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I hopped out of the truck and headed to her front door. The last time I made this walk, I wasn’t sure if Sarah was even into me like that. And now, I was more certain of that than I’d ever been. Even if I wasn’t entirely sure she’d choose me in the end.

Clearing my throat, I knocked on the front door and waited. I could hear the patter of her hiking boots on the engineered wood floors from the otherside of the door.

The door flung open to reveal Sarah’s smiling face. “Hi.” She crossed the threshold and put her hand on my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. As soon as our lips met, I wanted to melt. I was tempted to skip the hike entirely and just stand in that doorway with our tongues teasing each other.

But instead, I pulled back and grinned. “It’s good to see you. How was your week with the kids?” I took a look at her, her pink workout shirt loosely draping over the black hiking shorts. Even from head on, I could tell just how incredible her ass looked. Her toned but sturdy legs made my mouth water.

She sighed, a mix of disappointment and relief crossing her face. “Wonderful as always. I miss them a lot but I’m happy to see you.”

“Shall we?” I gestured toward the car. Sarah grabbed a small backpack from inside and locked the door behind her.

With a nod and the bag slung over her shoulder, Sarah started toward the stone steps. I offered her my hand as we descended the steps. Once we reached the pathway, I jogged ahead and popped open the truck door.

I held out my hand to grab her bag. Without making me beg, Sarah passed the backpack to me and hopped inside. Once she was inside the truck, I closed the door and brought her bag to the bed of the truck.

I slammed the back closed and climbed into the driver’s seat. Turning the car back on, I nodded to Sarah. “Ready?”

A grin took over her face as she looked at her house. “Ready.”

I let the car slide back out of the driveway and into the street. Without any navigation, I started us toward the mountains. We passed my house quickly, going deeper into the woods. Sarah reached toward the dashboard and put on the radio, finding an indie country channel.

It fit the vibe of our drive perfectly.

“Did you already pick a trail?” She turned to look at me, crossing her legs in the passenger seat.

It took an extraordinary amount of effort to keep my eyes on the road and off her soft thighs. I felt like I could feel the muscular legs pressing my head between them as I buried myself in her center.

But I swallowed hard and watched the curves of the mountain roads. “I did. I think you’ll like it.”

Even from across the truck, I could see the blush rise in her cheeks.

As the roads grew more and more remote, no longer painted with lane lines, we got to talking about our weeks. We avoided discussing the lake house. Instead, Sarah told me about Ava’s latest obsession with getting a chicken coop.

“Where does something like that even come from?” I laughed.

Sarah shrugged. “No idea. I think Robin has something to do with it. Or maybe Daryl and Leah. But it certainly wasn’t me or her dad.”

Shaking my head, I lightly hit the brakes as we approached the state park entrance. It was quiet for a Sunday, and the park waived the parking fees for the upper lots. Most people weren’t willing to park that high up, knowing the hike itself would be brutal.

We pulled into a spot near the trailhead and grabbed our gear from the back. Clipping the picnic basket and blanket to the back of my pack, I could feel Sarah’s eyes on me.

“Can I carry something?” She shook her head as she looked me up and down. My shorts were longer than hers, cutting off halfway down my thigh but leaving the toned muscles exposed. Her eyes scanned my wide shoulders as I put the bag on.

I scoffed. “Absolutely not.” Even if I was willing to let her handle some of it, the extra weight would make my muscles bulge more. And I was far more interested in letting her ogle me than give up a few pounds of luggage.

Once I was suited up, I walked us toward the trailhead where a metal gate kept out large vehicles.

We walked around it and headed down an unkept path.

“Oh, so we’re off roading?” Sarah teased as she followed behind me.

Turning around, I winked at her. “Maybe. Do you trust me?”

Sarah nodded. “Of course I do.”

It was all I needed to trudge ahead. Mossy Glen wasn’t a hard trail but it was a little more rugged. We walked along the narrow path of but brush, the light trickle of a stream filling the woods.

Quickly, the brush turned to a dense forest of evergreens. The path widened and the forest floor cleared of shrubbery.