Page 8 of Rough Mountain Man

“We don’t know she’s missing. Besides, what if our friends are trying to enjoy some alone time?”

Our friends. There it was again. Only this time, I was too distracted by his other words to enjoy the reference. Trying to enjoy some alone time meant…getting naughty out here on the trail. I had this sudden flash of Ryan and I getting naughty out here. And it seemed very, very appealing.

“All the better,” I said. “Wouldn’t you want a warning that you aren’t alone anymore?”

“Good point.”

His eyes were blazing through me again, and I tried not to get caught up in it. What was he thinking? There was definitely heat in that stare, and it went straight to the area between my legs.

“Vanessa mentioned that her first time was outdoors,” I blurted.

Wait, why did I say that? I’d just given up my friend’s very private business to a guy I’d only recently met. Worse, he was friends with the other person in the story, which meant I’d given up his personal business too. What was wrong with me?

“Her first time with Dayton, or her first time in general?”

“Both,” I said.

Ryan’s footsteps slowed again, but he didn’t turn to face me. He just kept walking at a more sluggish pace. In fact, I had to slow my steps to avoid being too close.

I sighed. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I guess I’m violating my friend’s confidentiality.”

“It’s only fair,” he said. “Maybe next time she’ll return your calls and not leave you worrying about her for days at a time.”

He had a point. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more justified I felt in spilling the beans.

“So, your friend was a virgin until she came here?” he asked.

His question took me by surprise. But the fact that his back was to me made it easier to have this discussion.

There was one little fact that wasn’t lost on me. We were out in the woods. No telling who was on the other side of these trees. For all I knew, Vanessa and Dayton could be hanging out twenty feet away, hearing every word he said.

“She was,” I said. “Your friend corrupted her.”

“What about you?” he called back.

The words were said clearly and loudly, and I still doubted I’d heard him right. I thought about refusing to answer. He was asking if I was a virgin—a personal question. Under other circumstances, I might be offended. But I had this hope, deep inside me, that he was asking for a reason.

If that were the case, though, he’d want an answer. The truth would not be good news. No man wanted to hear a woman he was interested in was a virgin. He’d probably find a reason to never see me again. But I couldn’t lie.

“What about me?” I finally asked, hoping to buy a little time.

He slowed to a stop. He turned and looked at me. He was going to ask, point blank. Shit. I definitely had to tell the truth now.

“This is it,” he said.

Now I was even more confused. “This is what?”

“The best view. Well, for this trail, anyway. I could drive you up to another area called Point of View and show you the uppermost point in town. Maybe some other time.”

Some other time. Did that mean he wanted to see me again after today?

What did it matter? I was only here to track down Vanessa, convince her to come back with me, and we’d resume our normal life.

But could I return to my normal life after this? No way. I was starting to see why my friend had told me she was never coming back to the apartment we shared.

I turned and looked behind us. Only then did I notice just how steep the hill was. Had he said this was easy? If this was easy, I’d hate to try the other trails.

“They aren’t here,” he said.

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