Page 5 of Kissing My Mountain Man

“Bellamy is just concerned about me.”

His eyebrow ticks up curiously, but he doesn’t ask the question that’s evident in his eyes.

“The terrain,” I lie, not wanting to offend him. “She thinks it might be too dangerous.”

“She isn’t wrong.” His eyes move slowly down my body, and it feels almost as intimate as an embrace.

Heat pools in my lower belly, but I push away the attraction growing inside me. That’s not why I’m here. I need to focus on the task at hand.

“I’m glad to see that you’ve dressed appropriately for the trek.” He points at my boots. “Brand new?”

Tightening my grip on the straps of my backpack, I glance down at my feet. “I’ve been wearing them around for a few weeks to break them in.”

I can’t deny I’m a little disappointed he’s trying to poke some holes in my attempts to prove that I’m capable of hiking up the mountain with him. What I wouldn’t give to know what he’s thinking right now.

Denny nods once. “We better get going. I’m going to let Kit know we’ll be heading out.”

I wait on the porch as he steps into the office. The hum of Bellamy’s engine reminds me that she hasn’t left yet. I turn around and give her a thumbs up and then a shooing motion for her to go.

“Be careful,” she mouths to me before backing up and heading down the dirt road we came in on.

Denny returns with a backpack on his shoulders. He remains quiet as he walks down the steps, and I follow him toward a path behind the station that leads into the woods.

The first few miles aren’t so bad since the trail is worn down. This makes it pretty easy to keep up with Denny’s steady pace. But as the incline starts to increase sharply, I’m suddenly finding my ability to keep up with him isn’t as good as I’d hoped.

My breathing gets heavier, and my thighs begin to chafe thanks to my nonexistent thigh gap. I’m almost certain that every pore is sweating, and I’m using muscles in my body I don’t think I’ve ever used before.

That’s it, as soon as I get home, I’m joining a gym. I was a fool to think that walking to and from and around campus every day would somehow be enough to prepare me for this journey.

“You okay back there?” Denny asks.

The hiking Adonis peers back over his shoulder at this mere mortal, and I can only muster a thumbs up as confirmation that I’m still good to keep going. I can’t afford the air needed in my lungs to vocalize even a grunt.

“Right.” He stops, allowing me to catch up to him. “How about we slow down?”

“Nope.” I rest my hands on my hips and take in a few deep breaths of air. “No need. I got this.”

He doesn’t look convinced. He even has the audacity to stand there, barely winded, as I try to ensure enough oxygen is reaching my brain, so I don’t faint.

“Don’t try to be a hero,” he says, as he unscrews the cap from his canteen and hands it over to me. “This isn’t a race. It’s a marathon.”

“Please, Denny, I want to get there.”

“I know you do. And you’ve already made it past the point where most people give up and turn back.”

I look around as if there is some mile marker to confirm what he’s saying, but there are only trees and nature surrounding us.

“Are you just saying that?” I ask between sips. “Because if you are, I will take it. I won’t lie. This sucks.”

The corner of his mouth ticks up in amusement. “I’m impressed by your honesty. And even more so by your determination.”

His words are like a shot of adrenaline to my heart, and I find that I’m suddenly ready to get moving again.

“Well, come on, slowpoke,” I tease, handing him back his canteen.

He chuckles. “Okay, then.”

Denny allows me to lead the way for a bit up the remainder of the path that has been worn into the ground. If it wasn’t there and I had to create a way through the trees, I’d be in serious trouble.

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