“That’s funny because I already have the best view.”
She gives me a quick kiss before letting go of my hand. This time she bounds ahead of me on the trail with some extra pep in her step. I let her take the lead not just because I love seeing her backside in those shorts, but also because I love seeing this side of her—the excited and carefree one that she so often keeps hidden.
I admire how headstrong and determined she is to stick to her principles and do things on her own. It just makes it that much more special when she lets me see this side of her. That realization has me starting to see that I don’t just love the parts of her I’ve seen from a distance for years, but maybe all of her.
It doesn’t matter that we’ve only been dating for weeks. This woman has been in my mind, in my life even if she didn’twant to be, driving me mad for years, and owning my every thought and dream. I don’t need more time to tell me what I already know deep in every fiber of my being.
I’m helplessly in love with Kelsey. I look up the trail again and watch her run off with my heart.
CHAPTER 34
SUTTON
Each minuteof this hike is another test of my patience. I chose these shorts because they’re the most comfortable ones I have to hike in, not because they’re ‘hoochie-daddy’ shorts as Monica called them. I’m six-foot-three and almost any decent shorts look small on me.
Kelsey though? Seeing her in those shorts, on this trail, for the last hour was torture—the best kind. I’m also positive that tormenting me was at least a small factor in her wearing them today. I’ve already lost track of how many times I’ve had to adjust myself in my own shorts because seeing her ass made me want to stop and pin her to a tree several times.
Every step she takes, I just picture reaching out and cupping her ass or running my fingertips up the backs of her thighs. The only thing that has stopped me is that she’s kept up a good pace ever since we talked about the apartment. This has been the perfect day. So far we’ve talked about everything from the first days that she and Monica took over running the coffee shop to which bar has the best après ski drinks in the winter.
“So you never told me why you kept going to the creek,”she says over her shoulder and I can hear the question in her voice.
I pull my eyes up from her toned legs and ass to catch her peeking back at me. Looking past her, I can see we’re only a few steps away from the small, rocky overlook nestled into the trees. From the overlook, you can see the town of Jackson below, and the Teton Mountains to the north. The views are almost as breathtaking as the woman I’m looking at—the woman I could never get out of my mind after one night with her.
“I don’t know, it probably sounds weird. I just thought if I kept retracing my steps, replaying everything that happened that night, I’d figure out what I did wrong. I’d figure out why you ghosted me.”
She stops at the large boulder at the top of the trail and turns to face me. Her lips part and she swallows. “Sutton, I’m sorry.”
I catch up with her and step into her space. Tipping her chin up with one finger, I look down into her gray eyes that are searching mine. There’s something about the way she looks at me, never wanting anything, but always trying to make sure I’m the one that’s OK. She doesn’t realize that I’m the one that wants nothing more than for her to be OK.
“Hey.” I try to keep my voice soft, but I’m still catching my breath from the hike and the word comes out gruffer than I meant. “You know I really like you, right?”
She rolls her eyes before smirking back at me. “I like you too.”
“Good. So can you stop apologizing about the past? You don’t need to. We’re both sorry, so let’s just move forward because I think this could be something special.”
Could be?I don’t know why I said that because I already know that it is.
It doesn’t matter that it’s only been weeks. Every minutewith her feels like a moment in time that I want branded into my memory because I will cherish every single one of them.
I run my thumb over the delicate line of her jaw, and place my other hand on the boulder above her head to brace myself. “So, can we do that? No more apologies?”
She nods, and I feel the column of her neck shift against my fingers when she swallows. I can hear both of our labored breaths.
“Good.” I grin back at her, dropping my hand from her neck to hook into the waistband of her shorts, tugging her toward me. “Now, I don’t know about you, but that hike worked up an appetite.”
Slowly, she runs her fingers up the straps of my backpack brushing against my thin athletic shirt the entire way. It pricks the hair on the back of my neck and sends blood rushing south to my cock, only increasing the strain on my compression briefs.
“What’d you bring to eat?” she asks.
“Remember when you asked if that was what our first date would have been like?” It’s been killing me to keep this a surprise all day. “It would have been like this. I packed all of your favorites.”
“What?” She tilts her head and suddenly I’m doubting myself. Maybe this idea is lamer than I thought.
“Sour cream and onion potato chips. Pistachio ice cream. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with and without honey, on cheap white bread. All of it. I even packed two canned Frisky Fox spicy margaritas, you said those were your favorite.”
Her lips part when it clicks. “You remembered all of that? From that night at Bridger’s?”
I lean forward pressing my body against hers. She doesn’t flinch though. She drapes her arms over my neck and I feel her eyes bore into mine. “I can’t believe you?—”