8. Chapter Seven
It would be impossible to declare they didn’t like each other after this.
Her body was so tightly strung, she was about to come out of her skin. Rubbing her arms with her hands, Olive focused on the amazing scenery and willed the lust to cool. She’d had a taste, all right. A taste of the fantasy she’d had for the past year and a half—a sampling of the only man she desired with such ferocity. She’d barely looked at another man since meeting Ryker, and sure as hell hadn’t desired anyone else.
It was only him.
It was always him.
And she still couldn’t have him.
He’d brought her to this amazing place so she could enjoy nature safely. She was touched by the gesture and didn’t suspect that he had an ulterior motive, like trying to seduce her. If he had, he would have kept the flame going instead of letting her walk away. No, what had just happened had been spontaneous and wild.
Ryker’s boots sounded lightly on the floor as he walked over to her. The back of her neck prickled, her skin aching for his touch.
“Look at this.”
He opened a door that led to a metal catwalk encircling the fire tower. A damp breeze fluttered in, ruffling her hair, and bringing the heavy scent of rain. Taking a pair of binoculars from a hook near the door, he went onto the catwalk and motioned for her to join him.
She wasn’t afraid to take risks, but the rusted metal floor and sketchy chain link safety barrier around the walkway didn’t instill a lot of confidence. Bracing her hands against the door frame, she shook her head as the wind tossed her hair around.
“No thanks. I’m staying in here.”
Why did she have to be able to still taste him? Her lips felt bruised in the best way.
“The floor is fine. See?” He pounded his foot against the metal and jumped up and down. The metal shook and groaned, and shockingly, held.
“You’re crazy. I’m not coming out there now.”
“What’s the matter?”
Crossing her arms, she stepped back into the room a little more. “It’s called self-preservation, an instinct you clearly lack.”
Undeterred, he held out his hand. “How much self-preservation did you have when you decided to go hiking in bear country this morning?”
“I have bear spray! What I don’t have is a body harness and a tether to keep me from falling to my death.”
He wagged his fingers, gesturing for her to take his hand. “I won’t let you fall.”
She looked at his hand and vigorously shook her head.
“Don’t worry, Olive. I’ve got you. Nothing bad is going to happen when you’re with me.”
Tell that to her throbbing body parts that ached for him to finish what he’d started, but he hadn’t and that was bad. Very, very bad.
Conceding, he followed her inside.
Ryker came inside. “Let’s do this. Stand here and look out the door.”
Handing her the binoculars, he gently gripped her shoulders and moved her into place.
“Look at the rocky ledge directly in front of you and you’ll get a great view of the spot where the Dall sheep hang out.”
A warm feeling spread in her chest. He’d brought her up here to show her some sheep. The binoculars adjusted easily, giving her a clear view.
“Do you see three trees hanging off a ledge just ahead of you?”
The binoculars were so powerful that she could see blades of grass and small white flowers peeking out between jagged rocks.
“I see the trees.”
“Look up.”
Two white furry bodies appeared in the lenses. Thick horns curled from the male sheep’s heads, their jaws working back and forth as they plucked grass from the slips between the rocks.
“They’re beautiful!”
She scanned the ledges and found more sheep, one with a lamb that peeked its curly head from between its mother’s front legs. With a spurt of energy, it jumped onto a boulder and scurried to the very edge of the cliff. Miraculously, it balanced on tiny hooves before bucking its back legs and bounding back to its mother.
“There’s a baby. Look!”
Ryker brought the binoculars to his eyes. The corner of his mouth turned up, his thumb and forefinger turning the wheel so he could get a clearer look. His profile was striking—strong jaw, arched cheekbone. The binoculars concealed his straight nose and the breathtaking blue of his eyes.
A swirl of unwelcome emotions churned in her chest. They shouldn’t have kissed. It was only going to make things worse. Things were brewing under the surface that made her future uncertain. Cara had been talking about selling the building and putting the boutique in an updated and newer location. If she did, Olive would lose her apartment and there was no way she’d find another that was remotely affordable. Not in Estes Park.
