at him. His smile faded. “That’s…awful,” he

stammered.

“Itwasfigurative,”Jacksaid,soundingdesperate,likeamanwhoknewhewasgoing

downwithhisship.“Youknow,likeagiftfromtheheart,onethatdidn’tcostathing.”

Rockleanedin.“Dude,”hesaidtoJack.“Nexttimegowitharockorsomething.”

Jack appealed to all of them. “Look, I just thought that something alive, something

breathing,wouldbettersymbolizewhatIwastryingtosayaboutourmarriage.”

Frominsidethetent,thecryingslowed.

“Iwantedhertoknowitmatters,”hesaid.“Itmattersalot.Shemattersalot.”

“Michelle?”Lilyasked,meetingJack’sgaze.“Stillwithus?”

Thecryingstoppedcompletely.Theraspofazipperfilledtheair,andthenMichelle

stuckherheadoutandstaredupatJack.“Youweren’ttryingtofreakmeout?”

“No!”Helookedhorrified.“Jeez,Iwouldn’tdothattoyou.”

Michellechewedonherlowerlip,studyingherhusbandforalongmoment.

“Well,Ithinkitwasabeautifulgesture,”Rocksaidinhisnewfriend’sdefense.

Everyonelookedathim.

“Itwas,”heinsisted.“Hewantedtokeeptheirmarriagealive,getit?”

“Thanks, man,” Jack said, but he had eyes only for Michelle. Longing and love and

confusion and worry and need all warred for room in his expression, and Lily’s heart
tuggedhard.

Relationships were expensive. They cost blood and sweat and tears and, worse, they

hurt.

And yet, looking at Jack working so hard to meet Michelle halfway, while not even

fullyunderstandingwhyshewasupsetwithhim,gottoher.

What would it be like to have a man love her so much that he would do anything,

whateverittook,tobethereforher,towinherlove?

Shehadnoidea,becauseshe’dneverletanyonegetthatclose.It’dbeenallaboutself-

protectionwithher,beingstrongenoughtotakecareofherself,butnowshewonderedat
allshe’dmissedbecauseofit.Excusingherselfundertheguiseofcleaningupdinner,she
wenttothelaketowashherpans.

This wasn’t about her, she reminded herself. It was about the group she’d brought

here,andmakingtheirtimeandmoneywellspent.

Thislakewaslargerthantheothersthey’dseen,andheavilywooded,somuchsothat

fromthealcoveshewashunkeredin,shecouldn’tseecamp.

That worked for her. She picked up a small, round rock and skimmed it across the

water. They’d gone twenty miles today on the canoes, but this lake reminded her of last
night’s,whereshe’dwatchedJaredtakeoffhisclothes—

“Ihaveanidea,”hesaidsoftlybehindher,andshebarelymanagednottojumpoutof

herskin.Eveningoutherfeatures,sheturnedtofacethetall,rangyshadow.Hestepped
forward,andthemoonlightfelloverhimasheofferedherthatcrookedsmile,theonethat
neverfailedtoturnherheartonitsside.

“Thistime,”hesaid,“whenyousayyoudon’twanttotalk,I’llbelieveyou.”

Shehadtolaugh.“Youreallythinkwe’regoingtohavearepeat?ThatI’mgoingto

justtakeallmyclothesoffanddivein?”

“I’mhoping,”hesaidsoferventlyshelaughedagain.

Butthelaughterfadedwhenhepulledoffhisglassesandsteppedclose,touchingher

cheek, whispering her name in a voice of longing and desire. “I’ve been thinking about
thisallday.”

“What?”

Withasmile,hekissedher,achinglygentle,sweet,andinspiteofherself,sheslidher

fingersintohisshorthairtoholdhimtoher.Butgiventhesoundthatrumbledfromhis
throat as he tugged her closer and deepened the kiss, he had no intention of going
anywhere.Thenhetouchedhistonguetohersanditwasherturntomakealow,desperate
soundofneedasshestaggeredbackastep,comingupagainstatree.

“Mmm,”hesaid,followingher,hismouthfastenedonherneckashesandwichedher

between the hard trunk of the tree and the even harder length of his body. “I can’t get
enoughofyou.”

“Ithoughtyousaidwedidn’thavetotalk.”

Heletoutasofthuffoflaughteragainstherskinashespreadhot,openmouthedkisses

tohershoulder,scrapingasideherlooseT-shirtashewent.“Ican’thelpit,”hemurmured.
“Iwanttoeatyouup,Lily.Allofyou.”

Beforeshecouldsayawordtothat,he’ddroppedtohiskneesandopenedherjeans.

“Jared—”

“Righthere,”hesaid,andkissedthewedgeofskinhe’dexposed,justaboveherpanty

line,lowonherhip.

“Um—”

Hismouthskimmedalittlelower,andshelosthertrainofthought.“Jared.”

“Yeah,youalreadysaidthat.”Onetugandherjeanswereatherthighs.

“Yes,but—”

Anothertugandherpantiesfollowed,leavingherbaredtothenightandJared’sgaze.

“But…”hecoaxedpatiently,hisbreathwarmingherskin.

Herheadthunkedbackagainstthetree.“I…”

Hishandsskimmedherthighs,asifneedingtotouchasmuchofherashecould,and

thenhisthumbsscrapeddown,down…openinghertohim.

“Ohmigod,” she whispered when he leaned in, unerringly gliding his tongue right

wheresheneededitthemost.

“Youweretryingtosaysomething,”hesaidsilkily,andthenusedhistongueagain,in

anotherslow,mind-blowingstroke.

“I…Ican’tthinkwhenyoudothat.”Herhandswenttohishead,herfingerstightening

onhishairashecontinuedtodriveheroutofherever-lovingmind.“Wait,”shegasped.

Hepaused,hismouthhoveringafractionofaninchfromherquiveringflesh.“Soyou

dowanttotalk?”

“No. Yes.” She gulped for breath. In truth, she had no idea what she wanted. “God.

Whatarewedoing?”

“Havingwildmonkeysex,Ihope.”

Shehadtolaugh,thoughitwasshaky.“Here,Jared?”

Helethisfingersdothetalking,slippingoneintoherwhilehisthumbslowlystroked.

Herkneeswobbled.Againherheadhitthetreetrunk.“Yeah,okay.Here.”

Inanswer,hepulledherdowntotheground.

***

“H

URRY

ARED

URRY,HURRY

…”

With a breathless laugh, Jared rolled over on top of Lily, pinning her down as he

smoothedthehairfromherface.“Impatientwoman.”

“That’sjustoneofmyveryfinequalities.”

Henudgedhishipstohers.“Maybepatienceisn’tarequirement.”

“Good.”Shemurmuredthisinthatthroaty,I-need-to-comevoice.“Ihearpatienceis

overratedanyway.”

God, he loved that voice. Jared stared down at her mouth, thinking he loved her

mouth,too.Thenherlipscurved,andhethoughtofallthethingshewantedhertodowith
them… She lay there, sprawled out for all the crickets and the stars and God to see,
lookingsogorgeoushecouldhardlystandit.

He came up on one elbow for the sheer pleasure of getting a better look at her. Oh,

yeah,perfection.Hekissedthetipofhernose,herchin.Hekissedhershoulder,andthen
shoved up her shirt to kiss a breast, taking the time to run his tongue over her nipple,
smilingagainstherskinwhensheletoutashudderysighandmusteredupthestrengthto
hold his head in place, as if she didn’t want him to lose his train of thought and move
away.

Fatchance.Helickedherothernipple,thenbeganmakinghiswaysouth,andwhenhe

gottogroundzero,shegaspedandarchedupintohismouth.

Perfect.

Heheldherstillfortheassault,soakingupthesoft,sexywhimpersthatleftherthroat,

enjoyingverymuchthetightholdshehadonhishair.Atthisrate,shewasgoingtomake
himbald,buthe’dbeentherefromthechemoandnothingscaredhimanymore.

Exceptmaybenotbeingwithher.

Yeah, that sounded scary. He’d have to do something about that possibility, but, for

now,heplannedontakingLilystraighttoheaven.

***

HEN

ILYRETURNED

toplanetearth,shelayonthegroundwithJaredsprawledoutnext

toher,headproppedupbyonehand,theotherstrokingthelengthofher.

She felt like a limp noodle, but despite the laziness of his pose, she could feel the

tensionstillwithinhisbody.Hehadn’tasked,hewouldn’t,butsheknewwhatshewanted
todonext.

Cominguponherknees,shesmileddownathim.

He’d put his glasses back on. Now he looked up at her, his glasses a little fogged,

whichmadehersmilewiden.

“What?”heasked.

“You’recute.”

“Cute,”herepeated,asifunsurethiswasagoodthing.

Sheremovedhisglasses.“Verycute.”

“Puppycute?”heasked,squintingupather.“Orgotta-have-mecute?”

“Both.” She unbuttoned his jeans and carefully pulled down his zipper, humming in

approvalatwhatshefound,whichwashim,arousedandreadyforher.

“Tell me you restocked your pocket supply,” he said unsteadily when she bent over

himanddidashe’ddone—tookhertongueonahappytour.

“Mmm-hmm,”shemurmuredaroundamouthful.

Slipping his fingers into her hair, he tugged her head up so he could see her face.

“Please,God,saythatwasayes,”hebegged.

“Yes.”

Apparently that was all he needed to hear. Rolling them over until he was on top of

her,hardbetweenherlegs,hereachedforherjeans.Specifically,herpocket.Triumphant,
heprotectedthemboth,thenentwininghisfingersinhers,broughttheirjoinedhandsupto
eithersideofherhead.Bendingtokissher,heslidhome.Andthentookthembothright
outofthemselves.

It might have been minutes, hours or even days later when Jared rolled off Lily,

gaspingforbreath.

Lilydidthesame.

Togethertheystaredupatthenightsky,waitingfortheairtoreturntotheirlungs.Lily

couldhavestayedrightthere,skindamp,theaircoolingthem,Jaredstillpantingforair
nexttoherfor…well,muchlonger,but…

Ah,hell.Sheneededtogetup,neededtobealonetothinkabouthowitwasthatwhen

shewaswithJared,shefelt…whole.Shereachedforherclothes,andheardJaredsigh.

“Yeah,we’vegottostopmeetinglikethis,”shesaid,hoppingintoherjeans.“Itcould

getpredictable.”

“Andwouldn’tthatjustbetheendoftheworldasyouknowit.”

Intheactofslippingintohershirt,shestoppedandfacedthegentlesarcasm.Hewas

stillsprawledout,sexyashell,andittooksomecontrolnottogobacktohim.“Whatdoes
thatmean?”

“It means I know. I get it. You don’t like to do the same thing more than once,

includingaguy.”

“Ididyoumorethanonce,didn’tI?”

“Andnowyou’rerunningscared.”

Ignoringthatzingtoherheart,shetiedherboots.“I’mnotrunningscared,I’mjust…

Damnit,Itoldyou.Itoldyouwhatthiswas.”

“Justsex.”

“Yes.”

“Butthisisn’tjustsex,Lily.”

“I’msorryyoufeelthatway.”Shestraightened,handsonherhips.Sheknewitwasa

classically aggressive, defensive stance, but she couldn’t help herself. She was wearing
thinandknewit.“Ihavethingstodo.”

“Iknow,”hesaid.

Shewhirledaway,thenback.“I’msorry.”

“Iknowthat,too.”

Sheliftedherhands,sankherfingersintoherhair.“Then…wheredoesthisleaveus?”

With a long exhale, he stood and reached for his pants. “I just don’t want to be that

guy you hooked up with that one summer. The one you smile fondly over but can’t
rememberhisname.”

Now she sighed, and walked back to him, setting her hands on his chest. “I’m not

goingtoforgetyourname,Jared.”

Hecoveredherhandswithhis.“Staywithmetonight.Inmytent.”

Staringdownattheirjoinedhands,shethoughtabouthownicethatwouldbe.Notjust

because they could get naked again, but because he could hold her all night, and she
wouldknowwhoshewas.

But what about when this was over? Slowly, she shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She

barelymanagedtokeepittogether.“Notyet.”

“Lily…Ilearnedthehardwaynottoputoffsomethingthatmatters.Lifeistooshort

forthat.”

Shelookeddeepintohiseyesandknewheknewwhathewastalkingabout.

“You matter, Lily,” he said quietly. “I know it’s been only a short time, but you do.

Youmattersomuch.”

Oh,God.“Letmecatchup.”Herhandsfellfree,andshebackedaway.Neededtobe

alonetofallapart.“Ireallydohavetogo.”Shewhirledaway,thenstopped.Turnedback,
andadmittedthetruth.“Butforwhatit’sworth?Youmatter,too.MorethanIwantedyou
to.”

CHAPTER13

ILYCAMEAWAKE

atdawntothesoundofsomeoneunzippinghertent.

Jared. In reaction, her body tingled, electrified, and without opening her eyes, she

stretched,nearlypurringatthethoughtofaquickiebeforebreakfast—

Thensheopenedhereyesandsqueakedinsurpriseatthefacethatstuckitselfintoher

tent.

NotJared.

Jack.

“She’sgone,”hesaid,facepale.

“What?Who?”

“Michelle.”

Shesatupandreachedforherclothes.“Definegone.”

“Asinnothere.”Heshovedhisfingersthroughhishair,hisfacetightwithworry.“Do

youthinkshe’sjustmessingwithme?Tryingtogetbackatme?Yeah,”hesaid,answering
his own question, and letting out a ragged breath. “That’s probably what she’s doing.
Right?”

“Jack,tellmewhathappened.”

“She woke me up a while ago, when it was still dark. She said she had to go to the

bathroom.Iwasstillsleepingprettygood,soIhandedhertheflashlightandsaidgo.”

“Andshewent?”

He grimaced. “She said I should come with to protect her. Protect her from what? I

said,andshegotmadandstompedoff.IthinkIfellbackasleepbecausethenextthingI
knew,thesun’scomingup,andshenevercameback.”

“Howlongagodidshego,doyouthink?”

Helookedathiswatch.“Halfanhour,tops.Icalledforher,andwalkedaroundalittle

bit, but I can’t find her. She’s probably hiding, just trying to scare me, making me feel
guilty.Whichisworking,bytheway.”

Lily yanked her sweatshirt over her head. “Except that doesn’t really sound like her.

Wanting her hair products, yes. Screaming at a frog, yes. Going off into the woods by
herself…no.”

Jacklookedhorrifiedashenoddedhisagreement.“Andtheworstthing?WhenIgot

outofthesleepingbag,Itrippedovertheflashlight.Lily,shenevertookitwithher.”

Lilycameuptoherkneesasshewriggledintoherjeans.“Givemeoneminute,I’llbe

rightthere.”

Jacknoddedandleft,andLilyletoutabreath,tellingherselfMichellewasfine.She

wouldn’thavewalkedofffaronherown,shewastoonervousoutheretodothat.

ButshehurriedoutofhertentandwentdirectlytoJared’s.“Jared?”

“Yeah.Comein.”

Hisvoicewasmorninggruff,andinanothertimeandplaceshemighthavepausedto

enjoytheinnatesexinessofit,butinsteadshestuckherheadintothedoor.

He was still in his sleeping bag, though the thing had fallen to low on his hips. He

wore no shirt and a rumpled, sleepy-eyed look that heated at the sight of her. “I was
dreamingaboutyou,”hesaid,lookingasfarfromthecityguyshe’dfirstmetasseemed
humanlypossible.

Sheletoutabreathandtossedhimthejeansfromnearhisfeet.“Ineedyou.”

“Worksforme.”Hetossedthejeansasideandliftedhisarmsforhertojoinhim,the

expression on his face making her thighs quiver, while between them, something else
happenedentirely.

“Uh, no,” she said. “Not that kind of need. Michelle’s missing. She went to the

bathroomahalfanhouragoandhasn’tcomeback.”

Hewasalreadyoutofthesleepingbagandgrabbingjeans.“Maybeshefinallycracked

anddecidedtowalktothenearestmall.”

“Yeah,I’dagree,”shesaid,tryingnottonoticehowcutehelookedflashinghisbare

assashepulledonhisjeans.“Exceptthatwholeshe-hates-walkingthing.”

