Don’t ask. Do not ask.
“Something on your mind?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, then.”
He stepped out of the car with a carefree grace that suggested he’d taken her at her word. The bastard.
“Do me a favor and grab the muffins.”
She picked up the bag, but before she fully processed the impulse, she reached inside, grabbed one carb-bomb, and hurled it at him.
It thudded off his unsuspecting shoulder. He turned, looked at the muffin lying on the ground, and then braced an arm on the roll bar of the Jeep, leaned in, and looked at her. “Problem?”
The words she didn’t want to voice flew out of her mouth. “Okay, you win. What’s the damn commitment?”
Several beats of silence followed, echoing in the foggy predawn and underscoring how loud she’d been.
“Turns out that’s a personal question.”
His properly modulated reply contrasted so starkly with her outburst, she felt her face heat, even as her defenses went up. “Is it?”
He nodded. “I’m happy to answer, as long as you’re prepared to answer one of my questions in exchange. What do you say, Czarina?”
…
What the fuck are you doing?
A man who avoided drama knew better than to deliberately toy with a woman’s temper. But he’d done it with her, because this perfect deal he’d made was starting to bother him. His best assets might include above-average sexual know-how and a willingness to put it to use, but there was a bit more to him. The fact that she didn’t care to know made him feel like a dick. Literally.
She blinked first. Looked away and rubbed her forehead as if easing a headache. “I withdraw the question. Sorry I snapped at you,” she added. “I owe you a muffin.”
He released a breath, but the disappointment lingered.
You knew going in you’d have to try harder. She told you as much.
Right. So he’d try harder. He pushed off the roll bar. “I owe you something, too. Since we’re done baring our souls here, want to collect?”
The speed at which she leaped out of the Jeep managed to batter his ego and bolster it at the
same time. He welcomed her enthusiasm, even if it did highlight the singular nature of her interest. He took her hand and led her down a trail traversing the rocky red landscape that always reminded him of the surface of Mars. At this hour, and in the off-season, they didn’t have to compete with hordes of tourists for a private spot to take in the view. The chill discouraged people, too. Few tourists packed cold-weather gear for a Hawaiian vacation, and the summit temperature hovered around forty degrees before the sun came up. But she’d followed his instructions to dress warmly. Between her hip-riding, slouchy black sweats with inexplicably sexy white stripes running up the sides, the explicably sexy long-sleeved white shirt that clung to her like a second skin, and his thick sweatshirt enveloping her, she wouldn’t freeze. Once he had her situated in an out-of-the-way spot, wrapped up in the blanket and his arms, he planned on making her sweat.
When the trail curved left, toward a lookout point, he steered them eastward, down a slope of rougher, less-traveled terrain, and switched his hold from her hand to her elbow. “Watch your step here. The trail’s kind of steep, but we’re not going far.”
“I’m good.”
She was. He had to give her that. She might have chucked a muffin at him for needling her, but she hadn’t complained about the early hour, the drive, the temperature, or this hike. That wasn’t always the case. As much as he loved the view, he hadn’t brought a woman up here in a long time, and never to this particular spot. Sunset sails were easier all around, but apparently he wasn’t content to stick with easy when it came to her.
“Here.” He drew her to a halt by an outcrop of rocks and released her arm. “Give me one second.” Then he took the long step down to the broadest of the rocks. After dropping the blanket, he turned and extended his arms to her.
A distinctly wary woman looked down at him. “Oh, gee. I’m not sure—”
“I’m not going to let you fall, Czarina.”
“Yeah, but when a hundred and twenty pounds comes barreling at you, physics might have a different opinion.”
“I understand how physics works.” Please. If she knew what he dealt with on a routine basis in the ER, she wouldn’t even question his ability to handle a hundred and twenty pounds of cooperative human. But she didn’t know. Just like he didn’t know who’d set her up for a fall at some point in her past, though it was clear as day someone had. “I’ve got you.”