Page 83 of Last Summer

“I know.” Nathan’s expression softens, and he chuckles. Then he groans. “Ouch.” Laughing and sore ribs. Not a good mix. “Thanks for pointing out my age, Skye.”

“Anytime, old man.” She props her chin on his chest and smiles. At thirty-seven, he’s still in mighty fine shape.

“There’s something else I know,” he says, his voice sounding sluggish, his eyelids drooping as the painkillers kick in.

“What’s that?” she murmurs.

“You make me feel alive.”

CHAPTER 25

Nathan wakes Ella with his mouth. He lavishes kisses on her bare breasts. He skims his teeth along her ribs, nips her hip, then kisses her scar.

Self-conscious yet curious about his interest, Ella leans up on her elbows.

“What is your fascination with my scar?” she asks drowsily.

Nathan lifts his head and their eyes meet. He rolls to his back and lies beside her.

“Nathan?”

He drapes his uninjured arm over his eyes.

Ella pushes down her sleep shirt and sits up. “Talk to me.”

He peeks at her from under his arm. “You want to do this now? I’m bruised, battered, and drugged.”

“Don’t be a baby.” She playfully nudges him. Physically, he’s the toughest guy she knows. “Did you take a pill this morning?”

“I was going to, but I got distracted.” He reaches for her breasts.

She smacks away his hand. “Focus. You. Me. Last summer.” She’s done waiting.

“You’re on your walkabout on the PCT, and after months of being pestered by various media outlets for your story, you decide to giveLuxe Avenuethe exclusive,” she summarizes. “You call Rebecca, she sends me. You double back and meet me at the Squaw Valley parking lot. We backpack for five days, and then what? What did we do?”

“Gawd, Skye. It’s early. Can I at least shower and dress first? Coffee sounds real good.”

Ella glances at the clock. Seven a.m. If they go downstairs for coffee, Nathan will get sucked into conversation with Scott or any one of the other guides or guests. It could be hours before she gets him alone again.

She shakes her head. “No, now. Let’s get this over with so I can go write. I’m on deadline. What did we do on the PCT?”

“Okay, fine. We hiked and we talked.”

“About what?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “I don’t know. A lot of what we rehashed this week.”

She frowns. “That can’t be all.”

His eyebrows rise and hands flip as if saying what else does she expect?

A lot more.

There is a significant reason she agreed to go home with him.

Nathan watches her.

“Well...what happened next?” she prompts.

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