She wanted to be outside in the wild with him, completely alone apart from squirrels and deer and any other critters that might want to spy on them.
He was quiet, mulling. “I know this beautiful spot up above Firelight Falls... you get a view of the canyon, the falls are close enough to see. We could spend two, three hours? Maybe?”
She drew in a sharp breath. Of all the half dozen or so lovely falls in Hellcat Canyon, Firelight Falls was her favorite. Not as dramatic as Full Moon Falls, perhaps, what with its proximity to the Eternity Oak, and all. It was a little hidden, more subtle and elegant. The long, long narrow cascade that glowed a deep fiery gold when the sun lowered in the afternoon at a certain time of year—hence its name. She’d always thought it was the most romantic place for a date, and yet no man had ever taken her there. She hadn’t been in years, in fact.
And... oh, wow. Two, three, hours. They could talk. About whatever. Anything they wanted. Anything and nothing. Oh, the untold luxury of goofing off with a gorgeous, funny man, of an hour purposeless apart from impressing and savoring each other.
They could even... oh, maybe hold hands on the way there.
She’d just ridden him hard and egged on his dirty Time Porn talk, but it was the notion of holding his hand that made her blush.
She looked at him, and even though his polished leather seats were firm beneath her backside (but not as firm as his thighs), she experienced a peculiar vertigo. That sense of walking along a cliff’s edge, where the view was giddy and vast and the view was of the entire world, and the drop perilously infinite.
Rediscovering herself as a person distinct from Annelise was messing with her equilibrium in unexpected ways. It was a bit like relearning a skill, like... like riding a bike.
“I think I know the spot. I can ask if Avalon and Mac can hang out with Annelise...” Her heart was pounding now. “Are you free next Saturday between, say, twelve and three?”
Arranging a babysitter was tantamount to a formal engraved announcement that they were embarking on arelationship. Not only that, but it was inviting the merciless teasing and probing from siblings and family members and then, of course, everyone else in Hellcat Canyon who caught wind of it.
One didn’t endure that sort of thing frivolously.
“That sounds perfect,” he said.
She smiled at him.
“You’re sure about this?” he said.
“Yeah,” she said lightly.
“Great. I’ll text you.”
She reached for the door handle and popped the door open.
She leaned forward and kissed him, with just enough tongue to keep his lust on parboil for possibly the rest of the day and maybe into the night, when he could take matters into his own hands, literally. As long as he was dreaming of her.
Just so the last view of him when she walked away was his expression of dazed appreciation and something more thrilling and resolute.
She’d better know what she was doing. Because she knew she couldn’t dip a toe in with this guy. It would be all in, or nothing.
“Okay, guys, I know you’re counting on me this Saturday at the game...” he said casually, as he twisted the wrench.
Everyone froze.
“Are you about to blow us off again?” Louis demanded.
“I’m not dating all of you, Louis. Keep dreaming.”
“ButGabedoes have a date,” Bud guessed. Slyly.
“Awww,”they all said. Various kissy noises ensued.
“Fuck you,” he said grumpily.
They all just laughed.
“Go get her, tiger. If we lose, though, you have to buy us dinner for a month.”
He scowled at them.