Page 22 of Igniting Sparks

She jumps to her feet and leans over, placing a finger under my chin and directing my gaze at her. “You most definitely do.”

I half expect her to kiss me, but she prances down the trail a few steps before shooting a coy grin over her shoulder. “Come on, Hammond. Let’s see if you can keep up.”

The woman is fire and sunshine, all wrapped in a tornado of enthusiasm that is highly contagious.

No way she doesn’t realize the effect she exerts on the male population.

Hell, she’s spouting line after line and I’m over here, blushing like a schoolgirl. Which is ridiculous, because I’m hardly virginal.

I’ve had sex—and no, we will not tally the total number—but let’s just say I’ve logged plenty of hours between thesheets. And against walls. On pool tables. In pools. A few questionable rooftops.

Suffice it to say, there’s not much I haven’t done.

And yet this twenty-five-year-old beauty—a woman who is far too young for me to consider—has me twisted up in knots.

Question is, does she realize what she’s doing to me? And what’s her end game?

More importantly, what’s mine?

“Ouch, shit.” Mina’s muttered curse catches my attention, and I jog to where she’s sitting on the path, clutching her ankle.

“You okay?” I push her sock down, gently palpating along her ankle. “Do you think you can stand on it?”

Mina grits her teeth, a hiss escaping as she struggles to her feet. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’s not that far back to the house.”

“It’s over a mile.”

“What are my options, Braden? As pretty as this area is, I don’t want to stay here and become wolf food.” She winces as she gingerly puts her foot down. “Come on, let’s go.”

Do I admire Mina’s stalwart stance? Of course. But there’s not a chance in hell I’m letting her hobble down the mountain.

“Absolutely not.” I hand her my water bottle. “Hold this.”

“How come?”

“Because,” I reply, swinging her into my arms, “I’m holding you.”

She loops her arm around my neck, her azure eyes finding mine. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. Besides, I want to show off how big and strong I am.”

“Trust me, Braden, I already figured that out.”

Time slows in that moment, as the smiles fall from our faces and one thought supersedes all the rest.

I want to kiss her again.

But this time, I won’t stop. I won’t be able to hold back the emotions building daily toward her.

Seems Mother Nature has other plans for the afternoon.

A wind whistles down the path and Mina shivers, burrowing closer into my arms. “What happened to the sun?”

A quick glance toward the ridge answers her question. “There’s a storm rolling in. Hang on, sweets, I’m going to try to beat the rain.”

Thankfully, I know this path like the back of my hand, and we reach the back door just as the first fat raindrops hit the ground.

“Talk about perfect timing,” Mina replies as I ease her down in the foyer. “Are you okay?”