A grunt leaves his chest as he turns away from me and I smile to myself, placing my backpack on the ground beside me.
“Let me see the map, Mia.” Nate’s commanding voice brings my attention back up to him as he’s taking slow steps in my direction. My hands slowly fold the map as I take a stuttered step backwards.
“This attitude lately.” He stands in front of me, blue eyes working their way all over me.
“I don’t have an attitude.” There’s an eager affection radiating off of him as he reaches his hand up to my face, running his thumb just barely over the skin on my cheek. I can feel the goosebumps rising on my neck, and it’s in no way because of the cold.
He opens his mouth, but before he speaks, a loud rustling distracts both of us. A flock of birds in the tree near us flee from the branch, disrupting whatever was happening or about to happen between us.
He clears his throat, backing away and dropping his hand as he grabs my bag from the ground.
“Come on, let’s make our way back.”
My body stands still for the briefest moment. There’s a dull ache between my thighs and in my chest as I watch him walk away.
I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things in my life—different places, spectacular views. But nothing beats the way Mia looks today, and I almost just kissed her because of it. Well, her beauty among a thousand other fucking things that have come screaming back to me in the last couple of weeks.
It’s obvious she didn’t want me to know about Connor asking her out. The way she tensed up, barely made eye contact with me and her words were unsure. I have no right to tell her not to go on a date with him, but every fiber inside of me wants to tell her—no, plead with her—not to go.
“Would you look at that? We made it back using the map.” Mia’s hand sits firmly on her hip as we stand at the entrance to this park again. Today’s been a good day. I feel good, I feel relaxed. Hell, I’ve enjoyed every part of it. Mia started off today by saying how research shows that nature and being outdoors can help relieve or reduce stress and I believe her, but it’s notlost on me that doing this with anyone else wouldn’t have been as perfect as it was with her.
“Well, it’s basically one big circle.”
She swats her hand at me, and I let it go this time. Her fingers graze my stomach and it sends a throb just below the belt. A throb I didn’t realize I’d be experiencing again from the touch of my best friend, but here we fucking are.
“Come here.” Mia takes her phone and holds it out in front of us for a picture in front of the sign that says Collier Cave National Park. “Say cheese,” she says. And just before she hits the button, my face turns to her as I smile.
I told my coach I likely wouldn’t be in contact with anyone from the team during my leave of absence, but I don’t count my close friends as a part of the team because right now, I just feel like I need them to talk me off a ledge so I don’t just lean over the center console of this truck and kiss Mia.
Connor asked Mia out.
Liam
And I have a feeling you don’t like that.
For all of the shit I give Liam, he’s the only one who ever really calls me out on my bullshit. I’m sure Chase and Ford think all of it, but they’re usually too mature to make endless comments about it. Not Liam though. He’ll meddle his way into anything he can.
Ford
How are you doing?
I’ll be alright. We’re in Kentucky, Mia’s in the bathroom changing, and then we’re going to get a hotel for the night.
Chase
You know Connor’s a good guy; he’d be good for her.
Liam
Not better than our boy.
Chase
I didn’t know ‘our boy’ was in the running for Mia’s affection. What happened to just friends?
Liam
A man and a woman can’t be just friends, I’ve said this hundreds of times. If he finds her attractive, deep down he wants to sleep with her, that’s just science.
