“Just…yeah, I’m fine,” I puff, holding my breath, so I don’t pant so loud.
“I think I can see your mom,” Mack remarks, reaching down beside the packs he’s laid out and producing some binoculars.
“See?” he asks, handing them to me and holding them to my eyes, and turns me gently by the shoulders until I can see her and Ben.
“Okay. I can see my mom from here,” I murmur. Not meaning to sound bratty, but seriously?
“You came up here to see if you could spot my mom?” I ask him sarcastically.
Knowing she’s not at all his favorite person this weekend.
Mack chuckles, and putting me out of my misery, he explains.
“There are two trails we can take,” he says, giving me, the only hiker with the group for the day, the option of choice.
“The woods trail,” he remarks, thumbing to his right, “Or the lake trail,” he adds, jutting his chin toward the area he just had me spot my mother in.
“Uhhh. I think we’re taking the woods trail, don’t you?” I ask hopefully.
It only makes him smile wider to himself as he takes the binoculars back and lifts a pack for me to carry.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he smiles, cocking a brow and then moving behind me as I slip my arms through the heavy canvas straps of the pack, which feels kind of empty.
Mack repeats the same for himself, turning away from me again as he hooks his pack over his massive shoulders that flex under his shirt.
I can tell at a glance that he’s carrying everything we need and already feel further behind him. My pack’s just for show, I guess. Or maybe just to carry my water bottle.
He’s got his back to me pretty much the whole time as we get started. Making me half wonder if this is going to be all business and no pleasure after all.
Without any more discussion, he makes for the opposite direction my mom’s in, and only turning his head to make sure I’m right behind him, we set off.
It feels weird because a part of me feels like making the choice to go with Mack, away from my mom, is kind of what has to happen eventually.
I can’t always depend on her, and the crossroads moment I’m having only makes the choice so much easier knowing I choose Mack.
I don’t know how or why. But despite Mack keeping his distance as we set out hiking, this weekend’s starting to feel like it’s about to get serious in a good way.
But I can’t help but already start thinking about what happens when it’s time to go home.
I already told mom this morning I don’t want to stay here, so if I suddenly like it so much, she’s going to know why.
It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out how badly I’m falling for him.
Five minutes alone with Mack and I don’t ever want to be anywhere else. Not ever again.
“Stables are only five miles, this is the longer way, but it’s all on horseback from there,” he reminds me over his shoulder.
Five miles?
Oh, dear lord!
I do my best to keep up with him, and by the time we’re at the crest of a wooded hill with the homestead out of sight, I feel my legs about to give way already.
“Mack,” I wheeze, feeling a stitch in my side to match the pain in my out-of-shape body and feet.
“Mack!” I finally gasp, getting his attention, and he stops, keeping his body facing forward.
“I need to…I just…,” I stammer.
Feeling all of my pain and worries vanish when he does turn to face me.
The intense look in his eyes is unmistakable.
And the thick line of his arousal at the front of his jeans explains why he’s kept his back to me until now.
I feel my mouth hanging open, and my stitch transforms into a nest of butterflies in my belly.
Letting out a low growl of satisfaction as he takes slow steps toward me, he tells me in a low, deep tone exactly what I need.
“I think you and I both know this isn’t about hiking, Tina.”
I feel myself redden and try to look down at my feet.
Try to act shy and even look surprised. But he’s right. There’s no point in either of us denying this feeling a second longer.
And apart from being able to see for myself what he means, I can’t help but feel the thrill of hearing him saying it. Because I feel exactly the same way.
“So…what are we going to do if we’re not hiking?” I hear myself ask him, making him grin widely as he cocks a brow.
Moving so close to me that I have to crane my neck to look up at him.
He looks unsure if I’m genuinely so innocent for just a second, or maybe like myself, just wanting him to tell me exactly what he wants to do to me.