Nodding,hegrabbedhisboots.“Soshe’slost?”

“I’mnotsure.ButIwasthinkingaboutthatheat-seekingdoodadyou’vegot.Couldit

help?”

“Gotit.”Hedugthroughhisbackpackforit,thentookherhand.Tuggingherclose,he

gaveheraquickkissonthecheek,thenpushedthembothoutofthetent.

Withouthesitation.

She’d had wild sex with him—no, that wasn’t right. Even she knew better. They’d

made love, twice now, and each time it had been so good, so off-the-charts amazing
actually,thathe’dconnectedwithheronalevelnooneelseeverhad,whichinturnhad
sentherrunning.

Andstill,hewasthereforher,noquestionsasked.Itawedher,stunnedher,andwhen

hecaughtherstaringathim,hesmiled.“What?”

Shecouldonlyshakeherhead.“Let’sdothis.”

***

ALF OUT OF

his mind, Jack waited for Lily, picturing all that could be happening to

Michellewitheachpassingmoment.Hecouldn’tbelievehehadn’tgottenupwithher,that

he’d let her go by herself. What had he been thinking? He’d been warm and toasty and
maybe, just maybe, still a little frustrated, enough to only half listen to her—God. He’d
neverforgivehimself.“Ireallydon’tthinkshe’sdoingthisonpurpose,”hetoldLilywhen
sheappearedwithJared.“Iknowshe’sspoiledsometimes,but…”He’dneverfeltsosick,
soabsolutelypanickedinhislife.

“We’llfindher,”Lilysaid,touchinghisarm.“Wewill.”

Becausenotfindingherwasn’tanoption.

Rock’stentunzipped,butitwasRose’sheadthatstuckoutofit.Herhairwaswild,her

makeupalittlesmeared,butshewaswearingabroadgrinthatprettymuchsaidexactly
whatshe’dbeendoing.“Oh,my,”shesaidatthesightofJack,LilyandJaredstaringat
her.Shelaughed.“Well,itisavacation,right?”

Jack wished Michelle was still in his tent, that she looked as rumpled and sated as

Rosedidrightnow.Andsafe.

“Michelle’sgone,”Lilytoldher.“Shewenttothebathroomanddidn’tcomeback.”

Rosegaspedinshock.

“Icheckedeverywhere,”Jacktoldher.“Thebathroomstop,thelake,thetrail…”

“Ohmigod,” Rose whispered. “She’s cracked. Probably went looking for the closest

mall,poorbaby.”

“Everyonejuststayhere,okay?”Lilysaid.“I’mgoingtolookaround,butplease,you

must stay here.” She was looking right at Jack. “Don’t make it harder by going off and
possiblygettinglostyourselves.”

Rockstuckhisheadoutofhistent,rightnexttoRose.Hewasn’twearingashirt.“Are

yousure?”heasked.“Becausewecouldallfanout—”

“Notyet,”Lilysaid.“I’mgoingtocheckallthecloseplacesfirstbeforewepanic.I’ll

berightback—”

“I’mcomingwithyou,”Jacksaid.

Shetookonelookathisfaceanddidn’targue.“Therestofyoustayhere,”Lilysaid.

RoseandRocknodded,lookingunhappyaboutthecommand,butnotmakingtrouble.

LilyturnedtoJared,whostoodslightlyawayfromthemall,lookingdownattheunit

inhishand,whichwasequippedwiththatamazingheat-seekingGPSsystem.“Jared?”

“A minute.” He was working the controls with his thumb, his brow furrowed in

concentration.

LilyturnedtoJack.“You’resureshesaidshewasgoingtothebathroom?Shedidn’t

sayanythingelse,likemaybeshe’dhadenoughandwasgoingtotrytogetoutofhere?”

“Weallknowshe’dhadenough,butno.”Heshookhishead.“Shedidn’tsayanything

likethat.”Notevengoodbye.

“But…”

“But?”

“ButIwasreallyasleep,youknow?”Dreadfilledhisgut.“AndIsleepliketheliving

dead. I wasn’t paying her much attention… Oh, God.” He scrubbed his hands over his
face, then dropped them as he remembered. “Hang on.” He dove back into his tent and
begangoingthroughherbag.

“Jack?”heheardLilysay,speakingthroughthestillflappingtentdoor.“Whatareyou

doing?”

Hitting pay dirt, he found Michelle’s makeup bag. Relief flooding him, he stuck his

headback out. “Ifshe’d given upand decided to goback on herown, she’d have never
left this.” But then the truth sank in and his relief abruptly deserted him, because if
Michellehadn’tleftonpurpose,thenthesituationwasevenworse.

Shewaslost.

***

ILYMOVEDCLOSE

toJaredtolookathissmallscreen.“Whatdoyouhave?”

“Twopossibilities,”hesaid,andeveryonemovedclosertohuddlearoundhimsothat

Lilyhadtogetonhertiptoestoseethedigitaldisplayofasatellitemapoftheirarea.

Jaredpointedtoaheatspot.“Us,”hesaid,thenwidenedthescreen.Asmalldotofred

appearedtotheeast,rightnexttoabodyofwater.

Alake,Lilyknew.Nottheonerighthereatcamp,butthenextalpinelakeover,nearly

threequartersofamileaway.

Then Jared pointed westward, to the only other heat spot, which if Lily was reading

thesatellitecorrectly,wasbehindandabovethem.Highabovethemontherocks.

Michellewasn’taclimber.Hell,shewasbarelyahiker.“JackandI’llcheckouthere,”

shesaid,tappingthefirstreddot.“IthinkMichelleismorelikelytobethisone.”

Jarednodded.“Okay,butI’llchecktheotherwhileyou’redoingthat,justtobesure.”

“That’sprettymuchstraightup,”Lilysaid.ShelookedatJared.“Itcouldbeanything,

right?Adeer,orraccoon?”

He shrugged. “Or a bear, or a mountain cat—” At the collective shocked gasp from

Rose,RockandJack,hetrailedoff.“Justsaying.”

“Sobasically,anythingaliveandbreathing,”Rocksaidwithanexaggeratedgulpthat

underdifferentcircumstances,wouldhavebeenfunnyonaguybuiltlikehewas.

“Anything alive and breathing,” Jared agreed. “And emitting body heat, which is to

say,notnecessarilysomethingwewanttoruninto.”

Lilymethisgazeasherthoughtswhirled.“Okay,sowe’vegottwopossibilities.One

onaflat,easy-to-walk-toarea,theotherhighup.It’saneasydecision,really.”

“Oh,myGod,wehaveabearoramountaincatwatchingus,”Rosesaid.“Probably

justfiguringoutwhichofustoeatfirst.”SheslippedherhandintoRock’sandswallowed
hard.“Youknowhe’sgoingtowantme.”Shesuckedherlowerlipintohermouth.“My
bodyfatratioisthehighest.”

Rockslippedanarmaroundherandpulledherclose.“Yourbodyisperfect,andnot

goingtobewild-animalbait,nottoday.”

“Noone’sgoingtobeanimalbait,”Lilysaidfirmly.“Becauseyou’reallgoingtostay

hereandwaitwhileIruntothelake,tothatfirstheatspot.Jack?”

“Right with you. You know, maybe she headed there to wash her face. She loves to

washherfacefirstthinginthemorning.”

“Whynotgotothecloserlake,theonethat’srighthere?”Roseasked,andgesturedto

thelakeonlyseveralhundredyardsaway.

“Idon’tknow.Butitwasdark,reallydark,whenshegotup.”Lookingexhausted,Jack

rubbedhisjaw.“Andshehasalousysenseofdirection.Lastnight,sheaskedmehowto
gettothewater,ifitwastotherightortheleft,andwhenItoldherleft,Icouldtellshe
wasn’t listening to me. Maybe she went right on the trail.” He looked at Lily. “It could
havehappened.”

Lilyagreed.“Let’sgoright,allthewaytothefartherlake.IfMichellehadkeptatit

longenough,she’dhaveindeedendedupthere.”

“Thingis,”Rosesaid.“She’snotonetokeepatanythingforlong.”

“Well, she’s somewhere,” Lily said, determinedly. “And wherever that is, we’ll find

her.”Shelookedateveryoneelse.“Waithere.That’sthemostimportantpart,okay?Wait
here.Justyellreallyloudlyifsheshowsup.”

Their camp was a rather secluded, woodsy site, and from the moment Lily and Jack

took the trail, they could no longer see the others. The trail to the right was wide, but
because they’d not had rain for weeks, the ground was dry and brittle. No noticeable
footprints.

“Michelle!”Jackcalledoutfromhersideeveryfewyards.“Michelle!”

Thetrailclimbedabit,andJackbegantopantforbreath.“Gottatellya,thisonefeels

toohard.She’dhaveturnedback.”

“She’stougherthanyouthink,”Lilysaid.“Michelle!Michelle,canyouhearus?”

Nothing.

Theycametoasmallcreekinashadyaspengrove.Thewatermeanderedslowlypast

themontheleft,summer-shallowandfilledwithsediment.Theybothlookedatit.“No,”
Lilysaid.“She’dnothavestoppedheretowashherface.”

“Oh,no,”Jackagreed.“Toodirty.Howmuchfartheruntilthelake?”

“Anotherquarterofamile.”

They sped up. Jack was panting pretty good at their near-running pace. It was the

altitudeandnerves,sheknew,buthewasholdingherback.“I’mgoingahead,”shetold
him.“Stayonthetrail.”

Without waiting for a response, she took off, making much better time, and soon

enoughthetrailopenedtoaclearing,withtawny,undulatingwildgrassleadingdirectlyto
agorgeousbeach.

Adesertedbeach.

The land was vast and rambling, open but not flat, beautiful in its emptiness. The

morning light coated the ground with just enough dew to give depth to each individual
feature.

Lilyscannedthewater.Smoothasglass.

Andutterlydevoidofonespoiledmarriedprincess.

Butacrossthelake,therewasasinglelonedeer,sippingfromthewater,causingthe

laketorippleoutwardinmesmerizingcircles.

“Adeer,”Jacksaid,comingupbehindher,bendingatthekneestogaspforbreath.

The deer lifted its head, wriggled its nose, then bounded into the woods without a

backwardglance.

“Andheatspotgone,”Jacksaid,soundingdespondent.

Lilylookedaround,notreadytoconcededefeat.“Michelle?”

No answer, just her own voice echoing back to her. She turned in a slow circle,

shovinghersunglassestothetopofherhead,scanningeveryrock,everytree,everyinch
ofthehorizonwithcarefulprecision.

Anditwashalfwayaround,whenshewasfacingdeadeast,whichwasthewayback

tocamp,thatshesawit.There.Highonthecraggyrockbehindwheretheircamplay.

Asplotchofbrightyellow.

Whatthehell?

Shading her eyes from the morning sun, she squinted and tried to focus in. She

recognizedthearea.Rockygrowth,aboveadensewoodedarea.

Abovetheircamp.

Justbehindwheretheircamplaywasthemakeshiftbathroom.They’dsetitupagainst

thebaseofasharphill.Whichiswhereshewaslookingrightnow.Asunbelievableasit
seemed,thesplashofyellowwashalfwayupthathillandmoving.

As unbelievable as it seemed, Michelle had apparently taken herself on a little

climbingexpedition.“Uh-oh.”

“What? Where is she?” Jack followed her gaze and his jaw dropped. “Is that—My

God.”Heletoutalongbreathandstaredatthemovingdotofyellow.“Whatthehellis

she doing?” He brought his hands up to his mouth, cupping them around his lips.
“Michelle!”

“Don’t,”Lilybreathed,grabbinghisarm.“Don’tstartleher.”

Regardless, they were too far away to see if Michelle had reacted to Jack’s voice.

Droppinghishands,hewhirledbackthewaythey’dcome.

Togethertheyracedthroughthewoodsandbackintocamp,whereastartledRoseand

Rock,standingbythefire,lookedup.

“Didyoufindher?”Roseasked.

“Issheokay?”Rockrushedtoask.

“Wefoundher,wejusthaven’tgottentoheryet.”Lilykeptmovingthroughthecamp

towardtheyellowspotthatshecouldnolongersee,notfromhere.“Where’sJared?”

“Hewentaftertheotherheatspot,”Rosesaid.

TheonethathadturnedouttobeMichelleafterall.Lilyskiddedtoahaltandstaredat

her.“Itoldhimtostay.”

“Honey,mostmendon’tknowhowtotakedirections,youknow?”

No.No,shedidn’tknowbutshewascomingto.Itdidn’tmatternow.Shewasgoing

togethim,andMichelle,andthenshewasgoingtoputherhandsaroundtheirnecksand
squeeze.

Andthen…

Andthen,ifJaredwasupforit,shewasgoingtohughimtodeath,justtofinishhim

off.“Comeon,”shesaidtoJack,andheadedeast.Soontheystoodinthelowvalley,with
sharp, jagged, sheer rock on either side, climbing up hundreds of feet. She’d been here
earlier,andhadn’tseenMichelle,butthenagain,shewouldn’thaveifMichellehadgone
climbing.Theshrubberyandlodgepolepinesandscrubblockedmostoftherocksothat
seeinganydistanceupwardbecameallbutimpossible.

There was the fallen log, the group of three trees that they all had used for shelter

whengoingtothebathroominthewoodswithoutfourwallsandalock.

“Whatdoyouthink?”Jackasked,hiseyesalittlewildwithworryandfear.“Shestart

climbingfromhere?”

Hardtotell.Thedirtherewasdryandbrittleaswell.Therewerenodefinedorclear

footprints, but lots of dust disturbed from all of them from the night before, and, Lily
hopedMichellefromthismorning.Allthecomingledtramplingledbacktocamp.

Except…

Cockingherhead,shestudiedthenarrowpaththatledstraightup.Notexactlyapath,

butitwasdefinitelyarouteshewouldhavechosenifshewasalone,andespeciallyifshe
wantedtoremainalone.

Fromupthereontherockprecipice,she’dbeabletoseefarandwide.Butbetteryet,

noonewouldbeabletoseeher.Maybejustwhatshe’dhavewantedonadaylikethis,if
shewasawomannotsureaboutwheresheandherhusbandweregoingtogowiththeir
marriage.

Jaredhadthoughtofthat,too.Andhe’dgoneafterher.

Damnit.

Her heart started to pound. He was no more equipped than Michelle to make that

climb.God.Ifhegothurt,shewasgoingtokillhim.

CHAPTER14

“J

ACK

,”L

ILYCALLEDOUT

,headstilltiltedup,stilltryingtosee.

“Yeah?”heaskedfrombehindher.

Shegesturedup.“I’mgoingtoclimbit.”

Jackeyedtherockwallandtheoutcroppingthatwascutoutandsoovergrownwith

bushesthattheycouldn’tseeaboveit.“Where?”

“Here.”Lilybegantoclimbtherockusingquestionablefoot-andhandholds.

“Lily,Idon’tthinkMichellecouldhave…”

She didn’t waste the breath to respond, and a minute later heard him scrambling

behindhertokeepup,hisbreathraspinginandoutofhislungs.

“Thisisallmyfault,”hesaid,panting.“IwassofrustratedthatshereallybelievedI

loved her for her daddy’s money. I kept taking that out on her. God, I’ve been such an
ass.”

“It’s not all your fault.” Lily glanced up, but could still see nothing. “Michelle!

Michelle,canyouhearme?”

ShewantedtolayhereyesonJared,too,rightnow,rightthisminute.Honestly,what

hadhebeenthinking,goingofftoplayhero?

Finally,shegottothetopandcrawledover.Normallytheviewwouldtakeherbreath.

She could see everything in a captivating, panoramic circle: the sharp jagged mountains
lined with blankets and blankets of green, the dips and valleys of rock, the myriads of
smallalpinelakeslikeribbonsofblue.

Itwasstaggeringlygorgeous.

Thenshesawsomethingevenmoregorgeous.Jaredsteppingoutfrombehindatree,

hairtousled,jawstreakedwithdirt,shirttorn,akneebleeding…

Yeah.Staggeringlygorgeous.

