“Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
Her warm body rested against his a moment longer. He soaked in the sensation. This is what she would feel like in bed. The way her curves fit against his body and the sensation of her heartbeat and breathing. This was going to keep him up nights. “My, what strong hands you have.” She giggled.
“Side effect of the job. Are you ready to go on?”
“Wait a minute.” She found handholds and lifted her body off his. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Never. He was never going to be ready. He wanted to spend the rest of his life hanging from the edge of this waterfall, cradling her in his arms. Reaching down with his foot, he found the next hold and shifted away. She followed after he’d gained a little distance. When he stepped back onto the little sandy beach at the bottom, he noticed blood seeping from her ankle. “You’re bleeding.”
“Shit.”
When she twisted sideways trying to see, he stepped forward, ready to catch her.
“Where at?”
“On your ankle.”
“At least it’s not the bottom of my foot.” She jumped the last bit, landing on her feet beside him. Limping to a fallen tree, she sat down and inspected her ankle. “That’s ugly.”
“It’s not so bad.” It was horrible. Blood streaming down her foot and dripping off her toe. Brian checked his pockets, though anything there would have been soaked from falling in the water earlier.
“Grab me some of that moss over there.” She pointed toward a moss-covered tree. Then she scooped water out of the pool to rinse off her foot.
Brian brought her the moss. “What’s this for?”
“Nature’s absorbent. I’ll keep pressure on it for a few minutes, and the bleeding will stop.” She pressed the moss over the wound and smiled at him. “Well, if we were undecided about whether to go forward or turn back, I think this waterfall has made the decision for us. The point of no return.”
The section of rock where she’d slipped was almost smooth now because she’d broken off so much slate in her fall. Every handhold was gone.
“Eventually this stream has to come out at the bottom of the mountain someplace. We’ll find a way home from there.” Brian crouched on the ground, sifting through the rocks, pretending to search for more fossils. If he sat down beside her, he’d want to put his arm around her, and that would be weird. She was dating another guy, and he was still married.
Of course, he didn’t have to be married. The public expected rock stars to divorce. All he needed to do was call Tessa to get him a divorce lawyer, file some papers, and send Sandy a nice fruit basket for insisting on the prenup. While that was happening, he could be working on getting Suzi away from Logan. Six months from now, he could be sitting on the couch with her, admiring the Christmas tree while his kids, squealing with delight, tore open their gifts. She’d be wrapped up in a plush bathrobe with bed-tousled hair, wearing whatever sparkly he’d given her and smiling at him as he sipped a cup of her fantastic coffee. There’d be a fire in the fireplace of the big beautiful house he’d bought to live in with her. Like some kind of Norman Rockwell scene.
Brian rocked back on his heels.
Was he really sitting here plotting to leave his wife and steal another man’s girl just because he thought he could?
He stood up and walked a little farther downstream, still pretending to fossil hunt.
When had his ego spiraled out of control to the point he felt he had the right to take someone else’s girl? Logan wasn’t hurting Suzi. He loved her, and she loved him. Everything she did was to make Logan happy. Bonnie used to be like that. Brian leaned on a tree, remembering when Bonnie wanted to make him happy in places other than bed and to spend time with him on purpose. She used to smile.
What had changed to make Bonnie stop smiling? What did a woman want?
“Can I ask you something?” Suzi said in a small voice.
“Of
“Anytime.”
Her warm body rested against his a moment longer. He soaked in the sensation. This is what she would feel like in bed. The way her curves fit against his body and the sensation of her heartbeat and breathing. This was going to keep him up nights. “My, what strong hands you have.” She giggled.
“Side effect of the job. Are you ready to go on?”
“Wait a minute.” She found handholds and lifted her body off his. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Never. He was never going to be ready. He wanted to spend the rest of his life hanging from the edge of this waterfall, cradling her in his arms. Reaching down with his foot, he found the next hold and shifted away. She followed after he’d gained a little distance. When he stepped back onto the little sandy beach at the bottom, he noticed blood seeping from her ankle. “You’re bleeding.”
“Shit.”
When she twisted sideways trying to see, he stepped forward, ready to catch her.
“Where at?”
“On your ankle.”
“At least it’s not the bottom of my foot.” She jumped the last bit, landing on her feet beside him. Limping to a fallen tree, she sat down and inspected her ankle. “That’s ugly.”
“It’s not so bad.” It was horrible. Blood streaming down her foot and dripping off her toe. Brian checked his pockets, though anything there would have been soaked from falling in the water earlier.
“Grab me some of that moss over there.” She pointed toward a moss-covered tree. Then she scooped water out of the pool to rinse off her foot.
Brian brought her the moss. “What’s this for?”
“Nature’s absorbent. I’ll keep pressure on it for a few minutes, and the bleeding will stop.” She pressed the moss over the wound and smiled at him. “Well, if we were undecided about whether to go forward or turn back, I think this waterfall has made the decision for us. The point of no return.”
The section of rock where she’d slipped was almost smooth now because she’d broken off so much slate in her fall. Every handhold was gone.
“Eventually this stream has to come out at the bottom of the mountain someplace. We’ll find a way home from there.” Brian crouched on the ground, sifting through the rocks, pretending to search for more fossils. If he sat down beside her, he’d want to put his arm around her, and that would be weird. She was dating another guy, and he was still married.
Of course, he didn’t have to be married. The public expected rock stars to divorce. All he needed to do was call Tessa to get him a divorce lawyer, file some papers, and send Sandy a nice fruit basket for insisting on the prenup. While that was happening, he could be working on getting Suzi away from Logan. Six months from now, he could be sitting on the couch with her, admiring the Christmas tree while his kids, squealing with delight, tore open their gifts. She’d be wrapped up in a plush bathrobe with bed-tousled hair, wearing whatever sparkly he’d given her and smiling at him as he sipped a cup of her fantastic coffee. There’d be a fire in the fireplace of the big beautiful house he’d bought to live in with her. Like some kind of Norman Rockwell scene.
Brian rocked back on his heels.
Was he really sitting here plotting to leave his wife and steal another man’s girl just because he thought he could?
He stood up and walked a little farther downstream, still pretending to fossil hunt.
When had his ego spiraled out of control to the point he felt he had the right to take someone else’s girl? Logan wasn’t hurting Suzi. He loved her, and she loved him. Everything she did was to make Logan happy. Bonnie used to be like that. Brian leaned on a tree, remembering when Bonnie wanted to make him happy in places other than bed and to spend time with him on purpose. She used to smile.
What had changed to make Bonnie stop smiling? What did a woman want?
“Can I ask you something?” Suzi said in a small voice.
“Of
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