“I hate to bring this up, but I have to tinkle,” Emma said. “Is there a good spot for that?”
They were definitely from the city.
Sienna’s brows rose. “Any tree that looks wide enough to act like a wall, but, being that we specialize in skinny trees here, it can be tough.”
“Uh, right.” Emma nodded as Sienna dug into a bag and tossed the guest some toilet paper as they both wandered off. “I’ll be right back.”
Sienna’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Carson… if this trip is even half as complicated as the past few days, I swear—”
I dipped my head closer. “We’ll handle it.”
“I’m not sure we can.”
“We can,” I said. “I promise.”
She looked up at me, searching my face for something like assurance or steadiness, maybe even the piece of me I’d been holding back.
“Carson…” Her voice trembled just enough to undo me. “I don’t want to mess things up. We have an entire spring and summer to work together.”
She was getting cold feet, only it wasn’t for our wedding. It was for our guide trips.
“You won’t,” I assured her. “We won’t.”
She swallowed. “What if I already have?”
And in that tiny, quiet crack of vulnerability…
I lost every ounce of control I thought I had.
I stepped forward, cupped her jaw gently with one hand, and kissed her.
It was slow at first, barely there. It could have counted as a peck.
But she leaned in, and the kiss changed.
The kiss deepened, growing hungry with heat and need, with the kind of connection that made the entire forest go quiet.
She pressed a hand to my chest, breathing hard against my mouth. My other hand slid to her waist, pulling her into me like I couldn’t help it, which was the truth.
When we finally broke apart, our breaths were visible in the cool air between us.
“We’re terrible at rules,” she whispered, breath shaking.
“Completely hopeless,” I murmured.
Behind us, Emma’s voice carried lightly.
“Awwwwwww! So sweet!”
We jumped apart like guilty teenagers.
Sienna turned beet red.
I coughed into my sleeve.
Sienna glared at the sky and whispered. “Why me?”
I adjusted my pack, fighting a grin. “Because the universe has a sense of humor.”
