“Fuck,” I said, my heart still pounding as I pulled the car into a bank parking lot and put it in park.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I am. That was kind of a rush.” I reached for the air conditioning dial at the same time Ollie did, and when his arm brushed against mine, goosebumps skated across my skin. But this time I didn’t flinch. He noticed.
After turning the AC up a bit higher, he leaned back in his seat, turning slightly to face me. And then, like he was testing out the waters, he said, “I like the red on you.”
Looked like my time spent getting ready hadn’t been a waste, after all, especially when Ollie’s gaze settled on the line of my jaw. Without him even touching me, I shivered, wondering if thememory that had made me put my razor away was the same one that had his tongue running along his lower lip now.
“I don’t know what you have planned,” he said, his eyes flicking up to mine, “but I’m having to use some of my vacation time this week before it expires, so let me know if you want to do this again.”
The time he’d taken me up to one of his favorite spots crossed my mind, and it gave me an idea. “Does that mean you’re free all day tomorrow?”
“If you want me to be.”
“I want you to be.”
“Then I’m all yours.”
“Good.” My cheeks heated under his potent stare. I was blushing. The man had reduced me to blushing.
When Ollie spoke again, his voice was deep and full of gravel. “Do you want to keep going?” he asked, and it didn’t take a genius to know he wanted me to read between the lines:Do you want to keep going withme?
“Yes,” I said. “I definitely do.”
twenty-nine
OLLIE
“SHOULD I BE worried about where you’re taking me?” I said the next morning, as I pushed a wayward branch out of my way and continued up the secluded dirt path leading up an unmarked hill an hour northwest of Floyd Hills.
“Definitely. I think that head bump turned me into a serial killer.” Reid looked over his shoulder at me and grinned, and I quickly forced my eyes away from where I’d been staring at his ass. If he didn’t want me to look, he wouldn’t make me follow him, that was my way of thinking. Hiking up a secluded trail was giving me a prime view, especially with the shorts he wore showing off his leanly muscled legs. It was impossible for me not to think about those legs wrapped around me, which was making my shorts tighten around my hips—not exactly comfortable for a hike.
Stop thinking about him naked,I reminded my dick.This is a friendly day out, that’s all.Even if the tension in the car on the way up hadn’t exactly been what I would callfriendly. Not with the looks Reid had been throwing my way when he thought I wasn’t looking.
“We’re almost there,” he said, then stopped and held his finger to his lips. “Listen.” Without our footsteps crunching over fallen twigs, I could hear the sound of rushing water.
“A waterfall?” I asked. “Is that where we’re going?”
Reid zipped his lips and started walking again. The sound grew louder as we traipsed along, and a few minutes later, we were rewarded with one hell of a gorgeous view.
“Wow.” That was all I could manage as I gazed up at the towering falls that looked like water pouring out of the sky. Lush green trees and plants surrounded the rocky face, and at its base, mist rose to give the place an ethereal look. It was breathtaking.
“You like things off the beaten path, so I thought you might want to see this. I mean, if you haven’t already.” Reid chewed on his lip. “It doesn’t have a yellow brick road, but…”
Holy shit. He remembers our trip up to the Hidden Land of Oz?“This is incredible,” I said, tearing my eyes away from the falls, because even as beautiful as it was, it had nothing on Reid. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I’m starting to remember lots of things,” he said, holding my gaze, which made me wonder if those otherthingsinvolved what happened at the end of that date.
As that thought entered my mind, I almost forgot how to breathe until he gave me a small smile and inclined his head. “Come on,” he said, walking out onto the rocks that surrounded the pool of water at the base of the waterfall, and I followed.
“We’re not, uh, gonna be diving from up there, are we?”
“Definitely not,” he said. “The water’s not very deep, maybe five feet or so. One head injury is enough for me.”
Thank you, Lord.“What a shame. I wasn’t nervous about jumping or anything.”
“Of course not. Superman’s not afraid of much, right?”