Page 86 of The Illicit Play

“My legs are complaining, and getting up that hill made me feel like my lungs were about to explode, but that’s my fault for not exercising on the regular.”

My lips twitch. “And here I was thinking you were one of those gym bunnies or Pilates princesses.”

She scoffs. “Yeah, right. I’m the study nerd who’s allergic to sweat, didn’t you know that?”

I gaze at her glistening skin and the red hue on her cheeks and can’t help murmuring, “Could have fooled me. Sweat looks good on you, Wilson.”

Her blue gaze lights with appreciation, and fuck, I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know how I’m looking at her right now, but I’m probably giving away far too much.

Clearing my throat, I spin before I say anything else that’s gonna get me in trouble.

“Sweat looks good on you too,” she softly says behind me, and I pick up my pace, needing to create a little more space between us.

I slow it down after a couple of minutes when I can sense how hard she’s trying to keep up with me.

Shit, she’s fire.

And I’m gonna get so fucking burned in this forest.

Keep it together, man. You can do this!

“Ooo! What’s that?” Her excited voice distracts me, and I happily launch into a detailed explanation of the wildlife she just saw scurrying away into the forest.

I’ve studied every animal out here, and it’s easy to rattle off the facts as we plod along the trail.

The farther we go, the denser the surrounding trees and bush will get. The hike I planned and logged on the website is taking us into parts of these woods that are hardly ever touched. I feel safe doing it, because I’ve done it so many times before. I love choosing trails that are only touched by the seasoned hikers and hunters in the area.

Blake’s gonna get a taste of what it really means to “go off-grid,” and I’m stoked that I get to experience all of her firsts with her.

She seems so fascinated by what I’m telling her that I keep the conversation going and answer every one of her questions. She keeps saying how stunning and beautiful it all is, and holy shit, if I didn’t like her before, I most definitely do now.

Pulling out her phone yet again, she ends up snapping a bunch more shots as we crest the next hill, then head down toward the lake. It takes us even longer than I expected, but I don’t mind so much because none of thephotos are selfies. This girl is all about capturing nature, adjusting aperture and fiddling with her phone app until she gets the lighting just right.

When we break out into a clearing that will be tonight’s campsite, she actually gasps, running to the edge of the lake and taking what feels like a hundred shots. The mountains in the distance are highlighted by the early-afternoon sun, the snow on the peaks glistening, the blue-sky backdrop turning it into a picture-postcard view.

“Holy shit, this is amazing!” She glances back to gape at me. “Are you seeing this?”

“Yep.” I grin and can’t help stopping to watch her. I know this view by heart, but her, I’m still memorizing. I know I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help myself.

She’s decked out in hiking attire, looking like a model for the REI catalog, and it’s a freaking turn-on. Those skintight yoga pants with the clunky hiking boots? Yep, it totally does it for me.

Forcing my gaze away, I unclip my pack and let it slide off my shoulders as she finally slips her phone back into her pocket and steps toward me.

“I’m gonna run out of juice before the end of this hike, aren’t I?” Her lips form a quick pout. “How am I gonna capture it all?”

“I’ve got a power bank you can use, but I’d also turn it off at night to save as much battery as you can.”

“Okay.” She grins, pulling out her phone again to take a quick shot of me.

“Don’t waste your battery on me.”

“It’s not a waste.” She gazes at the screen with a little smile that’s both unnerving and enticing.

Shit, she thinks I’m hot.

The feeling is mutual, girl!

With a soft sigh, she turns back to stare at the lake again. “Seriously, this place is insane. I’ve never seen untouched beauty like it before.”