Page 17 of S'more Mountain Man

The evening wound down gradually. Parents began collecting their sleepy children, thanking Skye profusely for the experience. The kids who were staying overnight retreated to their cabins under Mandy's supervision, still chattering about stars and planets and how many s'mores they'd managed to consume.

Finally, it was just Skye and me by the dying fire. The camp had grown quiet, the only sounds the crackling of embers and the chorus of night insects in the surrounding forest. The air had cooled, but the heat from the coals still warmed my face, glowing red-orange in the darkness.

"I should head back," I said, not moving.

"Or you could stay a little longer." Skye added another small log to the fire, sending a shower of sparks upward. "The night's still young."

I knew I should leave. Drive back to my cabin. Return to my solitude. It was the sensible choice, the safe choice.

Instead, I sat back down.

Skye smiled, a soft, private smile that did uncomfortable things to my chest. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Not just for today, but for yesterday too. For finding me. For helping me. For..." She gestured vaguely. "All of it."

"You'd have figured it out."

"Maybe. Or maybe I'd still be wandering in circles, covered in mud and talking to squirrels." She laughed softly. "I'm serious, Leif. Thank you."

Her hand found mine in the firelight, warm and small against my palm. The touch was innocent enough, but it sent a current through my arm, straight to my chest.

"You're welcome," I managed, my voice rougher than intended.

She looked up at me, firelight reflecting in her eyes, and something shifted in the air between us. Her gaze dropped to my mouth, then back to my eyes, a question in her expression.

I knew I should pull away. Say goodnight. Leave before this went somewhere it shouldn't.

I didn't move.

Skye leaned in slowly, giving me every chance to stop her. I didn't. Her lips met mine, soft and tentative at first, a question rather than a demand.

For one heartbeat, I remained still. Then something broke loose inside me, and I was kissing her back, one hand sliding into her hair, the other at her waist, pulling her closer.

The kiss deepened, slow and hungry and inevitable, like the culmination of a path we'd been walking since I found her in the rain. She tasted like chocolate and whiskey and something uniquely her, and I knew with sudden clarity that this was going to complicate everything.

And for the first time in years, I didn't care.

Chapter Five

“We're under the stars. Might as well make a wish.”

Skye

I'd meant for it to be a quick kiss. A thank-you-for-saving-me, sorry-for-invading-your-life kind of kiss. Light. Brief. The kind that would leave room for polite goodbyes and no regrets.

That plan lasted approximately two seconds.

The moment Leif responded—his hand sliding into my hair, pulling me closer—any pretense of a casual kiss went up in flames. His mouth was hot and certain against mine, the slight scratch of his beard sending shivers down my spine. I made a sound I barely recognized as my own, somewhere between a sigh and a moan.

"Skye," he murmured against my lips, and just my name in that rough voice undid me completely.

The next thing I knew, his hands were at my waist, lifting me with ridiculous ease until I was straddling his lap on the log. The new position brought us flush against each other, and I could feel the hard planes of his chest through my thin tank top.The rough denim of his jeans pressed against my thighs, creating a delicious friction even through my yoga pants.

"This is—" I started to say, but he cut me off with another kiss, deeper this time, his tongue sliding against mine in a way that made my toes curl inside my sneakers.

When we finally broke apart for air, my heart was racing so fast I thought it might actually burst from my chest. Firelight danced across his features, highlighting the sharp angles of his cheekbones and jaw, casting his eyes in shadow. But I could feel the intensity of his gaze all the same, like a physical touch moving across my skin.

"This is not how science camp usually ends," I managed, slightly breathless.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "No?"

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