Page 74 of He Loves Me Knot
This is fun.
Teasing him seductively was quickly becoming her favorite activity.
She’d always been so much more restrained with men, but she’d gotten used to expressing her thoughts with Callum and no longer felt that hesitation.
I really like him, too.
“So you ready for that nighttime hike?”
“A nighttime hunt for tree frogs at the base of a volcano? Who wouldn’t be excited?” she said in a teasing voice. Then she grinned. “I have to admit, we probably did everything in the wrong order. Because I’m not sure a night hike will top the rest of the day.”
Truthfully, she’d built up more anticipation for what would comeafterthe hike anyway—when they’d both go back to the hotel room tonight.
After their kiss at the spa, she couldn’t help thinking that tumbling into a bed with him tonight might lead to something.
She wanted to see where it went, but her stomach was a knot of nerves.
More than anything, she wished she could talk to Elle about him.I need my sister’s advice.
Thoughts of Elle made her gut roil. She’d fully intended to call Quinn all day and give him an update on the change in their plans again—but then she’d held off. If Elle or anyone else wasn’t thrilled with her absence, she didn’t want to know about it. Not right now. She couldn’t go anywhere until she got her passport back anyway.
But even if she couldn’t talk to Elle, she needed to talk tosomeone.Miranda or Kyle would both help her figure out her thoughts. But without her phone, she couldn’t do either.
“We definitely did it in the wrong order. I think I’m ready for a nap. Or it’s jet lag.”
She held his gaze. “We could just ditch the nighttime trek and go back to the room.”
He raised a brow. “Is that what you want?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired.”And way too interested in finding out where this might go to hike at night looking for tree frogs, no matter how cute they are.
“I’m up for whatever you want to do,” Callum said in a tone that gave nothing away.
They finished the ice cream, then headed outside, where dusk had given way to the night. “It’s crazy to me,” Liddy said as they started toward the car. “All the people who live around here are just totally chill living at the base of a volcano. Maybe I read too much about Pompeii when I was a kid, but that would terrify me.”
“Arenal was active when I was younger. At night, especially, you used to get amazing pictures of the lava trails. And honestly, living near volcanoes is just a way of life down here. There are six active ones and several dozen dormant ones. My grandmother used to talk about the year that Irazú in the Central Valley erupted. Said ash fell from the sky for months, ruining crops—but my grandmother focused mainly on the effect it had on her hair and clothes.”
Every time Callum spoke about his knowledge of the country—or the food—he got a slightly different expression on his face. The first time, he’d been so pessimistic that Liddy had glossed over it, but the negativity had been disappearing. And in its place seemed to be something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“You know, for someone who hasn’t visited in years, and who seems a little cynical about the country, you sure know a lot.”
The corners of his mouth turned up just slightly. “I’d forgotten how much I knew about Costa Rica. I spent my whole life visiting every summer. Some of that experience was bound to rub off on me.”
“Including your love of soccer?” She glanced at him cautiously. He’d brought that part of his life up so quickly, leaving no room for questions, but she couldn’t help but wonder about it and who’d he’d been. The idea of Callum as an athlete rather than a businessman was strange.Of course, he has the body of an athlete instead of a businessman.
Callum was silent, as though considering what he should say. “The thing abou?—”
“Liddy?” a deep male voice called.
What the hell?
Only a few feet away and coming toward them was Sergio.
Liddy’s gut dropped, and she stepped back. Callum set a hand across her, blocking her ever so slightly with his body.
Sergio looked from Liddy to Callum, then back again, and smiled excitedly. “Liddy, this ismaravilloso. I tried to call you for days. But it lookscomo si el destinobrought us together again,verdad?
“How dare you?” Liddy managed, barely finding her voice. “I’ve been looking for you! You stole my sister’s wedding dress. And now you’re, what? Pretending that the last time I saw you it wasn’t when I asked you to watch something valuable to me? I-I don’t even know how you can stand there?—”