And her heart simply turned over and exposed its belly. Oh, God. No. No, not this

man.Shewasnotgoingtofallforthisman.

Toolate,whisperedalittlevoiceinsideherhead.Fartoolate.

It had already been a monumentally bad morning, the worst, and after being on the

edgeforclosetoanhour,andnowteeteringonadifferentedgealtogether,shedidn’tfeel
steady,sowhenheliftedhishand,inwhichheheldhisPDA,withasheepishsmileonhis
face,shenearlylostitrightthen,butsomehowshekeptittogether.

ThenJackwastherebesideheryelling,“Michelle!Michelle,whereareyou?”

“Here.”Michellecameoutfrombehindasecondtree,aspotofbrightyellowinher

jacket, her hair loose and tumbling around her shoulders, a cut along her jaw, but

otherwisewholeandhealthy.

Jackrushedtoherandhauledherinforatighthug,fistinghishandsatherbackasif

hewasnevergoingtolethergo.“Whatwasthat?Wherewereyougoing?Whatwereyou
doing?”

“Justtryingtogetagoodview,”shesaid,soundingshaken.“Iwantedtodosomething

formyself,andproveIcould.SoIgotuphere,andthenIwasafraidtogobackdown.”

“Oh,baby—”

“I’msosorry,Jack,Ididn’tmeantoscareyou.”

Hepulledbacktostareather.Heletoutalowlaugh,thenhauledhercloseagain.“It’s

okay.Iloveyou,Michelle.Loveyousodamnmuch.”

Lily’seyeshadlockedonJaredanddidn’tletgoasshemovedtowardhim.

“She’sokay,”Jaredsaid,gesturingtoMichelle.

“Yes,buthowaboutyou?”Itwashardtobreathe,butthatdidn’tmatter.“Lookinga

littleworseforwearthere,chief.”

Heliftedashoulder.“I’mfine.”

“Youhelpedhergetuphere,tothetop.”

“Alittle.”

Alot,shesuspected.

“Shewantedatasteoffreedom,”hesaid.“Wantedtobeinchargeofherowndestiny.

Notbecauseofherfather,orbecauseofherhusband,butbecauseofherself.”

AfeelingLilyknewalltoowell.As,shesuspected,didJared.Beinginchargeofone’s

destinyhadtomeanalottoamanwhohadn’talwaysgottentobeinchargeofhis.She’d
meant to strangle him, possibly kill him, but now…but now she wanted something else
entirely.

Hesmiled.“What?”

“Whatwhat?”

“You’relookingatmefunny.Like…”

LikeIwanttospreadyouonacracker?BecauseIdo…

“Likemaybe…”Hesteppedevencloser,sothattheyweretoetotoeandeyetoeye.

Ortheywouldhavebeeneyetoeyeifshe’dbeenjustoversixfeettallashewas,instead
she was more like nose to chest, but he dipped his head down a little so that their jaws
nearlybrushed.Shecouldfeelhiswarmbreathonhertemple,hisgazerunningoverher
face,anditwastheoddestthing.

Shefeltnakedinfrontofacrowd.

“You were worried about me,” he said softly, sounding a little surprised, even awed

andalotamused.

“Hellyeah,Iwasworried.”

Hegrinned,andthesightofitcausedafloodofemotions:fear,relief—giddyrelief—

anger. “You think it’s funny?” she demanded. “That I was so worried I could barely
breathe?”

“Areyoukidding?I—”

Butshedidn’twanttohearit,andwhirledaway,leavinghimtalkingtoair.

He merely snagged her arm, bringing her back around to face him. At least he was

wiseenoughtoswipethegrinoffhisface.“It’ssweet,”hesaid.“Ithinkyou’reincredibly
sweet.”

“Youkeepcallingmethat.”

“Yeah?So?”

“Noone’severaccusedmeofbeingsweetbefore.”

Atthat,hetippedbackhisheadandlaughed,and,ohyeah,thatpissedheroff,too,but

hescrambledtotightenhishandsonherbeforeshetorefreeagain.“Here’sthething,”he
said.“It’snotaninsult.”

Sheglaredathim,orwantedto,butherchestfelttoobig,andsortofrestricted,and

forsomeoddreason,hereyesandthroatburned.“We’rebehindschedule,”shemanaged.
“Let’sgo.”

Michelle and Jack were still kissing as if they intended to swallow each other’s

tongues. She stalked past, tapping them on the shoulders as she went. “Reunion’s over.
We’vegotahiketofinish.”

***

HEYMOVEDEIGHT

milesthatday.Bythetimenightcame,andLilygoteveryonefedand

happy,shewasfeelingtheeffectsofkeepingasmileonherface.

Over a roaring fire, Rose suggested a game of Truth or Dare. Rock nixed that,

probablywithahealthydoseoffearofwhatRosemightaskhimtodoorsay.

Jack,goingthroughthesuppliesthathadbeendroppedforthemearlier,cameupwith

abottleofwhiskey,whichheusedtoliberallylaceeveryone’shotchocolate.

Theyallsipped,thenpromptlychokedinunisonasthefierystuffmadeitswaytotheir

bellies.Jackgrinnedandstoodup.“Okay,here’sagamefromthecollegedrinkingdays.
We go around the circle and tell something about ourselves. Either a truth or a lie…
Everyone has to guess which. If you fool everyone, then they all have to drink. If you
don’t,thentheliardrinks.”

“We’llbeplasteredinnotime.”Roseclappedwithglee.“Iloveit.”

Jacknodded.“Good.”HesatnexttoMichelleandpouredasecond,veryhealthydose

ofwhiskeyintohisownmug.“I’llgiveyouanexampleofhowitworks.”Helookedat
Michelle.“Truthorlie…megoingoutwithyouhadnothingtodowithyourfatherbeing
richerthanGod.”

“Lie,”Michellewhispered.

Jack,eyesneverleavinghers,liftedhismugtohismouthandtookalongswig.

EveryoneatthecampfirewassilentastheimplicationsofwhatJackhadsaid,andthen

admittedwasalie,sankin.

Hewipedhismouthwiththebackofhishand.“Okay,sonowyougetthegame.”

Michellestaredmoroselyintohermug,silent.

Jacklookedather.“NowI’llgoagaintobefirst,”hesaid.“Truthorlie…Bytheend

ofourfirstdate,Ididn’tgiveashitaboutyourfather’smoney.”

“Lie,”shewhispered,headdown,eyesonherdrink.

“Truth,”Jackwhispered,thenpointedtoeveryone’smug.“Youalldrink.”

They lifted their spiked hot chocolate to their lips and each took a healthy swallow,

whileMichellejuststaredatJack.“What?Whatdidyoujustsay?”

“By the end of our first date,” he repeated softly. “I didn’t give a shit about your

father’smoney.”Henudgedhermugtoherlips.“Ihaven’tgivenitasinglethoughtsince
then.”

Michelle drank, then coughed, her eyes watering as she continued to stare at Jack.

“Really?”

Hesanknexttoher,andsmiledalittleshakily.“Really.”

“Oh, Jack.” She flung her arms around her husband, the action touching Lily more

deeply than she’d expected. Or maybe it was the two deep sips of spiked hot chocolate
she’dhad.SheglancedatJared.

Hewaslookingrightather.

Nope,notthealcoholgettingtoherhead.

Him.

“Okay, now me.” Rose stood up, a little unsteady on her feet. “Truth or lie.” She

cuppedherownbreasts.“Iknowmybody’sfabulous,butit’snotquiteallGod-given.”

Rock let his gaze travel slowly up said body, from her toes to her roots and slowly

backagain.“No,ma’am,”hesaid.“That’sallyou.”

“Fooled you.” Rose locked her gaze on his and pushed up her breasts. “Sometimes

Godneedsalittlehelp.”

Theyalldrank,thenRockpulledhertothelogandstoodup.HelookeddownatRose.

“You’refartoomuchofahandfulforme.”

Rose’ssmilefaded.“Truth.”

Rockpaused,thensmiled.“Gotcha.Youdrink.”

Rose laughed heartily, drank along with everyone else, then hauled Rock back down

andlaidherlipsonhis.

Lilylookedintoherdrink.Allaroundher…romance,love—

Jaredturnedtoher.“ShouldIgonext?”

“Sure,”shesaidascasuallyasshecould,butstillherheartbegantorace.

Hestood,thenlookeddownather.“I’mhavingthetimeofmylife.”

Lilyfoundherlipscurving.“Evenwithdivingovercliffsandclimbingothercliffsand

—”

“Evenwith,”hesaid.“Maybeespeciallywith.”

“Well,that’sjustcrazyenoughtobethetruth,”shesaid,andbecausehehadn’tfooled

her,hetookalongswigofhislacedhotchocolate.

Lily drew a deep breath and stood up. “Okay, here goes. I’m adventurous on the

outside—”

“Well,duh,”Michellesaidwithasmile.“You’renotfoolinganyone,Lily.”

“—butontheinside,”shesaid,“ontheinside,especiallywithmyownheart,I’mfar

toocareful.”

Jared tipped his head up and looked at her, his indescribable eyes clear and open on

hers.“Thingscanchange,Lily.Peoplecanchange.”

“You’resupposedtosaytruthorlie,”shewhispered.

Jaredshookhishead.“Youknowyoucanchangeit.”

“Jared.”

“Damnit,truth.Yourtruth.”

Sheliftedhermuganddrank.Hell,everyoneliftedtheirmugsanddrank.Peoplewere

starting to get some damn silly grins on their faces. Rose topped off her mug, drank it
down,thenstaggeredtoherfeet.ReachingahandouttoRock,shetriedtowinkathim,
butendedupjustopeningandshuttingbotheyes,whichcrackedherup.“Stickaforkin
me,I’mdone.Takemetobed,cowboy.”

Rocksurgedtohisfeetsofast,Lily’sheadspun.SlippinganarmaroundRose,heled

hertowardhertent,chucklingasshewalkedwiththecareoftheverycautious,orthevery
inebriated.

Jack pulled Michelle to her feet then, too, and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “If I

wasn’tdrunk,I’dcarryyoutobed.”

Oh, Lily thought, watching Michelle smile, a real smile, they were going to work it

out.Theyweregoingtogettheirhappily-ever-after.Itmadehersighwithhappinessfor
them.

“IfIwasdrunker,”MichellewhisperedtoJack.“I’dactuallybelievetherewasabedin

ourtent.”

Hesmiled.“Wedon’tneedabed.”

Shegrinneddreamily,andhuggedhim.“Oh,Jack.”

Lilywatchedthemgo,anunnameableyearningwellingwithinher.She’dneverreally

longedforahusband.She’dlikedbeingonherown,strongandindependent.

But…butthenshe’dsortoflostherfooting.Shethoughtmaybeshe’dfoundit,orshe

wasbeginningto,andnow…nowshefeltdifferent.Notasstrongontheoutside,nodoubt.
But on the inside…maybe stronger. At least strong enough to admit that there was no
denying she was longing for a partner, for someone to complement her life in the best
possibleway.

Jaredtookherhand.“Howaboutit?CanIconvinceyouIhaveabedinmytent?”

Shetriedtolaughbutitwashardwiththeoddlumpinherthroat.

Jared tipped up her chin, studying her face in that way he had of seeing all the way

intoher.Butshefeltjustalittletooraw,alittletooexposedatthatmoment,sosheturned
away,andthentohersurprisetrippedoverherowntoes.“Whoops,”shesaid,andwould
have landed flat on her face if Jared hadn’t slipped an arm around her, catching her up
againsthim.

“Whoa,”hesaid,andturnedherinhisarmstofacehim.“Hello.”

“I’mnotdrunk,Ibarelyhadanyofthewhiskey.”

“Thenmaybeyoujustlikebeingagainstme.”

“MaybeIdo,”sheadmitted.“Goodthingyouhavefastreflexes.”

Heranhishandsdownherback.“Ihaveafeelingfastreflexesarerequiredwithyou.”

Shesmiled,thenfeltalumpinherthroatashereyesunexpectedlyfilled.

“Ah,Lily,”hesaidsoftly,andcuppedhercheek.“Whatisit?”

“Ineedtoputoutthecampfire.”

“Lily.”

“Truth?”

“Please.”

“Weonlyhaveonenightleft.”

“Doesn’thavetobeonlyonenightleft.”

Shelookedupintohiseyesandsawsomanythings;lovely,terrifyingthings.“Idon’t

wantyoutogethurt,”shewhispered.

“I’mabigboy.Icanhandlewhatevercomes.”

“Andyouhave.Iknow.”

“Sowhat’stheproblem?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. What was the problem? Was it having

suchawarm,smartandsexymanwanttobewithher?Wasshethatbigofanidiot?

“Iwanttospendtimewithyouintherealworld,Lily.”

Sheliftedherhands,gesturedallaroundthem.“Thisistherealworld.Myworld.”

“Okay, let me clarify. I want to spend time with you in any world—yours, mine…

doesn’tmatter.Let’sgoout.”

“Onadate?”

“Yeah.”

“Definedate.”

“Ipickyouup,welaughandhavefun,maybemakeout…andthenwedoitallover

againanothernight.”

“Soundssimple.”

“Soundsgood.”

Oh,God,itdid.“We’veonlyknowneachotherafewdays.”

“Days.Years.Seconds.Youcan’tputatimelineonthesethings,Lily.”

Shestaredathim.“IfIkeepguiding,I’llbegonealot.Iwon’thavetime…”

“Thenweseeeachotherwhenyouarearound.”

“Theremightbeweeksinbetween.”

“Yes, but see, there’s these newfangled contraptions called phones, email, text

messaging—Infact,Iknowaguywhohaseverythingyoucouldeverneed.”Hegrinned.
“I’llhookyouup.”

Helookedsoearnest,sosincere,herbreathcaught.“Jared.”

Hesmiled.“Admitit.Youlikeme.”

Yeah,shedid.Waytoomuch.“Look,here’sthetruth.”

“Finally.”

“I’ve never been too successful at this dating thing. I don’t know why really, except

I’veneverbeentoofondofties.They…chokeme.”

“Me,too.It’swhyIdon’twearsuitstotheofficeanymore.”

“Jared.”

“Lily.”

Shecouldonlyshakeherhead.“You’renotlistening…”

“Yes,Iam.You’retryingtodumpme.”

“I’mtryingtobehonestwithyou.I’veneverhadmuchtimefordoingthelong-term

datingthing,andI’mtryingtotellyouthatwhilethishasbeennice—”

“Great,”hecorrected.“It’sbeengreat.”

Shestaredathim,thenhadtoconcede.“Okay,yeah.Great.Whilethishasbeengreat

—” She broke off when he smiled, rather full of himself, and she had to laugh. “You’re
awfullyhardtodump.”

“I’mhopingtobe.Look,nottorainonyourparadehere,butwhyareyoudoingthis

now?”Hesteppedclose,sothatshecouldseethemesmerizingmixofjadeandchocolate
inhiseyes,sothatshecouldsmellhim,thatyummysoap,whateveritwas,andhim.“We
haveonemorenight,”hesaid,andwaggledhiseyebrowssuggestively.“Imean,whynot
takeadvantageofmeforthat,andthendumpmetomorrow?”

Sheeyedhimwarily.“You’regoingtobeokaywithmedumpingyoutomorrow?”

“Hell,no.ButmaybebythenI’llhavethoughtofsomethingtokeepyouindebtedto

me.MaybeI’llhelpyousavesomeoneorsomething.Hell,maybeI’llsaveyou.”

Heshotheracocky-boysmilesofilledwithhumorandaffection,shecouldn’tspeak

foraminute.“Savemefromwhat?”

Stillsmiling,hejustlookedather,allruggedandsexy,andjustlikethat,anotherpiece

ofherheartfellintoplace.“Damnit,”shewhispered,andtouchedhismouth.“Youturn
meupsidedown.”

“Well,then,consideruseven.”

Shestaredintohiseyes.“Idon’tknowwhatI’mdoing.Notevenalittlebit.”

“You’recomplicatingthings,that’swhy.”

