Page 51

Mateo

Mateo woke up early and snuck out of bed, careful not to wake Scarlett.

She would have a long and strenuous day ahead of her, and she needed her rest. He started to prepare their picnic with sandwiches and fruit, before he cooked them a large breakfast. It didn’t take long for Vince to join him.

He’d spent the night away from them in his own bunk bed.

He’d only shared the bed with Scarlett when she’d sought him out during their first night at the cabin.

They hadn’t even shared a bed in the hotels.

“You okay?”

Vince nodded and poured a mug full of coffee.

“I’m here to listen if you need someone. You haven’t spent much time with her, so I just wanted to check in.”

Vince sighed and gulped down his coffee before he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Three is too much for her.”

“Ah, so you’re doing the gentleman’s work and taking one for the team.” He knew trying to keep the conversation light would help Vince come out of his shell and talk more.

“I’m giving her time to adjust without overwhelming her.”

“And doing the same for yourself.”

Vince gave him a short nod, but Mateo knew him far too well and waited for him to continue rather than ambush him with questions.

“We’ll have the rest of our lives with her and some of us have been waiting for her the entirety of their lives.

I never wanted a woman, you and Ezra on the other hand have spent your lives searching for that. ”

“And you still need to warm up to the idea that you want that too. That’s fair.”

He didn’t push Vince further and occupied him by having him check the weather and ensure that they hadn’t forgotten to pack anything the day before.

Once Scarlett was out of bed and fed, she changed into her hiking gear. Ezra insisted on tying her boots, kneeling before her on the hardwood floors with her foot on his knee.

“Remember to tell us when it hurts,” Mateo reminded her. “They are new, so they still need to be worn in. We packed your sneakers just in case.”

“Okay. But I still feel bad for you three carrying everything.”

“Remember who you are,” Ezra said and smirked up at her.

Scarlett ran her fingers through Ezra’s hair, sighing in defeat. “Fine.”

They took the truck out of the village and drove to the parking lot that marked the beginning of the trail.

Eager, Scarlett laced her fingers with Vince’s, following their directions into her first hike.

Even though they took it slow, hardly an hour passed before Scarlett needed a break.

She hadn’t said anything, but they all could see the strain it caused her.

It was a mild path, steadily going upwards without it being too steep, but Scarlett was still a beginner.

They found a spot with a fallen log and sat down. Mateo handed a bottle to everyone, so Scarlett didn’t feel as if it was just her. They were surrounded by trees and even though there wasn’t anything special about the trail yet, Scarlett took it all in with wide eyes.

“I thought it would be hotter,” she observed.

“Give it a few hours. The trees help keep us cool, but soon it’ll be hot in their shade too.”

The guys waited until Scarlett got to her feet before they started moving again.

They weren’t going to rush her in any way and they found her pace rather relaxing.

They’d never taken a hike for pleasure before.

Once the trail took them to the cliffs, she was even more in awe, overlooking the valley and mountains surrounding them.

She hesitated to move closer to the edge until Vince led her off the trail.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“I never thought I would be scared of heights, but this is so different from the penthouse.”

Vince wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her from behind, letting her take in the view. “Nature can be quite intimidating.”

Mateo and Ezra watched from afar. Vince didn’t take many moments with her for himself, so the fact that he was doing so now was a big improvement.

They were lucky enough to snatch a picnic table with a beautiful view, the rest area was filling up with hikers by the minute.

It wasn’t crowded by any standard but compared to the quiet of the trail, it did seem rather invasive.

They made quick work of their lunch and decided to get back on the trail after giving their legs a rest. Scarlett seemed upset at her lack of stamina, but she didn’t say anything.

They tried repeatedly to reassure her that the frequent breaks didn’t bother them.

They were worried about pushing her too hard on her period, but she’d reassured them she was fine, and it had never been very strong.

On the drive back to the cabin, Scarlett fell asleep as soon as the engine purred to life and stayed drowsy throughout the rest of the day.

She only wanted to sleep on the couch, complaining each time they wanted to carry her to her much comfier bed.

With that, they pulled blankets in from the bedrooms and settled in for the day.

The next few days were spent out on the trails.

Scarlett loved it and every time they returned, she fell asleep as the guys set their hunting plans into motion.

Today would be their last day together, with Mateo and Ezra leaving early the following morning.

Because of that, they had a surprise hike planned for her.

It was raining, but she insisted on going anyway.

Despite that, the weather was still warm, so it was tolerable.

They were much slower than anticipated with the slickness of the trail, but Scarlett wanted to keep going.

They sure as hell wouldn’t be the ones to stop her.

Drenched and with muddy boots and legs, they finally arrived at the waterfalls.

“This is beautiful,” Scarlett admired.

“We hoped you’d like it.” With a kiss to her cheek, Mateo pushed her towards a hut that had been able to keep a few picnic tables dry. “Now let’s eat and get some rest.”

Ezra, however, had a different idea. He dropped his backpack and stripped, kicking his boots off.

“What are you doing?” Scarlett asked, worriedly scanning their surroundings.

Ezra laughed with a daring grin. “No one else is going to be crazy enough to come up here. And if they are? Fuck it.”

In nothing but his briefs, he let out a loud whoop and ran towards the lake.

Vince was surprisingly the next to strip, running out into the rain and splashing in the water.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Mateo chuckled.

Scarlett stared at him, then over to the lake. “What if someone catches them?”

“Then they’ll see three grown men acting like boys.” Mateo undressed to his underwear and kissed her cheek. “Just sit here and enjoy the view if you don’t feel comfortable joining us.”

The water was cool, not quite cold, and the rain still crashed down on them, with the waterfall being a white noise in the background.

Vince was throwing Ezra into the water as Mateo dove in headfirst. Usually, Vince was the more serious one of the three, but he was actually laughing at Ezra’s failed attempt to lift him and throw him too.

Mateo flipped onto his back and swam deeper into the lake, the rain pelting on his face.

When he turned back on his stomach to swim to the shore, he saw the most breathtaking sight.

Scarlett was in nothing but her bra and panties, her toes dipping into the water as she tried to cover herself with nothing but her arms. Ezra was right on it, swimming back to the shore to take her hand and guide her into the water.

Vince appeared at her other side and she took his arm, hugging herself to him while keeping hold of Ezra.

Mateo watched as he swam back to the shore. Even with her eyes still scanning their surroundings, she did seem to find this rather exciting. It may have been the most daring thing she’d ever done.

“This is what being alive feels like, princess,” Ezra purred, pulling her deeper into the water.

“Can you swim?” Vince asked rather worriedly.

“Yes, we had a pool and then the lake on our land.”

Ezra pulled until she was chest-deep, his voice rumbling over the rain crashing around them. “How about you show us how beautifully you can do it?”

Scarlett took one stroke, then another, swimming towards Mateo with her lips pulling up into a bright smile.

Ezra and Vince both followed behind her.

Mateo wasn’t sure how long they spent diving through the water with her.

All he knew was this was perfect. Even Vince—stone-faced fucking Vince—grinned like a kid in a candy store until Mateo was sure his cheeks ached.

Scarlett was the first to step out of the water and back to the hut, where they all had trouble wiggling back into their wet clothes.

Scarlett dressed first—with their help—and she was eager to return the assistance for each of them.

They ate their lunch, and Scarlett even managed a small nap on the table before they hiked back to the truck.