Page 111 of Beautiful Exile

“It’s perfect. The way it’s just gonna settle at the base of the peaks. The way it’s gonna meld with the golden grasses. I’m a little jealous, if I’m honest.”

I grinned, locking my phone and setting it on the bank. “If you’re really nice, I’ll let you come visit.”

She shifted slightly, her unease showing for the briefest moment.

“What is it?”

She shook her head, strands of her hair lifting in the breeze again. “Nothing.”

“Vicious,” I growled.

She bit the corner of her lip. “How often are you going to use that house? Cope said it was just a vacation home.”

I was an idiot. I hadn’t once considered that Arden might think our situation had an expiration date. Hadn’t thought she might need a little reassurance.

My hand slid along her jaw, and I tilted her face toward mine. “I can do my job from anywhere. I may have to fly to Seattle for meetings every couple of weeks, but I canliveanywhere.”

Arden was quiet for a moment, those gray-violet eyes searching mine. “Where do you want to live?”

“I’d live in that tiny-ass tent if that’s where you were.”

Her berry-stained lips parted on a sharp inhale. “Linc. You don’t know that. You barely know me. I’m grumpy half the time, finicky about my space and art, and not exactly good at normal. You can’t say that.”

My hand shifted, sliding into her hair and holding tight. “You think I don’t know I need to duck and cover if you get woken up before ten? Or that every time I get a little bit closer, you’re going to try to shove me away? I know, Vicious. And I’m still here.”

My fingers tightened further, making sure she paid attention. “But you’re so much more than that. You’re not afraid to tell me the truth. You see beyond the surface into everything beneath. You make me feel…not alone for the first time in years. And you make me want to reach for better, the kind of more that’s all about being who you truly are.”

Arden’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “That scares me.”

“I know, baby,” I whispered, dropping my forehead to hers. “But you’re still here.”

“I’m still here.” She let out a long, shuddering breath. “Plus, leaving you unprotected in the wilderness would be rude.”

I barked out a laugh as I released her. “That’s very true. I need you and your switchblade to keep me safe.”

Arden grinned at me. “Damn straight.”

“How about some bourbon before dinner?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t say no.”

“Good.” I pushed to my feet and headed for where we’d set up the drinks near a tree where we’d hoist our bear-proof container tonight. I rifled through the bottles of water and a few sodas until I found it. We didn’t have ice, but we could set the glasses in the water. That’d cool it down quickly.

Pouring two healthy servings, I turned to head back and froze. Arden was nowhere to be seen. Not on the shore, not in the distance, not in camp. My pulse picked up speed as blood roared in my ears. Where the hell was she?

And that’s when I saw it. The pile of clothes next to the boots on the shore.

A second later, a dark head of hair burst from the water’s surface, sending droplets flying. Arden looked like someone who didn’t have a care in the world as she treaded water in the center of the swimming hole. I, on the other hand, had just lost ten years of my life.

I stalked toward the water. “What the hell are you thinking?”

Arden’s eyes widened in surprise. “I was thinking I was hot, and it was the perfect time for a swim.”

“That water is barely above freezing,” I shot back.

“Don’t be dramatic.”

My eyes narrowed on her as I set the drinks down. “Dramatic? Because I don’t want you to get hypothermia?” That’s when I zeroed in on her bare shoulders. “What are you wearing in there?”

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