He ran his thumb over the burn, but surprisingly, it didn’t hurt. Somehow, like the man’s touch was magic, it took the edge of the ache away.
They both looked up at the same time, and suddenly she was breathless. The kind of breathless where her lungs forgot how to function because her body was too distracted by his closeness and how his eyes held her hostage.
She forced words out. “Are you okay after last night?”
“Not really.”
She’d expected him to lie. To tell her something meaningless about being fine even though they both knew it wasn’t true.
Was he being honest because he trusted her with just a bit of the darkness inside him?
She opened her mouth, not sure what words were about to come out, when the click of the door opening sounded from the other room.
His hand dropped and immediately her arm felt cold.
She cleared her throat. “I, uh, have something for you.”
He gave her a quizzical look and she forced herself to step back. It took far more willpower than it should have.
In her bag, she rummaged for the folded piece of paper. When she found it, she handed it to him. “Here. It’s the number of my dad’s therapist. His name’s Dr. Ted Burton and he’s a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating PTSD. He works in Bozeman but does Zoom appointments.”
Noah’s frown deepened, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if he’d take the slip of paper.
Crap. Was she overstepping? Was he about to tell her to mind her own business and walk away?
Instead, he slipped the paper from her fingers, and she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
He dipped his head. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll, um, get back to the desk.”
She stepped back into the reception area to see a handful of people waiting. It would be Noah’s zip-lining group that was due to start in a few minutes.
The first guy in line lifted his blue eyes. He had short brown hair and a kind smile. “Hi.”
“Hi. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” She lowered into the seat behind the front desk.
“You didn’t keep me waiting. I’m Toby. I booked into the ten a.m. zip-lining group.”
“Addie, and your instructor is right here. But before you go, I’ll get you to fill out these forms.” She handed him a clipboard with the forms and a pen.
“Am I signing my life away?”
She chuckled. “You tell me.”
He took the forms and sat down. She drew in a lungful of air before the next people stepped forward. Even though she smiled, far too much of her concentration remained on Noah. The way he’d touched her hand. The way her entire body reacted when he spoke to her.
Noah strodedown the path toward the zip-lining platform, his group following close behind. Their quiet chatter competed with the sounds of the park around him. But those intrusive fucking thoughts in his head were louder than anything. The ones he hated. The ones he wanted gone but had no damn idea on how to do that.
Damn, he was a mess. He told himself to leave Addie alone. Yet the second he was near her, the second hesawher, all he wanted to do was touch her. It was like a craving he had to give in to even though he knew it was bad for both of them.
They were halfway to the platform when one of the guys came to walk beside him. “Hi, I’m Toby.”
“Noah.”
Toby shoved his hands into his pockets. “You’re one of the owners, right?”
“Yeah.”
