Page 39 of The Darkest Chase
Damn.
She’s a little too distracted to notice me watching, at least, though I enjoy her breathy exertion. Her noises are somewhere between adorable and fucking erotic.
I need to stop being a dick.
So I offer her a little mercy and step closer, circling around her to take the straps in both hands. “Here. Just slide your arms out.”
“Y-yeah!” She flicks a nervous glance over her shoulder, then she goes still. It’s hard not to bury my face in that cloud of crimson hair and inhale her vanilla scent like it’s the air I need. “Sorry I’m so clumsy.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just have to keep an eye on you when we’re on the trail.”
With a mortified sound, Talia hands over the backpack and steps away.
“You shouldn’t have to babysit me, y’know.”
“It’s hardly babysitting, Talia. It’s common sense with new hikers.” I pretend to let my arms dip with the hefty weight of the bag. That earns me an almost grateful smile. “Everyone starts off as a beginner, and it’s better if you’re out there with an experienced hiker. You’d be surprised what you can stumble over on a calm day.”
“Like what? Something dangerous?” She watches me intently.
I heft the rucksack into the back of the Jeep for support. Rolf sniffs it curiously while I unzip it.
The tight-packed supplies explode out like I’ve just pulled the string on a party popper.
Talia shares an amused look before we start sorting everything, digging out plastic cups and a rappelling harness kit. I toss them freely into the cargo area, ignoring that sudden ache in my cock.
I could think of a few interesting uses for those ropes, but we shouldn’t be hitting any trails that need us tied together.
Mind out of the gutter, Ainsley. Right now.
The deprivation must be getting to me.
I haven’t had a woman since New York. Carina—some six years ago.
My last serious relationship, broken off years before I packed up for Redhaven. I’m not sure if I loved her.
I know she loved me, but she always said there was something unreachable about me. Something that scared her.
I never understood that, not when I was careful with her—always gentle, always putting her needs first, always holding back that part of me that wanted to leave red marks on her skin, that wanted to hold her down and make her thrash and beg.
I did everything I could to be safe for her—and I still frightened her.
No question, I’d scare the shit out of Talia, too.
That’s why I’ve kept myself in check since coming to this little town. With how brutal small-town gossip can be, all it would take is one misplaced hickey and everyone would start whispering.
Worse than when I first moved here and every single woman wanted to find out if my dick was as pale as the rest of me.
Talia’s still watching, waiting for me to explain.
I leave a few things like bundled-up snacks in the sack and wrestle with a bulging pack of space blankets, crinkling them noisily the whole time.
Really, woman?
She grins nervously.
I hold it up with a raised brow before tossing it aside. With a self-deprecating giggle, she glances away.
“What? I heard you can make tents out of them if there’s a real emergency.”