Page 7 of Burning Mountains

Henodded, reaching out to tuck a strand of wet hair behind my ear. "Avery good thing.IthinkImight be developing a fondness for wildflowers."

Wesat side by side, watching the sun paint the sky in brilliant oranges and pinks.Itwas likeBobRosshad gone wild with his happy little clouds.Thebeauty of it all suddenly overwhelmed me, andIfelt tears prick at my eyes.

"Hey,"Axelsaid softly, noticing my change in mood. "What'swrong?"

Ishook my head, trying to find the words. "It'sjust... all of this.It'sso beautiful, so perfect.AndIthink about howI'msupposed to be at the lodge right now, schmoozing clients and securing contracts.WhatifI'veruined everything?WhatifIgo back and find out they've replaced me with a wedding-planningAI?"

Axelwas quiet for a moment, his arm around my shoulders. "Zoe," he finally said, "Ipromise you, we'll get you to that lodge.Andwhen we do, you're gonna blow them away with your ideas.Butright now, in this moment, you're exactly where you're supposed to be.Unlessyou believe in parallel universes, in which case there's probably a version of you giving a kickass presentation right now.Andanother one who's a pirate.Justsaying."

Ilooked up at him, struck by the certainty in his voice.Hiseyes were intense, filled with something that made my breath catch.Slowly, giving me every chance to pull away, he leaned in.

Whenhis lips met mine, it was like a wildfire igniting.Allthe tension, all the attraction that had been building since the moment we met, exploded into this kiss.Itwas hotter than a jalapeno wrapped in bacon and deep-fried in magma.Hishand cupped my face, thumb stroking my cheek as he deepened the kiss.Imelted into him, my fingers tangling in his hair.Ifthis was a dream,Iwas going to hunt down anyone who tried to wake me up.

Therough stubble of his beard brushed against my skin.Hisscent - a heady mix of pine, leather, and something uniquelyAxel- enveloped me, making my head spin.Icould taste the hint of coffee on his lips, mingling with the sweetness of the mountain air.Itwas like the best cappuccino ever, but with more tongue.

Myheart raced, pounding so hardIwas sure he could feel it against his chest.Everynerve ending in my body seemed to come alive, hyper-aware of every point where we touched.Thewarmth of his body seeped into mine, chasing away the mountain chill and replacing it with a heat that threatened to consume me.Itwas like being wrapped in the world's sexiest electric blanket.

Itwas earth-shattering, mind-blowing, every clichéI'dever read about in romance novels.Whenwe finally broke apart, both of us breathing heavily,Ifelt like my whole world had shifted on its axis.Mylegs trembled, andIgripped his shoulders to steady myself, feeling the solid strength of his muscles beneath my fingers.Ifthis was what kissingAxeldid to me, actual sex might kill me.Butwhat a way to go!

Ilooked up into his eyes, seeing them dark with desire, a mirror of the hungerIfelt coursing through my own body.Mylips tingled, already missing the pressure of his kiss.Asmall whimper escaped me, andIwatched asAxel'spupils dilated further at the sound.

"Zoe," he breathed, his voice husky and low, sending another wave of heat through me.Hishand moved to the small of my back, pulling me closer, andIcould feel every hard plane of his body against mine.Therealization of how perfectly we fit together made my breath catch in my throat.

Inthat moment, surrounded by the majestic beauty of the mountains but lost in the depths ofAxel'sgaze,Iknew with startling clarity that nothing would ever be the same again.Thiskiss, this man, had irrevocably changed me, awakening parts of myselfInever knew existed.Itwas likeI'dbeen living in black and white, andAxelhad suddenly introduced me toTechnicolor.

"Wow,"Iwhispered, my forehead resting against his. "Isthat what they mean by 'getting high in the mountains'?Becauseif so,IthinkI'maddicted."

Axelchuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. "Yeah.Wow.Ithink we just redefined 'natural high'."

Asthe last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains, reality began to creep back in.WhatwasIdoing?Ibarely knew this man.Ihad a life, a career inDenver.Thiswasn't part of the plan.Myfive-year plan, my vision board, and my color-coded life calendar were all screaming in unison.

Ipulled back slightly, confusion and conflict warring inside me.Axelseemed to sense my turmoil, his hand gently squeezing mine.

"Hey," he said softly, "we should probably head back before it gets too dark.Idon't fancy explaining to search and rescue how we got lost playing tonsil hockey."

Inodded, grateful for the reprieve.Aswe packed up our picnic and began the hike back to the cabin, my mind raced.Whatdid this mean?WhatwasIgoing to do?WasIreally considering throwing away my carefully constructed life for a manI'djust met?

"You'rethinking so loud,Ican practically hear the gears grinding,"Axelsaid, breaking into my internal panic spiral. "Wantto share with the class?OrshouldIjust assume you're planning your escape route?IpromiseI'mnot actually a secret axe murderer, despite the name."

Ilaughed, the sound a bit hysterical even to my own ears. "Justhaving a minor existential crisis, no big deal.Youknow, the usual 'city girl meets mountain man, has mind-blowing kiss,questions entire life choices' dilemma.I'mpretty sure there's aLifetimemovie about this exact scenario."

Axelstopped, turning to face me.Hisexpression was serious, but there was a twinkle in his eye that made my heart do a little flip. "Look,Zoe,Iknow this is crazy.Webarely know each other, and you've got a whole life waiting for you back inDenver.ButIcan't deny there's something here."Hegestured between us. "Somethingthat feels more real than anythingI'veexperienced in a long time.AndI'mnot just talking about the life-threatening situations we shared."

Isnorted, remembering the falling tree and our near-miss with hypothermia. "Nothingsays romance like narrowly avoiding death, right?"

"Exactly," he grinned. "Butseriously,I'mnot asking you to uproot your entire life.I'mjust asking for a chance.Achance to see where this could go.Whoknows?Maybeyou'll decideI'mjust a sexy distraction and you'll run screaming back to civilization.Ormaybe..."

"Maybewhat?"Iprompted, my heart in my throat.

"Maybeyou'll realize that sometimes the best things in life are the ones we don't plan for.Theones that come out of nowhere and knock us on our ass.Orin your case, nearly crush us with a tree."

Ilaughed. "You'renever going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nota chance," he winked. "It'snot every day a beautiful woman literally falls into my life."

Aswe resumed our hike, hand in hand,Ifelt something settle in my chest.Thepanic was still there, but it was muted now,overshadowed by a growing sense of excitement.MaybeAxelwas right.Maybethe best things in life were the unplanned ones.

Andreally, what was the worst that could happen?Okay, bear attack.Orfalling off a cliff.Ordying of embarrassment whenIinevitably did something citified and stupid.Butaside from those things, what didIhave to lose?

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