It was a big ‘what if’ but it could happen, and she could be homeless again. She’d never survive Colorado winters living in her car, so she’d have to go somewhere warmer. She’d have to leave this place. This is why she couldn’t have a kitten, and she certainly couldn’t have a man.
Shit. Speaking of trying not to be homeless again, she had an appointment tonight to look at a camper van. Pulling out her cell phone, she checked the time and exhaled in relief to find she still had time.
“What’s wrong?”
He handed the binoculars back to her.
“I have an appointment in a couple of hours, so I need to keep tabs on the time.”
“I’ll do inventory now and then we can head out.”
She spent the time scanning the mountains for wildlife, enjoying the view, and the comfortable, intimate sound of Ryker moving quietly around the room. But it was over too soon.
“I’m done. Ready for the hike back?”
No. She’d stay right here with him all night if he asked her to.
“I’m ready.”
Making a half spin to hand him the binoculars, she was startled to find him right next to her. He grabbed her elbow to steady her but didn’t let go as she fully faced him. Their eyes locked and her lips tingled with anticipation. She drew in his scent, comforted by the shelter of his tall, strong body.
A line formed between his eyes as his brows knit. They’d moved into each other’s space like it was the most natural thing, just like kissing him had been. Running her hands over his naked body while she straddled his hips would be, too.
His fingers thread into her hair. Gripping his wrist, she fought with herself over pushing him away. She didn’t want to, but she should.
No kittens, Olive.
“No kittens,” she whispered.
“Did you say… no kittens?”
She’d said that out loud? “No. You’re hearing things.”
Needing to put space between them, she walked to her backpack and slipped the straps on her shoulders. He followed suit and met her at the trapdoor. Olive unlatched the door and flung it open. Fear razored down her spine at the bottomless view below. Coming up was so much easier than going down would be.
“I’ll hold you steady while you find your footing on the top rung.” Ryker crouched next to her and held her arm while she lowered herself onto the first step. One foot, then the other. She grabbed the handrail and willed herself not to look down.
“I’m good, I’m good.” She went down a few steps, and feeling more confident, kept going at a steady pace.
The trapdoor slammed into place and Ryker’s footfalls sounded above her. She glanced up and got a full view of Ryker’s perfect ass. Faltering, she gripped the handrails with a death grip and pulled herself together. Don’t look up; don’t look down. Just keep going. She’d barely made progress when it started to rain, lightly at first, and then in full force as a torrent quickly drenched her body.
Forced to slow her pace, Olive focused on each foot placement to ensure her boots didn’t slip off the rungs. At this rate, she’d never make her appointment. They still had a mile-and-a-half hike to the vehicles.
Her hair and clothing were soaked by the time her feet finally hit the ground. Wiping water from her face, she squinted to watch Ryker clear the last rungs, his hair a dark sheet plastered to his head.
Olive thumbed behind her, yelling over the pound of the rain. “How are we getting down the incline?”
“On your butt. Sit, scoot, slide, repeat. Be careful not to dislodge a log on your way down.”
Ryker moved in front of her, rivulets running off his hair, and lowered himself to the ground. He scooted to the first step, cleared the log, then slid forward. Reaching for her hand, he supported her as she got on her butt and followed suit. Mud oozed through her pants, plastering the fabric to her skin.
“I don’t think I’ll be looking at the van tonight.”
“You’re buying a van?”
“Maybe. It’s a camper van, and the dealer is letting me take it for a few days to test it out.”
Scoot, slide, squish.
“Planning on becoming a van lifer?”
“Something like that.”
If she lost her apartment, then yes, and she wanted to be prepared. The van was expensive but more affordable than renting, and if it worked out, she could use it to stay in Colorado.
