Carson didn’t look away first.
Normally, he was the one who broke eye contact when things got too intense.
Not this time.
His gaze held mine, steady and unguarded, and for a moment, it felt like he was silently daring me to deny what had been growing between us. My heart thumped so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
“You don’t do anything halfway,” I whispered, because it was the only thing I could think to say.
His mouth twitched. “Not when it matters.”
“And I matter?”
The words were out before I could stop them. They hung between us, too fragile to touch, too honest to pull back.
His breath hitched. Just barely. But I saw it. Felt it.
“Sienna,” he began softly, “you—”
“I love Wisconsin,” Emma’s voice shrieked across the trees like a cheerleader who had never learned volume control.
Carson closed his eyes. I pressed a hand over my mouth to contain a groan.
Emma jogged toward us with her phone held high. “Guess what? I got theperfectphoto of the reflection on the lake, and also, you two look SO cute right now.”
I buried my face in my hands.
I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Carson straightened with all the dignity of a man refusing to give an audience any more ammunition.
“We have a hike to continue. Safety protocols to observe. Meal prep later. We ready to take off?” Carson asked.
“Totally ready for more.” Emma grinned like the chaos imp she was. “Maybe, I’ll try that damsel in distress move.”
I tugged lightly on Carson’s sleeve and whispered, “You know they’re never going to stop.”
He whispered back, “Then we give them less material.”
“Or more,” I said before my brain filtered it.
He blinked at me. Once. Twice.
Heat rushed into the space between us.
“I didn’t mean, I mean I did, I didn’t…” I stumble-fumbled.
“Relax, Sienna.” He winked at me.
“I’m totally relaxed,” I lied through my teeth.
“You’re vibrating.”
“I’m cold.”
“You’re wearing two jackets.”
“I’m shivering emotionally.”
