Page 50 of The One With the Mountain Man

She swayed slightly, so I pressed a soft kiss against her lips to save us both, hoping that giving her some of my dark parts would earn me enough trust for her to show me some of hers.

Sixteen

Marley

I have enough sisters to know that look isn't good

The trail got a lot harder,so we saved the talking for later. The climb was steep. Steeper than anything I'd done in my life. And even though I always thought I was in pretty good shape; it was hard to breathe.

I was also trying really, really hard to not think about how high up we were.

"You need to take a break?"

"No," I huffed. "If I stop, I might never get up again."

Jackson chuckled. "The air is a lot thinner than you're used to. Give yourself some grace."

Ha. Grace? My readers would eat him alive for saying such a thing. There was no grace, no passes, only pushing through and delivering.

I followed Jackson's sexy ass up, up, up until he paused, turning back for my hand. I took it thinking he wanted to help me through a difficult section, but then he squeezed and kept walking.

Hand in hand.

My skin turned to fire, my body becoming intimately aware of every inch of his. It was as overwhelming as a kiss. Apparently any part of him touching any part of me was all the same. Explosive.

"Here we are."

We stepped into a grassy, open area with a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the mountains. I spun slowly, taking in the most breathtaking sights. Blue and purple mountains rolling on for as far as I could see. White and yellow flowers were attempting to take back their spots in nature. For a moment I forgot we were thousands of feet above my usual elevation and just savored the natural beauty.

It was, quite simply, beautiful.

Jackson gave my hand another squeeze then let go, taking off his backpack. "I figure you're about ten seconds from needing to sit." He unfurled a picnic blanket.

Sure enough, my knees began to wobble from the combination of hiking, adrenaline, and vertigo. I plopped my overwhelmed ass down, grabbed my knees, and closed my eyes. "How did you know?"

"Happens a lot, actually. And since I am the best guide in Lost Creek, I know the signs."

I peeked out of my right eye to find him grinning. "Cocky."

"Good. I'mgood,Marley." Then he winked and pulled out a lunch bag. "Picnic time." He sat down on the blanket beside me. "I had Annie make us some sandwiches."

I took it, realizing I hadn't considered what I was going to eat for lunch. Or when. Or how. I just trusted Jackson to handle it all.

When did that happen?Howhad it happened?

"You okay there?" He cocked his head.

I stared at the sandwich. "Yeah. I'm good." And freaking out a little.

Blindly trusting someone I just met was a recipe for disaster. Who was Jackson Finn really? On the surface he seemed like a great guy. He was kind, took care of his sister, had a tight-knit group of lifelong friends, but what if that was just a mask? What if I got lulled into complacency only to find out he was just like everyone else underneath?

Jackson cleared his throat. "Uh, I have enough sisters to know that look isn't good. Talk to me Marley. No games, remember?"

"You're too good to be true and good things don't last with me," I blurted in one short breath. Then promptly turned so red the tips of my ears burned.

Jackson nodded once then pushed all the food aside and scooted closer. "How am I too good?" He had the most adorably skeptical look on his face, which only proved what I feared most: that he was indeed the person he seemed to be.

"You're nice. To me, to Karis, to Gus."

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