Page 46 of Best Part of Me

Her eyes soften, and she strokes her throat. My vision tracks her movements, and I subconsciously suck my lip between my teeth.

“Aren’t you supposed to be looking at the scenery? Ya know, at the view?”

“Oh, I’m looking. And it’s the most captivating view I’ve ever seen.”

She snorts again and dips her chin, and I’m reminded, like a blow to the gut, just how sexy this woman is. How did I get so lucky to spend not just one night with her but ten?

With a palm to my chest, she leans in a bit and whispers, “Mav, you don’t gotta compliment me to get me into bed with you, I’m a sure thing.”

An impulse of avidity engulfs me, and I cover her hand with mine, anchoring her to me, and rasp into her ear, “Just take the fucking compliment like a good girl.” I pull back and look at her.

Her eyes gloss over, and she tugs her hand free from my hold, glancing over her shoulder as she rubs a hand at the back of her neck. “Good thing we can work out some of this tension on this hike, huh?” She starts walking again, taking my hand and hauling me with her.

“Yeah but only some,” I quip. “Save some for later.”

We don’t finish the hike holding hands. Most of us are taking this thing single file. And hand holding is still unusual. For some reason, it feels more intimate than anything else we’ve done. Maybe it’s the fear of getting attached that was embedded in me a long time ago.

When we reach the top, I take a moment to scan the view. The enormous rock formations in contrasting shades of reds and browns, along with the vast blue sky, are breathtaking. I quickly lift my camera to my eye and snap about a thousand pictures at each and every angle.

I sense Camille at my side, taking photos with her phone.

After it feels like my pictures are becoming repetitious, I finally lower my camera. Cammie and I sit on a boulder along with other hikers, and we chug water from our bottles and attempt to catch our breath.

When I set my bottle down, I study Cammie’s face, and my jaw clenches when I find sadness conveyed in her blue eyes. I’m almost afraid to ask. “What’s up?”

Her lips twist to the side before she releases a sigh. “All these pictures I’m taking are pointless.”

I furrow my brows. “Why?”

“Who am I gonna show them to? Where am I gonna post them?” She shakes her head. “I’m not supposed to be here, remember?”

A stone feels as if it’s dropped into my belly. She’s right. And it’s unfair. When you visit places like this and experience the serenity of it, you want to shout about it. You want to boast about it on social media and brag about it to your friends.

I don’t know what to say, so I just shrug.

“Just kind of shitty, ya know?”

“Yeah, it sucks. Sorry.”

She sits back on her hands, and my vision trails over her protruding breasts, perfectly full and on display. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad I get to see this, to experience it... with you. Just too bad I can’t tell anyone.”

My eyes lift to her face, to her shining blue eyes. “You can tell Rosie.”

“Yeah, I guess.” There’s a slight hopefulness in her voice that wasn’t there a moment ago.

“You can send her the pictures too.”

A small smile forms on her lips, and it softens my heart. “True.”

“Wanna take some selfies and send them to her too?” I waggle my brows.

Her smile widens into a deliciously devious one that gets my blood pumping. “Only if they’re indecent.”

“Maybe we keep them PG-13 while we’re out here in public,” I suggest, my chin nodding to the couple dozen hikers surrounding us. “Later, in the tent, we can make them as X-rated as you wish, Sunshine.”

“Deal.” Then she hauls me next to her, hamming it up with me and taking multiple selfies with her phone.

I squeeze her side, and she giggles, and the sound sets fire to my skin. God, she is perfect. She is life. And I can’t seem to get enough of her.

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