“No.No,I’mnot.Ilikethingsdecidedlyuncomplicated.WhichiswhyI’mgoingto

walkawayrightnow.”

Hissmilefaded.“Lily,don’t.”

Oh,God,shehadto.Itwaswhatshedid,walkaway,ratherthangetattached.Right?

“I’msorry.”Atearescaped.Damnit.Thatwasthelastone.“Goodnight,Jared.”

Shecarefullyputoutthecampfire,dousingtheflames,coveringthehotemberswith

sanduntilnothingsmoked.Shemovedtohertent,then,feelingthepullofJared’sgaze,
turnedtolookathimoverhershoulder.

Onemorenight.

Hewasright,whywouldshewalkawaynow?

He slid his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels, looking both sexy and

adorablyunsure.

Andwhydidthatfloatherboat?Whydidshewanttonibblethatroughjawandslide

herhandsbeneathhislooseT-shirttofindthatwarm,hardbodybeneath?

Onemorenight…

Oh,yeah,shewantedthatonemorenight,shereallydid,andwithoutlettinganymore

thoughtscloudherjudgment,sheheldoutherhand,herentirebodycomingtolifewhen
hestartedwalkingtowardher.

Onemorenight…

Itwouldbeenough.Itwould.

“I should tell you,” she said when he came close and took her hand. “I have a little

problemadmittingwhenI’mwrong.”

“Ah.”Henoddedseriously,butasmilehadcomeintohiseyes.“Sohowareyougoing

toplaythis?”Hetoyedwithastrandofherhair.“Obviously,you’vedecidedyouwantme
foronemorenight.”Helookedatherforabeat.“Andyetyoucan’tsaysobecausethat
wouldmakeyoufeelfoolish,andweallknow,lookingfoolishdoesn’tsuityou…Hmm,
thisisatoughone.”

Shehadtolaughathowhe’dpaintedher—whichwasasaccurateascouldbe.“Maybe

Icould…”

“Yes?I’mallears.”

“Icouldshowyou,”shewhispered,wonderinghowitwasshefeltlikebothlaughing

andcrying.Shepressedherbodyuptohis.“Likethis.”

“You know, that’s a good start.” He pretended to resist, but when she slid her hands

down his back, he drew in a shuddery breath and sighed against her hair. “I think I’m
goingtolikethewholeshowing-mething.”

“Ithoughtso.”Unzippinghertent,shepulledhiminside.

CHAPTER15

AREDWATCHED

ILY

ziphertent,closingtheminside,alone.Hecouldfeelthebeatoftime

passingintunewiththebeatofhisheart,andunderstoodthatthismightbeit.

Hislasttimewithher.

Ittookawayalltheteasingtonetohisvoice,andleftnothingbutstark,nakedneed.

“Lily—”

She dropped to her knees and went for the buttons on his pants, but he stilled her

fingersandhithiskneesaswell,bringingtheirjoinedhandstohisheart.

“Kissme,”shewhispered.

Pulling her closer, he lowered his head and took her mouth, kissing one corner first,

andthentheother,andthenfinallytakingithome,slippinghistongueinsidetofindhers.

A soft hum of pleasure escaped her, and egged him on. He opened his mouth wider,

taking more of her, needing even more than that, but she gave it all to him. Lips and
tongueandteeth,untilhewasdoingaslowburnforher.

Ittookalloftwoseconds.

“Jared,”shewhispered,archingintohim,herhands,restlessandhungry,runningover

hisback.Asoft,shudderingsighescapedher.“More.”

Yeah, he wanted more, too. Needed more. But this wasn’t going to be a quickie. No

hotandfastfirethatcouldburnoutinaflash.No,ifthiswasit,thenheplannedtolinger,
tomakeherhis,sothatshewouldnever,everforgethim.

Pressingherbackontohersleepingbag,hebentoverher,takinghistime,kissingher

lips, her throat, her collarbone, and back up again, but her hands kept shoving at his
clothes, trying to rush him. To stop that from happening, he gathered her wrists and
stretchedthemoverherhead,holdingherstillwhilehelookeddownather.

Hermouthwaswetfromhis,andashewatched,shelickedherlips,asifneedingthat

lasttasteofhim.God,hermouth,itwasmadeforthis,forhim,andhebentforanother
slow, deep, wet kiss, keeping at her until he felt all resistance fall away. Until he was
achingandshewaspantingforbreath,givingintohimwithasoft,desperatemurmurthat
was the most erotic sound he’d ever heard. She was moving against him, restless, her
breastsrubbinghischest,herlegsentangledinhis,andallhewantedtodowassinkinto
her.Stunnedbyhowfasthiscontrolwasslipping,heshookhishead.“Lily,I—”

Sherearedupandbithislowerlip.

Heat shot straight through him, pooling at his erection. And any vestige of control

vanishedlikearugbeingjerkedoutfrombeneathhisfeet.“God,Lily.”

“Hurry.”

Hurry,liketheyalwaysdid,rushingtothebigbang,whichwassoamazingwithher,it

waslikeanaddictivedrug.“Nottonight,”hesaid.Herwhitebrashimmeredinthedark.
Heflickedopenthefrontclaspandspreadthematerialawayfromher.Hernippleswere
alreadyhard.“Foroncewe’renotgoingtohurry.”

Handsstillaboveherhead,shearchedup.“ButIwantyou.”

“Andyou’regoingtohaveme.”Hedippedhisheadtotastehiswaydownherthroat.

“Allnightlong.”

“No one has that much stamina—Ohmigod,” she gasped when he licked a pebbled

nipple,thensuckeditintohismouth.

“Wecanalwaysstartagain,”hesaidagainstherskin.Hecouldbewithherlikethisfor

ahundredyearsandnotgettiredofthefeelofher,thetaste,thescent,andstaggeredby
thethought,heclosedhiseyesandbreathedherin.“Acoupleoftimes,whateverittakes.”

“Whatever it takes,” she repeated with a choked laugh as he kissed his way to her

otherbreast.“Yousoundlikeyouknowwhatyou’redoing.”

“Whenitcomestoyou,Lily,IthinkIdo.”

“Youcan’tsaythat.Wehaven’tknowneachotherlongenough.Thisisjust—”

Heslidahandbetweenherthighsandshesuckedinabreathassheopenedthemfor

him.“Sex?”heaskedsoftly.

She gasped when he stroked his hands unerringly over the denim. “You know it’s

supposedtobelightandcasualbetweenus.We’vetalkedaboutit.”

“You’vetalkedaboutit,”hesaid,andbenttoherbreastsagain.“Me,notsomuch.”

“But…”Sheblinkedrapidly,asifsheneededtoinordertoseepastthesexualhaze

thatsurroundedthem.

Good.Atleasthewasn’taloneinlosinghismind.

“Soyou’resayingthisisn’tjust…”

“Hell, no. Not for me, and if you’re being honest, not for you either.” He curled his

tonguearoundanipplewhilehishandskimmeddownherrisingandfallingbelly,slipping
intothewaistbandofherjeans.

She sucked in a breath to give him better access. “Jared…we’re wearing too many

clothes.”

Lifting up, he tugged her pants off, tossed them over his shoulder, leaving her

gloriouslybare.

Shesquirmed,thenshothimupalittlesmile.“Nowyou’rewearingtoomanyclothes.”

“We’ll get there. I like you naked, Lily. I like the smooth feel of your skin…” He

strokedahandoverherribs,raspedathumboveranipple.“AndIlovethescentofyou.”
Hestrokedathumboverherwet,hotcenter,makinghergaspandrockherhipsformore.

“WhenI’mwithyou,”shemanaged.“Idon’tknowifI’mcomingorgoing.”

“Oh,you’recoming.”Heslidafingerintoherwhilehisthumbmadeanotherpassing

sweepoverhercreamyflesh.“You’regoingtocomeagainandagainandagain…”

“Jared—”

“Righthere.”Witheachstrokeofthatthumb,sherockedherhipsagainsthim,urging

himintoherrhythm,buthewasalreadyrighttherewithher.Damn,shewashot.Hotand
wet,andhis.Hewascrazytowantherthisway,awomanwho’djustassoonneverface
theundeniablegrowingemotionstheyhadforeachother,evenafteronlyafewdays.

Buthedid.Hewantedherforalways.

Hellofafix,giventhatshe’drunforthehillsifsheknewhisthoughts.Sohekissed

herdeep.Hehadhistongueinsidehermouth,hisfingersinsideherbody,wasascloseto
heras he couldget, and yet,it wasn’t enough. Hell,they could dothis every night until
theywereoldandgrayandhehadafeelingitwouldn’tbeenough.

Becausehelovedher.

“Jared…please.Please,now.”

“Yeah,now.”Hestrokedheragain,heatcoilinglowinhisbellywhenshegaspedhis

namelikeaprayer,amantra.

Hedefinitelylikedthesoundofthat,andlethimselflookather,soakherin.Hereyes

wereclosed,herhairwildaroundherface,fallingaroundherpillowlikeshinysilk.Her
mouthwasopen,asifsheneededitthatwayjusttobreathe,andwithherheadback,her
throatwasexposed.

He’dneverseenanythingmorebeautifulinhislife.

Leaning over her, he put his mouth to her neck. She sighed, the soft sound going

straighttohisgut.

Andlower.

Her hands came up to his shoulders, running restlessly down his back as she

murmuredsomewordlessplea.

Shewantedhim.Shewantedhiminsideher,andmaybe,justmaybe,shewantedinside

him,too.

Hekissedhiswaytohershoulder,thenabreast,andshecriedouthisnameinavoice

heknewwouldheadlinehisdreamsfortherestofhislife.Beneaththehandshehadon
her, he felt her muscles tense and tremble, felt her hips rocking with pure, mindless
pleasure.

Shewasclose.

He nudged her over with his fingers, feeling the tension rumble through her, which

was erotic as hell, but not nearly as erotic as the taste of her, he knew, so he dipped his
headandputhismouthonher.Andshefellagain,thesharpedgeofherpleasurenearly
takinghimwithher.

Whileshestillshuddered,hekickedoffaboot.“Condom.”

“Insidethere,”shegasped,andpointedtoazipperedpouchonherpack.

He had the packet in his teeth, and was trying to lose his other boot and pull off his

shirtatthesametime.

“Jared?”

Damnit,hehadaknotinhisdamnbootlace.“Yeah?”

Herhairwaswildaboutherface,whichwasflushed.Herbody,sprawledoutbeneath

him,wasdampanddewy,andthemostmouthwateringthinghe’deverseen.“Howabout
now?Canyouhurrynow?”

He’dneverlaughedwhilebeinghardenoughtopoundanailthroughstone.“Iswear

I’mtrying.”Finallyhegothisbootoff,andshehelpedhimwithhisjeans,takingasecond
toglidehertonguealonghislength,leavinghimaquiverymessofsensation,andthen…
oh,God…andfinally,finally,hepushedherback,roseoverher,andthrusthome.

Shewashot,slickandsoreadyforhim,henearlycamerightthen.Therehadtobea

name for this, he thought dimly, this mind-blowing sensation he felt being inside her,
feelingherbreathewithhim,herheartinsyncwithhis.

Oh,wait.Therewasanameforit.Love.

“Lily.”

Arching up, she wrapped her legs around his waist, sending him even deeper within

her, so damned deep he could happily drown. Her fingers dug into his buttocks now,
urginghimon.Herhipswererocking,hermusclestighteningonhimasshecameagain,
or still, it didn’t matter because she was taking him with her into the wild current, and
therewasnothinghecoulddotostopit.

“Sogood,”shemurmured,herbreastspressedhardtohischest,hermouthworkingits

wayalonghisjaw,herbreathscrapinginandoutofherlungs,pantinginhisearnow.He
couldfeelherheartbeating,ormaybethatwashis.Yes,thatwashis.Hegroundhimself
againstherwitheverythrust,latchinghismouthontoherneckandholdingon,stakinghis
claim,sinkinghisteethintoherskinashe…completely…lost…it,wonderingifhewould
evenlivethroughit.

Fromsomedimrecessinhismind,hefelthergoover,andthenheheardhimselfsay

it,thewordshecouldnolongerholdback.“Iloveyou,Lily…”

Andthenhelethimselffall.

***

ILY OPENED HER EYES

. She was cradled against a hard, damp chest. Nice. Limp as a

noodle,sheslowlyfloatedbacktoearth—

Andthenremembered.

Hadhereallysaid—

No.

No,hehadn’tutteredthosethreelittlewords.She’donlyimaginedthem,dreamtthem

upwhilecomingsohardhertoeswerestillcurled.

Howwasitpossiblethatthiskepthappeningbetweenthem,thateachandeverytime

got more intimate, more deep, in fact so deep that she couldn’t imagine being without
him?

Goodthingthen,thatthiswastheirlastnight,wasn’tit?Yeah,definitelybestjustto

stayrighthere,inthemoment.Shepressedclosertohisbig,warmbody,thinkinginthe
momentwasaprettydamnfineplacetobe…andletherselfdriftoff.

***

HEN

AREDOPENED

hiseyes,dawnwasjustapink-and-purpleribboninthesky.Hewas

wrappedupwarmandtoastyinLily,whichsuitedhim.Hepulledhercloseandbreathed
herin.

Inhersleep,shecuddledcloser,puttingherfaceintothecrookofhisneckandletting

out a soft hum of pleasure, her body far ahead of her brain in the accepting-him
department.

HejusthopedtoGodherbraincaughtupwiththerestofthingssoon.

Asintodaysoon.

Withasoftsigh,Lilyopenedhereyes.“Ihadadreamthatyousaid…”

“Yeah.Itwasn’tadream.”

Sheblinkedonce,slowly,andthenhefeltherbodytenseasshesatup.

Thelossofherbodyheatwasnothingcomparedtothegapingholehefeltinhisheart

whenshebackedfromhim.“Look,”hesaid.“Iknow.Igetit.Thisisscaryshit.”

“Onlybecauseyouchangedthings.”

“Changedoesn’thavetobebad.”

Sheletoutamirthlesslaugh.“Tellthattomyoldcareer.”

Hewasquietamoment.“You’renottheonlyonewho’sfacedbigchangesthisyear.”

Sheimmediatelysoftened.“Iknow,”shesaid,touchinghim.“God,Iknow.”

“IfImanagedtochangemyways,theoriginalworkaholic,toanextremelydifferent

lifestyle,trustme,youcandoanything,includingbewholeandhappywithadifferentjob,
withanyjob,withpeopleinyourlife—”

“People?Oryou?”

“Hellyeah,me.”

Shestaredathimforonebeat,thenbegansearchingthetent.Onherhandsandknees,

shekeptherbacktohim,whichwasadamnfineview,butnottheonehewanted.“Lily,
yourentirelifehasbeenabouttakingrisks.Thisisjustonemoreinalonglineofmany.
Andactually,ahelluvalotsaferthanmost—”

Hisshirthithimintheface.Whenhepulleditfree,shewassearchingfortherestof

hisclothes.Shepattedthesleepingbag,findingherjeansbutnothis,thenlookedatthe
zipper of her tent, which had been pulled, and with all their…physical exertion, some
thingsinadvertentlybeenshovedoutside.

Mainlyhispants.

“Sorry.”Shewassosorrysheshovedhisbootsoutafterthem.He’dhavepointedthat

out but she had that look on her face, the look of a woman heading directly toward
Panicvillebuttryingdesperatelytomaintainanillusionofcalm.

“Bettergogetthem,”shesaid.

Withasigh,hebrushedpasther,stickinghisheadandbaretorsooutside.

Theskyhadlightenednow,toapalebabyblue.Hisjeanshadactuallymadetheirway

farenoughfromthetentthathecouldn’treachthemfromthesafetyofinside.Didn’tthat
figure? He was going to start the day bare-ass naked outside. He hoped nothing would
freezeoff.

One quick look around assured him he was alone, and he slipped out of the tent.

Naked. Behind him, he heard the zipper, and turned just in time to watch it slide down,
shuttinghimout.

Theequivalentofbeingshovedouttheproverbialfrontdoorafterabaddate.

