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How was she okay with the way Miles and James had spoken about her? Even if she enjoyed being lusted after by idiots, then surely, the public humiliation should have caused offense. I couldn’t comprehend how simply she’d dismissed the so-called jokes.

Crouching by my pack, I took a sip of water as Chelle passed the ridiculously expensive camera to her lover. He took it from her without a word of thanks, flashing it in front of Miles as he explained the alleged features. I didn’t understand their choice of hardware, either. Why anyone would drag a piece of equipment like that all the way along the hike when the cameras on our smartphones did a perfectly adequate job was beyond me. But I supposed the camera was James’s style—superficial and seemingly pointless.

“Are you okay?”

Pulse racing, I glanced up to find Eli standing beside me. I must have been so caught up in my resentment that I hadn’t even heard him move, but there he was, every inch of the dark, rugged tour guide apparently at my disposal.

“Yes.” I compelled my lips to tug upward. “I just need a drink.”

“I expect hanging around with those two would drive anyone to drink.” Lowering his tone, Eli gestured to the other men who appeared to be arguing over which angle would produce the perfect shot.

“True.” I rose to my feet beside him, although he still seemed to tower over me. At least Eli had acknowledged what asses James and Miles were being. “But I don’t hang around with them. I’ve only met James a few times before today and I don’t know Miles.” My murmur mirrored his hushed tone. I had no desire for yet another confrontation if anyone else overheard our chat.

“I’m pleased to hear it.” Eli shifted to face me. “But it seems your friend is rather smitten with her beau.”

“Yeah.” I let out a long breath, resisting the urge to dwell too long on his face. He truly was a good-looking guy, and I was willing to bet he was hiding a muscular body beneath all the gear he was wearing. “I’m afraid so. Thank goodness you’re here to dilute the insanity. I’d probably go mad, otherwise.”

He smirked at my quip. “I think you’d be fine, Erin. You held your own in the ‘discussion’ with James.”

“Th-thanks.” I was oddly giddy as his praise washed over me.

I wasn’t used to receiving compliments from strange men, but something abouthisapproval was especially enticing. It had been a long time since I’d sensed a tug of attraction to any guy, but Eli was managing to tick multiple boxes for me without even trying. I liked that he was so physically capable, but I’d also enjoyed the way he’d put James and Miles in their places by the bridge earlier. That was the kind of man I could respect, and it didn’t hurt that he was remarkably easy on the eye.

“Someone had to say something,” I went on. “And—"

“Isaid, try again!” James’s frustrated bellow broke my train of thought, urging my focus back to him.

He and Miles had backed toward the edge of the waterfall in a feigned pose of triumph. His irritation appeared to have been triggered by a delay on Chelle’s part.

“I am!” Chelle insisted, clicking away at the unnecessarily large camera. “Keep posing!”

“I want as many shots as possible.” James hugged Miles closer. “Something for the family album!”

“Move away from the edge, gentlemen.” Eli stalked in their direction. “It’s not safe there.”

“Oh, don’t you start with all the health and safety bullshit,” Miles moaned. “We’re big boys. We’ll be fine.”

“Shall I carry on?” Chelle twisted between James and Eli as though she couldn’t make up her mind who was in charge, which only went to show how impaired her judgment had become. Even a year ago, she’d have heeded the warning and withdrawn, but standing there gripping the camera, she looked utterly overwhelmed.

“Yes!” James insisted. “Get more shots of our guns!”

Untangling himself from Miles, James shrugged out of his hoodie and T-shirt to reveal the body he seemed so proud of. Flexing his arms, he crowed, “Check out those biceps!”

“For God’s sake.” I lifted my head to the heavens, seeking spiritual support. How was I going to survive another hour of male ego, let alone an entire day of James’s drivel?

“You’re not listening.” Eli’s tone was clipped as he strode past Chelle. “I said, move away from the edge or this will be the end of the tour.”

“Enough with the threats!” Miles barked, moving to imitate his friend. Yanking his jacket over his head, he took several small steps backward. “We’ll have our fucking pictures, and—”

Time shifted in protracted pockets as I watched what happened next. In the frenzy of insulting Eli and determining to strip, Miles seemed to have forgotten just how close he was to the precipice. One tiny move in the wrong direction was all it had taken for him to topple over it.

“Shit!” Miles’s voice emanated from over the ledge. “Help me!”

“Miles!” James leaned over the edge and peered at his hapless friend as Chelle rushed to his side. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you!” Spinning toward Eli, he jabbed a finger at him. “He’s caught on a ledge. We have to help him.”

Placing down my bottle of water, anxiety furled in my stomach as I wandered closer. A glance over the brink confirmed what James had said. Miles had experienced the immense good fortune to have landed on a rocky ridge around eight feet below where we stood. The raging waterfall, however, was now less than a meter from where he was clinging on, spilling water over the already loose nearby pebbles and shrouding him in spray.

“Quick!” James roared. “He’s in trouble!”

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