We kept walking, but my mind was spinning.
Search and rescue. This man spent his time pulling people out of dangerous situations, saving lives in these unforgiving mountains. It made him seem even larger than life than he already was.
I watched him move through the trees ahead of me. The man was tall and built like he’d been carved from the mountain itself.
If I needed saving, I’d want a man like him doing the job. Solid and strong and so impossibly sexy that I could barely think straight.
My conquests could be counted on one hand.
Ethan, the accountant.
Oliver, the computer tech.
And Christian, the guy who ran the botany club I used to attend.
All of them combined had less muscle mass than the beast in front of me. And bless their hearts, they hadn’t known what to do with a woman once they had me. Or maybe that’s what sex was always like. Better in my imagination than in real life.
But I bethe’dknow what to do with a woman. Grayson Ford looked like he could fuck me to Mars and back without breaking a sweat.
For once in my life, I was going to do something bold.
I was going toseducethis man.
The thought sent a thrill through me, equal parts terror and excitement.
One night in his bed would probably change my entire life.
Just as I was thinking that, the trees parted without warning, and I stopped dead in my tracks.
The hot springs were nestled in a natural bowl of stone, steam curling up from water so clear I could see the smooth rocks lining the bottom. Moss and ferns clung to the edges, impossibly green against the gray granite.
Wildflowers dotted the banks in splashes of purple and white, and the whole scene was framed by towering pines that blocked out everything but a perfect circle of blue sky above.
“Oh my god,” I breathed. “It’s beautiful.”
Grayson stood beside me, his gaze sweeping the clearing with the practiced ease of a man checking for threats. “Told you it was worth the hike.”
The reality of our isolation hit me then. We hadn’t passed another soul on the trail.
No voices carried through the trees, and there were no distant sounds of civilization. Just the gentle splash of the springs and the whisper of wind rustling through pine needles.
We were completely alone out here. Miles from anyone.
“You want to take a dip?” His voice dropped lower, rougher, and the sound of it sent heat shooting through me.
The water looked so inviting, steam rising from its surface.
“Is it safe?”
“Perfectly. I’ve been coming here for years. Water’s clean, temperature’s just right.”
I bit my lip. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
His dark eyes drifted down my body, slow and deliberate, taking their time on the journey from my face to my feet and back up again. When they met mine, something hungry lurked in their depths.
“Don’t need one.” His voice was a low drawl, seducing me. “I’m going in wearing my underwear.”
Then he reached for the buttons on his flannel shirt.
