Page 39 of The Bombshell and the Bodyguard
“Sounds like a good deal,” Jessica said. “It’s a date.”
I corrected her just so there were no misunderstandings—on either of our parts. “It’s ahike.And be sure to bring a jacket—it’ll be cold at that elevation until the sun comes up.”
Chapter Fourteen
Wishful Thinking
Jessica
When I emerged from my roomwaytoo early the next morning, I found Wilder stuffing items into a backpack.
He looked up, his eyes performing that quick assessment they always did whenever he saw me. Zipping the pack, he plunked it to the floor next to the kitchen island.
“Good morning. Get a good night’s sleep?”
“Not bad, considering I haven’t gone to bed that early since third grade,” I said. “If I’m ever awake at this time these days, it’s because I’mstillawake from the night before. I hope that sunrise is as great as you say it is.”
He grinned widely. “It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
We ate a quick breakfast then headed away from the house and started up an inclining path that had been cut through the trees and underbrush.
“Did you make this path?” I asked, shining my flashlight around at the clearance in the lush tropical foliage.
“I did. Years ago.”
“Too bad. I was kind of looking forward to whacking my way through the jungle with a machete, you know, like they did in Romancing the Stone.”
“I never saw that movie,” Wilder said.
“That’s because you’re a guy. You should watch it, though. It’s fun.”
“Maybe I will. I guess that’s one of the good things about being forced out of your ordinary life—time to do the things you’ve never done, to do things just for fun.”
“That’s true. This is the longest I’ve gone without working since I was sixteen. So what do you do for fun?”
“You’re looking at it. I hike, I read about wars and strategy.”
He tossed me a sardonic grin, and I laughed. I also swooned a little bit. When Wilder was relaxed like this, there wasn’t a sexier man on earth. His smile, the sound of his voice… it all worked for me—big time.
As he’d warned, the hour-long uphill hike was challenging in some parts, but all the effort, sweat, and muscle strain was worth it when we reached the summit just in time to see the sun rise.
We’d walked through some pretty dense fog, but here at the island’s highest point, we were above the cloud layer. Looking down on it from above was almost like standing on the shore and seeing the ocean. Blue and billowing, the clouds resembled waves crashing onto the sand.
The illusion was enhanced by the layered glow of purple, pink, orange, and yellow on the horizon. When the bright ball of light finally crested, I was almost surprised not to hear angels singing.
In fact,Iwanted to sing, but I didn’t. It was funny, I had no problem singing in front of a crowd of thousands, but the thought of singing in front of Wilder was intimidating.
When we were teenagers, I’dwantedhim to hear me sing. I’d turned up the volume on my little amp while I practiced in my room, hoping my voice would lure him to me like a fairy-tale siren.
Instead, I exhaled a long breath. “It’s magnificent. Thank you for this, Wilder.”
Smiling, he looked over at me. And kept looking at me. After a minute, I started to feel uncomfortable. I let out a nervous giggle.
“What?”
He shook his head, and his gaze went back to the view of the valley and the ocean below. “Nothing. Just wishing I’d brought a camera is all. Ready to go?”
He got to his feet and offered me a hand up. The hike to the waterfall was easier. It was downhill, and there was daylight to help with navigating the path.
