Page 16 of Bear In A Boutique
“Olive! Wait!”
She walked faster. Did she have a death wish?
He looked at Agnes, trying to be patient, but he was also ready to “accidentally” spill the cup on the sidewalk and be done with it. A decade later, she produced a tissue and traded him for the cup of tea. Amazingly, she gripped it in an iron fist and walked off like nothing had happened.
With a growl, Ryker rushed after Olive. She picked up her pace, but he grabbed the strap of her backpack. She stumbled and fell back, landing hard against his chest with her pack between them. He instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist and his hand splayed across her abdomen to keep her steady. God, she felt good under his hand.
“Hey! That was a dirty move, Ryker!”
She squirmed and he tightened his hold. Her ass rubbed against his crotch, igniting a fire that would quickly get out of control if he didn’t step back. “You seem to have a death wish, so evasive maneuvers were necessary.”
Her sweatshirt was thin enough that he could feel her delicate ribs beneath his hand. Curling his fingers against the fabric, hestruggled to let go, his brain telling him to hang on. Don’t let her go.
Don’t ever let her go.
She looked at his arm around her and took a stuttered breath. He let go and she wasted no time spinning to face him with defiance in her pretty eyes.
“Ryker—”
“You want to experience nature today? Fine. I’ve got the perfect solution.”
“Oh?”
“Get in your car and follow me.”
“My car is at the boutique.”
Why did she look uncertain?
“I’ll give you a ride over there to get it.”
Crossing her arms, she took a breath, contemplating. “Okay, fine.”
“Come on. Let’s hurry before Agnes comes back.”
Chapter Six
Ryker watched in his rearview mirror as Olive pulled her little white car into the narrow parking lot and parked beside his Jeep. He’d had such a knee-jerk reaction to her hiking alone that he hadn’t thought this through.
The risk of her being alone in the woods this time of year spurred a slow-churning panic that he had zero experience with. Why should it matter to him what she did? She was a grown woman and perfectly capable of taking care of herself… maybe. He wasn’t willing to risk it. If something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
They got out of their cars at the same time. The air was heavy with the scent of rain after a storm early this morning and the promise of more rain later.
Olive closed her eyes and smiled peacefully as she inhaled deeply. Ryker’s chest squeezed with the memory of how upset she’d been over something on her phone the other day. Had she wanted to go hiking to help clear her mind?
“Wow, that’s a nice view.”
She came around the car and slid her arms into the straps of her backpack while looking through the trees. He didn’t see what she did at first. He’d been up here so many times that he didn’t notice the scenery much anymore. Following her line of sight, he moved beside her and took a second to enjoy the mountain range cast in shades of dark blue, gray, and purple ahead of them.
“We’ve got a mile walk and it’s nearly a straight incline the entire way. You up for it?”
“Of course.”
He retrieved his pack from the back seat, slipped it on, then grabbed two metal water bottles.
“Do you have water?”
She held up a silver bottle and gave it a jiggle. “I have been hiking before, you know.”
