"Not a chance." I raised my right hand like a Boy Scout. "But I promise to protect you from all critters, big and small. I'll unleash my mighty roar and scare them off if they even think about approaching you."
She had to try not to laugh, but she failed.
"Fine. Get your superhero moves ready, bud." She dismounted from my lap and headed for her shoes.
While I missed the warmth of her body against mine, I did a fist pump because I would show her how amazing it could be up here in the mountains. It wasn't sunrise, but sunset could be pretty epic.
We stepped outside in the crisp air. The sky along the ridge was already turning to hues of pink and orange as the sun thought about setting.
Moving past the trash cans in the yard, I quickly stepped in front of her, taking a protective stance.
"What are you doing, you goof?" she asked while I blocked her path with my body.
"Protecting you from the bear you saw out the window that time."
"Har," she said. But her eyes glittered, and this thing we had between us was pretty fucking awesome.
Then I linked her hand with mine and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "No worries. It's just a trash can. You're safe."
"You're a comedian," she said dryly.
I nodded. "Maybe that's what I'll do after I retire."
This was the last year on my contract, and I hoped I'd get renewed, but it was never too early to think about what came next.
"Perhaps come up with a backup plan to comedy?" She winked at me as I led the way into the trees. "Just in case."
"Now, who's the comedian?" I asked.
We stepped under the canopy of trees and the peace of the mountain fell on us in a kind of silence that wasn't awkward or unwelcome. This was the quiet I loved best. The simplicity of the leaves rustling and the brush of the soles of our shoes against the dirt.
"What is this place you're taking me to?" She kept up with my stride, coming beside me as the trail widened.
"Just a spot, really. I used to come here all the time as a kid." I pushed aside a branch so we could both go through, the rough bark scratching against my palm. "It's where Dad and I hiked since it's not too far, but far enough I felt like we'd gone somewhere."
"That's a metaphor for something, I'm sure of it," she said.
We continued on until a rustling in the underbrush made her pause and grip my arm with zero regard for her fingernails.
I reached for her hand gripping my biceps, and squeezed in reassurance, but she totally ducked behind me like she'd seen a trash can. The quiet sounds of nature suddenly seemed a helluva lot louder as a twig snapped and I actually jumped, too.
"We should go home," she whispered the words, but she didn't move.
The hit of her adrenaline meant that I was all on edge, too. But I'd walked this trail hundreds of times and saw nothing more dangerous than a bull snake.
Probably best not to mention the snake part to Maya because, with her rapid breathing and the way her body was all tensed up, she was freaking the fuck out, and it was rubbing off on me.
I practically expected to see a pair of gleaming eyes through the underbrush instead of the chipmunk that skittered out to run along the edge of the trail.
"Ladies love chipmunks," I said, mimicking Darius.
"What do you know about what ladies love?" she asked wryly.
"I think we're going to be all right," I assured, removing her hand from my arm because she was seriously going to leave a bruise.
She pulled her lips to the side. "That was a chipmunk."
"Yeah," I said. "And if you're lucky, you might even see a hawk or an owl."
