Page 19 of The Hotshot's Prize
She lifts her head and meets my eyes, trying to smile. “Yeah. My friend’s probably called the damn National Guard by now.”
Her laugh is light, but her gaze lingers on mine. Wistful. Sad, even. Like maybe she’s hoping we could stay in this cocoon just a little longer.
It punches me straight in the chest.
Because she feels it too. This wild, unexpected connection. The way we clicked like two missing pieces. It’s not just me losing my mind.
I push up and start pulling my gear together while she dresses and checks through her own bag. Luckily, nothing got soaked. I stuff the blanket back in my pack and glance one last time at the cave before we head out.
It’s weird…how a place I’ve passed a hundred times suddenly feels like something more because of her.
The hike back isn’t bad. Everything’s damp and a little slick, but manageable. I walk beside her the whole time, making sure she’s okay. At one point, her foot slips, and I grab her arm instinctively.
She glances at me with a rueful smile, her cheeks turning crimson. “Not used to people catching me when I fall.”
“I’ll always catch you,” I say before I can stop myself.
Her eyes widen a fraction, but she doesn’t pull away.
God help me.
We keep moving, and the silence is easy now. Comfortable. Until she starts talking again.
“I used to think I’d end up in a New York high-rise, editing someone else’s photos in some shiny office building,” she says, her voice soft. “But then I realized that’s not what I want. I want to find things. Rare animals, birds…stuff people don’t normally see. I want to be the one who captures it and tells the story.”
I glance over at her. “That’s pretty badass.”
She shrugs, but a smile tugs at her lips. “Sometimes it scares me. Being alone out here. Wondering if I’m good enough. If I’m doing the right thing. Or if I’m just chasing some fantasy and risking my life for nothing.”
“You’re not,” I say immediately. “Your work matters.”
She looks up at me, surprised.
“I mean it,” I add. “And hey, being out here? That doesn’t scare me. Sounds like a blast, to be honest.”
Her eyes shine, like I just handed her something she didn’t even realize she needed.
“Maybe next time you can come with me,” she says quietly, almost like a dare.
And shit. I want that. More than I should.
We fall quiet again, the path narrowing as we wind between the canyon walls. My thoughts drift to my dad like they always do when I’m out here.
“Sometimes, I used to wonder if I’d die out here like my pops,” I say suddenly. “The thought is daunting but it doesn’t stop me.”
She’s silent for a beat. Then she grins. “Have you considered being a therapist?”
I stop to blink at her, and a laugh breaks from my chest. “Well, that’s something to think about.”
She giggles and bumps her shoulder into mine. “You’d make a terrific shrink. Look at me, I feel so much better already.”
“That’ll be a hundred grand for this session,” I say, still grinning.
“Hmm, but however can I pay you?” she quips suggestively, raising her brows at me.
My stomach tightens, a gust of lust punching me right in the gut. I stare at her, taking in her sparkly eyes and perfect, dainty nose. The way her smile seems to light her up from within. The way her light touches my heart…
I want to kiss her. Badly. I want to push her up against a tree and ravage those soft lips, run my hands up her smooth skin, and tease those sexy breasts until she’s panting my name, begging for mercy…
