Page 105 of Love in the Wild

Gage took the path and parked in front of her cabin. She jumped out of the truck with a promise she’d be right back. Grabbing the blankets and pillows from the couch, she arched her back slightly to balance the tall tower she carried as she walked back outside.

Gage met her on the porch and took the load from her. “I would have helped you.”

“Thanks. I didn’t realize how cumbersome the pile was until I was trying to carry it.”

“Are we going camping or something?” Gage asked as he put the pile in the truck bed.

“Close. What do you think about stargazing?”

Gage shrugged as he settled in behind the wheel again. “Don’t know. I’ve never done it before.”

“You’ve never just looked up at the stars at night?”

“Nope. I mean, I’ve been outside at night a lot, but I was mostly in the woods or trying not to be seen. Those aren’t exactly prime stargazing locations.”

Hadley pointed to the path coming up, and Gage took the road leading to the archery range. Not only had his life been dictated by others, but he’d missed out on some of the best things in life. Fishing, stargazing, hanging out with friends. Her childhood wasn’t all roses, but at least she’d had the luxury of being a kid.

The dense forest opened into a wide meadow. The small sliver of moon cast a hazy glow over the plain, and the shadows from the trees stretched over half the area.

Gage leaned forward until his chest almost touched the wheel. “This place is nice.”

“I haven’t been anywhere on this ranch that isn’t beautiful.”

Gage parked in the middle of the range and shut off the truck. Hadley reached for the door just as a warning flashed through her thoughts. There were lots of predators that came out at night.

“Don’t worry.” He reached behind the seat and pulled out a pistol. “You’re safe with me.”

Well, these were crazy times. Her date had a gun, and she was oddly comforted by the presence of the weapon.

She got out and met him at the back of the truck where he lowered the tailgate. Gage grabbed her waist and hoisted her up before she realized she was being lifted. Her bottom landed on the cool metal, and she wrapped her arms around his neck before he could pull away.

Gage stepped closer. The chill of the night tingled the skin of her neck around the collar of her hoodie, but a welcoming heat radiated from Gage. His hands slid around her waist to her back, and he tugged her closer until there wasn’t any space left between them.

Her hands roamed up the back of his neck and into his short hair as his lips found hers in the darkness. Pressing her closer to him, he took his time kissing her slowly and tenderly until her heartbeat raced and her lungs were sore.

She wanted more–ached for more of this. She wanted–

Hadley untangled her hands from his hair and pushed against his shoulders, abruptly ending the kiss.

“Everything okay?” Gage asked low.

Gasping for breath, Hadley rested a hand on her chest. “I’m not sure. Um, I think there’s something we need to talk about.”

He rested his hands on her hips. There wasn’t any of the tension from just moments ago, and for that she was thankful. “Anything.”

She allowed herself two deep breaths before the truth came out. “I love being with you and kissing you, but… we can’t do the hanky-panky.”

As soon as she said the words, she wanted to stuff them back in her mouth.

Gage let a single chuckle escape as he tried to rein in a reaction. “Did you just call it hanky-panky?”

“Yes, and I already regret it.” She waved a hand in front of her face. “I’m twenty, not twelve. Can we forget I called it that?”

“Nope.”

“Gage, I’m serious. We can’t have sex.”

“Of course not. Why would we ever do the hanky-panky?”

---