Page 3 of Primal

But maybe he’d surprise me and really put in the effort to win my heart back. A little grovel would go a long way with me.

“How about we head inside and pick out our bedroom?” he suggested with a waggle of his eyebrows and a grin on his face. He had a killer smile and he knew it.

I nearly swooned at the sight of it, even though he’d just proven me right about him trying to push for sex before working to earn my forgiveness.

I forced a smile back at him, though I wasn't feeling the same arousal he was projecting. Every time my mind wandered to thoughts of intimacy, I couldn't help but remember seeing him with that woman on his couch. It was like a bucket of cold water being dumped on me, effectively extinguishing any desire I had for him.

I knew if I refused to sleep with him while we were here, he’d accuse me of not giving us a real shot at reconciling. But I needed time before I was ready for that.

“Sure,” I said. “Let’s take our stuff inside and pick a room. Then, we can go on a hike.”

Joey groaned, a deep frown pulling at his lips as he looked out at the woods. “Really, babe? Can’t we just take it easy?”

“Look around us, Joey,” I said, gesturing to the lush greenery on all sides. “This place is amazing, and I want to explore it a bit.” I stuck out my bottom lip. “Please?”

He sighed in exasperation as he grabbed our suitcases and grocery bags from the trunk of the car, which I took to mean he was agreeing to the hike. I rushed ahead of him to the porch, putting the PIN into the keypad and opening the door. I felt around the wall in the dark until I found a light switch and flicked it on. My smile was genuine as I looked around at the big, open space.

The living room was to my left, with a brick fireplace and black leather furniture. It looked so cozy, and the kitchen was just beyond it. Even though it was dark, I could see the cabinets were white and there were stainless steel appliances. Stools lined a huge kitchen island, and I could just imagine sitting there in the morning and watching the sunrise out of the kitchen window.

“I guess the bedrooms are upstairs,” Joey said.

There was a staircase to our right with a handrail made of a piece of solid wood with intricate designs carved into it. I ran my fingers over the swirling pattern as I climbed up the stairs behind Joey.

Two of the bedrooms were decent-sized, but the third one we came to was much larger and had an attached bathroom and a king-size bed. This was the one we would use. I quickly dug through my suitcase, grabbing comfortable clothes for hiking and pulling on my hiking boots.

“Aren’t you going to change your shoes?” I asked, eyeing his sneakers. “I’ll be fine.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him, but I knew a decent hike would be difficult without sturdy boots to provide ankle support and traction. He’d find out soon enough.

Leaving the cabin in the late afternoon, we quickly came across a trail leading east. Joey trailed behind me as I followed the winding path, becoming so engrossed in my surroundings I almost forgot he was there. My phone was constantly in my hand, capturing photos of every flower, animal, and bird that crossed our path.

The canopy of leaves and branches overhead blocked out much of the sunlight, but we came to a beautiful sunlit clearing after about an hour. I paused, pulling a small sketchbook out of my backpack.

“Oh, good. We’re stopping. This is so boring. And my feet hurt.”

I glanced at him and noticed he was scowling. He walked over to a nearby tree, leaned against it, and slid down until he was sitting on the ground, his face hidden behind his phone.

I frowned, wishing he could appreciate the beauty of this place more. There were brightly colored wildflowers nearby that I adored. Feeling inspired, I flipped open the sketchbook to a blank page and started to draw a dress with a pattern in a similar shape as one of the flowers. My passion was fashion, and I took every opportunity I had to sketch out my ideas when they came to me.

“I really think this place is going to be good for my designs. Nothing beats the beauty of nature.”

“Uh-huh,” he mumbled, not even looking up.

“Don’t you think it looks nice here?” I pressed, hoping for some kind of a reaction. “The trees and the mountains are stunning. And the air, it smells so fresh. Much better than home.”

I’d lived in Miami my entire life, and I loved it most of the time, but city life could get exhausting. The peace of this place, the fresh air and lack of traffic noise, was wonderful.

Joey said nothing, and I focused on my sketching. I’d done three of them when the sky started to darken. I looked up, surprised because I didn’t think it was late enough in the day for the sun to be setting yet.

I was right about that. The sun was still up, but now dark clouds covered it. In the time since we arrived and the sky was a clear blue, it seemed the storm clouds had rolled in. I quickly tucked my sketchbook back into my backpack and stood.

“We’d better go,” I said, hoping it wouldn’t start to rain during the long walk back.

I set a faster pace than before, and Joey grumbled under his breath the whole time. At one point, he lost his footing and stumbled into a briar patch, the exposed skin on his arms and neck getting scratched by thorns.

I felt guilty as I fought the urge to laugh. I couldn’t help it. I’d agreed to give Joey another chance, but a small part of me felt as if karma was coming back to bite him the ass.

As we made our way back to the cabin, the once clear blue sky was now obscured by dark, foreboding clouds. The threat of rain hung in the air, making me anxious to reach shelter. It wasn't until I reached the porch I noticed two additional cars parked outside the cabin

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