Page 59 of Burn Point

“I know, child. But we can move forward from here. No going back.”

A little while later, we hugged and said our goodbyes. I’d already seen my dad, and now it was time to go. But this time, I knew where I was headed, and a peacefulness washed over me. I was going home, and I was going home for Nate. I didn’t need to talk to Gerry. Sandi had nailed it. I was using that as an excuse to hold Nate away.

And why? I’d been brave enough to set out on my own, to come on this journey. Why not be brave and take a chance with Nate?

Starting today, it was time to seduce my best friend.

“So, do you always hike shirtless? Or was this a special occasion?” Nate’s voice was low and intimate in my ear on our nightly phone call.

“What are you talking about?” I hedged, hoping he’d admit that he’d been stalking my Instagram feed.

“Come on, don’t play games with me. Why were you naked in a waterfall, Jordan?”

“It was National Hike Naked Day.” I kept my voice flippant, though I gripped my phone, scared to play this game with him. A fission of pleasure skittered across my skin that he’d seen those pictures.

“No, you didn’t,” Nate growled. My unease unfurled like a ribbon, and a tiny ray of hope sprouted at the jealousy in that growl.

“You should’ve seen the guy’s face when I asked him to take my picture topless.” I ventured further, reclined on my bed, on top of the covers, because the night was a little warm.

“No, you didn’t,” he repeated.

I’d been alone at the waterfall and had set up my tripod and taken some video that I later trimmed to photos and posted. I’d felt so free, so empowered standing out there, just me and the wild.

“Well, at least one of us had pants on, for a little while anyway,” I teased, taking perverse pleasure in the possessiveness in Nate’s voice. I doubt it even meant anything, but I could pretend.

“Fuck.”

My breath hitched, and I pressed my legs together against the sudden arousal caused by the intensity of that groaned word.

“Skippy, you can’t post things like that.” His voice was deep, intimate in my ear, and it was doing all sorts of sexy things to me.

I twirled a lock of hair around my fingers, coyly, as if he might see me, and shifted my legs, enjoying the delicious slide of skin on skin. It had been way too long since I’d had sex, so long since I’d even had the desire to consider it. His voice had me amped up, and I was pretty sure I could come if he’d just talk dirty to me a little bit.

“Why? Didn’t you like them? I thought they were rather attractive.” I replied, sounding husky and breathless to my own ears.

“You sound funny. Are you okay?”

I shifted my legs again, stifling a moan. Somehow this had spiraled wildly out of control. “I’m fine, why?”

The next thing I knew, my phone rang with an incoming video call. I swallowed, glancing down at my tank top and pajama shorts. My nipples were hard pebbles standing out under the white tank.

Were we doing this? Was I taking this opportunity to push the boundaries of our friendship, to see if I could tiptoe us over that line? We both had baggage to sort out, but there was no denying the chemistry between us. I swallowed down my nerves at the thought of making this leap and decided now was as good a time as any to test the waters.

I clicked to accept, and Nate’s smiling face filled my screen.

“Hi.” I returned his wide smile.

“What are you doing, Skippy?” He raised an eyebrow at me, his smile falling away.

I lifted the phone farther away, so he could get a good view, trailing a finger down my chest. “I’m just lying here, talking to you.”

Nate’s eyes went dark as he followed the path of my finger.

“Damn, Jordan.” He swallowed thickly, gaze trailing over me, drinking me in, before settling on my face again. “I thought we were friends. You could’ve at least given me a sneak peek of those photos first.”

Taking that comment as a positive, I pushed a little harder. I drug my finger back up my torso, rimming my nipple as I pretended to ponder his question.

“You gonna show me what you showed a random stranger at that waterfall?” He said darkly as he shifted in the screen, the angle of the phone changing, giving me a view of his pillow.

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