Chapter 6
SIX
KNOX
With the sun growing higher in the sky, the trail up the mountain is quiet. But it isn’t silent.
The dirt crunches beneath our boots. The wind rustles through the trees. Birds sing their song.
And every few minutes, Quincy sees something that makes her gasp. It’s the sweetest sound of them all. So full of awe. Joyful. Soul-stirring. With every passing moment, I can practically see the tension she’s been carrying all this time disappear bit by bit.
Meanwhile, I’m growing increasingly tense with every step.
I must have walked this trail hundreds of times. Usually on my own. Sometimes with the tourists who pay me to show them a slice of Alaska they can tell their friends about for years to come.
I’ve never had better company than I do today.
Every time Quincy cries out in excitement, every time she grabs my arm to point at some new wonder, she captures my heart a little more.
I’m in real danger of losing it to her completely.
An eagle dips low overhead and Quincy reaches for me again, pure delight on her face. “Did you see that?”
“Yeah.” I turn to face her.
“Isn’t it completely amazing?”
My gaze stays fixed on her face. The brightness in her eyes. The flush of her cheeks. I can’t look away. “Completely.”
She takes a deep breath and sighs. “I bet I could stand here for the rest of my life and never get tired of looking at this.”
A lump lodges in my throat. I have to clear it before saying, “I know what you mean.”
But we don’t have the rest of our lives to stand here in the moment. No matter how much I might wish we could.
We don’t even have a full two weeks.
I clear my throat again and motion for us to continue down the path. “I’ve always found that nature can do wonders.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.” She gives a short laugh. “Of course, I spend most of my life sitting in front of a computer screen with a pine-scented candle as the biggest excitement in my day.”
“Maybe you could open a window.”
“Maybe. Of course, there’s a lot of traffic outside, and it would probably drive me crazy with all the honking and zooming.” She wrinkles her nose. “Not to mention, there’s a gas station right across the street.”
“So maybe not then.”
“Maybe not.” She loops her arm with mine. “I suppose I could go for more walks. My city has plenty of trails and parks.”
“That’s good.”
“Granted, I’d have to drive half an hour to get to any of them.”
“We’ve been walking for a couple of hours to get where we’re going,” I remind her.
“Yeah, but we’re not stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.” She squeeze my arm and might as well be squeezing my heart. “We get all of… this.”
“Just wait till you see where we’re going.”
“I can’t imagine anything more beautiful.”
I catch the light in her eyes and have to swallow hard again. “I can.”
She beams up at me, and my heart trips. “I guess we’d better hurry up and get to this special place of yours. It must be heaven on earth.”
“Something like that.”
Somehow, I suspect anywhere could be heave on earth with the right person—the right woman—at your side.
We walk in companionable silence for a while longer. Well, as friendly as I can feel when every hint of her sweet scent, every squeeze from her fingers on my arm, every sigh from her lips makes me want to push her back against a tree and kiss every inch of her body.
Starting with her mouth and finishing with my face buried between her thighs.
“Fuck me,” I hiss under my breath.
“What was that?” she asks.
“Nothing.” I straighten and shift my legs slightly to give my dick a little more room. “I was just reminding myself of how much longer we have to go.”
Maybe once she gets there, she’ll be so captivated by what she sees, she’ll leave me alone. I’ll be able to take a breath and get myself under control.
It’s also just as likely the mountain splits in two and swallows me whole.
“Is that why you moved here?”
I start at her sudden change in subject. Has she been talking this whole time, and I haven’t been following the conversation? “What?”
“Sorry.” She gives a light giggle. “I sometimes forget that people can’t read my mind. I was wondering if you moved to Alaska because nature helps clear your thoughts.”
“Usually it does.” Right now, nothing seems to be helping me think about anything besides devouring the delectable woman walking at my side. “But even when it doesn’t, it’s still where I most feel like myself.”
She gives a light “hmm” at that. “Did you always know you wanted to be a wilderness guide?”
“I always knew I wanted to join the military. My great grandpa was in the Army. My grandpa was in the Air Force. My uncle was in the Navy.”
“Let me guess, your dad was in the Marines?”
“I wish.” My jaw ticks. “My dad was never really in the picture. He always floated from job to job. Wherever he could get a quick buck. Wherever he could find a woman or score his next fix.”
“Oh.” She chews on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You’re fine. You didn’t know.”
