Page 20 of When It's Us
Spotting something that looks suspiciously like a bug in her hair, I take two long strides to catch up to her. She hears me closein on her from behind at the same time I reach up and touch her hair.
She lets out a yelp and jumps to the side, yanking her head away from my touch.
I cock an amused brow at her, and I can tell by the rapid rise and fall of her chest that I’ve startled her. She’s jumpy as fuck, per usual.
I let out a chuckle, shaking my head. “Easy scary spice, you had a bug in your hair.”
I expect some kind of snarky reply, but instead, her eyes go wide, and she squeals, turning in a circle, swiping her hands over her hair frantically. “Did you get it?” she shrieks. “Was it a tick?”
I ease away from her, watching as she brushes her hands down her body, checking for any sign of insects.
“Tick-free, California,” I say, gesturing for her to keep moving forward on the trail.
She eyes me for a second, like she’s not sure I’m telling the truth. “Thank you,” she says after a big, calming inhale.
I let out a low whistle, casting a glance at her. “Was that painful?”
She narrows her eyes at me, running a final hand over her hair and dropping a hand to a cocked-out hip. “Waswhatpainful?”
“Thanking me.”
Her eyes harden and she purses her lips a bit before she seems to realize I’m screwing with her. “A little, yes,” she returns, voice clipped, but her lips tip up a bit.
I nod and try to force the amusement out of my voice. “Not much of an outdoor girl, I take it?”
She shakes back all that gorgeous copper hair, and the action makes her tits sway a bit. I drag my eyes back to her face, grateful she doesn’t seem to notice. She’d probably kick me in the junk if she caught me checking them out.
“Not really, no.”
I nod as she turns and continues up the trail.
“How much farther?” she asks, tossing me a look over her shoulder.
A low chuckle rumbles out of me. “We just got started.”
She sighs and whirls on me, dropping her hands on her hips and making me stop short. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I’d have ploughed right into the back of her.
“I know that. I only wanted to know how far we’re going. God, can’t you be cooperative for five seconds?”
I cock a brow at her, loving how easily she gets riled up. Something about the flash in those icy blue eyes and the light pink flush to her creamy skin gets my blood moving.
I shrug. “It’s a couple of miles to the top.”
Her eyes widen, and I watch her throat work over a swallow.
“You telling me you can’t walk a couple of miles?” I’m completely goading her.
She rolls her eyes and dramatically spins back around, kicking up dirt from the red, hard-packed trail as she turns and continues walking.
We’re quiet for a few minutes while the trail meanders through the trees. The morning fog has long burned off, but the trail is still damp. The dappled light from the canopy above gives everything a lush green hue and muffles the sound of anything but nature.
When I turn my attention back to Ginger, she’s got her phone out, holding it above her head, I assume, looking for a signal. My mind drifts back to her phone call from earlier.
She’d been relaxed—well, as relaxed as Ginger can be, I guess, since she’s always a little high-strung—but when her mom had called, she’d gone from that to on edge, her posture deflating the more time she’d spent being talked at by the woman. Because that’s what it had been. Her mother talking over her and interrupting, tearing her down. Ginger had hardly said a word. Not that I’d blamed her. Had I been in her shoes, I would have immediately shut that shit down. I’d even contemplated telling her that, but knowing her, she’d probably tell me to mind my own business.
Watching her now, I wonder if she’s worried about her kids like her mother seemed to be, or if she’s so addicted to technology that she can’t go an hour without checking her phone. Either way, it cements for me how high-maintenance this woman is.
A small smile tilts up my lips when I remember how appalled she’d been last summer when she realized I lived in my 1980 Vanagon Westie. She had looked around with brows pulled low, her eyes nothing but pools of skeptical sky blue.
