Page 44 of Luke

"He's the oldest, right?"

"Yeah. And like your sister, James became a surrogate father for all of us when my dad was busy with his businesses. He was often a pain in the ass, but I appreciate his efforts more now."

As the trail narrowed, they moved into single file. He urged Lizzie in front of him because he wanted to look at her as much as he could. The others might be caught up in the wonders of Yosemite, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. Nor could he seem to stop the stream of memories that followed her every step, the sway of her hips reminding him of more intimate moments between them…moments that he wanted again.

She flung him a quick look over her shoulder. "How are you doing back there?"

"Great," he said. "You don't look too unhappy."

"It is nice to be outside." She paused as the group ahead slowed down to maneuver their way around some large boulders. "Today is not my normal kind of workday, and I must admit I'm enjoying the break. What about you?"

"I'm enjoying you," he said, the words coming out before he could stop them.

Surprise and something else flashed through her eyes. "You shouldn't say things like that—not here, not now."

"So later?"

"I didn't say that."

"You only said here and now; that implies later is a possibility."

"When did you get so interested in semantics?" she challenged.

"Since about ten seconds ago," he said with a grin. "Keep moving, Lizzie. We'll talk about all this later."

"Or not," she said, following the group around the rocks.

The hike was an easy one by his standards, although the last mile was somewhat steeper in nature, and there were several narrow places to get through. At one point, Lizzie stumbled over a rock, and he immediately grabbed her arm.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she said.

He ran his hand down her arm, his fingers latching around hers. She gave him a wary look.

"For safety," he lied.

She didn't look like she believed him, but she left her hand in his, and then he was the one wishing he hadn't made the move. Because he liked holding her hand; he liked walking through nature with her; he liked just being with her.

There was a good chance they could both get burned again—but not now, not today.

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