Instant Gratification (Wilder #2)(38)

He let her.

When she stood up to pedal harder, she heard his low breath of appreciation at the view she was giving him, and knew she had the win in the bag. She smiled, because God she loved to win— Suddenly something whizzed by her, and Stone came to a skidding stop on a dime.

Dammit. “You won,” she gasped, barely able to talk through her wheezing for air.

He modestly lifted a shoulder and got off his bike. “If it helps, you very nearly kicked my ass.”

Very nearly wasn’t going to get her out of swimming. She got off her bike as well, too, still huffing and puffing. Sweating. She couldn’t catch her breath, and sounding like a broken locomotive, she turned and looked at the view.

And went still.

Just ahead was an alpine lake, about a mile across, slightly wider than that. It was completely surrounded by towering mountain peaks lined with thick, lush growth. “Oh my God.”

“Hidden Lakes. We passed two others, hidden in the growth. This one’s the furthest, and the hardest to get to.”

She stepped closer to the water lapping at the coarse mountain sand, taking in the cattails lining the edge, the lily ponds in the shallow water, and shook her head. It was so beautiful she could hardly speak.

They were completely isolated, surrounded by three-hundred-feet-tall sequoias and pines.

And alone.

Stone dropped the small backpack he’d worn on the ride. Something inside squawked, and he crouched down, pulling out a radio. “Go ahead, TJ, over.”

“Where are you? Over.”

“Third Hidden Lake. Over.”

“That group going down Cascade Falls tomorrow showed up two days early. Annie and I rushed back to the lodge and they’re pissed. The schedule’s f*cked up, and Annie’s bitching because her pies didn’t get delivered, and now I’m double-booked for tomorrow. When the hell are you getting back? Over.”

“If the schedule’s f*cked up,” Stone replied, “it’s because you put your grimy fingers on it.” Sitting on his haunches, he sighed and shook his head. “Leave it alone. I’ll fix it when I get back. The two clients yelling at you can wait for me as well. You’ll just piss them off more. Send Nick for the pies. And you’re not double-booked for tomorrow. I’m taking the Alpine trip. Over.”

“You still didn’t say when you’d be back. Over.”

Stone glanced up at Emma and smiled. “I’ll be back when you stop yelling at me. Over.” With that, he tossed the radio to the ground.

“He sounded desperate,” Emma said. “You’re just going to leave him hanging?”

“Sure. He’s done it to me plenty of times. You okay?” he asked when she sank to the coarse sand.

“Just shaking. I think it’s the altitude.”

He opened the backpack and pulled out two bottled waters and a Ziploc bag full of cookies, which he handed over. “Some sugar should help. Try ‘em. They’re my specialty.”

She took a bite and moaned in sheer bliss. “Oh. My. God. This is better than the scenery, and that’s pretty darn amazing.” She couldn’t get the rest of the cookie in fast enough. “Seriously. You made these?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

He looked amused. “They’re just basic chocolate chip.”

Yes, but when she wanted cookies, or any food for that matter, she went to the store. She used her oven as storage for the pots and pans she’d never used. “I burn water.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not asking you to cook for me then, isn’t it.”

She looked up, caught the teasing light in his eyes and smiled. It was true. He hadn’t asked her to cook for him. He hadn’t asked anything of her.

Which should have made him the perfect man.

Did make him the perfect man.

Except for the fact that she didn’t want or need one. She didn’t want or need anyone in her life, thank you very much, she thought as she licked the last bit of chocolate from her fingers. “Omigod, these are better than…everything.”

He followed the movement of her tongue with his eyes, but smiled easily. “Life isn’t all about food.”

“True. It’s all about take-out.”

He laughed.

“Hey, I’m not kidding. After twenty hours on your feet and only a few coffees in your system, you wouldn’t snub your nose at Taco Bell, I can promise you.”

“You must work some crazy hours.”

“Yeah.”

“You miss it.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “I do.”

“What do you miss the most?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I miss…” She blinked, shocked to find herself drawing a blank.

He arched a brow. “You miss…?”

So much. But suddenly, there in the last of a gorgeous, hot day, surrounded not by the smell of antiseptic and the nagging beat of her pager and cell phone, instead looking into a set of deep jade eyes which were smiling at her with affection and heat, she couldn’t think of a single thing.

How odd was that? “I miss…Thai food,” she said triumphantly.

There. She’d thought of something. A lame something, but still.