Page 12 of False Assumptions

He didn’t speak, but kept his eyes trained ahead. Layla found herself glancing up at him, examining the set of his jaw, the dark stubble there making her think he hadn’t shaved today.

After a few minutes without him making any flirty comments like she’d expected, or even looking at her, she started to relax. Maybe she’d misjudged him. Or he’d taken her request this week to tone down the flirting seriously. Whatever the case, he seemed to just want to help her, not use his hold on her to try to cop a feel or molest her in any way.

As she relaxed, so did he, or at least what she could see of his face and the line of his neck and shoulders. They continued in silence until the trail started to slope upward, the last section before reaching the parking area.

Evan’s steps slowed. The trail had become rougher, rocks and tree roots making natural steps in the steeper areas, but needing more careful navigation. He stopped, adjusted his grip on her slightly, and cleared his throat. “So, it’s getting dark, and I need to see so I don’t trip, which means I can’t carry you like this.”

Layla straightened, preparing to be set down. “Okay. I think I can manage the rest of the way.”

His jaw clenching again, he looked down at her like she was nuts. “That’s not what I was getting at. It’s pretty clear that you can’t walk, much less hike up the rest of the trail. I was thinking we’d try going piggyback the rest of the way, okay?”

She thought about refusing, insisting on walking on her own, but her ankle still throbbed, even after having it elevated from the way Evan carried her for the last fifteen minutes. So she found herself reluctantly saying, “Okay.”

He set her down, keeping a hand on her so she could steady herself without putting much weight on her injured foot, then turned and crouched enough so she could climb on his back. Bouncing her a few times, he adjusted her weight, and she clung to his shoulders, biting back an “Oof!” at each bounce. Then he struck off up the trail, his arms wrapped under her knees, the muscles of his back flexing as his body smoothly navigated the unforgiving terrain.

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