Chapter 6
Aspen
Itake a deep breath and stare in the mirror.
I don’t recognize the woman in the slick surface.
This woman’s red hair is wild around her head in fresh waves but tied back in a dark green bandanna with mauve flowers on it.
My long-sleeve sweater in emerald is now hidden under a pale pink parka that I’ve had forever but it’s one of my favorite pieces of clothes because it’s so worn-in and soft.
It was also given to me by my best friend when we had a gift exchange in high school.
He noticed that I had lost my winter coat and I was afraid to tell my parents about it since it was another girl that stole it but I didn’t feel like I could demand it back.
The girl was a bully and she made sure that I knew if I tried to tell anyone, she’d make my life a living hell.
So my best friend, Jared, and the future love of my life, Mike, got together and got me this beautiful coat. And when we got older I had it altered slightly to fit me still. This coat is a piece of my old life that means more to me than anything else. Just because of all the memories.
Sighing, I cock my head. My cheeks are flushed and my eyes sparkle. It looks wrong. Mike and Jared are dead and they won’t be coming back. I should not be happy ever again.
But there’s an excitement in my eyes and I groan, shutting them. This is a mistake. The light makeup that I rarely wear that makes my eyes sparkle, the flush on my cheeks and lips. The mascara that darkens my long lashes.
Panicking, I reach for a wet cloth to wipe it all off and go bare-faced.
But then there’s a sound outside and I see him walking up the sidewalk.
Darting out of the room, I turn off the light and hit the stairs, jerking my arm as I turn the corner to the front of the house where the door is.
Glancing outside, I see him still on the way to the door.
I watch him walk up the path to my front door, turning to lean back on the jamb, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
The door rocks behind me when he knocks and I smack my head into it, startled.
There’s silence and then, “You alright in there, Red?”
I don’t even breathe.
“I heard you, Red. You might as well give it up. I know you’re in there.”
I open the door with a huff, glaring at him. “I was getting a coat. You don’t have to be a jerk every second of the day, do you?”
His grin is wicked and wide, amber eyes flashing. “I’m not sure I buy that excuse, Red. But we’ll let it go for now.”
His eyes run down my body and his dark brows lift when he spots my boots. “Are you going to be warm enough in those, Red?”
“I am. It’s not like I’ve never gone hiking, Jaxon. I’ve gone quite a bit. I love hiking.”
“But have you hiked in the middle of winter?”
“I have.”
“Alright. Let’s give this a go then.”
I close the door and pull a small backpack over my shoulder and then squeal when I find myself being whipped around in a circle. Narrowing my eyes, I stare him down, hating that that little smirk of his didn’t make my pussy clench. I don’t need those kinds of feelings.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to carry your backpack.”
“You have a backpack. You don’t need to try and carry mine.”
“I’ve got it, Red. Stop being so stubborn all the time.”
“I am not stubborn.”
“You are. But for the most part I like it. Unless it might get you hurt. That I won’t tolerate. So I’ll carry your backpack. You focus on keeping those pretty feet on the trail.”
My heart flutters when he says I have pretty feet. Which is about the least romantic thing I’ve ever heard. But I’m obviously off my rocker and I need to get my head on straight.
His big hand reaches back and he shakes it at me. “What are you doing?”
“Gimme your hand. I’ll help you up into my truck so we can drive to the trail.”
“I can get up in a truck,” I huff. If he touches me, I might spontaneously combust. Or jump him.
I can’t do either of those. No, no, no!
He steps back and holds the door of his big, black truck open for me. Eyeing the seat, I sigh. It’s about at my eye level, I swear.
“Why do men love big tires and big trucks?”
He chokes and then grins wickedly. “Why do you think?”
My cheeks go hot and I glare at him. “You’re rude, Jaxon.”
His eyes dance as he reaches out for my hand. “Let me help you. Unless you want me to push your ass up when you get stuck.”
“If you touch my ass, I may pepper spray you,” I grouse.
“You know that when you say stuff like that, I want to kiss those gorgeous lips of yours.”
My mouth drops open. “Y-you can’t say stuff like that. Jeez! There’s something wrong with you!”
“Nope. I’m a complicated guy, though.”
“Hormones aren’t that complicated.”
“I’m more than hormones.”
He laughs out loud and grabs me around the waist, grinning like a loon when I squawk and swat at him. I land in the seat and glare at him, my hair falling into my face.
“I cannot believe you.”
But…my whole body feels flushed and tingling with awareness. I can’t stop thinking about the warmth of his fingers which I can still feel incinerating my clothes like they’re nothing.
The smirk on his face just gets bigger when he looks over at me and growls, “Put your seatbelt on, Red. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. Unless I let you have your wish, I bet.”
He starts the truck and puts it in gear, his face turning more serious than I’ve ever seen. “Oh, I have a lot of wishes, Red. We’ll see how well this goes and then go from there.”
I don’t bother answering him. Because if I did, I might have to say that I think I’d like it if he got at least one of his wishes. I think I’d like it a lot.
“Let’s go find us an adventure, Red.”
I just hope that I can keep my head and my hands to myself.
“