Page 53 of Keep On Loving You

“You’re amazing, Kat.” He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “You are absolutely incredible. Your dad would be so freakin’ proud of you.”

She sobbed against his chest, and Andy just held her, letting her work through her emotions. The act of completing such a challenging hike was emotional in itself. But the reason they were there in the first place added a whole different element, and he knew it was hitting her hard.

After a few minutes, Kat looked up at him with her tear-streaked face and smiled a little. “We did it.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head a little. “I’m not going to lie. There were a few times I wasn’t sure we were going to make it.”

Andy used his thumb to wipe a tear from her cheek, and her eyes fluttered open again. “I never doubted you for a second, Kitty Kat.”

He’d held himself back long enough. There wasn’t a chance he could hold out any longer. Andy lowered his face to hers and kissed her deeply.

The moment his lips touched hers, his whole world spun the way it always did when they connected. But this time it was different. This time, as he lost himself in the taste of her and the feel of her lips on his, he felt himself falling in an entirely different way. Maybe it was the thrill of the accomplishment, or the sheer exhaustion in his body, or that they were standing on the top of a mountain with the most amazing view all around them—but whatever it was, kissing Kat and holding her in his arms felt like forever.

And that was going to be a real problem.

The trip back down the mountain only took about half the time going up did, and a whole lot less effort. Which was a good thing, because Kat had nothing left in her.

And not just physically. Emotionally, she was also completely wrung out.

Getting to the peak of the mountain had been a lot more emotional than she’d expected it to be. Maybe because the bungee jumping, although exhilarating, hadn’t given her the same feeling. Something about being on the top of a mountain that her father had always wanted to climb, but didn’t have a chance to, hit her differently.

The moment Kat stepped onto the top and threw her hands up in the air, the emotions crashed through her. Her father should have been there with her. They should have been able to accomplish that feat together the way they’d planned.

The reality that she would never be able to do something so special with her father ever again slammed into her.

Thankfully Andy had been there to catch her and let her cry. Just the way he had been for the last few weeks.

He’d been a constant presence in her life, and Kat knew, logically, it couldn’t last—for so many reasons. Not the least of which was that he wasn’t even supposed to be in Trickle Creek. He was only there temporarily, to help her with the list. And maybe it was that temporary status that had giventhem the false sense of security that had let them slip so easily into a…whatever it was they were doing.

Kat stopped and watched Andy for a moment while he deftly jumped from rock to rock in order to keep his boots dry while he crossed the last stream before they reached their parked vehicle.

When he was across, Andy turned and caught her watching him. “What are you looking at?”

“You.”

“Oh yeah?” He smiled and crossed his strong arms over his chest. “And you like what you see?”

He was teasing and trying to keep things between them light, because wasn’t that exactly what they did? Nothing between them was real or serious. She was responsible for that.

Kat blew out a breath and forced a lightness into her voice. “I mean, I was just thinking that you looked a little old.”

“Old?”

She laughed. “Well, you are older than me. I’d say you’re kind of an old man.”

“Is that right?”

Even with the creek between them, Kat could see the flash in his eyes. Before she knew it, he was splashing through the creek, headed straight for her.

“Would an old man be able to do this?”

She squealed and tried to run, but she was too late. Andy scooped her up easily and tossed her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing. He held her in place with his bighands and Kat wiggled against his grip, but didn’t try in any real way to get free. Because not only was Andy holding her, but she was getting a free ride across the stream, and given that her legs were about to give out on her after the strenuous hike, she was definitely not in a position to turn that down.

When Andy finally put her down in front of the car a few minutes later, she gave him a sassy grin. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime, Kitty Kat.”

It didn’t matter how many times he used her pet name, it did something to her. And like a secret password, it was all she needed to hear to ignore any of the negative thoughts that continually tried to creep in.

She stood on her tippy-toes and pressed her lips to his. Andy responded by pushing her gently up against the side of the car and deepening their kiss with a groan that held the promise of a whole lot more to come.

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