Page 79 of Broken on the Mountain
Chase had been different last night. Notbaddifferent, justdifferentdifferent.
More possessive, more commanding. Taking control of my body with a passion and desire and rawlustthat left me trembling. His hands were everywhere, his mouth branding every inch of skin, biting, nipping and sucking like I was the fuel to his very being.
And he delivered. Sweet mercy, did he deliver.
I shift slightly, feeling the pleasant ache between my legs, and catch Chase glancing back at me with a knowing smirk.
"You good back there, Chicago?"
"Don't call me that." I narrow my eyes at him.
"You're walking funny."
"You'rethe reason I'm walking funny."
His grin widens with smug satisfaction. "Yeah. I am."
Heat floods my cheeks. "Cocky."
He reaches back, offering his hand to help me over a cluster of exposed roots. "Yeah, well… at least I made you forget all about Knox and Travis."
He's not wrong.
The moment his hands touched me last night, the chili cook-off disaster evaporated. But come to think of it… that's when things started feeling…off.
I take his hand, letting him pull me up onto the smoother section of trail, and wonder what got into him. That fierce intensity. The way he'd looked at me like he needed to memorize every sound I made, every expression that crossed my face.
Like he was afraid I'd disappear.
Or maybe…
I swallow hard, my stomach twisting.
Maybe he sensedmydistraction. The way I've been clinging a little too tight, laughing a little too loud, kissing him like I'm storing up reserves for a drought.
Maybe he knows I'm hiding something.
The Whitman Gala. Next weekend's absence.
Shit.
I push the thought aside as we continue climbing.
The trail opens up, and I spot a cluster of delicate purple blooms nestled between two rocks.
"Chase, look," I say casually, pointing. He stops beside me, flooding me with a fresh whack of his citrusy cologne. "Lupinus polyphyllus. Native to the Pacific Northwest, blooms late spring through summer. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun."
Chase turns to stare at me. "What did you just say?"
I fight the grin threatening to split my face. "And over there—" I gesture to a patch of yellow flowers near the tree line. "Balsamorhiza sagittata. Did you know the roots of those plants were used by Indigenous peoples for food and medicine? Ingenious."
His mouth falls open, those sexy eyes wide with surprise. "You… how do you…?"
"I've been reading the wildflower guide," I shrug, trying to look nonchalant even though my heart's doing a happy little dance at his dumbfounded expression. "Every night before bed. I wanted to seethatlook on your face when I showed off."
"What look? I don't have a look."
"Yes, you do." I step closer, rising on my toes to kiss his jaw. "You're impressed. Surprised. A little turned on, maybe?"
