Page 38 of Glad You're Here

I yanked it away from him and snapped, “Fine.”

He stopped walking and narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you mad at me?”

“No,” I huffed. “How much farther?” I needed to get out of my head and focus on our hike. This Arches trail was surprisingly steep and strenuous.

“Maybe ten minutes. We’re almost there.” He leaned against a tan boulder and handed me his water bottle. Mine ran out twenty minutes ago. “You sure you’re not mad at me?”

I couldn’t look him in the eye. His gaze made me feel too squirmy. Of course, I was mad at him, but for such a childish reason. What would he do if I whined at him, “Ugh, I want you to kiss me,” and stamped my foot and folded my arms? I sighed and forced a smile. “I’m not mad. I think I’m tired.”

“We can rest as long as you need. I don’t mind.” He gave me an infuriating, warm smile.

I rolled my eyes in response. “I’m good. Let’s keep going.”

We walked silently for a few minutes until we reached the coveted view of a giant rock shaped like an arch. I should have been awe-struck, but for some reason, even the scenery pissed me off.

“Should we head down to the base of the arch?” Levi asked, excitement in his eyes. Wow. He seriously loved hiking now.

I gazed across the expanse of orange-tinted rock toward the base of Delicate Arch. It wasn’t far. There was a small wall to climb over, and then the rock formed a large, ridged bowl that ended in a steep drop-off. It seemed doable. “Sure.” I shrugged.

Levi smiled and gracefully climbed over the wall. His legs looked all stupid and muscly, and the fact that I wanted to reach out and run my hand down his calf annoyed the shit out of me. He wasn’t allowed to be so damn hot! He reached his hand back to help me climb over, but I swatted it away, still annoyed by his hotness. I instantly regretted that because I wanted to hold his hand. Any excuse to touch any part of him worked for me.

I ambled over the rock wall, probably resembling a toddler trying to climb onto a couch. Levi rested his hand on my lower back to steady me. It burned. It burned so good. Maybe I could pretend to slip so he’d hold my entire body against his. Or, you know, I could always tell him I’d caught feelings because the man did not pick up the hints I threw at him.

That seemed more difficult than scaling the entire Delicate Arch barefoot without a rope.

We made our way across the bowl toward the base of the arch. The grade was steeper than anticipated, and glancing at the cliff to my right made me dizzy. One slip and I’d go careening off the edge. I wouldn’t survive a fall like that, and today, that didn’t feel poetic in the slightest. It scared the shit out of me.

I walked slowly, carefully placing each foot so I wouldn’t slip, my dizziness growing with each second.

“You okay, Thea?” Levi smiled at me, looking so relaxed and easy.

I smiled back at him. He had that irritating effect on me. “Fine, Levi. Are you okay?”

He watched me for a moment, his smile flickering as if he wanted to get serious, but the smile slid back into place. “I’m great.”

A group of rowdy college boy hikers blew past, racing to get to the base of the arch. One of them caught my shoulder with his elbow as he rushed by. That tiny bump threw off my balance, pushing my left foot into my right. My right foot made contact with some loose pebbles, and then I slid down the grade, completely unable to regain my footing.

Panic froze my body and silenced the world around me. Suddenly, I could only hear the sound of my heart beating, living. All I could think was that I wasn’t ready for it to stop. I wanted every beat it had left—every boring minute, every stressful one, every beautiful one.

I wanted my life.

And then he caught my arm right before I landed on my ass at the edge of the cliff. It felt like slow motion when I turned my head to look into his amber eyes. “I’ve got you.” Levi’s soft voice managed to cut through my panic.

He had me.

Levi helped me up and wrapped his arm around my waist, walking me back toward the small wall and back to safety. My body still trembled with panic, so I let him help me over the wall. I leaned into him when he rubbed my shoulders and asked if I was okay. I rested my face against his chest and melted into him. His heart pounded like my little slip had scared the shit out of him, too.

He pulled me close and muttered something about those guys being complete assholes for bumping into me. He pressed his lips to the top of my head, flooding me with calm and desire.

I wanted my life, and I wanted Brigham Levi Thompson.

I turned my face up suddenly and caught his lips with mine. Idiotic little butterflies fluttered through my stomach as he kissed me back, shyly at first, then without hesitation. Levi’s strong arms encircled me, and his kiss promised a depth of feeling that I’d never experienced.

When our lips broke apart, he gazed at me and whispered, “Whoa. So that’s what it’s supposed to feel like.”

I smiled, bit my lip, and said something so cheesy that I wanted to slap myself. “Like home.” At least I didn’t mention the butterflies.

Levi pressed his forehead against mine. “Yeah.”

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