After a while, though,, the heat ramps up. It goes from warm to uncomfortable to absolutely blistering in the course of twenty minutes.
“Let's stop here for a bit,” Everett says, breaking me out of my sweaty misery.
I glance over to see him just as flushed as I am, which makes me feel a little better. He can't tease me about my delicate sensibilities when he's also drenched in sweat.
I don't argue as he leads us to a shady spot beneath some trees. It's not far off the path, and the river is just a few feet away.
He slides off his horse, and I follow suit, surprised at how easily the movement comes to me. I'm sure getting back up won't be as easy, but I'll take my successes where they come. I follow Everett’s lead and bring Milky over to the river before dropping her reins.
“Are they going to run off if we don't tie them up?” I ask.
Everett shrugs, reaching for the hem of his shirt and stripping it right over his head.
“They can wander if they want,” he says. “They come back when I call.”
He seems not to notice the fact that I only barely hear him over my shock, because he turns and starts kicking off his boots. As soon as I regain some semblance of control over myself, I whirl on my heel. My face is burning, and it's not from the sun overhead.
“Everett?” I choke out.
His voice sounds farther away when he answers. I hear the clink of his belt buckle.
“It’s hot,” he says. “I'm going to cool down in the river.”
I glance back only to find him stripping his jeans down his legs, and I bite back an embarrassing noise. It's not the first time I've seen him in his boxers, but that time I wasn’t exactlywelcomed to watch. Though right now… he doesn’t seem to care if I am.
I hear the splash of water behind me, the memory of his chest dripping water the last time I saw him like this coming unbidden to my mind.
“You alright, Ms. Bryce?” he asks.
I turn, frowning at the amusement in his voice. He's only up to his knees in the water, which at least saves me the trouble of having to try so hard to keep my eyes above his waist.
Oh, who am I kidding? It's just as hard to keep my gaze from wandering when he's mostly dry as it was when water was streaming down his legs.
“I'm perfectly fine,” I say. “I didn't want to intrude.”
It sounds silly when I say it out loud, but I'd rather he not think of me as some kind of weirdo.
He just tosses his head back on a laugh.
“We're both adults, Ms. Bryce.” He reaches up to scratch through his beard, not even attempting to hide his grin. “You're not intruding.”
I try to ignore the thread of heat that twines through his words. I'm probably imagining it.
And even if I'm not, it's not appropriate.
I really don't have an excuse for why I raise an unamused brow and slip my own shoes off.
“You won't mind if I join you, then?” I ask casually.
My hands are shaking as I tug my shirt free from my jeans, but I don't let myself stop. Everett is staring at me, drinking in every movement, and I feel just as on edge as I did in that hotel room. It feels like it's only the two of us in the world, the rushing water of the creek just loud enough to drown out all the other sounds around us.
I strip down to my tank top and underwear, refusing to think about what I'm doing.
If I start thinking, it'll break whatever spell we're both under. I don't want Everett to stop looking at me. I want to feel his hands on me again, this time against bare skin. He makes the whole world narrow down to nothing but the two of us every time we’re alone. I can’t even get my thoughts in order because I’m too busy cataloging every flicker of emotion that flits through his eyes.
I'm being stupid, and I don't care.
Everett watches me like a hawk as I step into the water. It's not that cold, but I still shiver when it rushes over my skin.