Onlythishadn’tbeenabaddate.Nothinghadgonewrongatall,excepthismouthhad

goneoffwithoutwrittenpermissionfromhisbrainandhe’dlethisfeelingsslip.

Hefiguredsincehe’dbeeninthethroesofanorgasmatthetime,heshouldbegivena

break, but that wasn’t going to happen. Damn, it was chilly, he thought, bending for his
jeans.Goosebumpsroseovereverynakedinchofhim.

Frombehindcamearustle,thenagaspandalowwhoa-babywhistle.

Wincing, he turned, and faced a grinning Rose. He held his shirt and pants over

himself.

“Well,goodmorningthere,cowboy,”sheallbutpurred.

Perfect.Hedidhisbestnottosquirm,butthatproveddifficultasshelappedhimup

withhereyesasthoughhewasabowlofspilledmilk.

“Iknewit,”shesaidsilkily.“Iknewyouwerehidinganamazingbodybeneaththose

clothesofyours.Hotdamn,Iwasright.”

Jaredwisheditwasn’tquitesocold.Hewantedtodiveintohistent,buttodoso,he

wouldhavetogoprancingrightpasthernose,hisbareassfrozensolid.

Thepolitethingforhertodo,ofcourse,wouldbetovanishbackinsidehertentand

givehimamomentofprivacy.

But Rose wasn’t interested in giving him a moment of privacy. “You had a nice

evening,Itakeit,”shesaidwithawaggleofhereyebrows,runninghergazeveryfrankly
overhim.

Then,aboveherhead,appearedRock.Hetookinthesituationwithagoodamountof

amusedsympathy.“Lettheguygoby,Rose.”

“Ah,butyou’renofun.”

“Comeon,I’llshowyousomefun.”WithanodtoJared,RockpulledRosebackinto

theirtent.

“Oh,Rock,”heheardhersighwithpleasure.“Oh,nowthere’samostexcellentwayto

distractme.”

Jaredsighed,too,notexactlyfilledwithpleasurebecausethecoldairwasseepinginto

parts unknown, and he had a feeling, despite his wishes to the contrary, he’d just been
unceremoniouslyandofficiallydumped.

CHAPTER16

T WAS THEIR

last day. The thought never left Lily’s mind as she led the group through

AlpinePass,slowlymakingtheirwaybacktothetrailheadwherethey’dbegunfourdays
earlier.

Itwentwell,evenifLilydidn’tabsorbanythingtheydid,notthetrail,northerugged

peaksallaroundher,northewaytheriversparkledandracedattheirside.

Jaredlovedher.

Loved.

Her.

Sheunderstoodtheconcept.Hell,she’devenseenitupcloseandpersonal.Hadn’ther

parents been in and out of love all her life? Hadn’t her friends found love, then
occasionallylostit,andiftheywereparticularlyintotorture,founditagain?

Itwasallaroundher.

Butshe’dneverimaginedithappeningtoher.Hadneverreallywanteditto.Herlife

hadbeenadventurousandwildenough,withoutaddingthattothemix.

Behind her Michelle and Jack held hands. At the beginning of this trek they’d been

barelyspeaking,andnowtheycouldn’tstopstaringintoeachother’seyes.

She didn’t give herself any credit for that. The mountains and the air and the sheer

glory of the Sierras had done it. That, and some damn hard work and understanding on
theirpart.

Butsomehow,itwasjustalittlepainfultolookatthemnow.

What did that say about her, that she’d been able to enjoy them more when their

relationshiphadbeenintrouble?Itsaidshewasabitch,that’swhat.Shesighedandkept
moving.

Rose laughed at something Rock said, and Lily smiled a little grimly. Rose had

confidedinherthatRockhadbeenafabulousdiversion,justtheextrafunshe’dneededon
thistrip,butwhenitwasover,itwasover.

Now see, there was a woman after her own heart. Lily glanced at Rock, who didn’t

looknearlyashappyandcarefreeasRose,ornearlyashappyandcarefreeashe’dstarted
outbeingfourdaysago.

SeemedLilywasn’ttheonlymoperaroundhere.

ShefeltforRock,shedid,butdamnit,hadn’tRoselaidoutthegroundrules,making

himunderstandthatfunwasfun,andnowthatfunhadtobeover?

Bringing up the rear was Jared. She could feel his presence without looking at him.

Mostlybecauseinspiteofherbestefforts,herhearthadbeensnaggedbyhis.

Damnhim.

Shehadn’twantedties.Strings.Attachments.She’dbeenonlylookingtofindherself.

Andshe’dsaidso,too.Shehadn’twantedanythingmorethanacoupleofbeautifulnights,
whichthey’dhad.

But—andhere’swhereitgottricky—somewherealongtheway,thingshad changed.

Shehadchanged.She’drealizedshewasn’tthesamewomanshe’dbeen,andsheprobably
neverwouldbeagain.

Butitdidn’tmeanshewasn’tstrong.Strengthcouldcomefromwithin,she’dlearned

thatfirsthand.Shewasstrong.Justnotthetypeofwomantowantaforeverwithaman.
“Damnit.”

“That’sthethirdorfourthtimeyou’vemutteredthattoyourself.”

Startled,shelookedupintoJared’shazelgaze.He’dcomeupalongsideher,andshe’d

beensobusyanalyzingandstressing,shehadn’tevenheardhim.

He didn’t shoot her his trademark grin, and she felt compelled to say something,

anything.“Jared—”

Buthekeptwalking.Alittlestunned,sheslowedtostareafterhim.

“Oooh,look,”Rosecalledout,andpointedtothealpinemeadowthathadjustopened

upinfrontofthem.“Aplacetotakeabreak—Ohmigod,checkitout!”

She pointed to a high ridge, and they all looked up at the five big-horned bucks

watchingthem,theirtaupecoatsblendingperfectlywiththetalusslopes.Beyondthem,on
asheerfringeofrock,thesuncreatedhalosaroundtheirmagnificentheads.

“Wow,” Jack said to Michelle. “Your dad would sure love to be here with his long-

range.”

“IfmydaddyshotBambi,I’dneverforgivehim.”

“NotBambi,”Lilysaid.“Thosearebigboys,notbabies.ButI’mgladnoone’shere

takingshots.”

“What are they doing?” Michelle whispered, as if the deer could hear them from all

thewayacrossthevalley.

“They’rejustwatchingussillyhumanswalk,”Lilysaid,“intheirwoods.”

Silly,andstupidshesilentlyadded,notlookingatJared.God,shehatedtobewrong.

Andshewaswrong,aboutsomanythings.Toobadshewasn’tanygoodatadmitting

that.

Theywalkedsomemore,andafterawhile,stoppedforlunch.

“It’s so beautiful,” Michelle said with awe, sitting on a rock eating a sandwich, for

onceheryellowraingearnowhereinsight.“Allofit.”

Itwas.Theairwassoclearandcrisptheycouldseeeachindividualjaggededgeon

therocks.Theriverwidenedintoyetanotherofthehundredsofsmalllakesinthearea,
and thanks to the rocky cliffs jutting high into the sky, shadowed by a thick growth of
lodgepolepinesandbush,theplacewasalittlespotofheaven.

TheybeggedLilytostartalittlecampfiresotheycouldmakes’moreswiththelastof

thechocolate.Shegotasmallfiregoing,thenglancedoveratJared.

He’dmovedawayfromher,staringintothewater.

Well,damnit.Didn’theknowthatthiswasallhisfault?Throwingaroundthosethree

littlewordsthatwereguaranteedtostriketerrorintoanywoman’sheart—

Okay,herheart.

“Look.” Rock pointed to one of the tallest redwoods, where a huge rope swing had

beensetup.

“Careful,”Lilysaid.“Weshouldcheck—”

ButRockhadkickedoffhisshoes,grabbedtheropeandtookaflyingleap.

“—therope,”Lilyfinishedwithasigh.

Rock’smomentumtookhimhighoverthewater,where,withaloud“Woo-hoo”helet

gowithwildabandon,andhitthewaterwithahugesplash.

Jaredwentnext.

Jackquicklymovedtojointhem.

“Butyourclothes—”Michellebegan,thenwhenJacksurfacedinthewater,shejust

sighed.Shehadasweetsmileonherface.“Oh,well.”

“Comein,”hecalled,andsplashedher.

Itdidn’ttakemuchtoconvinceher.

OrRose.

Jared climbed out of the water, leaving the two happy couples engaged in a water

fight. Standing on the shore, his back to Lily, he shook the water from his head like a
shaggydog,thenpulledoffhisshirt.

Lilystaredatthesleekmusclesinhisbackandwasnearlyovercomebytheurgetoput

her hands on him. And not just to jump his long, lean, wet bones either, although there
wasagoodamountofthaturge,aswell,butalsosomethingfardeeper.

She just wanted to be close, as close as possible: talking, laughing, hiking, naked or

clothed…

Itpissedheroff.

Stalkingovertohim,shestoodathissideandputherhandsonherhips,staringinto

thewaterwheretheotherswerestillplayingwithwildabandon.“I’dliketoknowwhat
youmeantbythrowingthatL-wordaround.”

Heturnedhisheadandlookedather,anddamnifbehindthehurtandfrustration,he

wasn’tlaughingather.“L-word?”

“Yes.”

“TherearealotofL-wordsoutthere,”hesaid.“Maybeyoushouldbealittlebitmore

specific.”

“YouknowexactlywhichL-wordI’mtalkingabout.”

Arching an eyebrow, he looked down at her with that smile on his lips, the one that

wasn’tquiterealbecauseitdidn’treachhiseyes.

“Love,”sheremindedhim.“Yousaidyouloveme.”

“Andthisthrilledthehelloutofyou.”

“Love doesn’t fit into my life, and you know it.” She felt thrown, seriously thrown.

Whyhadn’thegottenpissedoffandrunscreamingfromher?Whywashestillstanding
heretalkingtoher,lookingatherinawaythatmadebreathingallbutaforgottenart?

“Whynot?”heaskedveryquietly.“Whydon’tyou,foronceandall,comerightout

andtellmewhylovedoesn’tfitintoyourlife.”

“Well, because…” He was looking at her patiently, waiting for logic, when she had

absolutelynone.“Crap,”shesaidbrilliantly,andcrossedherarmsoverherchest.

He just looked at her, his disappointment palpable. “It’s okay,” he finally said. “I

understand.”

And he dove back into the lake, nothing but a ripple in the water as he vanished

beneaththesurface.

But she had a feeling that going back to civilization in just a few more hours, that

seeinghimofftohisworldandhertoherswouldleaveafarbiggerrippleonhersurface,
foragoodlongtime.

“Damn it,” she whispered again, but there was no one to hear. She packed up and

begantoputoutthefire,butMichellegotstungbyabee,whichfreakedherout,andRock
saidhe’dhandlethefirewhileLilydoctoredherwound.

So Lily had her back to the pit, head bent over Michelle’s stung leg, when Rose

screamed.Shewhippedaroundintimetoseethefireflareuphotandfast,andRockfall
backwardtohisbuttinthedirt.

AndeverythingwithinLilybegantorelivehernightmares.“Thatwasn’twater,”Rose

criedtoRock.“Itwastheleftoverwhiskey!”

Lily began running toward the fire, but Rock reached for the second water jug, and

tossedthatontheflames.

Andtheyburstintoaroarandracedtowardthesky.

“Thatwasmorewhiskey!”Rosescreamed,andcoveredherears,asifstandingthere

ontheedgeofanowout-of-controlcampfirewithherhandsoverherearswassomehow

goingtoproduceamiracleandshutthefiredown.

Lily skidded to a halt, transported back in time to waking up surrounded by flames

licking at her legs and her arms, and, in a mindless panic, backing herself right off the
edgeofacliff.

She’d made a mistake then, a bad one…and remembering it, she blinked, forced her

mind on the here and now as she rushed forward to push Rose back. In her peripheral
visionshecouldseeJaredrunningtowardher,butshedidn’tneedsaving,notthistime.
“Stayback,”sheyelledtoRock,who’dcomeuptohisknees.Grabbingherfoldingshovel
outofherpack,shebegantossingdirtontothefire,workinghardandfastonthestubborn
flamesuntiltheyreluctantlysubsided.

AthersidesnowwereJaredandRock,doingwhattheycouldtokickmoredirtinto

thepit,noneofthemgivingupuntiltheflameshadbeencontrolledandsubdued.

“My God,” Michelle finally said as they sagged back, dirty and sweaty. “That could

havegoneallbad.”ShelookedatLilywithadmiration.“Man,you’regood.”

Lilyswipedherdrenchedforeheadandletoutalaugh.

“I’msorry,”Rocksaid,soundingshaken.“God,Inearlystartedaforestfire.”

“Accidentshappen,”Jaredsaid,andlookedatLily.

Yeah.Yeah,theydid.Andpeopleeitherlearnedandgrew,ortheydidn’t.

She’d like to think she’d done the learning-and-growing thing. “It’s okay,” she said,

knowingitwastrue.Theywereokay,shewasokay.ShesmiledatJared,wonderingifhe
couldseeitalloverherface.

Butthoughhesmiledback,itdidn’tquitereachhiseyes,andwhateverhereadinher

face,heturnedaway.

Yeah, maybe she hadn’t made a mistake with the fire this time, but there were still

someareasinwhichhermistakeshadn’tquitebeenrectified.

“Doyoumissfirefighting?”Roseasked.

“Idid.”SheglancedatJared’sback.“Butnow?I’mgooddoingthis.”

Jaredwalkedaway,andherheartfelltohertoes.“Reallygood,”shewhispered,buthe

didn’tstop.

Hejustkeptgoing.

***

HEENDOF

theirtripwasshockinglyanticlimatic.Backatthetrailhead,LilycalledKeith

tocheckin.

“Hey,Lil.”Hesoundedwarmasever,andhappytohearfromher.“So…didyoufind

whatyouwerelookingforoutthere?”

ShelookedatJackandMichelle,drivingoffintothepeach-and-goldsunset,happyin

their rediscovered passion, secure in the knowledge that they were together for the right
reasons—andunabletotaketheirhandsoffeachother.Withorwithoutdaddy’smoney,it
didn’tmatter;theyweregoingtomakeit.“I’mthinkingIgotcloser,”shesaid.

“I’mglad,”Keithsaid,soundingasthoughhereallymeantit.“Wantmetobookyou

onsomemoretrips?Youupforit?”

She’dbeensounsurethatshecoulddothis.Herfaithineverythinghadbeenshakento

thecore,butintheend,she’dconqueredherownfears,she’ddonesomethingright.She’d
foundherstrength.“Yes,”shesaid.“Bookme.”

***

OSEDIDN’TDAWDLEMUCH

.Shespentamomentputtinghergearinorder,thenblewakiss

toRock.She’dfiguredhe’dgetintohiscaranddriveoffintothesunset.

That’swhatshewantedhimtodo,sotherewouldn’tbeanylengthygoodbye.

Shehatedgoodbyes.Itwaswhyshenevermadethem.

Buthedidn’tgetintohiscar,hesteppedcloseandstoppedherfromgettingintothe

taxishe’dpaidtohavewaitingforher.

“Wait,”hemurmured.“Holdupasecond.”

Pretending that was just fine, Rose smiled up at him. “One more kiss, sugar? Is that

whatyou’reneeding?”

“Truthfully?”Rockrubbedhisjaw,hisfour-day-oldgrowthraspinginthesilence.“I’d

likemorethanakiss.”

Roseraisedaneyebrow.“Nameit.”

“I’dlikeadate.”

“A date,” she repeated slowly, the concept utterly alien. She didn’t date men. She

inhaledthem,thenspatthembackoutandmovedon.

He just smiled. “You. Me. A restaurant, dancing, candles, wine, the whole shebang.

Whatdoyousay?”

“I’dsayyoudon’thavetogotothatmuchtrouble,cowboy.You’vealreadyhadme.”

Rockshookhishead.“I’mnottryingtogetlaid,Rose.”

“Well,that’sashame.”

Helookedalittleexasperated.“I’mtryingtoget…more.”

Roseblinked.“More.Fromme.”

Rockliftedherhandandbroughtherfingerstohismouth.“That’sright.”

