Page 89 of Hunted

“Darla? Are you up there?” Kingsley’s voice yells up from below.

I peer down and see him searching for me. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“Stay there, I’m coming up.”

“Uh… are you sure that’s wise? I don't want you to fall!” I call back, worried for his safety.

“Have a little faith in me!”

I stay quiet as I watch him slowly climb up until he’s sitting on the branch beside mine, his back to the tree trunk as he tries to catch his breath.

“I could have come down to see, you know? What about your shoes?” I point to his expensive looking blue sneakers.

“I know, but you came up here for a reason. I didn’t want to pull you from that. Besides, if I damage these, I can replace them.”

I nod and lean back against the trunk. His hand finds mine and we lace our fingers together, listening to the jungle sounds from my phone and staring into the surrounding yards.

After a few minutes, he finally asks, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” I ask, my body tensing.

Please don’t ask me about last night.

“About why you’re out here, sitting in a tree, listening to jungle sounds.”

“Oh. That.”

“You miss it, don’t you?” he asks gently. I don't answer right away and he prods. “It’s okay if you do.”

“Is it?” I ask, turning to face him.

“Of course. As crazy and dangerous and lonely as it may have been, it was all you knew for such a long time. Change can be extremely difficult. Even good change.”

“Do you think I’ll ever get used to it?”

“Yes.” He says it so quickly, it’s like he has no doubt at all. “It might take a while, but you definitely will. You lived in this world once before, don’t forget. Besides, what you need to realize is that if there is anything you don’t like, or you want to change, we can make it happen.”

I scan his face, trying to figure out what he’s saying.

“What do you mean?”

“Darla, I’m not sure if you realized, but not only are three of your boyfriends incredibly rich, but you also have a large inheritance that Reece is working to get back into your name. So, if you don’t like this house, or this yard, or hell, even this town, we’ll find us a better one.”

“Just like that? You’d sell the house and move to another city because I asked you to?”

He shifts his body to face me, reaching out his spare hand and running his thumb down my cheek. “Darla, I’d do anything you ask of me.”

Sweet baby sneakers!What was a girl supposed to say to that? I lean towards him but quickly remember where we are as I glance down at the ground.

I frown at the gap between us, wondering if this is the first time I’ve ever wished I wasn’t in a tree. If we were on the ground, I could show him what his words mean to me. I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve been close to Kingsley, besides sleeping beside each other and a couple of kisses. We haven’t even been able to be intimate since the island.

I might be having Kingsley withdrawal. Is that a thing? I’ll have to google it on my phone. But not now. Right now, I need to fill that craving.

“Let’s go inside,” I say as I start to climb down.

“Oh, sure.” He sounds surprised, but he follows me, anyway. We’re silent as we make our way to the ground. I wait for him at the base of the tree, and when he plants both feet firmly on the ground, he turns to me and starts to ask, “Why did y—”

I don’t let him finish his sentence as I push him back against the tree trunk and press up onto my toes, my fingers gripping the back of his neck and pulling his mouth down to meet mine. He startles for a second but after I lick at the seam of his mouth, he finally gets it. He bends down and hoists me up by my thighs, spinning us so my back is now against the tree.