Page 15 of Personal Disaster

“Shutup.”

“That’s nice courting language,” he says, chuckling as I glower at him. “But I can see why you’re frustrated.”

“Good. Now if you’ll just let me head back to my hotel…”

“But you have a crush on me,” he says, stepping aside.

“Had.”

“No, you said have. Present tense. Active crush.”

“It’s the thin air up here, it makes people crazy.”

“You said the crush started in Washington. Thick air there.”

“Different kind of crazy. There may have been a moment flying over Kansas City where I had a chance to see this situation objectively, but I missedit.”

“I have a crush on you, too.”

“You just metme.”

“Insta-crush.”

I give him a sideways look of disbelief. Kissing aside, I don’t believe Marcus does insta-anything. “You kicked me out of your truck.”

“That was self-preservation. I wanted you something fierce, and I thought you were toying with my sensitive emotions.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Iknow.”

“You wanted me, even in the truck?”

“I wanted you from the first second I saw you. Ponytail and wedge sandals and determined expression. I dug itall.”

Ugh. “That makes this even worse.”

“Why?”

“I put this flight on my credit card. I need to turn in a story that’ll justify the expense.”

“So why can’t you turn in the story that had you glowing earlier?”

“Because it was an infatuation piece! It’s not good journalism! It’s fawning over the hard-done-by park ranger.”

“That sounds great.” He clears his throat when I shook him another side-eye. “Or not. Okay. I can see the conflict of interest.”

I groan.

“Then we’ll get you a new story,” he says. “One that has nothing to do with me. What time is your flightback?”

“Tomorrow evening.”

“Okay. I’m onit.”

“You don’t needto—”

He holds up his hand. “Maybe not. But I’m going to, anyway. Consider it my penance for the accidental luring with my mountain man appeal.”

He’s enjoying that way too much. I should let him help me as punishment. “Deal.”

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