Page 22

Nestled deep within the rocky crevices of the San Jacinto Mountains, Angel Creek Trail was a farther drive and much less traveled than other hiking trails in town such as Tahquitz Canyon or Araby Trail.

When they arrived, the sun painted the desert landscape with hues of orange and pink against the rugged terrain, showing off the area’s beauty.

“You’re sure your knee is healed enough?” asked Endy, as they shouldered their day packs. She took a swig of water from her stainless steel water bottle.

Sebastian nodded. “Completely. Thanks for planning this hike; I haven’t been up here before.” The crunch of gravel beneath their hiking boots echoed through the stillness of the desert. “So far, it’s pretty stunning.”

They came upon a family plodding along slowly.

The young son ran ten feet forward, came back to his parents, then ran ahead again, kicking rocks along the way of the narrow path winding through the bunches of Joshua trees and gnarled shrubs.

The scent of sagebrush hung in the dry air, releasing its fragrant aroma as they passed by.

Sebastian reached out and took Endy’s hand, his long fingers entwining hers, then pulled her close and kissed her temple.

Tall wild grasses bordered the narrow trail, and the loose sand poofed up with each step they took.

The hills in front of them rose up brown and tan, the base lighter with yellow grasses and chunky gray boulders, and the occasional call of a distant bird was sharp in the quiet vastness.

Still following the family, Endy stopped in her tracks, squeezed Sebastian’s hand, and pointed midway up the hill at a cluster of rocks on the steep canyon walls.

“Do you see it?” she whispered. Looking to where she pointed, Sebastian smiled widely.

“Wow,” he exclaimed under his breath as they watched the bighorn sheep perched on a high boulder, watching them watch it. Nearby, other sheep blended into the hillside, taking small, sure steps toward the bighorn.

Sebastian turned to see if any other hikers followed them, ready to point out the impressive animals, but the trail behind them was empty.

When the bighorn sheep moved behind the rock, dropping out of their sight, Endy and Sebastian resumed hiking.

The trail meandered in front of them, through the desert expanse, the terrain gradually shifting from coarse gravel to softer sand.

The family in front of them tired early, the toddler already being carried on her father’s shoulders, and they soon turned back, smiling at Endy and Sebastian as they passed.

“Looks like the trail is all yours,” the father said, holding on to his daughter’s legs as they dangled on either side of his neck. “How far are you two going up?”

Sebastian raised his eyebrows at Endy and shrugged.

“Not too far,” Endy replied.

The father eyed Endy’s backpack. “Good. Looks like you planned for this crazy heat wave we’re having and have plenty of water.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Be careful and have fun.”

“We will.” Endy smiled. “We already are.”

The sun was making its way west across the sky, the distant outline of rugged mountains emerging on the horizon.

The dipping sun cast elongated shadows that danced across the trail, creating a mesmerizing play of light and dark.

And without the family in front of them, Endy and Sebastian picked up their pace.

After watching the family hike away, Endy gazed up at Sebastian. “Cute family,” she said. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”

Sebastian shook his head. “No, it’s just me—only child. How about you?” He opened his water bottle and took a long drink.

“I have an older sister who lives up in Washington. We’re pretty close, but I really only see her every couple of years, usually when I need a hand with moving.” She smiled. “In fact, she might be coming down here soon to help me pack.”

Endy explained to Sebastian that the owners of her casita were planning on selling their property in a couple of months, so she would be moving out soon.

“How do you feel about that?” asked Sebastian, pushing his hair back from his damp forehead. “About having to move out so soon?”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it,” Endy answered with a shrug.

“I’ll take a couple of days off from work, and my sister and I will pack up a half-dozen boxes and then spend the rest of the time in the pool with wine, catching up.

” After a couple of steps, she looked up at Sebastian.

“What about you? Do you move around a lot?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Sebastian said with a light chuckle. “I mean, I did move around quite a bit because my father was a foreign service diplomat, and we lived in a bunch of different places before I even got to middle school.”

“Seriously? How was that?”

“It was okay, mostly. A little tough being the new kid in the middle of a school year, that’s for sure.

But in the schools I went to, all the other kids were in the same position I was.

We all were often the new kid,” replied Sebastian.

“But if anything, friendships formed super quickly, because we never knew how long it would be until someone’s dad got transferred and they’d have to move again. ”

They rounded a curve in the trail and came upon an area where the vegetation was less dry, with green leaves stark against the usual browns. The air was cooler and carried a subtle moisture, a change from the start of the trail, and the rhythmic babbling of a distant creek sounded near.

Endy lifted the hem of her tank top and mopped at the sweat across her cheeks. “So you said you moved around a lot before middle school. What’d you do then?”

Sebastian swept his hand through the air, mimicking a tennis stroke. “Have you ever heard of sports academies?” He slid a glance at Endy. “One called IMG Academy?”

“In Florida? Yeah, a bunch of tennis pros trained there when they were young.”

“Well, me too.”

Endy gasped. “Oh my gosh, Sebastian. How did that—”

“My parents realized when I was around ten or so that I was more than decent at tennis. I’d been taking lessons pretty much my entire life, even when we lived in all those different countries.

” Sebastian shrugged. “But when I was going into middle school, my dad got this promotion that had him doing three-month stints all over the world for a few years, and my parents knew it was going to be hard on me. So we applied to IMG, and I was accepted to the boarding school and tennis program.” Sebastian paused, then said with a half smile, “I was about eleven when I moved there.”

