Page 35 of Heart So Hollow

Bowen hooks his fingers in the crook of my elbow and we slow to a halt, “Here,” he says, reaching around my back and bending down.

In one fluid motion, he hooks his arm behind my knees and lifts me into the air, starting up the hill again. I clasp my hands together on the other side of his neck, grinning at his profile. My feet dangle in mid-air, swinging back and forth as he walks. I assume he’ll put me down when we arrive at the lodge, but he hits the automatic door button with his elbow and continues inside and across the lobby without a care, then hits the elevator button with his elbow and waits.

When the door opens, he stepped inside and turns to me, his nose almost touching mine, “Floor?”

I reach down with one hand and press the number two button.

When the doors open again, he steps off and glances to the right and then to the left, “Which way, sweetheart?”

I extend my left arm along the top of his shoulder and point, “Left. 232.”

Bowen turns sharply and strides down the hallway toward the far end of the wing, glancing at the numbers on each door as he goes until we reach mine, “Do you have your key?”

Bowen waits patiently while I dig the key card out of my shorts. And when the lock clicks, I turn the handle and push the door open. He angles to the side and slides his shoulder along the door, opening it the rest of the way so he can step into the room. I listen as the door slowly swings shut and, finally, I hear the latch click.

“Thanks,” I say into his ear, catching a whiff of his spearmint gum.

“Like I said,” Bowen gently lowers me to the floor, “I’ll get you home in one piece.”

I bend down to kick off my shoes and, suddenly, the sharp aroma of burnt hickory hits my nose. It’s much more pronounced now that I’m back in my room with clean linens and the lingering smell of cleaner.

“I smell like campfire.”

Bowen leans down and presses his cheek against mine, inhaling the flood of curls cascading over my shoulder. A shot of dopamine shoots through me at the feel of skin against mine, but when I rotate my head slightly, he moves to the left and presses his nose into the shoulder of my sweatshirt.

“Yep,” he says, lifting his head, “you’re pretty charred.”

Before I can respond, Bowen reaches up and slowly begins unzipping my hoodie. And I let him, because I wish he’d kept his face pressed against mine. Leaving my hoodie open, he grasps each side and leans down, pulling me closer.

He presses his nose to my collarbone and inhales my t-shirt, “This one’s still clean,” he murmurs.

He lingers for a few moments, but as soon as he lifts his head, I cock my head, eyeing him, “Tall,” I state.

Bowen furrows his brow at me in confusion.

“I didn’t finish telling you about my type,” I explain, “tall, with dark hair and intense eyes, but he has the most beautiful smile.” Bowen shifts his stance and leans his shoulder against the wall as I continue. “He likes to be outside, and he’s kind of an asshole,” I shrug, “but he tells good stories.”

Bowen bites his bottom lip, “Sounds like a real charmer.”

“Anyway,” I glance back into my empty room, “thanks for calling the wrong number last night.”

“My pleasure,” Bowen nods. “So, did you get it out of your system?”

“Get what out of my system?”

He motions to the door behind him, “All that out there where you let me take you on a hike, talk sweet to you, we get to know each other, and then you meet my entire family so you can convince yourself I’m a good guy you can invite into your room.”

Whoa.

I squint up at him, “Are you a good guy?”

But he doesn’t miss a beat, “Do you want me to be a good guy?” Bowen doesn’t wait for me to answer before he pushes off the wall, searching my face as he tries to read me, “I’ll be good to you.” He looks me up and down, his pupils dilated so his brown eyes looked like pools of glossy ink, “That’s all that matters, right?”

That’s all that matters.

He’s so close that I have to tilt my head back to look up at him, “So, was all of that out there real or just for show?”

“Oh, it was real,” he nods, “but now I want to be done with niceties and show you what it’s really like to be with me.”

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