Page 127 of Finn Rhodes Forever

Her eyes dimmed. “What if everyone in my program was right, and it really is extinct? I can’t spend the rest of my life searching for it.” She rubbed her sternum, frowning. “In October, I’ll need to find a new job and a place to live. I don’t want to be out here all winter, freezing my ass off. I don’t want that for you either.” Her gaze met mine, worried and lost. “This summer has taught me that I don’t want to be stuck anymore. I want to move forward.” Emotion rose in her eyes. “Whatever that looks like. Things are going to be okay either way.” Her throat worked. “You make me feel like that.”

My chest ached with a twist of emotions. Hearing her want to move forward—with me—made my heart lift, but I hated seeing her like this, losing hope and untethered.

Something struck me, a strange shift in my chest. Since the beginning of the summer, my feelings for Liv had multiplied tenfold. I had thought I was in love with her, but now, it was so much more. I wanted the world for her, and I wanted to keep her heart safe.

In the past, I’d been careless with her heart. I’d never make that mistake again.

My hands framed her jaw. “I’m going to keep searching for that flower, and I won’t let you give up.”

“You’re so dramatic.” She let out a soft laugh but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s just a stupid flower,” she whispered.

I brushed a lock of her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “It’s not just a stupid flower.”

Her mouth twisted to the side but her gaze warmed. In the sunlight, her eyes were bottomless pools of caramel that went on forever. Her throat bobbed and she nodded.

“Okay,” she said.

“Okay?” I dipped my head down to catch her eyes. “Not giving up?”

She shook her head. “Not giving up. But—” She squeezed my ribs and I jerked back as she tried to tickle me. “I want to enjoy this hike a bit, too. Let’s explore this area today. I don’t just want to have our eyes on the ground all day.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

Inside the lodge, sunlight streamed in through skylights. There was a long wooden table with bench seating, a small wooden stove, and a ladder leading to a loft for sleeping, as Dot had described.

Half an hour later, we had unpacked our bags and eaten a quick lunch when Liv glanced up from a map she was studying.

“There’s a creek near here.” Her finger trailed along the worn paper. “And it flows over a steep elevation drop.” She raised an eyebrow at me.

“Waterfall?”

Her expression turned thoughtful. “Maybe. We should be crossing off squares on the grid but…”

Both of our gazes strayed to the map we had been working through this summer, spread out on the table. On each trip, we had drawn an X through the grid squares we searched. There weren’t many left.

Something in her eyes told me she needed a break.

“We can search for the flower tomorrow,” I told Liv. “Let’s go find that waterfall.”

* * *

An hour later,we climbed over trees and plants on the way to the creek. Once we spotted it, we’d followed it up the steep incline, exploring.

The black knot behind her neck snagged my attention again. Under her clothes, she had worn her swimsuit, a stringy black bikini. I’d caught a quick flash of her in it while she dressed, and the sight of all that soft skin made me half hard.

She waited with a teasing grin while I chugged water. “Getting tired?”

I gave her a light smack on the ass. “Always uphill with you, huh?”

She laughed. “It’ll be worth it.”

“It already is.” I winked at her and she rolled her eyes, laughing. I let my gaze linger on her, on the slope of her nose, the splash of freckles across her face, the flush and sheen on her skin as she worked hard. The curve of her plush lips, the swoop and dip of her Cupid’s bow.

Liv Morgan was fucking gorgeous, and I would happily climb through untouched forests with her for the rest of my life.

Her eyes glittered. “I’m glad we did this. Took an afternoon off, I mean. I like making new memories with you.”

I blew a breath out, rubbing the pleasant ache in my chest. Maybe she did love me back.

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