“No, but I still brought up a sensitive subject. I’m so?—”
“I said you’re fine.” I wince at how stern my voice sounds. “Now, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I just… I just don’t want you to feel like you have to be careful around me.”
“I don’t think there’s any worry of that. If anything, I’ve let myself be too comfortable.”
I’m gut clenches. “Does that worry you?”
“No. It probably should.” She gives a shaky laugh. “The fact that it doesn’t worries me more than anything. But…”
“But?” I urge.
“I can’t explain it. I know we’ve only known each other for a few days. But I feel like I can trust you with anything. I feel like I can just… be. And you won’t make me feel like I have to be anything else.”
My gut unclenches. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to be anyone else. You’re perfect the way you are.”
“I’m not perfect.”
“You’re perfect.” For me.
She opens her mouth to protest, but nothing comes out. Jaw slack, she gapes at the view in front of us.
“Oh my God.”
We’ve reached the point where our winding path through the trees opens to a waterfall.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispers.
I nod. There aren’t any more words besides that.
It’s not the tallest in the world. It’s not even the tallest in Alaska. But with the towering boulders and trees around, you can’t see it until you’re there. It’s a private, bubbling flow of water. And it’s only yours to see if you know where to look.
Like an oasis. That’s always made it more special to me.
Now, somehow, sharing this with Quincy makes it more than a stunning spot. She’s made it magical.
The awe on her face. The way her lips are still parted. The way the sunlight through the trees is no match for the brightness in her eyes.
She’s like the sun. Radiant. Warm. Essential for life.
Essential for me.
She catches my stare. “What?”
I shake my head. “You… look happy.”
“I think I am.” Her lips curve up and she turns back to the water. “It feels strange to say after everything that’s gone on. But yeah. I think I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
Moving closer to the water, Quincy kicks off her boots and steps to the edge of the stream. She dips in her toes. I settle on a nearby rock and watch as she splashes and giggles.
It’s so… innocent. So charming. So carefree.
“I’m so glad you brought me here,” she calls over her shoulder.
That makes two of us.
“You know,” I say as she turns back and tiptoes toward me, “I don’t see everything. Not right away.”
Her brows furrow.
“My eye,” I say. “I have a prosthetic. But it doesn’t do a damn thing.”
Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t look away. Doesn’t flinch. “You’ve adapted so well. I never would’ve known.”
“I had to. My hearing isn’t so good anymore. I learned to compensate. To keep my head on a swivel. To stay aware.”
“That can’t always be easy.”
“It isn’t. But it’s necessary to survive.”
She sits beside me, folding her legs beneath her. “You’re not just surviving. You’ve built a life. A beautiful one. Something most people only dream about. And you’re doing it. You’re living it. Do you know how many people never go after what they want because they’re scared?”
“It’s not an act of bravery or anything.”
“What if it is?”
I shake my head, but she stops me with her nod. “Maybe going for what you want and never accepting the status quo is the bravest thing any of us can do.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“Yes you did.” She takes my hand. “You could have chosen to give up. You could have chosen to drink yourself into a bottle or numb your pain with distractions.”
“No, I couldn’t. That’s what my dad did. That’s not me.”
“Don’t you see, that’s what makes it all the more important.” She squeezes my hand. “You’re not someone who chooses the easy path. And it’s so damn impressive. It’s no wonder I’m crazy about you.”
I suck in a breath. “What?”
“I’m crazy about you,” she says again. “And I can’t stop thinking about kissing you. And if you don’t kiss me first, then I’m going to kiss you.”
Both of our chests are rising up and down rapidly as we stare at each other.
She moves first, but I’m the one to grab her closer as our lips crash against each other.
This kiss isn’t like the first. There’s no hesitation. No confusion. There’s just desire, raw and heart.
Her hand slides up my chest, and I deepen the kiss,. Cupping the back of her neck, I pull her closer until she’s practically in my lap.
I should stop. I know that.
But I can’t.
I want her too damn badly.
She makes a soft keening sound in the back of her throat. It’s intoxicating. If I don’t get control of myself now, I never will.
I pull back just enough to breath. “Quincy?—”
She places a finger against my lips. “Don’t. We both of us spend too much time thinking and worrying. Maybe we should just be. Together. In the moment. For as long as we can.”
“Okay,” I whisper, and kiss her again.
Harder. Deeper.
My hands find her waist, then her back, drawing her into my lap. She fits against me like she was made for it. For me.
And for the moment, I let myself believe she might be.