“Baby, I can handle anything you’ve got.”
She grins, gently biting her bottom lip. “Oh, we’ll see about that,” she says, just moments before she reaches for the bottom of her scrub top, pulling it up and over her head before tossing it aside, right here in the middle of the driveway.
35
HARPER-RAYN
Rolling over in bed, I feel for Knight, but instead of his warm body, I find his side of the bed cold and empty. My eyes spring open to find him perched against the doorframe of our walk-in closet, looking like a goddamn snack.
I grin, taking him in, imagining all the things I could do with him.
Jonah is dropping the girls off late in the afternoon for the wedding he’s attending with Emily, so until then, I have nothing but time to waste with Knight, and I intend to make every second of it count.
“Come on,” he says, a smirk on his lips. “We’re going hiking.”
I laugh, but quickly realize he’s being serious, and I stare at him as though he’s lost his mind. “Uhhhh . . . absolutely not,” I tell him, snuggling deeper under the blankets. “I thought we could spend our morning working our way through the Kama Sutra.”
Knight grins and pushes off the wall, making his way to the end of the bed before finding my ankle and dragging my ass right down to him. Then, as I lie sprawled at the end of the bed, he leans over me and brushes a quick kiss to my lips. “As amazing as that sounds, no. You’re coming hiking with me,” he says before grabbing my waist and hauling me right up off the bed and over his big shoulder, his hand coming down on my ass with a firm spank. “You could use the fresh air. Maybe even touch some grass.”
“Nooooo,” I groan, kicking my legs like a delinquent child. “I’ll do literally anything else but go hiking. I am not a hiker. I’m a binge-watching wine drinker. There’s gotta be other things we can do that involve both my strengths and yours. Oh, what about a beach day? Fresh air, waves, bikini bodies. You can fail at surfing while I catch some sun. It’ll be great.”
“Nope. Hiking.”
Fuck.
An hour later, I’m huffing and puffing in heavy boots while bracing myself against an ant-infested tree.
How the hell can he think this is the life when both beach days and wine exist? I should be sleeping in and rocking his world by showing him just how high I can get my leg, not walking through the woods where I’m bound to get lost or hurt.
At least I had an excuse to wear my matching crop and shorts set. I’m looking cute, while Knight is looking like even more of a snack than he did first thing this morning. Low-riding basketball shorts with his shirt tucked into the waistband, and his muscular, tattooed body is on display. The light sheen of sweat coating his skin makes my mouth water. I could sink my teeth into that body, you know, assuming I had the stamina to actually catch up.
“I think I’m going to die,” I call after him, my arm slipping off the edge of the tree, only to face-plant right against it. A loudoomph expels from my lungs as Knight walks ahead, enjoying the great outdoors.
“You’re good, doll. Keep going. We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?”
“You’ll see.”
Damn it.
I put one foot in front of the other and keep my ass moving, grateful that the walk back is mostly a downhill descent. If I’m lucky, I can simply tuck and roll my ass all the way down this damn mountainside, but knowing my luck, he’d probably want to take the scenic tour.
My thighs begin to ache, and as my pace slows, Knight pauses and glances back at me with a smirk on his damn face. He doubles back, and without another word, he scoops me up, throwing me over his shoulder as he rests his hand on my ass, and then he continues up the long trail as if I weigh nothing.
“See, this is what I’m talking about,” I tease as my body dangles down his strong back, my gaze locked on the tightness of his ass. “We should have done it like this from the beginning.”
“I hardly think so,” he murmurs as the sweet sound of birds chirping high in the trees fills the air. “Do you hear that, doll?”
“What? The alarming wheeze in my lungs or the birdies?”
“Not the birds,” he murmurs. “Beyond that.”
I listen carefully, hearing nothing but rustling leaves in the soft breeze and insects going about their day. Then, ever so faintly, I hear water, and a lot of it. “Is that . . . is it a waterfall?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Excitement drums through my veins, and I push up over his shoulder, struggling to hold on. “Are you fucking with me? There’s a waterfall out here? I’ve always wanted to see one up close. Is that where we’re going?”
