A beaming smile lit those damned eyes of his. “I’ll pass on the gold star, hoping maybe I can barter for something else later.”
She broke eye contact before she succumbed to swooning and ignored his comment, surveying where they had camped. It was as if no one had been there, as it should be. Leave no trace. “Let’s go. We’ll fill our water when we pass the lake.”
He had done really well yesterday, a testament to his fitness. Even though she had challenged him, she kept them at a lower altitude than originally planned. He might drive himself too hard during the hike, thinking he could push through it.
“Hardin,” she said, filling her water. “I want to reiterate what Chase told you about altitude sickness.”
“I did great. I feel like myself.”
“Yeah, you did. But today is tougher, more vertical. Because you’re fit, you might believe you won’t be affected. There’s no way of knowing. I need you to tell me if you experience any symptoms, okay? I’m responsible for you.” Along with the set expression of his jaw, which told her he was listening and taking her seriously, she saw her reflection in his sunglasses. She appeared as earnest as she had sounded.
A slow smile spread over his face, one that unleashed the butterflies in her gut. “I like that, you being responsible for me.”
She stood and attached her bottle to her pack. “Ready?”
During the three-hour-long hike, Mac and Hardin were surrounded by tall pines so dense they were in deep shade. The trail was at times thickly carpeted in twigs and other organic detritus, enveloping them in a pungent fragrance as they crushed the pine needles beneath their feet. The first time the sun peeked through, they stopped to take in the beauty in the dappled light. In front of them, variegated gray-and-brown peaks grizzled with pines and other trees soared above them, contrasting against boundless paradise blue threaded with tufts of cloud. The peaks’ silvery edges seemed to shimmer in the light.
He whistled softly. “Damn. This is something else.”
“Wait until we get where I’m taking you.”
“Better, huh?”
“So much better.”
“Do you take photos with your clients?” he asked, turning to her.
“Sure.”
“Take a few selfies with me.” He slipped off his sunglasses and let them rest against his broad chest, suspended by a colorful cord. She watched as he pulled his cell from his front pocket. He grinned at her, his blue eyes beckoning. “Please.”
Her feet moved forward of their own accord.
Hardin draped his arm over her shoulders, pulled her next to him. “Sunglasses off.”
She perched her sunglasses on top of her mass of dark auburn hair.
“Smile,” he said, extending his arm.
Her entire left side connected with his right. She was all too aware of his lean, hard body. How he towered over her. His smell. She wanted to bury her face in his skin. Mac felt heady and wasn’t sure she had smiled until he said, “Good.” Then she just stood there, mute and still.
“Mac? You all right?” He had a barely there smirk on his face.
“I’m just taking it all in.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Let’s go. Keep going the same direction.” She kicked herself for dropping her guard and stepped in front of him.
The landscape changed as they moved through the subalpine terrain. The dense pines thinned to wind-twisted, dwarf versions of themselves. When the path vanished or was impassable, they scrambled across steep slopes, sometimes needing hands to maneuver over the loose rock. To their right was tundra and an expansive, sheer, rocky incline bordering the other side of a glassy blue lake created from snowmelt.
“We’re here.” Mac stopped and put her hands on her hips, spinning slowly, taking in her surroundings, a dreamy smile on her face. “Follow me and then we’ll take a break.”
They approached a massive boulder overlooking an enormous waterfall, some distance from other hikers who had stopped to enjoy the view. Sparkling water thundered over the boulders and rocks, the spray hitting Mac and Hardin when the light breeze shifted. The sun was blinding and the sky cloudless, the earlier gauzy clouds having evaporated.
Her eyes raked over Hardin’s washboard abs, which were briefly displayed when his shirt rode up while he was taking off the light quarter-zip, then her gaze darted away, becoming engrossed in the play of the water just as his head appeared.Jesus. He didn’t have those in high school. I can’t unsee those, nor do I want to.The sound of the cascading water muffled her shaky breath.
He followed where she focused, glancing at the tumbling water and then taking in the tranquil lake farther out. “You do not disappoint. Spectacular.”
