“You wanted to come back to me. You couldn’t even wait another hour, so you left early.”
He shifts on his feet, his eyes not meeting mine.
“You are ridiculous.” But his cheeks are flaming, and he’s fidgeting nervously.
So, I put him out of his misery.
I cup his cheek, my thumb brushing against his lips. “Where do you want me?”
His eyes snap up to mine. “Bed. Ass up.”
“Hm. You got it, Doc.”
CHAPTERNINE
ELLIOT
Idon’t know what I’m doing, but somehow my hand slipped into Luke’s, and it stuck there. It’s been stranded there for at least an hour, and I think there’s no point in rescuing it now. No need to bother with an SOS, either.
I’m living on this island now.
My ass stings,” Luke says as we walk through the Garden of the Gods National Park. Red rocks jut up from the ground around us as we navigate a hiking trail. In the distance, I can make out snowcapped mountains.
It really is beautiful out here. I glance up, and my wandering eyes catch on Luke.
Yes, very, very beautiful.
“Perhaps if you talked back less, you’d incur less of a punishment,” I reply, thinking of how I spanked that ass so good earlier. When we were done, the two of us panting from our release, he’d pulled me up from the bed and insisted we go on this hike. My legs still ache from the Incline, but he’d convinced me with those sexy eyes of his. I’m completely hypnotized.
“But that’s no fun,” Luke says and squeezes my hand. I agree. It’s much more fun this way.
“Have you been enjoying your time here?” I ask, pulling the hood of my jacket over my head with my free hand. It’s starting to snow lightly, and the sharp chill in the air makes me shiver.
“Yep. Love it out here. I’d move out here if I could.”
My heart sinks at that comment. It’s irrational and illogical, but I stillfeelit.
“Will you move?” I ask, trying to sound casual. What if he does? What if he leaves me?
“Nah, my family is out in Cali. Gonna stay there, near them. They’re my home.”
My panic subsides and I let out a shaky breath.
“Would you ever move?” he asks me.
“No. My sisters are nearby. I’ll stay wherever they are.”
He pulls me to his side as we walk. “Totally get it.”
We move around a group of tourists trying and failing to take a group shot. Luke actually stops and offers to take their picture.
For the first time since beginning this hike, our hands begin to separate, and for some reason, my fingers just clench and hold onto him tighter.
Like I said, they’re stuck.
Luke gently tries to tug his hand from mine, but my fingers won’t budge.
“You gotta let go, Eli.”