Page 52 of Ms. Lead

“Geez, you scared me,” I whisper with a laugh, pointing at the animals not so far away. “Look. Look at how beautiful they are.”

He ignores my directions and the elk, continues kissing my neck, then moves to my collarbone and shoulder. Fucking hell, this man knows exactly how to get my motor racing, even with as little sleep as I’ve had. We seem to be insatiable when it comes to each other.

“I’m already looking at the most beautiful thing out here.” His scruff tickles my ear as he whispers. His voice is still gravelly with sleep.

“You know, you don’t have to win me over anymore,” I giggle, trying to get out of his reach before he drives me insane. “I already kind of like you.”

“Just making sure you know. That’s all.” He stretches and moves in front of me, the morning light casting a glow around him that makes his dark blonde hair even more golden, giving him an aura of pure sunshine.

I take a mental snapshot of him like this, gloriously happy and well-satisfied by the looks of his grin. I wish he could see himself like I see him.

“You’re awfully smiley this morning.” I can’t help but smile, too, feeling equally satisfied after last night.

“Well, I wonder why….”

He leans toward me, placing his hands on each arm of my chair, and plants a solid kiss on my lips in one fell swoop, standing straight immediately. A hit and run. One that leaves me wanting more.

I know I can’t act on it as tempting as it is. And, hell, it’s tempting. I have a special day for us planned, and I don’t want to mess any of it up. Our last full day together. I push the thought out of my mind and stand, gazing up at him. The bittersweet edge of the day is already creeping in, and I can’t let myself get melancholy now. If I start, I won’t stop, and it will ruin everything.

I know that I don’t want this to be the end, so I need to do everything in my power to convince Oliver of the same. In my heart, I also know that words won’t be enough, no matter what I could say to try to persuade him. I need to show him that we can work. Somehow. If we want it enough, and I think we both do, we can do this.

“C’mon. Let’s go see one of the seven wonders of the world.”

“Actually, it’s not….”

“Okay, Mr. Smarty-pants. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Don’t start with me,” I admonish, suppressing a laugh. “You’re so argumentative.”

“No. I’m just usually right.” He grins, and I roll my eyes, grabbing his hand to lead him back inside to get ready for the day.

* * *

It’s mid-morning when we finally start to head out, and the sun is already beating down and baking everything in sight. I have to run the SUV for a while with the air conditioning on full blast before we can get in it, so we don’t burn ourselves on the leather seats.

As we’re leaving, Oliver asks me, “So, are you going to tell me what this big surprise of the day is? Am I even dressed properly?”

I pretend to scrutinize him with narrowed eyes from top to bottom, when I’m actually taking the time to admire every inch of him. His well-fitting jeans and t-shirt are tight in all the right places.

“I mean, in my mind, pants are always optional, but you do you.” I try to keep my face straight but fail miserably and crack up as his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

He reaches for his belt and starts unbuckling it, “Well, if you insist….”

“No!” I laugh, rushing to seize his hands, but he grabs mine and pulls me to him, wrapping me tight in his arms, enveloping me in his scent and warmth. I have to force myself to pull away from him, or we’ll never leave, and I don’t want to be late.

It’s about a half-hour drive to our first destination, and when we pass the Grand Canyon National Park Airport sign, Oliver glances at me curiously.

“An airport? Are we flying somewhere?” He’s more than a little suspicious, and I start to get worried.

Maybe this was a horrible idea.

“You’re not afraid of flying, are you?” If he is, then I reserved a helicopter tour for nothing. I grip the steering wheel tightly.

He scoffs. “Pfft. No. I’m not. I’d not be here if I was.”

I sigh with relief. Thank God.

“Ok. Good. Because you’re about the see the Grand Canyon for the first time from the air.”

We check in and meet our pilot before taking off on our nearly hour-long tour. After we leave the area surrounding the airport, the topography changes, and we see what looks like a plain old forest for a while.

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