Page 45 of Maneater

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Jeff says, looking at his watch, where the ten-minute timer he set clearly still reads two more minutes. “All right, everybody, let’s get going.”

She’s at the front of the group with Jeff, chatting with him, and he’s smiling down at her like she is sunshine personified, and my hands are starting to cramp from the fists I’ve curled them into.

What was supposed to be a way to clear my head has only muddled it more, and I need this hike to be over so I can head back to my office, figure out who is sabotaging my hotel, and get the fuck off this island.

It’s while I’m mentally plotting out the rest of my day that it happens.

I watch as Josie steps over a patch of the trail that looks a bit more leaf-covered than the rest of it and instantly loses her balance. She stumbles, her shoe looking like it’s rolling smoothly over something and making it impossible to catch her footing before she fallsoff the trail, a chorus of shocked gasps following her as she does. Jeff falls as well, a pained cry coming from him as he hits the ground with a sickening thud.

But I barely take note of that as I watch Josie collapse into the dirt, her eyes going dazed. In a heartbeat, I’m pushing past guests quickly, rushing to get to her side to check on her.

“Josie!” I shout as people move to the side, letting me through.I need to get to her. It’s all that’s moving through my mind as she slowly moves, shifting to her elbows. I avoid the mess she fell on before getting to my knees next to her.

Tucking an arm beneath her shoulder, I help her sit up slowly. “Shit, Josie. Are you okay?” My heart is pounding with panic and concern as I look into her slightly dazed eyes.

“I…Yeah. I think so,” she says, her voice unsteady. I don’t think she hit her head, but everything happened so quickly, I’m not sure.

I look into her eyes to check for a concussion, though I have no actual idea how you check for that. I’m a fucking businessman, not a doctor, though in this moment, I’m regretting every life choice that led to me not being able to help her right now.

“Are you sure? How many fingers am I holding up?” I ask. The group has moved to surround Jeff, who is continuing to cry, whispers ofit’s brokencoming to my ears, but I only have eyes on Josie as I lift two fingers.

“Seven,” she says confidently, and my heart sinks to the ground.

“Fuck,” I whisper, reaching for my phone in my pocket. “You must have hit your head. I?—”

She lets out a laugh and shakes her head, sitting up fully without my help and bending her wrist, which I think caught her fall. She winces a bit, and I grab it, fingers grazing over skin to check for swelling that I don’t find. But still, I don’t let go of her warm hand, instead wrapping it in my own.

“I’m joking,” she says. “You had two fingers up.”

I groan and close my eyes, my head dropping as a mix of irritation and relief rushes through me.

She’s okay.

She’s okay, and I know that because she’s fucking with me still.

“Don’t be cute,” I mumble, a hand moving to the stray lock of hair that’s escaped from her ponytail and tucking it behind her ear.

“You think I’m cute?”

I smile because I can’t help it. It’s probably the adrenaline, the relief that she’s okay, making me soft. Even in this state, she can’t fight the urge to taunt and tease me.

And I think it’s about time I admit I really fucking like it.

“I thinkyouthink you’re cute,” I say, because it wouldn’t beusif I let her get away with her shit. She sits up a bit more, continuing to flex her wrist and ankles as if checking if she’s okay.

“That’s because Iamcute.I’m more worried about whatyouthink of me.”

I release her wrist when I’m satisfied that there isn’t anything broken before moving a hand to her chin and tipping her face up to look at me, checking for dilated pupils.

Or so I attempt to convince myself of.

“Yeah, Josie. I think you’re cute, but you already knew that.”

She smiles, the radiance of it easing something in my chest that tightened when I saw her fall. Without meaning to, my thumb grazes her cheekbone gently, and she leans into my touch. “I didn’t hit my head. I’m…I think I’m okay. Jeff, though…”

She tries to look over at him, but I hold on to her jaw, forcing her to look at me.

“I don’t give a fuck about Jeff right now. I care if you’re okay.”