Page 106 of These White Lies

I grin, slow and deliberate, feeding off her glare. “You’ll slow us down. No way we’re back before dark if you try to keep pace.”

“I can keep up just fine,” she snaps, chin high.

I fold my arms across my chest, and let the silence stretch until it’s almost unbearable. “Two options. Over my shoulder or piggyback.”

She gapes. “Excuse me?”

Before she can launch the tirade I see forming, I step in close, grip her waist, and sling her over my shoulder, making sure herweight is on her uninjured side. She yelps, twisting, but I’ve got her.

“Put me down!” she growls, fists beating at my back.

I slap her ass, and then keep my palm there, squeezing for good measure just because I can. “Just keeping you safe. All part of the job.”

Her entire body stiffens. “You absolute—ugh!” She writhes, but when she realizes it’s useless, she goes limp with a dramatic, surrendering sigh. “Fine. But I’m going to throw up all over your back this way.”

“Sexy.”

“Seriously, put me down. I’ve chosen option two.”

I chuckle and set her back on her feet. She gives me a look so imperious I half expect a crown to appear on her damp hair.

She arches her brows high and points down at the muddy grass. “If you’re going to be of service,” she declares, “you need to get on your knees so I can climb on.”

Her words fire through my veins, and my blood rushes to my cock so fast I’m light headed.Fuck not now!I command my body to behave. “I’m more than happy to service you on my knees, baby, if that’s what you need right now, but I really think we should see if there is anything in the tree.”

My grin widens when her cheeks flush bright pink.

“Just crouch down,” she growls.

I smirk and her cheeks turn even more red.

“So, I can climb on your back.”

“Your wish is my command.” I bend down, and she clambers onto my back, legs hooking at my sides. I lock my hands around her thighs, her warmth searing through my T-shirt.

She tugs on my hair like reins. “Mush.”

“That’s for dogs.”

“Whatever.” She waves her hand in front of us. “Beast of burden—get going.”

Laughter rips out of me, and she shakes with her own amusement against me, her breath hot on the back of my neck. Warmth spreads through my chest and my lungs expand. Despite the heavy mud splattering my jeans, the storm, and the danger always lurking, I don’t give a damn—because I’d carry her anywhere if it meant I got to hear that beautiful free sound again.

It takes longer than it normally would to reach the tree, and while we walk, Elizabeth points at different landmarks on the way, regaling me with stories of her childhood. She sounds happy and relaxed as she describes how she and her cousins ran wild here as small children.

The tree appears below us as we crest the small rise—a towering oak, its branches wide and casting shadows in the overcast light. From a distance, it looks solid, but as we draw closer, I see the warping in its trunk.

I lower her to her feet again, so she can walk the last hundred feet or so to the tree at the water’s edge. The air is humid after the storm, and the insects are chittering all around us in a light breeze. Elizabeth’s steps slow, her gaze fixed on the tree. She comes to a stop, arms wrapped loosely across her stomach.

“You good?”

She nods. “I just didn’t expect it to look so… peaceful. Considering…”

Itispeaceful, and it’s easy to understand why this is one of her favorite places. Too peaceful for the reason we’re here.

I reach for her hand and thread my fingers through hers, brushing my thumb over the soft skin between her knuckles.

Elizabeth drags her eyes from the tree and looks up at me. “I thought it would be harder, I feel guilty that it isn’t.” The breath she lets out is almost a laugh. “The girl who stood in this exact spot and said yes to Keith—She’s gone. Or maybe she’s just…” She tilts her head, and grimaces.