He chuckles, turning just enough to catch me with a raised brow and that infuriatingly sexy smirk. “You think I’m fit?”
Cocky.
“Oh, please. Youknowyou are.”
He squeezes my hand again before shifting the conversation. “The path will take us from Killan to Loch Tay. Have you been in that direction yet?”
I shake my head. “Nope, don’t think I have. I can’t wait. Long walks and beautiful forests are kind of my thing.”
We keep driving, and the village reveals itself slowly, nestled between rolling hills and cradled by the gentle curve of a lazy river. Weathered stone buildings with gabled roofs line the streets. Everything about it looks like it’s been shaped by centuries, every cobblestone path a whisper of footsteps that walked before us.
“Wow,” I murmur, the word barely skimming the surface of how I feel. “I’m speechless.” I glance over at him, still trying to take it all in. “Do you ever get used to this? Everywhere you look, there’s something beautiful.”
He pauses for a moment, his brow furrowing as he gives my question some thought. “I won’t speak for everyone, but I know a lot of us can take it for granted. We get caught up in the everyday stuff. Work, traffic, you know the drill. I haven’t been out this way in years, and I wouldn’t be if you weren’t here.”
“Makes sense.” I nod. “This is new to me, but I’m loving every second of it. It’s like when people ask me what it’s like to live in Kentucky and then hear I’ve never been to the derby. They act like it’s some type of crime.”
His lips twitch into a smile. “I can see that. You get so caught up in the day-to-day, you forget to explore the stuff right under your nose.”
I glance over at him as we pull into a parking lot. “How long is this path?”
“Not sure of the exact distance, but it takes maybe an hour and a half to walk the whole thing. There’s also a small detour we can take if you’d like to see some castle ruins.”
“Oh, I’d love that. Let’s do it.”
Our footsteps echo on the wooden planks of the old railway bridge as we fall into a comfortable silence that doesn’t need to be filled with words. It’s not long before thewaters of Loch Tay come into view. The glassy surface stretches out before us, perfectly mirroring the vast blue sky above. It’s one of those scenes that’s so breathtakingly beautiful, it almost doesn’t seem real.
The waves lapping against the shore blend with the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze. Everything feels suspended, the world holding its breath just for us.
“How about we take a seat for a bit?” Knox suggests, nodding toward a quiet spot near the water’s edge. “If you don’t mind the sand.”
“Sounds perfect.” I follow and settle onto the ground beside him, legs stretched toward the water, our thighs pressed together. The contact is innocent enough, but my body reacts like it’s been waiting for this touch.
I steal a glance at him. His gaze is fixed on the horizon, but something about the way the light catches his face makes it impossible to look away. There’s a softness there that pulls at me, drawing me in like the tide itself.
“All right, twenty questions time,” I say. “Rapid fire. You ready?”
He lets out a small laugh at my enthusiasm. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Blue,” he replies quickly. “Yours?”
“Green,” I answer, without thinking. “What’s your favorite food?”
“A full Scottish breakfast. Nothing beats it. And you?”
“Mexican. Specifically, tacos, chips, and queso. Okay, your turn to come up with a question.”
I watch him for a moment. A smirk creeps across his face as he shifts slightly, locking eyes with me. “If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?”
I laugh, no hesitation in my answer. “Easy. Mind reading.
He raises a brow. “I think I’d hate that. Too much noise. Teleportation is more my speed.”
I nod thoughtfully. “Oh, that’s a good one. I’ll give you that.”
Our conversation flows so easily, the words slipping between us like we’ve been doing this for years. I find myself laughing more than I have in ages. We’ve long since crossed the twenty-question mark, but I’m not in a hurry to wrap it up.