“I’mtwelveyearsolderthanyou,”sheremindedhim.

“That’smyfavoritepart.”

She eyed him for a long moment, not quite sure why hope suddenly bubbled in her

throat,cuttingoffherairsupply.“Iofferedyouadealnomancouldrefuse.Astring-free
affair.You’reafooltowantmore.”

“Thencallmeafool.Sayyes,Rose.”

She looked him over good. She saw sincerity and something else, something new…

affection.Oh,God,shelikedthelookofthat.

Hewaswaitingpatiently,andshefoundherselfliftingacasualshouldereventhough

shefeltanythingbutcasual.“Okay,whatthehell.”

“Isthatayes?”

“Yes,it’sayes.It’sahell,yes,”shesaidwithabaffledlaugh.“I’llgoonafancydate

withyou.”Sheshookherhead.“We’recrazy,youknowthat?”

“Certifiablynuts,thebothofus,”Rockagreed,andpulledherclose.

***

NDTHENIT

wasjustLily.

Oh,andJared.

Onlyhewasn’tsmiling,butlookingather.Throughher.

Intoher.

“Goodbye,” she said, her heart snagging on the words. “I know you probably won’t

believethis,butI’llneverforgetyou.”

“Lily—”

“Pleasedon’tdragthisout,”shewhispered,suddenlyunabletotalkpastthelumpthe

sizeofariverrockstuckinherthroat.“Wekneweachotherforfourdays.Theend.”

“Doyoubelieveinchance,Lily?”

“Jared—”

“Doyou?”

“Yes.Damnit,youknowIdo.”

“I came here on a chance, because of a list.” He pulled the folded paper out of his

pockettoremindher.“Thingshappen,Lily.Wehappened.”

“Ididn’tplanonthis.”

“AndayearagoIthoughtmylifewasallplannedout,too.Gowiththeflow,Lily.”

“Jared…”

“Look,lifeisn’tset,Lily.Andyouknowwhat?I’mthinkingthatitisn’tsupposedto

be.There’snotopomap,andI’mstartingtoseethat’stheamazingpartofthewholething.
Nothing’s set. You adjust for the things that come up—jobs, adventures. Cancer.” He
steppedcloser.“Love.”

Oh,God.

He laughed softly, utterly without mirth, and unfolded his list. “But none of that

matterswhenit’snotmeanttobe.”Reachingintohiscar,hegrabbedapen,thencrossed
offOne,takeaguidedtrekinthemountains.

“There.”Heslippedthepaperbackintohispocket.Lookingatheragain,hetouched

herjaw.“Thanksforanunforgettablefourdays,Lily.Iwon’tforgetyou,either.”

Andthenhegotintohiscar,andwithoutabackwardglance,droveoffintothesunset.

Shestaredatthedustthatrosefromhistires.She’dgottenwhatshewanted.

Sowhydidn’titseemlikeit?

***

ARED WENT BACK

to work, with some qualms. Once work had been how he defined

himself,butherefusedtoletitcometothateveragain.Workwaswork,nothislife.

Knowing that, he was careful to jump back in slowly, forcing himself to leave the

officebyfiveo’clocksothathecouldstillhaveasociallife.Thathissociallifeconsisted
mostly of his family was something Candace bitched about, but he held firm. But then,
afterthreeweeks,hegaveintohisassistant’snaggingandwentonablinddate.

Thewomanwaslovelyandsmartandattractive,butnotLily,andhefigureditout—he

wasn’tready.Insteadhedecidedtoknocksomethingelseoffhislist—asailthroughthe
Greek Islands. He was leaving the following week, and had a shitload of work to do
beforethen.

Candacepokedherheadintohisoffice.“Hey.Someone’sheretoseeyou.”

Hepusheduphisglassesandlookedathisschedule.Nomeetings.“Who?”

Sheliftedashoulder.“Don’tknow,butI’mleavingforlunch.”

Hetookaglanceattheclockonhisofficewall.“It’steno’clock.”

“Yeah,butmystomachsaysit’sMickyDtime.What’syourorder?Oh,wait,you’re

givingupMickyDtoeatmorefish.”Shegrinned.“Sorry,boss.Bebackinanhour.”

“Anhour?”Butshewasalreadygone,andhewastalkingtohimself.Hehadnoidea

whowaswaitingtoseehim,maybehismother,oranyoneofhissisters,allofwhomhad
takentostoppingbyatleastweeklyjusttolookathim.

It’dbeencomforting.Atfirst.Buteversincehe’dgottenbackfromtheSierras,atruly

life-altering event, when they’d taken one look at him and known something had
happened to him, it was no longer comforting at all. They wanted to know what was
wrong,whathadhappenedtohimoutthere,andhehadn’tbeenabletotalkaboutityet,to

tellthemthetruth.

Once,hisbodyhadfailedhim,buthe’dmanagedacomeback.Hishearthadbeenleft

untouched.

Notthistime.Nowhewastryingtohealthatinthesamemannerhehadhisbody,with

sheerwill.

Sowhydidhestillfeelasifhewasholdingonbyadamnstring?

Threeweeks…

Getoverit,Skye,it’spasttimetogetoverit. He stood up, but before he could walk

aroundhisdesk,anotherheadpokedinhisoffice.NotCandace,comingbacktobughim
aboutalunchorder.Nothismother,oranyofhisfoursisters.

Lily.

Shesmiledalittleshakily,clearlyunsureofherwelcome.“Hi.”

Flummoxed,hejuststoodthere.

“Um,isitabadtime?”

Well that depended on whether she minded watching him try like hell to find his

tongue.Sheworeagauzysundressthatshowedoffhertannedshouldersandtonedarms.
It hugged her breasts, flared out at her hips, and revealed the legs he’d loved having
wrappedaroundhimmorethananythingelseintheworld.

“I probably should have called.” Biting her lower lip, she came all the way into his

office.“ButIwasn’tsureyou’dwanttoseeme.”

Wasshekidding?Hecouldn’ttearhiseyesoffher.Hell,yeah,hewantedtoseeher.

Hewantednevertostopseeingher.

Sheshothimasmilethatherealizedwithashockwasfilledwithnerves.Sheclasped

herhands.“Imissedyou.”

Yeah,probablyheshouldhavehishearingchecked.Becauseitsoundedlikeshe’dsaid

shemissedhim…

“Iknowthatsoundsridiculous,givenhowitallendedsobadly,but…”Spreadingher

handsout,shestareddownatthem,thenliftedherhead,hereyesglitteringwithemotion,
fierce, stark emotion. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Jared. About the odds you’ve
overcome, how you had to go through such trauma just to get the kick in the ass you
neededtoreallyliveyourlife.See,Iwanttolivemylife,too.Withoutshieldingmyselfor
myheart.”Shenodded,determined.“I’mnotgoingtodothatanymore.”

For the first time in three weeks, the fist that had gripped Jared’s heart loosened

enoughforhimtobreathe,reallybreathe.

“Somaybe,”shesaid,“you’dliketospendsometimewithme?Wecouldstartsmall,

likeadate…Ifyou’refree.Maybethisweekend…ornextifyou’rebusy.”

Hewasfree.Sodamnfree.

“I really wish you’d say something,” she whispered, clasping her fingers together.

“Anything.”

“Sorry.” He found his legs and came around his desk as a fierce exhilaration and

overwhelming joy flowed through his veins. “It’s just that I can’t go out with you next
week,I’mleavingforasailthroughtheGreekIslands.”

“Oh,”shesaidinaverysmallvoice.

“ButseeingasImissedyou,too,sogoddamnedmuch,maybeyoucouldstandtotake

thetripwithme?”

She let out a choked laugh that was part sob, and covered her mouth with a shaking

hand.

“Ihaven’tstoppedthinkingaboutyoueither,”hesaid,finallyabletogetittogetherto

talk.“NotforonesinglesecondofasingleminutesinceIdroveoffthatmountainwithout
you.”Hecametoastoprightbeforeherandtookherhands.“Nowyou.”

“Icanbarelybreathe,muchlessspeak.”Sheentwinedtheirfingers.“Ishouldtellyou

righthereandnow,beforeIkissyouandforgeteverythingelseincludingmyname,that
I’vebeenthinkingaboutsomestuff.”

“Mestuff?”

“Yeah,youstuff.”Sheswallowedhard.“Theseeing-youstuff.Seeingyoualot.”She

smiled,andstolehisheartalloveragain.“Look,webothknowI’vealwayswalkedaway.
It’swhatIdo.”

Heshookhishead.“Ihadnorighttojudgeyou.”

“Itdoesn’tmatter.I’mtiredofstartingover,Jared.Idon’twantagoodbyethistime,or

anending.Iwant…us.Yousaidyoulovedme,”shesaid.“Ithoughtitwastoomuchtoo
soon,butsomeoneoncetoldmethesethingscanhappeninasecond.”Hereyesfilled.“A
year.There’snosettime.”Shesmiledshakily.“Ittookmefourdaysandthreeweeks,butI
loveyouback,Jared.”

It was possible his heart was stuck in his throat, because when he opened his mouth

nothingcameoutofit.

“Oh,God,we’rebacktothatyou-not-talkingthingagain.”Shedrewatremblybreath.

“Okay.It’sallrightifyou’renotreadytodothis.Igotthat.”

“No. Yes,” he corrected when she whirled for the door. He caught her, barely, and

turnedherbacktofacehim.“I’mreadyforthis,soready.”Heshookhishead,tryingto
absorbitall.“It’sjustthatyoushoweduphere,mysinglefavoritewalking/talkingfantasy,
andsmiledatme,andfromthatsecondon,Ilostmytrainofthought.”

She stared at him, and he had to let out a laugh. “Maybe…maybe you could say it

again,”hesaid.“Maybethenit’dsinkin.”

“Whichpart?”

“TheL-wordpart.”

Shestaredathim,thenlaughedasatearescaped.“Thatmusthavereallythrownyou,

huh?”Sheslidherarmsuparoundhisneckandpressedclose.“Imeantit,Jared.Idon’t
know the how or the why of it, you with your gadgets and toys, and me with my
wanderlustways,butIloveyou.”

Tossinghisglassestohisdesk,hehauledherclose.Liftingherup,hespunaround.“I

amnevergoingtogettiredofhearingthat.”Settingherdown,hecuppedherface.“Sayit
again.”

Shelaughed,anditsoundedfarmorefreethistime.“Iloveyou,JaredSkye.”

“Oh,yeah,Icouldgetveryusedtohearingthat.”

“And besides the fact that it’s getting easier to say…” She slid her body against his

suggestively.“It’salsoasurprisingaphrodisiac.”

“Isit?”

“Uh-huh.”Shelookedoverhisshoulderathisdesk.“Howstrongisthatthing,doyou

think?”

Laughing in relief, in joy, in overwhelming love, he backed her to it, then lifted her,

settingherdownnexttohislaptop.Puttinghishandsonherthighs,heopenedthem,then
steppedinbetween,comingupflushtoherbody.

Ah,yeah,he’dmissedthis.Sodamnedmuch.“Seemsstrongenough.”

Sheshovedhisshirtupandputherlipstothespotrightoverhisheart.

Undone,heheldherclose.“I’mthinkingit’splentystrongenough.”

“Thedesk?”

“You.Me.Us.Allofit.”

Smiling,shepulledhimdownwithher.“Well,then,whatarewewaitingfor…?”

EPILOGUE

ILY SAT ANXIOUSLY

in her seat as the airplane taxied into the terminal. She was just

coming back from a two-week backpacking trip guiding a private party through the
Cascades.It’dbeenawonderful,successfultrek,herfourthsinceshe’dbegunworkingfor
Keithagain,butallshecouldthinkaboutwasgettingbacktoJared.

She’dmissedhim.

Therewouldbenomoretripsforawhilenow,becauseshewasgoingtobeextremely

busyforthenextfewmonths.

Aweddingdidthattoaperson.

Shecouldn’twait.Grinning,shewentintoherbackpackforsomelipbalm,andfound

theU.S.WeeklyReview with the “Adrenaline Rush” article. She looked at the dog-eared
pageshe’dreadsolongagoinherphysicaltherapist’soffice,thearticlethathadchanged
her life. She fingered the Post-it note, and smiling, set the entire magazine down on the
empty seat next to her. “Time to pass on the good luck, and change someone else’s
destiny.”

Withthat,shestoodandexitedtheplane,andwalkedrightintoJared’swaitingarms.

*****

Experiencetheanticipation,thethrillofthechaseandthesheerrushoffallinginlove!

TurnthepageforasneakpreviewofanewbookfromHarlequinRomance

THEREBELPRINCEbyRayeMorgan

“O

H,NO

!”

ThereactionslippedoutbeforeEmmaValentinecouldstopit,fortherestoodthevery

manshemostwantedtoavoidseeingagain.

Hedidn’tlookanyhappiertoseeher.

“Well, come on, get on board,” he said gruffly. “I won’t bite.” One eyebrow rose.

“ThoughImightnibblealittle,”headded,mostlytoamusehimself.

But she wasn’t paying any attention to what he was saying. She was staring at him,

taking in the royal blue uniform he was wearing, with gold braid and glistening badges
decoratingthesleeves,epaulettesandanuprightcollar.Ribbonsandmedalscoveredthe
breastoftheshort,fittedjacket.Agold-encrustedsabrehungathisside.Andsuddenlyit
wascleartoherwhothismanreallywas.

She gulped wordlessly. Reaching out, he took her elbow and pulled her aboard. The

doorsslidclosed.Andfinallyshefoundhertongue.

“You…you’retheprince.”

Henodded,barelyglancingather.“Yes.Ofcourse.”

Sheraisedahandandcoveredhermouthforamoment.“Ishouldhaveknown.”

“Ofcourseyoushouldhave.Idon’tknowwhyyoudidn’t.”Hepunchedtheground-

floor button to get the elevator moving again, then turned to look down at her. “A
relativelybrightfive-year-oldchildwouldhavetumbledtothetruthrightaway.”

Hershockfadedasherindignationathistoneasserteditself.Hemightbetheprince,

buthewasstilljustasannoyingashehadbeenearlierthatday.

“A relatively bright five-year-old child without a bump on the head from a badly

thrown water polo ball, maybe,” she said defensively. She wasn’t feeling woozy any
longer and she wasn’t about to let him bully her, no matter how royal he was. “I was
unconscioushalfthetime.”

“Andjustcluelesstheotherhalf,Iguess,”hesaid,lookingbemused.

Thearroganceofthemanwasreallygalling.

“Isupposeyouthinkyour‘royalness’issoobviousitsortofshimmersaroundyoufor

alltosee?”shechallenged.“Orbetteryet,oozesfromyourporeslike…likesweatonahot
day?”

“Something like that,” he acknowledged calmly. “Most people tumble to it pretty

quickly.Infact,it’shardtohideevenwhenIwanttoavoiddealingwithit.”

“Poor baby,” she said, still resenting his manner. “I guess that works better with

injured people who are half asleep.” Looking at him, she felt a strange emotion she
couldn’tidentify.Itwasasthoughshewantedtoprovesomethingtohim,butshewasn’t
surewhat.“Andanyway,youknowyoudidyourbesttofoolme,”sheadded.

Hisbrowsknittogetherasthoughhereallydidn’tknowwhatshewastalkingabout.“I

didn’tdoathing.”

“YoutoldmeyournamewasMonty.”

“Itis.”Heshrugged.“Ihavealotofnames.Someofthemaretoorudetobespokento

myface,I’msure.”Heglancedathersideways,hishandonthehiltofhissabre.“Perhaps
you’recontemplatingoneofthoserightnow.”

YoubetIam.

That was what she would like to say. But it suddenly occurred to her that she was

supposed to be working for this man. If she wanted to keep the job of coronation chef,
maybeshe’dbetterkeepheropinionstoherself.Sosheclampedhermouthshut,tooka
deepbreathandlookedaway,tryinghardtocalmdown.

Theelevatorgroundtoahaltandthedoorsslidopenlaboriously.Shemovedtostep

forward,hopingtomakeherescape,buthishandshotoutagainandcaughtherelbow.

