Chapter 12
An hour into theirhike around Emerald Lake the next morning, Krista’s trained eye detected something not quite right with Shane’s stride.
She’d been walking behind him for the past twenty minutes—looking at his hard butt as much as she’d been looking at their glorious surroundings—so she should know when his gait was giving off little signs of struggle. Shane had also been quieter than usual all morning.
“Your left leg is compensating for something going on in your right hip flexor,” she said. “Have you pulled something?”
“It’s just some tightness in my thigh,” he said. “It’ll wear off when my muscles have warmed up.”
“I can take a look at it for you later if you want.”
“I’ll be ‘right,” he drawled then nodded to the logs and rocks by the lake shore. “Mind if we stop to take some photos of the water?”
“Sure.”
Joining Shane on the lakeshore, she pulled her water bottle out of her bag, and out dropped a packet of tissues with it. Shane picked them up and handed them to her.
“Thanks.”
The tips of her fingers brushed his, and her stomach zinged—just like it had last night in his tent.
Oh, man. Last night...
She hadn’t brought up her prank this morning, and neither had Shane.
Just as well, because she didn’t want any awkwardness to ruin their day. They’d only been messing around anyway. It meant nothing. To either of them.
If only her body would get the message. Not that she could blame her poor hormones for revving up. Shane was big and solid, and she hadn’t had a man on top of her in forever.
But so what if, for a split second, it had felt like he’d been about to kiss her? She of all people knew not to read too much into such things—after all, hadn’t she been reading into every tiny signal from Ryan these past few months? And look where that had gotten her.
What happened last night was just a silly joke, taken that little bit too far. Nothing else. Nothing more. So she shook the sexy thoughts out of her mind and turned her attention to something practical and sensible instead.
“I’ll cook tonight,” she said in true cozy Krista style. “Just let me know what rations are on the menu.”
“Actually, I was thinking about a burger and chips at that Moose Head Lodge we passed by earlier. Are you up for that?”
“Too freaking hell I am,” she whooped. Her face had been pressed against the window when they’d driven by earlier. “But I’ll buy. It’s the least I can do.”
Shane merely shrugged and gazed at the view as he munched his apple. The sun caught the tips of his blond eyelashes, making them look longer than Krista had ever noticed before, and there was a light stubble on his jaw. Until now, she’d only ever seen him clean shaven, and she had to admit, Lisa was right. He did lookyummy.
Get a grip, Krista.
She had no right thinking Shane wasyummyin any respect. They were friends on an impromptu vacation together, and he wasn’t interested in her any more than she was interested in him. Unexpected physical contact and the hot, sunny day were making her horny, that was all. Big deal. For someone who hadn’t had sex in over a year, it was a natural reaction. A chemical reaction.
And that pesky zing to her stomach last night when he’d lain on top of her?
Completely forgotten.
***
Or rather, it was forgotten—almost—until Shane, back at camp later that evening, walked up the path through the trees shirtless and dripping wet after his wash at the pump.
What was it with these zings?
Krista saw shirtless athletes all the time. It was her job totouchshirtless athletes all the time. Hard, sculpted pectorals and abdominals were all in a day’s work for her.
