Dangerous Lies(23)

Jake was fiddling with the cooler, getting out all of the food he had packed. “Most days. Sometimes I’m stuck inside because of weather, or the voices in my head that need to be expelled onto my laptop.”

I smiled and took a bag of cut up apples from him. “Been there.”

“I’m sure you have.”

I rubbed my thigh with one hand. No doubt it would be tight tonight. I probably should have stretched before sitting down. Jake put his hand on my other thigh. “Sore?”

I released a quick breath from his sudden touch. “Not yet, sure I will be tomorrow.”

He massaged to the top of my knee. “We’ll stretch out when we get back to the truck.”

I nodded, watching his hand move back up my thigh. The thick material of my black yoga pants instantly felt thin, and I wished I could feel his calloused hands against my skin.

All too soon, he removed his hand, giving me a baggie with a sandwich. “Turkey?”

I released the breath I had been holding. “Sounds great.”

He bit into his own sandwich, and we ate with the beautiful nature of New Zealand surrounding us. It was a peace I’d never experienced. Illinois had its share of beauty, but nothing compared to the extravagant plains and mountains that were in front of us. As beautiful as the sunshine was, it quickly became replaced with bumpy clouds, a darkness cast behind them as the mountains were beginning to be swallowed by their growing mass.

“Looks like a pop up storm,” Jake pointed out, finishing his sandwich and eyeing the top of the tree. It was dense with leaves, but I didn’t have confidence that it would keep us safe.

Standing and brushing off any crumbs from my thighs, I watched the approaching storm. “Should we try to make it back to the truck?”

Jake stayed on the ground. “Nah, we’ll get stuck in it. It won’t last long. We’ll ride it out under this tree. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve used this spot for shelter from the rain.”

My brows knitted. “You sure?”

He stood now, grabbing the bikes and bringing them underneath the tree and against the trunk. “Positive.” He pulled out a small bag from his backpack, unzipping it to reveal a water resistant blanket. “We probably won’t need this, but just in case.”

Handing me the blanket, he readjusted the one we were sitting on so it was near the trunk of the tree, then took a seat with his back against it. “Come here,” he prompted, holding out his hand for me to take. Keeping the blanket in one arm, I gave him my hand, letting him guide me to sit between his legs.

“Sorry if I’m sweaty,” he teased, spreading the blanket over the top of us. “But I get frightened during storms and normally cuddle with Shepley.”

“I guess I’ll deal with the smell of B.O.,” I teased. Both his arms wrapped around me, pulling me to his chest and resting his chin on my temple. I should have felt more awkward, but it was just too easy with Jake, and I found myself cozying against him.

“Same here,” he flirted back, and I snickered, nudging his chest with my elbow. He squeezed me tighter, and I let him.

We were settled into each other, wrapped in the blanket as the storm rolled in. I blocked out the fact we were sitting underneath the tallest object nearby. Thankfully, it was only a rainstorm, big water droplets plowing down on the earth without thunder or lightening. The leaves of the tree did a pretty good job keeping us dry. Not that it mattered; I was ever distracted by Jake. The way he fidgeted his hands against my biceps, would run his nose into my hair as if he were scenting me. I was sweaty, and should have been mortified. No way did I smell as delicious as he did after racing through the hills and mountains.

“I have a confession,” he murmured.

“And what would that be?”

His lips touched the shell of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “You’re the girl I’ve had a crush on for all these years.” He planted a kiss behind my ear, and goose bumps formed on my arms.

I squeezed his forearm with my hand, tilting my head back at him. I was speechless, but inside, I secretly knew he had more than friendship hopes. I could feel it in his kiss last night and by the way he held me. The protective instinct he portrayed was deeper than for a friend across the world that happened to be in the same career path.

His hand found my cheek. “You don’t have to say anything,” he whispered with a smile. “I know you’ve just come out of a terrible relationship, and I’m not expecting anything. I never did… but after our kiss… I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore. You’re the apple of my eye, Love.”

Holding back the swell of emotions to the best I could, I cupped the back of his neck and guided him into my mouth, kissing him as tenderly as I could. I didn’t have the words to say, or understand why my heart was pumping so wildly. Kissing him seemed like the best response I could give him.

He groaned into my mouth, grabbing a hold of my hips and turning me in his lap. He massaged my thigh while we kissed under the tree, the rain continuing to stream down into the earth. When the weather cleared, I withdrew from him, patting his chest with my hand. “We should head back.”

He took a deep breath. “Yeah, if that’s what you’d like.”

I met his eyes, splaying my hand on his pec. “I like kissing you, Jake, but my leg is falling asleep.”