“Waitaminute.You’reawoman,”hesaid,asthoughthatthoughthadjustpresented

itselftohim.

“That’sarareabilityforinsightyouhavethere,YourHighness,”shesnappedbefore

shecouldstopherself.Andthenshewinced.Shewasgoingtohavetodobetterthanthat
ifshewasgoingtokeepthisrelationshiponanevenkeel.

Buthewasignoringherdig.Nodding,hestaredatherwithaspeculativegleaminhis

goldeneyes.“I’vebeenlookingforawoman,butyou’lldo.”

Sheblanched,stiffening.“I’lldoforwhat?”

Hemadeaheadgestureinadirectionsheknewwasoppositeofwhereshewasgoing

andhisgriptightenedonherelbow.

“Comewithme,”hesaidabruptly,makingitanorder.

Sheduginherheels,thinkingfast.Shedidn’tmuchlikeorders.“Wait!Ican’t.Ihave

togettothekitchen.”

“Notyet.Ineedyou.”

“Youwhat?”Herbreathlessgaspofsurprisewassoft,butsheknewhe’dheardit.

“I need you,” he said firmly. “Oh, don’t look so shocked. I’m not planning to throw

youintothehayandhavemywaywithyou.Ineedyouforsomethingabitmoremundane
thanthat.”

Shefeltcolorrushingintohercheeksandshesilentlybeggedittostop.Hereshewas,

formlessandstodgyinherchef’swhites.Nomakeup,nostilettoheels.Hardlythepicture
ofthefemmesfataleshewasundoubtedlyusedto.Thelikelihoodthathewouldhaveany
carnalinterestinherwasremoteatbest.Tohavehimthinkshewashystericallydefending
hervirtuewashumiliating.

“Well, what if I don’t want to go with you?” she said in hopes of deflecting his

attentionfromherblush.

“Toobad.”

“What?”

Amusementsparkledinhiseyes.Hewascertainlyenjoyingthis.Andthatonlymade

hermoredeterminedtoresisthim.

“I’mtheprince,remember?Andwe’reinthecastle.Myorderstakeprecedence.It’s

thatoldpesky‘divinerights’thing.”

Herjawjuttedout.Despiteherembarrassment,shecouldn’tletthatpass.

“Overmyfreewill?Never!”

Exasperationfilledhisface.

“Hey, call out the historians. Someone will write a book about you and your

courageous principles.” His eyes glittered sardonically. “But in the meantime, Emma
Valentine,you’recomingwithme.”

KeepReadingforaSneakPeekofJill’sNextHeartbreaker

Bay

Novel

CHASINGCHRISTMASEVE

AvailablefromAvonBooksSeptember2017

Meetcute…

Runforthehills—temporarily.That’sColbieAlbright’splanwhenshefleesNewYorkfor
San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy
seriesbynighthastakenitstoll.Inshort,Colbie’ssooveritthatshe’sunderit.She’salso
under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival.
Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among
strangers.Butshe’sprettysureSpencerBaldwinwon’tbeastrangerforlong.

Makemerry…

Spence’s commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn’t
havetoworryaboutthepowerful—okay,crazyhot—chemistryhe’sgotwithColbie.Just
becauseshecanlaughatanything,especiallyherself…justbecauseshe’sgorgeousanda
greatlistener…justbecauseshe“gets”Spenceimmediatelydoesn’tmeanhewon’tbeable
toletColbiego.Doesit?

…andhopeforamiracle.

Nowtheclock’stickingforColbieandSpence:Twoweekstocutloose.Twoweekstofall
hard.TwoweekstofigureouthowtomakethisChristmaslastalifetime.

PROLOGUE

#OhPluckIt

Colbie Albright stood in the crowded LaGuardia Airport staring up at the flight

departureboard.Herchestwastightandherthroatfeltlikeitwasclosingin.

Classicanxiety,shetoldherself.Justbreatherightthroughit.

Notthatherbodylistenedtoherbrain.Herbodyrarelylistenedtogoodsense.

Inanycase,itwasDecember1andpeoplewererushingallaroundherlikechickens

withouttheirheads,whileshestoodstilltryingtofigureoutherchoiceofdestination.Her
onlyrequirementswerewarmandtropical.Anexoticbeachwouldfitthebillperfectly.

Aruba.

Jamaica.

Oooh,Iwannatakeyou…

Great,andnowtheBeachBoyssongwasstuckinherhead.Doingherbesttoshakeit

off,sheeyedtheboardagain.Somanychoicesforatwenty-eight-year-oldrunawaywitha
packedbagandnoregrets.

From inside her purse her phone vibrated and she grimaced. Okay, so there were

regrets.Bucketsofthemthatmadehersuitcasefeellikeathousandpoundsandsuckedthe
airfromherlungs,butsherefusedtoletherselfturntailandgoback.

Shewasdoingthis.

But even as she thought it, the board changed and a bunch of the flights—all the

southboundones—blinkedoffandcamebackon…showingasdelayedorcancelled.

“Asurpriselateseasonhurricane,”someonesaidindisgustnexttoher.“Ofcourse.”

Okay,soshewasn’tgoingsouth.TherewasaflighttoTorontointwentyminutesbut

Torontowastheoppositeofwarmandtropical,andplusitwouldn’tgiveherenoughtime
tograbsomebreakfast.Apparentlyrunningawayreallyrampedupagirl’sappetite…

That’s when her gaze locked on a flight leaving for San Francisco in an hour. Huh.

California,thelandofcelebrities,avocados,surferdudes.She’dneverreallyhadachance
toenjoyanyofthosethings.Infact,LaGuardiawasthefurthestshe’dbeenfromhomein
threeyears.Buthey,therewasafirsttimeforeverything,right?

Right.

Shenodded,psychingherselfupforthis.Afteryearsoftakingcareofherfamilyand

workingherselfhalftodeath,shedeservedthis.Sheneededthis.

So…SanFranciscoorbust.

It would work, she assured herself. Getting away would allow her to find her muse

again,herloveforthewriting.Andso,convinced,shestrodetotheticketcounter.

Fifteen minutes later, she hit the very long, very slow-moving security line.

Surroundedbypeoplecomplainingaboutthewait,shewasintheprocessofremovingher
laptop,hersweater,hershoes,herwatch,andherbraceletandwaspattingherselfdownto
makesureshe’dgotteneverythingoutofherpocketswhenaTSAagentpulledheraside.

“Oh,”shesaid,“I’mnotcarryinganyliquidsoverthreeounces.”

Theguyshrugged.“Randomfemale,”hesaid.“Thatyourbag?”

“Yes.”Thiswaswhatshegotforbuyingalast-minuteone-wayticketandshebither

lowerlipastheagentstartedtogothroughherthings.Shefavoredlayers,especiallytees
and sweaters with loose skirts or yoga pants—even though she’d never been to a yoga
classinherlife.Hepawedthrougheverything,pausingatthesightofherbunnyslippers
—which,hey,totallycompletedherfavoritewritinguniform.

“Mythree-year-oldkidhasthese,”hesaidandthenkeptgoing,alternatelylookingup

attheX-raymonitoranddownatherbag,clearlyseekingsomethingspecific.Hemoved
asidealightweightjerseydressandshegrimacedassomelacy,silkythingswereexposed.
Maybe her clothes were nothing special but she did have a thing about what she wore
beneaththem,heroneconcessiontofeelingsexyinthiscrazylifeshe’dbuiltwhereshe
didn’thavetimetoactuallybesexy…

Luckilyforhishealth,theagent’sstoicexpressionneverchanged.Nodoubthe’dseen

itallandcouldn’tcarelessashedugpastherfavoritepeachlacebra-and-pantyset,abox
oftampons,and…

“Ah,”hesaid,holdingupanapple.

“Areapplesaproblem?”Colbieasked.

“Theysometimeslookweirdonthescreen.”

“No weirdness here,” she said. “Just a morning snack. It’s not even poisonous.” She

addedaharmlesssmile.

He didn’t return it, because he was staring at some papers she’d paper-clipped and

shoved in her bag to read on the plane. “How to murder people by poison without
detection,”hereadaloud.

ThewomanbehindColbiegaspedinhorror.

“Okay,”Colbiesaid,pointingtothem.“That’snotwhatitlookslike.”

The woman behind her, cradling a leopard-print cat carrier, had turned and was

franticallywhisperingtothepeoplebehindher.

“Really,”Colbiesaid.“It’safunnystory,actually.”

ButtheTSAguywasflippingthroughhernotes,notevenremotelyinterestedinher

funny story. He didn’t need to read aloud what he was looking at, because she knew
exactly what was there—other Google searches, such as how to get away with murder
using a variety of different everyday products that weren’t considered weapons. “It’s
research,”shesaidtotheroom.

“Yeah,that’sprobablywhatI’dsaytoo,”aguysaidfromsomewherebehindher.

Colbie didn’t look back; she just kept her gaze on the TSA agent, trying to look

nonthreateningasshesaidsomethingsherarelyifeversaidaloud.“I’mawriter.”

“Uh-huh.”Hepulledouthisradionowwithanominous“Femaleagent,please.”

“Oh,pluckit!”shesnapped.

Theagentnarrowedhisgaze.“What’sthatsupposedtomean?”

“Nothing bad,” she said. “That’s the point. See, we’ve got this swear jar at home,

which means I’ve gone broke swearing, so I say other stuff instead of bad words. Stuff
thatsoundslikebadwordsbutisn’t.Idon’tloseanymoneythatway,and—”Shebroke
offbecausehedidn’tappearimpressed.“Look,nevermindthat,”shesaid.“Justbelieve
me,I’mnotaproblem.Yousawthebunnyslippers,right?”

“Ma’am,”hesaid,pullingherbagaside.“I’mgoingtoneedyoutocomewithme.”

“No,really!Ifyoulookinmypurse,you’llseeit’sfilledwithscrapsofpaper,napkins,

whatever,allwithhandwrittennotesonthem.Iwritenotesformybooksallthetime.Plot
points.Characterizationstuff.Justlittlethings,really.Forinstance…”Shelookedaround
and gestured to the woman behind her. “‘Crazy cat lady with a leopard-print cat carrier
—’”

“Hey,”thecrazycatladywiththeleopard-printcatcarriersaid.

Colbieignoredher.“—or‘friendly,sweet,kindTSAagentwithaheartofgold…’”

she said, and added a flirty, hopefully innocent-looking smile. “I use the notes in my
books.Itaddscolorandhearttothestoryandallthat.”

The agent’s eyes were still suspicious, but at least he opened her purse to check her

story.Andjustasshe’dsaid,itwasfilledwithwhatprobablylookedliketrashbutwerein
factlittletreasurestoberevisitedandaddedtohermanuscript.

“What do you write?” he asked, unraveling a small square bar napkin and staring at

thewordsshe’dscribbledonit:Icicle—theperfectweapon.Itmeltsandvanishes!

Theagentliftedhisgazeandleveleditonher.

“Cheese and rice!” she exclaimed and drew a deep, calming breath. It didn’t help.

“Okay,listen,”shesaid.“It’snotwhatitlookslike.Iwriteyoungadultaction-adventure.
Postapocalyptic world.” She was hoping to not have to go further than that, but the
expressiononhisfacetoldhershewasonborrowedtime.“Thecharactersareteenagers
withpowerstheyacquiredintheradioactivewar,”sheadded.

“Andtheseteenagers,they…killpeople?”

“No,”shesaid.“Butthebadguysdo.Andit’sfiction.Youknow,made-upstuff.”She

pointedtoherbrainandshookherhead,likeSee?Harmless.“Andsoreally,allthisisfor
naught.It’snotlikeI’vegotabombinmybagoranything.”

Inhindsight,sheprobablyshouldn’thavementionedthewordbomb.Shemissedher

flight and almost the next one, instead becoming intimate, very intimate, with a pair of
femaleTSAagents.

Shealsomissedbreakfast.

Andlunch.

Andthenapshe’dbeencountingonsinceshehadn’tsleptmorethanafewhoursinso

longshecouldn’trememberwhatagoodnight’ssleepfeltlike.

Not exactly an auspicious beginning to her vacation from life, but hopefully all her

troublewasbehindhernowandtherestofthetripwouldbeperfect.

Agirlcoulddreamanyway…

Eight hours later, she pressed her face to the window of her plane as it banked and

cameinforalandingatSFOInternational.They’dbeendivertedtwicefortoomuchair
traffic,whichturnedouttobeablessingbecausetheycameinfromthenorth,givinghera
view of the Golden Gate Bridge glowing red in the late afternoon sun. The bay was a
gorgeoussparklingblue,allofitlookinglikeapostcard,andsomethinginhertightchest
loosened. It seemed like the entire world was laid out in front of her and she brought a
handuptothewindowasifshecouldactuallytouchthesight.

This,shetoldherself.Thiswasexactlywhatthedoctorhadordered—ifshe’dactually

gonetoadoctorforheranxietyandcripplingwriter’sblock.Hereshewouldfindherself,
sothatbythetimeshewentbackhomeinthreeweeksforChristmasEve,she’dbehappy
again.

Shewassureofit.

CHAPTER1

#SonOfABeanbagChair

“SpencerBaldwin?”anunfamiliarfemalevoiceasked.

Shit.Anyonewhousedhisfullnamewasmostdefinitelynotsomeonehewantedto

speakwith.Afterthepastfewmonths,heknewbetterthantoanswerhisphonewithout
lookingatthescreen,butwithbothhandsbusydirectingadronearoundtheroom,he’d
answeredonvoicecommandwithoutthinkingaboutit.

“Wrongnumber,”hesaid,thedronehoveringwithperfectprecision—andengineering

—abovehishead.Then,topreventarepeatcallwhilehewasworking,hetookonehand
offthecontrolsandchuckedhisphoneoutthehigh,narrowwindowofthebasement.

Whichfeltgreat.

Directing the drone to continue hovering, he moved to the far wall of the huge

basement below the Pacific Pier Building and climbed the three-foot ladder that was
againstthewindowforjustthissortofsituation.

Yep.Hiscellphonehadlandeddirectlyinthefountaininthecenterofthecourtyard.

“Threepoints,”hemurmuredjustastheelevatordoorsopenedandElleentered.

“Areyoukiddingme?”sheaskedinatonethatonlyshecouldgetawaywithandnot

die.“Youkilledanotherone?Whydon’tyoujuststopansweringtothedamnreporters—
wouldn’tthatbeeasier?”

Heturnedhisattentionbacktohisdrone,impressedwiththechangeshe’dmadeinthe

flightsoftware.“AmIpayingyoutobitchatme?”heaskedmildly.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” she said. “You’re actually paying me a hell of a lot of

moneytobitchatyou.Whydon’tIjustchangeyourphonenumberagain?”

“He can’t,” Joe said from the other side of the room. He wore only a pair of knit

boxersandstoodinfrontofoneofthethreecommercial-gradewasher-dryers,waitingfor
hisclothes.“Meandtheguyslikeitwhenhegetsallthemarriageproposals.”

“Youmeanyoulikethenudiepicsthatcomewiththeproposals,”Ellesaid.

“They send him presents sometimes too,” Joe said. “Junk food and panties. That’s

alwaysfun.”

Ellerolledhereyes.“Whyareyouinjustyourunderwear?”

Joe was an IT wizard who worked at Hunt Investigations two floors up. He was

secondinchargethere,amasterfinderandfixerof…well,justaboutanything,andfairly
badasswhilehewasatit.AndalthoughElleterrifiedalmosteveryoneontheplanet,Joe
justgrinnedather.“Hadalittletussleearlieronthejob,”hesaid.“Spenceletmeindown
heretousethemachines.”

Elle was not impressed. “If by tussle you mean a takedown went bad and you got

bloodalloveryourselfagain,youbestnotbeusingthosemachines.”

“Hey,atleastit’snotmyblood.AndI’mfine,thanksforasking.”

Ellewenthandsonhips.Shemanagedthisbuildingfortheowner,whohappenedtobe

Spence—and she often mistook her job for actual world domination, trying to run his
personallifeaswell.

