Page 75 of Never Will I Ever

“Without breaking?”

“Seeing as we don’t exceed the weight limit, I think we’re pretty safe,” I say with a laugh.

And with that, I slide into the opening and go into zero-gravity mode with my feet dangling out over the edge. I scoot a little to one side, making space for him to join me, but he still doesn’t look convinced. In fact, he looks even more apprehensive as his teeth sink into his lower lip.

“What about—”

“Avery,” I cut in, arching a brow. “Would you just trust me and get in the fucking hammock?”

Despite his apparent reservation, Avery turns and slowly sinks back into the fabric beside me. It dips under his weight and expands to make room for him.

“See. Told you it’d be fine.”

He opens his mouth to argue—it’s clear from the gleam in his eyes—but I’m quick to clamp my hand over his mouth, effectively smothering the thought before it dares to leave his lips.

“The only thing I wanna hear out of that mouth of yours is that I’m right,” I tease.

The playfulness quickly dies, though, replaced with a building tension from the heat of his breath coasting over my skin. One glance at him tells me he’s feeling it too, his eyes flaring with desire.

Slowly, I pull my hand away from his lips and drop it to my lap.

“My bad,” I murmur, feeling a little sheepish and a whole lot embarrassed.

“All good,” he whispers back, his voice a little hoarse before he clears his throat. “But you don’t get to sayI told you sountil we’re both out of this thing without it splitting at the seams.”

“I’ll have it ready and waiting, then.”

A comfortable silence falls over while the sun sinks lower in the sky, hitting the horizon and casting shades of orange and pink against the clouds lingering overhead. The colors almost seem to dance against them, swaying and shifting with every passing minute.

I’m not sure how long we stay like that, simply existing while nature puts on a show for us. I just know it’s a peace I haven’t felt in a long time. Maybe ever.

I’m glad it’s one I get to share with him.

“Thanks for bringing me up here,” he says, almost as if he were reading my mind.

Glancing over, I find him looking at me with a crooked little grin. One I can’t help matching.

“Thanks for joining me.”

“As if I was going to pass up a two-day weekend,” he mutters with an eye roll.

I laugh lightly. “Don’t act like those kids aren’t growing on you.”

“Yeah, like this beard is growing on you?”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “It’s not that long. I’ve definitely had it grown out more than this.”

“I like it,” he murmurs. Lifting his hand, his fingers trace the line of my jaw where the stubble has grown into more of a scruff. “It’s a different look than I’m used to seeing on you. It’s…sexy.”

The humming in my veins intensifies to an uncomfortable level at his compliment, and I don’t know what to do with it. Just likeI don’t know what to do with whateverthisis between us.

All I know is it’s begun taking on a life of its own…and I don’t exactly hate it.

A low laugh comes from me, and I turn away. “I’m probably looking like a lumberjack or some shit.”

“Oh, with the flannel and bomber? Absolutely.” He tilts my face back toward him, and I catch a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he keeps playing with my facial hair. “But you make it work, somehow.”

The tension crackling between us is more palpable than it was before, ebbing and flowing like an electric current I can’t quite snap free from. Part of me doesn’t want to bother trying.

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