Page 64 of Wild Heart

The shock that moved through me was so profound, it was a wonder my eyes didn’t fall out of my head. Where was this all coming from?

In any other situation, I would have been jumping for joy. But this was so out of character and unexpected that I wasn’t sure how to respond. Plus, my mind was pulled back to the night of Wyatt and Rhea’s wedding. If I allowed myself to get lost in it, I could just barely remember what it was like to feel his hands gliding over my skin. What I would have given to experience his touch like that again.

Tate stepped close. “You seem distracted. Is everything okay?”

I blinked my eyes rapidly to rid it of the thoughts I’d been having and so I could return to the present moment. “What? Yeah, I’m totally fine.”

He chuckled, clearly not buying it. Even still, he jerked his chin toward my jacket and asked, “Are you going to put your lip balm on, or are you and I staying here the rest of the day while everyone else takes off down the trail?”

I was tempted to ask him why he was suggesting he’d stay with me when there was no obligation, but I decided it was best to simply find the lip balm.

And that’s when things took a turn.

I pulled off my glove and reached inside one of the inner pockets of my jacket where I’d dropped the lip balm earlier. I found it, but that wasn’t all that was there.

The horror I felt must have been written all over my face, because Tate’s expression grew concerned. “What’s wrong? Did you forget it back at the chalet?”

My body was frozen to the spot; I only shifted my head back and forth.

Tate’s hand came to my elbow, his grip firm and comforting even through the thick layers. “What happened?”

I closed my eyes and sighed. This was just my luck. When I returned my attention to his handsome face, I slowly pulled my hand out of the pocket and showed him the problem.

There was a moment of concern followed by realization and finally, amusement. “Is that… is that chocolate?”

“Why do these kinds of things always happen to me?”

“Why do you have chocolate in your jacket?”

I licked my lips, well aware they were going to be chapped later since my lip balm was ruined. “I must have put it in there at some point and forgotten about it.”

His eyes roamed over my chocolate coated fingers, which were still held up between us. “I sure hope it’s Westwood’s chocolate.”

My eyes narrowed. “Seriously, Tate? Don’t insult me.”

Laughter spilled out of him. “I was just trying to lighten the mood. Alright, well, we’ve got two options here.”

Before I could ask him what they were, the rest of the crew surrounded us and took in the scene. It was Cooper who spoke. “Everything okay? Jesus, what happened to your hand, Ava?”

I shot him a look of desperation. “Why is this my life?”

Tate was failing miserably to contain his laughter. “Ava loves Westwood’s so much, she carries our chocolate around in her winter gear. It melted, and now she’s a mess.”

“Tate seems to think this is hilarious.”

Cooper offered a sympathetic look. “Uh, what are you going to do?”

I sighed and shook my head.

Tate sprang into action. “I’m going to take her into the mini lodge here to help her get cleaned up. You guys can all go down ahead of us, and we’ll catch up with you afterward.”

“Are you sure?” Jules asked. “We can wait.”

“Tate, you don’t have to wait with me,” I insisted.

He shook his head and put his hand to the small of my back. “I’m not going to leave you alone here. Plus, let’s face it. At the rate you’re going today, you might need someone with you to help you out of your next predicament.”

It was a valid point. “Indeed. I am a disaster.”