Olive braced herself for the next slide down, the heels of her palms pressing against the log at the front of the step. She quickly moved her hands, but the ground shifted, and the log gave way. Olive lurched forward with a yell, sliding through the drenched earth like a toboggan in snow. Digging her fingernails into the soil, she tried desperately to slow herself, but she couldn’t.
She bounced over another step, dislodging that log, too, and plowed into Ryker’s back, knocking him off his step and propelling him on his ass-slide down the incline. He grabbed a log, but it broke free in his grip. He zinged down, down, down, landing with a huge splash at the bottom. A wave of muddy water rose to meet her as Olive slammed into him again and came to a stop in a giant puddle.
Stunned, she lay there for a second, the rain pounding her face and something heavy on top of her. “Ryker? Oh, God, I’m so sorry!”
Whisking water and mud from her eyes, she blinked to clear her vision and looked into his mud-coated face, the blaze of his eyes the only visible feature. They were facing each other, his leg thrown over her hips, pinning her to the ground.
Ryker groaned. “Fuck.”
“Are you okay?”
Wincing, he ran his hands over his face. “What did I say about the logs?”
“It was an accident.”
He rolled onto his back. Olive flew forward and landed on top of him, her backpack pulling to the side as if it were stuck. Ryker lifted his right arm. The strap of her backpack had looped over his arm in the fall, binding them together. His chest rose and fell hard, each breath rising and falling against her chest. Every part of her was cold except her chest and belly where their bodies met. He was so warm and solid. Unable to help herself, she ran a finger over his cheek and drew a little heart in the mud. His eyes were so bright against the unintentional facial. It was comical, and she was doing her best not to laugh.
But it was hard.
“You have mud on your face.”
“No shit? I had no idea.”
Olive flicked some off his cheek with her fingers. “Customers pay good money to get mud facials at the boutique, you know.”
His hands cupped her hips and tugged her slightly to the left, so they were pelvis-to-pelvis.
“Why would anyone pay to get mud on their face?”
“It’s very good for your skin.”
Ryker didn’t miss a beat and smeared a wad of mud all over her forehead. “There. And I won’t even charge you.”
Incredulous, she reached to the ground and scooped some, too. He caught her wrist as she tried to lather it in his hair. Laughing, she struggled futilely against his grip. Ryker rolled them and suddenly, he was on top of her, his body blocking the rain, his expression damn near ripping her clothes off.
He was smiling. God, that smile.
Emotion welled inside her. She’d never get tired of that smile. “We should go.”
He moved off her and untangled his arm from her backpack, then helped her up with a tug of his strong hand. They made it back to the cars much quicker than Olive thought they would, probably because she hurried as fast as she dared to finally get out of the rain.
Eager to get inside and turn on the heat, Olive clicked the unlock button on her key fob and opened the door. Tossing her backpack inside, she struggled to pull her drenched sweatshirt over her head and flung it onto the floorboard. Sadly, the tee shirt she had on underneath wasn’t much drier. She was tempted to rip it off, too, but she didn’t have another.
Not that it stopped Ryker. He walked to her car, shirtless. Water glistened on his muscles and dripped down his abdomen. If only they’d kept that kiss going-
“Follow me out of here, okay?”
She slid into the car and forced her gaze away from his chest. “I will. Hey, I thought of what you owe me for losing today’s bet.”
“I didn’t lose.”
“You did. You even conceded that you did.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Fine. What do you want?”
Olive started the car and adjusted the vents to blow heat her way. “Stop by the boutique tomorrow and I’ll show you.”
She tugged the door to close it, but he stopped her with his hand on the doorframe. His beautiful body filled the space, and it took all her will not to run her hands all over him.
“You’re not giving me a mud facial.”
“Excuse me, sir, you are the loser, therefore, you don’t get a say in what happens to you.”
His eyes narrowed with wicked challenge. “Just remember, when you lose, I get to choose what happens to you and I fully believe in paybacks.”
“Oooh, I’m scared.” She winked and slammed the door closed.
She was suddenly very willing to be the loser just to see what he had in mind.