Page 30 of Hide and Keep

“I don’t need to. As long as you’re fine, I’m—”

“Let me take a look.” She gets to her feet.

I take a step back. “Don’t pretend like you care.”

“I’m not.” She halts for just a moment before resuming her approach. “If you’re injured, I need to know now so I can call for help. I’m not dragging you out of here myself.”

Lifting my arms for me, she makes a show of inspecting each of them before shuffling around to my back.

Her fingers move my shirt, their tips brushing over my shoulders before coming to a rest between their blades. Even through the material, I sprout goose bumps from her gentle touch.

I get a weird sense of déjà vu as the forest seems to come to a standstill. It’s like Hide and Keep all over again, except not. Not the place, not the girl. Not the fucking same.

“Wouldn’t you rather call your dad and have me fired?” I say to break the silence.

Leaves crunch under Ever’s feet as she circles around to my front again.

“He wouldn’t fire you for this.”

“For putting you in danger? That’s exactly what I’m supposed to be preventing.”

A soft chuckle leaves her lips. “I’ve had five concussions, several bruised bones and sprained ankles, two broken wrists, muscle strains in my hips, back, and legs. You could name any position on the football team and I can guarantee you I’ve been hit by at least one of them on the sidelines. I’ve been dropped from eight feet up, fourteen feet up, higher, in more hospital rooms than movie theaters, and busted my nose on more faces than I’ve kissed or will ever hope to kiss in my lifetime. If physical pain,myphysical pain, was my father’s concern…” Her eyebrows plummet before she arches one. “He would’ve stopped it a long time ago.”

“Cheerleading?”

Busy searching my face, she only nods.

Damn. I didn’t even get hurt that much from wrestling.

“Why do you do it?”

Those azure eyes lift from my chin, connecting with mine as she whispers, “Because the only time I’m free is when I’m flying.”

Her rib tattoo.

“That small amount of time is worth the risk?”

She steps away, her gaze falling to the ground between us.

“Every second.” Turning, she points, and says, “The house is back that way.”

“I’ll follow you.”

“I’m not done with my run.”

“Then neither am I.”

Glancing down at her bare wrist, she smacks her lips. “Would you look at the time. It’s been exactly two hours. You got tape to remove.”

“My rig has pink fucking flames on it, you really think I give a fuck if the lines are crisp?”

“Look, I just want to get a run in, then I’ll go back to the manor. I need to unpack anyway.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Are you scared I’m going to fuck someone out here?” Her arms out at her sides, she spins in a slow circle. “There’s no onetofuck. Believe me. The neighbors on both sides of us are in their sixties and seventies.”

“I don’t believe you.”

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