“And how long …”

“Until I was eighteen and graduated from high school,” Sebastian said. “It was the longest I’d ever lived in one place.”

“That’s a really big deal,” replied Endy, her eyes wide with wonder. “ You must have been a big deal.” She stopped and looked up at Sebastian.

“Yes, Endy, I was a big deal. A very, very, very big deal.” He grinned and pulled her close, grabbing and tickling her. “Very …”

Endy slapped at Sebastian’s hands, her laughter ringing off the tight canyon walls. Sebastian leaned closer and kissed her lips, then pulled her tight and kissed down her neck.

“Oh, Sebastian,” murmured Endy. She reached up and with one hand, cupped his face, while she stared deep into his sky-blue eyes. Her thumb brushed across his lips, and she said, “I can’t wait for you to see it. We’re not far.”

Sebastian smiled and brushed back a strand of hair from Endy’s forehead. “Alright,” he agreed. “Let’s keep going.”

They continued hiking, with the trail tilting steeper and the gurgling of a stream growing louder. The scent of damp earth and the cool mist carried by a slight breeze lifted Endy’s hair off her sweaty neck. The trail rounded a huge granite boulder, sticking out from the wall of the canyon.

Endy jogged ahead of Sebastian and stopped in her tracks, an enormous smile on her face. She shrugged her backpack from her shoulders, dropping it to the ground.

“Ta-da! We’re here.”

Endy spread her arms wide and turned to face a majestic waterfall framed by towering rocks, thundering down from thirty feet above them.

The powerful water poured through an opening between two boulders, forming a sheet that splashed violently in the basin beneath it, loud and fierce.

Radiant sunbeams flared across the wall of granite, the bright reflection warming a small beach surrounding a crystal-clear pool.

“Wow, Endy,” exclaimed Sebastian, his face filled with awe.

“This is amazing!” He grabbed hold of Endy’s hand and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head, both of them gazing out to the waterfall.

He turned her face to his and brushed his lips against hers, then pulled her all the way around and pressed closer to her, kissing her more deeply.

Endy brushed her lips down Sebastian’s neck and nibbled behind his ear, getting a response from him that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a moan. She reached up and brushed a long strand of chocolate-brown hair from his forehead, and she ran her fingers down his cheek.

Endy grinned. “Come on! No one’s around; let’s go in.” She twisted away from Sebastian, pulling her tank top over her head. She stepped out of her hiking shoes and shorts and ran into the water. “Gah!” she shrieked. “Cold!”

Sebastian laughed as he lowered to the ground, untying his boots. By the time he’d tossed his shirt on the rock next to the basin and waded into the pool, he’d lost sight of Endy.

“Hey!” he yelled. “You okay? Where are you?” Sebastian moved smoothly toward the waterfall, taking long strides. “Endy?”

The water deepened so Sebastian had to tread while he searched the area beyond the falls. The water bounced up and sprayed his face as he swam. He gnawed at his lip, turning circles, searching for Endy.

And then he saw her.

In a shallow hollow, hidden from view behind the waterfall, Endy stood naked, glistening in a bright beam of golden sunlight.

Her long, dark hair cascaded, dripping over her shoulders, and she pulled it back with her arms upraised, her breasts shimmering wet, her nipples dark pink. She’d tossed her sports bra and panties onto a rock at the edge of the pool and stood waiting for him. Sebastian felt his breath quicken.

She looked at Sebastian from under her eyelashes.

“Someone told me that you were a big deal,” she said, running her tongue across her top lip. “Come here and show me how big.”

Day had barely broken when Sebastian pulled open Endy’s front door and stepped out. The air felt fresh and dry against his bare arms.

He stepped over Endy’s hiking shoes on the front steps.

They had kissed all the way from his parked car to her front door and started pulling off each other’s clothes as they came up the steps.

Frantic to get inside, Endy had kicked off her shoes, and they lay there overturned, the laces still knotted.

Sebastian picked them up and placed them neatly next to the front door before he sighed contentedly.

He stretched tall, extending his arms overhead. His body was sore, his muscles tired, and he knew he’d be running slower at that morning’s tennis match, but he smiled to himself. That’s what he got for staying the night with Endy and having sex three times, not including at the waterfall.

But he couldn’t keep his hands off her. She was an intoxicating blend of beauty and brains, and he couldn’t remember the last time that he’d laughed so much with someone.

When she smiled, her whole face lit up, and it made his heart swell to watch her.

All that, plus her exceptional skill in bed, had Sebastian completely spellbound.

It had been a long time since he’d felt so intensely about something …

or someone. The past couple of girls whom he’d dated longer than a few months had all been pretty chill at the beginning.

But after about the third date, they would each want more from him.

Except Sebastian felt like he didn’t have anything more to give.

Until this girl, Endy. If it were up to Sebastian, he’d spend every waking—and sleeping—minute with her.

Before even getting dressed, he had sent a text to her saying that he would be on Stadium Court playing mixed doubles with friends who were in town visiting. Maybe Endy could meet up with him after his match or later that day? He smiled, knowing she would wake up to a text from him.

Sebastian had pulled on his shorts and shirt and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Then he’d leaned over and kissed her forehead as she slept. Her eyelids had fluttered, and she let out this quiet sigh with a little smile. It had taken all his willpower to not crawl back into bed with her.

But he would talk to her later in the morning, and they would set up a time to see each other that day. And, hopefully, the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that.