Page 80 of Meant to Be

“We’re going for a run. There’s no way I’m wearing my hair down while I run. It’s too hot.”

“I have something to cool you off.” I pressed a kiss just beneath her ear.

“N-no!” she shivered at the same time she protested. “None of that.” She dodged the next kiss I went to place on her neck, turning to me and putting her arms around my neck. “We’re leaving the house today. It’s much too beautiful out to remain cooped up indoors.”

The playful smile at her lips was enough to make me give her anything she wanted. “Fine. I’ll be getting my hands in your hair at some point today.”

“Ouch!” she yelped after I slapped her ass.

I grinned and laughed as she slapped me on the arm. “Careful, don’t hurt yourself on those biceps.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, thank you for what you did for Sandra,” she beamed.

I frowned, not remembering what she was even referring to at first. “No big deal,” I answered when the memory finally surfaced.

“Itisa big deal. She called the office so happy yesterday to have gotten the job at the new firm. And she’s making more money which she’s happy about.”

“That’s great.” It really hadn’t been an imposition. I passed the woman’s resume along to an attorney friend of mine whose firm was looking for a new paralegal. “She had an impressive resume.”

“Yeah, she’d said at one point she was on the track to go to law school.” Kayla bit her lip and shifted her gaze in a way that told me there was more to the story than that. But since I knew she wasn’t going to offer up anymore details about her patient, I took her by the arm.

“Let’s go. It takes about an hour to get to where the trail is.”

She squinted her eyes in a way that damn near had me growling. All of her facial expressions got under my skin. Which made me want to get underherclothes. “You never said we were going out so far. I thought we were going for a run around here.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t trust me?” I reached out and smacked her ass again just because.

She giggled. “Of course I do.” She shrugged. “Just wondering.”

“You have any other plans today?”

She gave me a deadpan expression. “You know what I’m doing with the rest of my damn day.”

I smirked. She was spending the day with me. I would’ve preferred if it were naked in my bed but that wasn’t the case. My parents had arrived home after their two week vacation, so that meant dinner at Townsend Manor.

“What the hell are you smirking about?” Kay questioned, hand on her hip, breaking into my thoughts.

“Just remembering how I got you to agree to accompanying me to Mother’s dinner.”

She ducked her head, bashfully.

“Let’s go.” I held the door open for her and again watched her ass in the spandex shorts as she walked past me. It was going to be a great day.

****

Kayla

“I thought we were going for a run but it’s a perfect day for a hike,” I commented, my eyes raised to the crisp blue sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and the trees along the trail we walked provided just enough shade to keep the sun from beating off our backs.Chelsea would’ve loved this,I thought. That thought actually brought a smile to my lips. The guilt was still there, but I swallowed it down.

“Reminds me of this tiny community right outside of Portland. I lived there for a little bit.”

“How long?” Josh glanced over his shoulder to ask.

“Few months,” I answered carelessly, still looking around at the sights. If I had been paying attention I would’ve spotted the fact that Joshua had stopped walking to stare at me curiously. “Oops!” I yelped just after bumping into him.

“Why’d you leave?” His eyes were narrowed in a way that led me to believe the question was more layered than a simple inquiry.

I shrugged, peering over his shoulder. “I missed home, I guess.”