Page 105 of Wrecked on the Mountain
"You realize Silver Falls is freezing this time of year?"
"Mmm." She traces a finger along my forearm, sending heat straight through my shirt. Her sudden shift in mood is mind-boggling. Is this a hormonal thing? "Good thing I know some excellent warming techniques."
I pull over so fast the truck skids on gravel.
"Out."
"Excuse me?"
"Get out. You're driving."
"Jamie, I don't know these roads—"
"Sweetheart, if you keep talking like that while I'm behind the wheel, we're going to end up wrapped around a tree."
I'm already climbing out, but she reaches across and grabs my arm.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop. But I'll have you know, I've been planning this since that night in the warming tent when you kissed me and I dropped my hot chocolate." She reaches over and squeezes my thigh. "Plus, I thought we could make some new memories there. Good ones. The kind that will last forever."
Forever.The word hits me sideways, especially coming from someone who's been acting like she's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders all damn morning.
"Forever? Brooke, what's really going on? And please don't tell me you're tired again."
She looks out the window at the pine trees rushing past as I shift gears and bring the truck back up to speed again. "Can we just... enjoy this for a minute?"
I want to press, but something in her voice stops me. Instead, I make the turn at the old timber sign pointing the way toward Silver Falls.
The drive takes another fifteen minutes through increasingly dense forest. The powerful sound of the waterfall reaches us before we see it. That low, hypnotic roar that grows louder with every step down the mossy trail I've walked many times before.
We break through the trees, and there it is.
Water spills in silky ribbons over smooth granite cliffs, cascading into a crystalline pool surrounded by ferns and colorful wildflowers. The air is cooler here, mist curling around the edges of the rocks and settling on our skin like tiny dewdrops fallen from heaven.
Brooke smiles for what feels like the first time all day. "This place is perfect."
I help her carry our supplies to the flat rocks near the pool's edge, spreading out the heated blankets while she unpacks Betty's feast. The mist from the crashing waterfall catches us both, leaving tiny droplets on Brooke's hair that reflect the filtered sunlight streaming through the pines.
"You know, most people come here at sunset," I say, cracking open a beer and handing it to her. "Romantic lighting and all that."
"Most people didn't get dunked in freezing water by their bosses." She takes a long sip, then grins at me with something approaching her usual mischief. "Besides, I like having you all to myself."
She gets to her feet and moves toward the edge of the water, testing the temperature with her fingers.
I lean back against the sun-warmed granite and let myself appreciate the view. Brooke's jeans pull tight around her perfect ass as she bends forward, testing the water one last time.
"Enjoying yourself over there?" she calls without turning around.
"Absolutely. Nice view."
"Well, unfortunately it's not that cold," she calls over her shoulder. "Want to go for a swim?"
"Brooke, I don't think—"
Brooke shakes her ponytail loose and pulls her sweater over her head, revealing her lacy bra underneath. She kicks off her boots and socks, then undoes her jeans with a slow, teasing smile that hits me right in the chest.
"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice dropping an octave as heat warms my groin.
"Swimming," she says innocently, sliding her jeans down those perfect legs.
