2. Chapter One
Chapter One
Cassidy
My god my bones ache. Not in the ‘freshly fucked’ kind of way. In the way that ‘I’m getting older and I need to start going to the gym more consistently.’ Forcing my feet onto the floor, I drag my ass to the bathroom and stare into my dirty mirror.
These late nights are killing me. Slowly, but killing me, nonetheless.
My phone pings. Oh look, three more emails to answer before I go crash in the woods for a week. Monique had put me onto this retreat for adults. Like a place where we can just go and relax. Hike, swim, eat food I don’t have to prepare or get delivered. It sounded nice at the time she suggested it, so I booked and now I’m sort of regretting it.
I wasn’t built for the remote life, but she insisted it’s exactly what I need. Especially after last weeks episode where I had a migraine for three days straight.
Shit is hitting the fan at work, with clients coming out my ass. It was a sudden influx because I won a major case and now everyone wanted a slice of my defense skills.
I heave a sigh. A break is just what I need to get some R a low rumble that almost makes me smile despite myself. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
There’s an edge to his voice that makes me look at him. He meets my gaze with those intense eyes, holding it until I look away. It’s… unsettling. The way he looks at me, I mean. Like he wants to eat me.
Maybe it’s not the bears I need to worry about…
The path gets steeper, and I focus on not slipping on the damp leaves underfoot.
“Why Pine Ridge?” he asks once we reach a flatter stretch.
“A friend recommended it.” I pause, wondering how much to say. “She thought it would be good for me.”
“She’s right.” Noah’s response is quick, like he didn’t even need to think twice. “This place changes you.”
Weirdly enough, I believe him. Though maybe not in the way he means. I already miss the spa.
I let the thought pass, and we continue up the trail, his stride effortless while mine feels clumsy in comparison. Stumbling over moss, rocks and twigs. Like a dumbass. He stays close enough that I catch his woodsy scent. I like it, despite my reservations about him.
“Why didn’t your friend join you?” he asks casually.
“Nah, I need this time. It’s not something she’d enjoy.”
“Too bad for her. Lucky for me.”
I stop short at his words, and he walks a few steps past before turning back with that unreadable smile. My heart pounds harder than it should from a little hike. “You always this intense?” I ask, trying to make it sound light.
“Only when I see something I really want,” he says, watching me for my reaction.
There’s no retort for that kind of confidence.
Noah waits for me to catch up, then falls into step a little closer than before. We walk until the trees thin out and a rocky overlook opens up, revealing a view that almost steals my breath away. The mountains roll out beneath us, layered in shades of blue and gray, the retreat barely a dot in the distance. Damn, I walked far. I feel small, but not in a bad way.
Noah lets me take it in for a minute before he speaks. “Worth the hike?”
I nod, unable to come up with anything more articulate. “It’s amazing,” I finally manage.
He leans against a massive boulder like he has all the time in the world, eyes never leaving my face. “Glad you think so.”
We stand there as the wind picks up, sweeping my hair across my face and making me shiver. He notices immediately, shrugging off his jacket and holding it out to me. “Here.”
I hesitate. I’m not used to people looking out for me like that. “I’m fine,” I lie through chattering teeth.
“Take it.” There’s a command in his voice that makes it clear he’s not taking no for an answer. Reluctantly, I slip it on.
It’s warm from his body and smells like him. It feels like wearing someone else’s skin but strangely comforting at the same time.
“Thanks,” I say, though it comes out more like a question than gratitude.
He smiles again, “Should we head back? It’s almost lunch. Spaghetti today. You can sit with me.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” The words slip out before I can reel them back in. I meant them as a joke, but the look that passes over his face is serious.
“Depends how you feel about pasta.”
“Wouldn’t say no to carbs.” I take one last look at the view before turning back toward the trail. Noah stays close as we retrace our steps, his hand on my elbow so I don’t trip.
The sun climbs higher, filtering through branches in golden shafts. My toes are numb from the cold, but the rest of me feels strangely alive. Maybe being out in buttfuck nowhere won’t be so bad.
“So, what do you do when you’re not harassing unsuspecting hikers?” I ask as we walk.
“Mostly guiding,” he says. “Leading hikes, showing guests around. Helping them find what they’re looking for.”
“And what’s that?”
He gives me a sideways glance. “Depends on the guest.”
He’s good at this—answering without really answering. I try another angle. “How long have you been working here?”
“A while.” He seems amused by my string of questions. “Long enough to know these trails better than most people know their own streets.”
That much is obvious by the way he moves through the forest. “Do you ever miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“The city.”
“Nah. I don’t miss the city.”
We fall into a silence as we keep heading down the mountain and towards the main lodge for lunch.