Chapter 38
Beyond the Rescue
“This has been theperfect Christmas so far. Can’t we just stay in and drink chocolate milk? Boozy hot chocolate?” Neve pleaded as she secured her scarf around her neck.
Christ, earlier she’d offered to prance around in nothing but a black thong, sky-high heels, and those lace gloves that drove him bat-shit crazy, all to keep from going on the hike. He wasn’t sure how she was going to make that work with one arm, but his imagination painted a titillating picture anyway. He’dalmostcaved, until he’d reminded himself—multiple times—a mission was at stake. People were depending on him.
He gave himself a massive virtual pat on the back for standing tough. His one-track mind, however, had been busy jumping said track ever since, grinding its gears on how he could coax her into modeling that outfit for him later today, and he had the hard-on to prove it.
Focus on the mission, dumbass. You’ll get to enjoy the spoils later.
“Nope. It’s a beautiful day, and we’re doing this. You don’t ignore tradition. Got your hand warmers?”
“Yes,” she sighed.
“C’mon. This’ll be fun.”
“Only a search and rescue guy would think hiking to a creek in twenty-degree weather onChristmas Dayis fun.”
She stomped out the back door, looking like a penguin encased in bubble wrap, and he couldn’t hold back a grin. This was like being with five-year-old Neve, which was perfect for today—except that he was as agitated as a bag of cats. He was also trying to outmuscle his libido, which kept picturing removing every single layer of her winter clothing until she was down to nothing but her creamy skin.
Fucking focus!
“No offense on comparing myself to a bag of you feline types, Mr. W.” He winked at the fluff ball as he followed Neve out the door. The wink might have been more of a nervous tic.
He tried his best to conceal his jerky movements, but she was so busy huffing and puffing she didn’t notice—nor did she notice him sending off a quick text. After opening the truck for her, he jogged around the hood to bleed off some of his energy.
God, I hope this works!
He prided himself on his control. His logic. How he had a plan for everything. But right now he had no anchors to hold him steady. Just a will to convince Neve that they should be married—reallymarried—and not because a piece of paper said so.
It didn’t take long to reach the trailhead, which was both good and bad. Good because it was showtime, and bad because … it was showtime.
He helped her out of the truck and took her gloved hand in his. The creek was an easy quarter-mile walk, and he concentrated on slowing his steps so she could stay in stride.
Neve paused and looked up at the sky, her eyes reflecting the same deep blue. “I haven’t been here in forever. I forgot how beautiful it is. Do you remember coming here at night to look at the stars?”
“I do.”
She seemed to leave her reluctance behind and grew excited, rushing up the trail.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down. It’s icy. I don’t want you falling and breaking yourotherarm.”
She gestured for him to hurry. “You’re out of shape. Let’s go!”
They rounded a corner, and he held his breath. Excitement, anxiety, and a boatload of other competing emotions played tug-of-war inside him.
Neve stopped short, and he nearly ran over her. “What …” She turned her head and looked up at him. “What’s all this? Didyoudo this?”
“I had a little help from my design team.”
The small clearing with a crescent of sandy beach looked as it always had, except now luminaries glowed around its perimeter.
“Your design team,” Neve deadpanned. “I don’t get it.”
He pushed ahead of her, pivoted, and walked backward. “Yes, my design team. They helped stage this, and they said twinkle lights would never work out here—too cold for batteries—so they suggested luminaria instead.” Hopefully, the substitution wasn’t a disappointment. “Let’s go, Little Miss Badass. You’re out of shape!”
A curious smile curved her perfect mouth. She followed, her head on a swivel. When they reached the middle of the clearing, Reece took her hands in his. “You told me once that this was your favorite place.”
