Page 52 of The Temptation of Truth
“I’d like that. Just give me a second to change.”
“You mean you don’t want to hike in a tutu and platform combat boots?’
Her lips twitch into a smirk, and my heart kicks up at the playfulness in her tone.
“Not unless you want to give me a piggyback ride.”
“I probably could, honestly.”
I laugh, lowering my voice as I pass her. “Don’t tempt me with that apple, Eve. I just might bite.”
Her small gasp makes my smile widen as I shut the bedroom door, and it serves as a quiet reminder of how easily I could cross lines with her without even trying.
Married, I remind myself. She’s married. Flirting isn’t harmless when there are other people involved.
I change into a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and a cropped shirt, then pull on my only pair of tennis shoes. I throw my hair into a ponytail, touch up my eyeliner and lipstick, then grab a pair of sunglasses before heading back into the main room of our shared suite.
“Ready?” she asks, and I nod.
“Lead the way.”
I follow Aurora to the lodge lounge, where we pick up two waters, then out onto the grounds, and for a long while, we don’t talk. We just exist peacefully side by side, appreciating the wild beauty around us. I inhale deeply, filling my lungs with the scent of eucalyptus and sweet gums as I take it all in.
The trail is earthy beneath my sneakers, and the farther we walk, the more decorated it becomes with fallen leaves and bark. Colorful birds flash through the trees, their songs echoing like laughter, and every step makes me feel lighter. Like each exhale relieves me of an invisible weight, and each inhale fills the open space with something fresh and new. Something clean and unburdened. It’s exactly what I’ve been needing.
“It’s perfect.”
Aurora gives voice to my thoughts, her tone almost dreamy. I turn and find her gazing up at the canopy with a small smile playing on her plump lips. She looks like something out of a fairy tale. Magical and alluring and effortless.
The sunlight filtering through the trees casts a patchwork of glittery shadows on her bare shoulders, the silver chain of hernecklace shimmers when it catches the light, and there’s a smear of sunscreen on her collarbone that I didn’t notice before. My pulse stutters, and I fist my hands to keep from reaching out. To fight the urge to rub it into her skin.
I should be thinking about elevation and trail markers, not how she would feel beneath my fingertips. I should be admiring the natural beauty of Mount Lofty and the Adelaide Hills, but I can’t bring myself to look away from her. The way the light dances along her cheekbones, the softness of her mouth, the sparkle of green in her eyes. She’s not even trying to hold my attention, and that almost makes it worse.
Married. She’s married. I’m dating someone. I repeat it in my head three times and look away from her before I reply.
“It is. And Sav was worried we’d prefer a five-star hotel over this.”
“I still can’t believe I’m here. I used to want to travel when I was younger, but I kind of gave up on that dream. I didn’t think it was possible.”
My brows fold inward. “You’re only twenty-three, Aurora.”
Twenty-three.
To think of her giving up on any dream makes my chest ache with sorrow, especially at twenty-three. She reaches up and rubs the circular pendant on her necklace.
“You sound like my uncle.”
“Oh God.” I laugh. “Ham might be a hard-ass, but I think he’s right about this one.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess it just doesn’t fit into my life plan anymore.”
My eyes fall to her left hand again. No ring.
I reach out and brush my fingers down her forearm, and when she looks at me, I have to suppress a shiver. This isn’t a stage. There’s no audience out here. But something aboutAurora’s attention feels better than any concert. More thrilling than any spotlight.
“Life is full of changes. No plan is set in stone.”
My fingertips tingle from the fleeting caress, and I hold her gaze for a few more breaths. I commit every fleck of green and gold and brown in her eyes to memory, and then I look away.
