Page 26 of Unleashed

Slade let out a heavy sigh. “You should have spoken up sooner. We’ve had harassment training, and everyone signed off on it.”

“A lot of good that did,” I said with a hint of bitterness. “Excuse me for being good-looking.”

“You’re beautiful,” Slade said, his gaze softening. “And you’re out of their league.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” I said, trying to move past the conversation. “I’m sure I’ll be more comfortable at Elliot.”

I took a step forward, and my boot caught on a protruding rock. I pitched forward, but before I could hit the ground, Slade’s arms shot out, catching me effortlessly. He pulled me against his chest, the warmth of his body contrasting sharply with the cool morning air. I felt his muscles through his sweat-dampened t-shirt, my body reacting in a way that made my heart race. Whywas I feeling this way? I’d had a crush on him before, but this was different.

“Slade?” I said, my voice trembling slightly.

He looked down at me, his expression tender. “I like having you in my arms.”

I heard the distant murmur of other hikers approaching and felt a rush of panic. I gently pushed away from him, feeling the lingering warmth of his touch. “Can we talk about this later?”

Slade’s eyes held mine, a mix of confusion and longing. “We have two weeks to talk. Why not get it out of the way now?”

I didn’t want to delve into this with others potentially closing in on us. We resumed our hike, the sun climbing higher and slicing through the trees, making it hard to see. I reached into the side pocket of my backpack, fumbled for my sunglasses, and slipped them on, hoping they’d shield me from the sun and Slade’s penetrating gaze. I didn’t want him to read too much into my eyes.

“Because I want to focus on hiking right now,” I said firmly. “We can talk tonight or whenever.”

Slade’s gaze lingered on me, searching. “Which is it?”

I gave him a small, enigmatic smile. “Soon.”

Five hours into the hike,we stopped by a small stream to refill our water bladders. I had just pulled out my water purifier when I noticed Slade crouching at the edge of the stream, ready to dunk his CamelBak right into the water.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I shouted, my voice sharp enough to make him flinch.

Slade jerked back, eyes wide. “What? What did I do wrong?”

“You can’t drink straight from the stream!” I marched over, grabbing his water bladder out of his hand. “It could have bacteria or worse.”

He stared at the water, bewildered. “But it’s running… It looks fresh.”

I huffed, shaking my head. “Looks can be deceiving. If you drink this, you could end up with diarrhea or some nasty parasite. It needs to be purified first.”

Slade’s face flushed with embarrassment as he scratched the back of his neck. “They didn’t mention that at Hiker’s Paradise.”

I ground my teeth. “I swear, I’m going in there and giving them a piece of my mind when we’re back in Manhattan. You’ve got questions? Ask me. I’ve been doing this for years.”

His shoulders slumped as he muttered, “Maybe I should just go home. I’m ruining your trip.”

I felt like crap. I didn’t mean to push him away but Slade was doing things he shouldn’t and I had to watch him like he was a little kid.

I softened, letting out a small laugh. “I sort of like having you around, actually.”

He shot me a wide grin, his face lighting up like the sun had just broken through the trees. “You do?”

I shrugged with a smirk. “I think so. Just… don’t drink the water.” I glanced at his boots. “How’s your heel?”

“It’s fine,” Slade said, shrugging as he flexed his foot. “I think the band-aids are doing their job.”

“Good. Last thing I want is you limping the whole way.”

Slade gave me another grin, this one filled with playful mischief. “Well, I’m starving. You’ve got something better than those energy bars I’ve been eating?”

I rolled my eyes, watching as he paused yet again to pull out a snack. “See? I told you those bars aren’t real food. They give you a quick burst of energy, and then you crash.”

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