ButSpencehadnixedhispersonallifealongtimeago.ItwastheBaldwincurse.He

couldbesuccessfulinhisbusinesslifeorhispersonallife—pickone—butnotboth.Since
he objected on a very base level to going back to abject poverty, he’d long ago decided
businesswasasaferbetthanlove.

Although, to be honest, he’d made a few forays into attempting both and had failed

spectacularly.

“Oh,anddidyouhearthatSpencehereisrumoredtobeoneofthetoptennominees

forSanFrancisco’smosteligiblebachelor?”JoeaskedElle,givingasnortasifthiswas
hysterical.

Spenceleanedforwardandbangedhisheadagainstthewallafewtimes.

“Don’t bother,” Elle said. “Your head’s harder than the concrete. And yes,” she told

Joe.“Iknow.Ifigurethat’spartofthereasonhejustthrewhisphoneoutthewindow?”

“Icouldjustscareeveryoneoffyourassforyou,”JoesaidtoSpence.

Hewaskidding.Probably.Andactually,Spencewasmorethanalittletempted.This

messwashisownfault,fortrustingsomeoneheshouldn’thave.Asaresult,thepresshad
beenhavingafielddaywithhissuccessinaverylargeway,threateninghisprivacyand
alsohissanity.

Justthinkingaboutthe“mosteligiblebachelor”thinghadhimgroaning.

“Listen,”Ellesaidmorekindlynow.“Gotakeabreak,okay?Thenyoucancomeback

andshutouttheworldandwork.”

It was a well-known fact that Spence’s ability to hyper-focus and ignore everything

aroundhimwasbothastrengthandagiantflaw.Greatassetforanengineer/inventor,not
sogreatforanythingelse,like,say,relationships.Buttruthfully,hewashungry,soabreak
soundedgood.Heheadedtowardtheelevator.

“Uh,”Ellesaid,gesturingtohisclothes.“Youmightwantto…”

“What?” he asked, looking down at himself. So he hadn’t shaved in a few days—so

what? And okay, maybe he lived out of his dryer, grabbing clean but wrinkled clothes
from there in the mornings when he got dressed. Whatever. There were worse things.
“Joe’sinhisunderwear.”

“Hey,atleastIwaswearingsometoday,”Joesaid.

Elletookintheguy’snearlynakedform,clearlyappreciatingtheviewinspiteofher

being very much taken in the relationship department by Joe’s boss Archer Hunt. She

finally shook it off and turned back to Spence. “You know damn well when you walk
acrossthecourtyardtalkingtoyourself,hairstandingupthankstoyourfingers,allstubbly
because you forgot to shave, and those black-rimmed glasses slipping down your
annoyinglyperfectnose,womencomeoutofthewoodwork.”

“Theydo?”Joeasked.

“It’sthehotgeeklook,”Ellesaid.

“Huh.” Joe rubbed his jaw, where he too had stubble. “Maybe I should try that

sometime.”

“No,” Elle said. “You can’t pull off hot geek. Your looks say sexy badass, not geek,

whichapparentlyislikeasirencalltocrazywomeneverywhere.”

Joelookedpleased.“I’mokaywiththat.”

ElleignoredthisandlookedatSpence.“Afteryourlastromanticfiasco,youvowedto

takeabreak,remember?SoallI’msayingisthatyoumightwanttochangeupyourlook.”

“How?”

“Idon’tknow,”shesaid.“Slouch.Getabeergut.Fart.Whateveritisthatguysdoto

organicallyturnusoff.”

“Wait,” Joe said. “You gave up sex after Clarissa dumped you, what, two years ago

now?Like,willingly?”

“Somethingyoushouldtrysometime,”Ellesaidtohim.

“Woman,biteyourtongue.”

“No,really,”shesaid.“Howdoyouevenkeepalltheirnamesstraight?”

“Easy,”Joesaidwithasmile.“IfIforgettheirname,IjusttakethemtoStarbucksin

themorningandwaituntilthebaristaaskstheirnamefortheircup.”

Ellerolledhereyes.“Seriously?”

“Hey,youknowIrunoncaffeine,sarcasm,andinappropriatethoughtsatalltimes.”

“I didn’t give up sex,” Spence said. Okay, yes, his latest project required his 24–7

attentionandhehadn’thadtimetoconnectwithanyone.Butquickhookupsweren’treally
his thing anyway. What was his thing at the moment was creating a system for getting
meds to people via drones, in far-flung areas where they were nearly nonexistent. Meds
and also medical care through camera-equipped drones, allowing doctors to remotely
diagnoseandmonitorpatients.

He’dhadproblems.Accommodatingfortheatmosphereandvaryingweatherpatterns,

for one. The security, for another—making sure pirates couldn’t intercept and steal the
meds and equipment was a high-stakes priority. And then there was the ratio of the
changingweightofthecargotogettingenoughbatterychargetomakethelongflights,not
tomentionlimitedbatterylifeandthestruggletostayconnectednomattertheconditions.
But he was getting close, very close. All he needed was time, uninterrupted time, a rare

commodity.Hemovedtowardthedoor.“I’mgoingaftermyphone.”

“Theoneyoujustkilleddead?”Elleasked.

“I’llbringitbacktolife.”

“You’reagenius,Spence,notamiraclemaker.”

Whenhekeptgoing,heheardEllemutter“great”toJoe.“NowI’veissuedsomesort

ofchallengetohismanhoodandhehastoprovemewrong.”

Thetruthwas,Spencecouldrebuildhisphoneinhisdamnsleep.Whathewishedhe

coulddoinhissleepwasgetthisprojectupandrunning.Maybeapartofhisproblemwas
thatithappenedtobeforClarissa’sOne-Worldcharityandhe’dpromisedher.

AndSpencenolongerbrokepromises.

He took the stairs because he hated the elevator, and when he stepped out into the

courtyard, he stilled for a beat. He’d grown up hard and fast and without a home. This
building had changed all that for him, and normally the sight of the fountain, the
cobblestones,thebuildingitselfwithitsamazingoldcorbelbrickarchitecture,allworked
togethertolightenhisday.

But when he hadn’t been looking, Christmas had taken over the place. There were

garlandsofevergreenentwinedwithtwinklingwhitelightsineverydoorwayandwindow
frame.Ontopofthat,allthepottedtreesthatlinedthewalkwayshadbeendoneuplike
Christmastrees.

This being winter in San Francisco, specifically the district of Cow Hollow, the

afternoonfoggyairburnedhislungslikeice.Hegrabbedhisphonefromthecoin-filled
fountain,drieditoffonhispants,andshoveditintooneofhispocketstorestorelater.

“Spence!”Willacalledoutfromthepetshopthatopenedintothecourtyard.Sherana

petdaycareoutofhershopandsometimeswhenSpenceneededtothink,heoftendidso
whilewalkingherclientsforher.

Shegesturedtothelargedogsnoozinginthesunspotwithacatoneithersideofhim.

“Gottimetohelpmeout?”sheasked.

“Sure.”ThedogwasaregularclientnamedDaisyDuke,andshecameoutofadead

sleep at Spence’s voice, leaping over the cats in sheer joy as she headed right for him.
When she got to him, she jumped up and down in place, attempting to lick his face.
Spencecalmedherdownsomewhat,hookedheruptotheleash,andhitthecourtyardwith
her,headingtowardthewrought-irongatessohecouldwalkhertodoggyDisneyland—
thepark.

ButDaisyDukewasn’tawalker.Shewasarunner.Moreaccurately,shewasa125-

poundbunny,boundingwithenthusiasticenergy,tuggingattheleash.

“Holdyourhorses,Daze,”hesaid.“Saveitforthepark.”Hemuscledhertohisside,

his mind miles away on his drone problems. Lost in thought, he wasn’t exactly on his
gamewhenablackcatappearedoutofnowhere.

With an excited bark, Daisy Duke broke free to charge after it, heading back toward

thefountainandthewomannowstandingthere,suitcaseatherside,armprimedtothrow
acoinintothewater.

The cat managed to dodge the woman, but Daisy Duke wasn’t nearly as dexterous.

Barrelingforwardatwarpspeed,sheclearlysawtheproblematthelastminutebecause
sheletoutabarkofsurprise.ShewasprobablymostlyIrishsetter,butSpencewaspretty
sureshewasalsopartWookiee.Shewashugeanduncoordinated,andafewcrayonsshort
ofafullbox.Shediddropherheadandtrytostop,butherforwardmomentumwastoo
much. Her back end slid out from beneath her and she flipped onto her back, plowing
headlongintothewomanandtopplingherover.

Rightintothewater.

Jesus. “Stay,” Spence said to Daisy and lurched forward as the woman pushed up to

herhandsandkneesinthewater,coughingandsputtering.“Areyouokay?”

Gesturing that she didn’t need his assistance, she swiped a hand down her face,

mutteringwhatsoundedlike“Ishould’vegonetoToronto.”

She was completely drenched thanks to him, and yet she wasn’t yelling. She got

serious points for that, he thought. And because she was wearing one of those flowy
dressesthatgaveamanthoughtsaboutwhatmightormightnotbeundersaiddress,along
with a denim jacket and boots—all of which were now clinging to her and fighting her
efforts—hesteppedintothefountaintohelpher.

“The water’s … warm,” she said in surprise. “It’s freezing out. How is the water

warm?”

He looked down at the water. Green. He could feel coins beneath the soles of his

shoes.“Thatcan’tbegood.”

Shechokedandhedidamentalgrimace.Hedeservedthetears.Hell,hedeservedfury.

Butwhensheliftedherface,herealizedshewaslaughing?

She’dfoundhumorinthisshittysituation.

Hefeltsomethingshiftinhischestatthat,azingofattractionmaybe,whichhehadn’t

seencoming.Infact,heactuallywasn’tseeingtoomuchatall,sincehewasnownearlyas
wetasshe,includinghisglasses.Hetookthemofftowipethelensesonhisequallywet
shirtandeyecontactwasmade.

Shehadbiggreeneyes.Big,green,smilingeyes.“I’mamess,”shesaid.

That wasn’t what he was thinking. Her clothes were plastered to her body. Her very

nice,curvybody.Heforcedhisgazebacktoherface,thensteppedoutofthefountainand
turnedbackforher,offeringahand.

Shetookitbutstillfumbledbecauseherdresshadshrink-wrappeditselftoherlegs,

making moving all but impossible. They struggled a moment, hands grappling for
purchaseoneachotheruntilfinallyhejustwrappedanarmaroundherwaistandliftedher
out,thensetherdownonthecobblestonedground.

“Wuff!” Daisy had flopped around on her back for a few seconds, trying to right

herself. Eventually she’d given up and stayed down, tail wagging like crazy, her tongue
hangingoutthesideofhermouth.

That is, until she eyed something in one of the big potted trees lining the courtyard,

nowdecoratedtowithinaninchoftheirliveswithlightsandornaments.

Theblackcat.

“Stay,”Spencewarnedthedogandturnedbacktothewoman.

“Thanks,”shesaid,hervoicematchingherhuskylaugh.“Appreciatethehelp…”She

paused,clearlywaitingforhimtofillinhisname.

“Spence,”hesaid,purposelyskippinghislastname.Anonymitywashardtocomeby

lately,buthe’dmadeahabitofkeepinguptheeffort.

“Well,”shesaid.“Thanksforthehelp,Spence.”Andthenshe…turnedtowalkaway.

“Wait—” He’d gotten her soaked and he felt terrible about that. He wanted to make

sureshewasokay,thathegotherdryandwarm.“Youdidn’ttellmeyourname.”

Shelookedback,seemingoddlyreluctant.“Colbie,”shesaid.“MynameisColbie.”

“Colbie, I can’t let you just walk away. You’ve got to be freezing cold. At the very

leastIoweyoudryclothesandawarmdrink.”

“No,really.It’sokay.”Shestartedtowringoutherlong,darkhairandpaused.“You

mightwanttostandback.Myhairneedsitsownzipcodewhenit’swet.”

Thismadehimsmile.

“Oh,I’mnotkidding,”shesaid.

OutofallthewomenSpencehadknowninhislife,hecouldn’tthinkofasingleone

who’d be taking this so well, and shit, he realized she was absently rubbing her elbow.
Gently,hepushedupthesleeveofherdenimjacketandfoundanabrasionalongwithan
alreadybloomingbruise.

“It’snothing,”shesaid.

Maybe,butherskinwasbrokenandhehadnoideawhatwasinthatwater.“Weneed

tocleanthatcutandiceyourelbow.AndIwanttopayforyourclothestobecleanedor
replaced—”

“Wuff!”

He shot the impatient Daisy a long look that promised no cookies today just as Elle

cameoutoftheelevatorintothecourtyard,stridingtowardthemwithaconcernedlookon
her face. “Hi,” she said to Colbie. “I’m Elle Wheaten, the building manager. What
happened?Areyouokay?”

“Shetookaheaderintothewater,”Spencesaid.“Daisy’sfault.”

They all looked at Daisy, who was sitting there smiling wide, not a concern in this

world.

“I’m taking Colbie upstairs,” he said. “To clean out her cut and get her some dry

clothes.”

Elleturnedtohiminshock.

Spence understood the surprise. He usually avoided dealing with people, especially

peoplehedidn’tknow.Andthentherewasthefactthathispenthouseapartmentwasan
innersanctumthathedidn’tletjustanyoneinto.“Thegym,”heclarified,whichwason
the top floor next to his apartment. It had its own entrance, separate from his living
quartersandoffice.

“I’ll take her,” Elle offered, doing as she always did, which was keeping herself

betweenSpenceandtherestoftheworld.

“Really,”Colbiesaid,hervoicefirmifnotalittleshaky.“Notnecessary.I’mfine.”

Spencedidn’tclaimtoknowallthatmuchaboutwomen,butevenheknewthatfine

didn’t mean fine. The scale went great, good, okay, not okay, I hate you, fine. And as a
bonus,shewasbeginningtotremblefromthecoldasshegrippedhersuitcaseandtriedto
walkoff—notthatherdresswashavingit.

Colbie stopped fighting it, sighed, and tilted her head back. “Really? Are we serious

withtoday?”

Both Spence and Elle glanced up at the sky. Nothing but clouds. He looked over at

Elle,whowasbrowsup,givinghimaslowshakeofherhead.Andwhileitwastruethat
Ellewasoneofhisbestfriendsandhetrustedherwithhislife,hedidn’tagreewithher
silentopiniontojustletthewomango.

He couldn’t. There was just something about the very wet, cute-yet-sexy Colbie No-

Last-Namethatappealedtohiminawaythatnothingelsehadinalongtime.Sowhenshe
tripped over her dress yet again and swore with a low, muttered “Son of a beach!” he
grabbedforher,keepingherupright.

“Please,”hesaidasherclothesbegantosoakhis.“Pleaseletmehelpyou.”

Athisotherside,Elle’smouthfellopen.Shewasn’tusedtohearingthewordplease

fromhim.Ignoringher,hekepthisgazeonColbie.

Wary, she rolled her eyes, but gave a slight nod. She’d let him help her out but she

wasn’thappyaboutit.

Fairenough.

ChasingChristmasEve

availableSeptember26th,2017,

whereverbooksaresold!

Anddon’tmissJill’snextHeartbreakerBayromance,

AboutThatKiss

,comingJanuary

2018!

ISBN-13:978-1-488-09162-9

JustTryMe…

FirstpublishedasbyHarlequinBlazein2006

Thiseditionpublishedin2017

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-
exclusive,non-transferablerighttoaccessandreadthetextofthise-bookon-screen.No
part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse
engineered,orstoredinorintroducedintoanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,in
any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter
invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises
Limited,225DuncanMillRoad,DonMills,Ontario,CanadaM3B3K9.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and
have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not
even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all
incidentsarepureinvention.

ThiseditionpublishedbyarrangementwithHarlequinBooksS.A.

®and™aretrademarksofthepublisher.Trademarksindicatedwith®areregisteredin
theUnitedStatesPatentandTrademarkOffice,theCanadianIntellectualPropertyOffice
andinothercountries.

www.Harlequin.com

Document Outline

Back Cover Text
Dear Reader
Title Page
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Excerpt
Copyright

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