Page 11 of All My Heart

I let go of her hand when she attempted to put weight on her leg. “I think so.”

I held onto her arm as she took her next steps. She leaned into my arm slightly, so I took that as a good sign.

The problem was we were at the bottom of a steep hill. “I'm going to carry you up the ravine. Then I'll set you down on the path.” It wouldn't be good for her to attempt to go up this incline.

“I don't think that's necessary.”

Before she finished her sentence, I'd easily swung her into my arms. She must have been shocked by the move and didn't say anything until I'd reached the trail. I set her down carefully, almost reluctant to let her go. I hadn't held a woman in longer than I cared to admit. She was soft and curvy, and my fingers itched to touch her everywhere.

Luna tested the weight on her feet. “You didn't have to do that.”

I cleared my throat. “I didn't want you to further injure your knee. We have a long walk back.”

Luna nodded tightly.

I grabbed the water, taking a long pull to ignore how she'd inflamed my body by her proximity. “What were you doing out here?”

She shot me an irritated look. “I'd imagine it was the same thing you were doing.”

“Running?” I asked, taking in her black tank top, hot pink sports bra, black leggings, and running shoes. Her sweatshirt was tied around her waist.

Luna nodded. “More of a slow jog but yeah.”

Silence fell between us for a few seconds, and I wondered if I should tell her what I was thinking. I usually didn't bother to speak much, especially to people I didn't know well, but we had a long walk back, and I didn't want things to be awkward between us. “I thought you'd be gone by now.”

Another sharp look came my way. “Why would you think that?”

I shrugged off the tightness between my shoulder blades. “After last night. I wouldn't have blamed you. I was out of line.”

She blinked. “My brothers would have told me to leave, but I didn't feel unsafe.”

I shook my head. “You should have. Anyone could have been standing there.”

Luna shrugged. “You don't give me bad vibes.”

“You can't always trust your intuition,” I grumbled, irritated that she wasn't more concerned for her safety.

She raised her brow. “Can't you, though?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, more as a way to keep her talking.

“If you're tuned into that feeling in your gut, you should be able to trust it, good or bad.”

I thought about the times in the field when I'd had a visceral response to what was going on. I was usually right when I followed those instincts. I'd thought it was something I'd developed as a result of training, but maybe it was simpler than that. “Maybe.”

I still didn't like that she wasn't more wary of me. Not all guys would be good.

We walked slowly down the trail we'd just run. I wondered how I hadn't sensed her presence. I was usually more aware of my surroundings. But I'd assumed I was alone out here, that she'd gone back to wherever she came from.

“How long are you here for?” I asked, remembering her saying something cryptic about being here for the foreseeable future, but that wasn’t an exact timeline.

Her gaze narrowed on me, and I sensed this was a test. “Why should I tell you those details? Shouldn't I be more careful?”

“Yes?” I said cautiously.

“You don't know the answer?” Luna asked, her shoulders tensing.

I had a couple of sisters, and the familiar uncertainty came crashing back into me. “I think you should be more careful, but I'm not trying to tell you what to do.”

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