“One hundred sixty-five centimeters.”
“So… about five-five. Although, I think you’re overestimating.”
“What?” she huffed, pulling back. “You think I’m shorter?”
“I definitely think you’re shorter.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“I am not,” she insisted. At least, not much. She was a smidge—the absolute smallest of smidges—under that. But she’d never admit to him that she’d exaggerated.
He moved at a good pace, yet not recklessly. She knew he was scanning the path ahead of them, on the lookout for danger. Now that she wasn’t focused on the ground, or his ass, she did her part by scanning the trees surrounding them. They fell into an easy rhythm, her bouncing lightly against him.
“So, what’s the plan once we reach the nearest town?” she asked.
“I don’t know about you, but I could use a few hours of sleep. Also, a shower, some soap, a haircut. A steak. Maybe an entire tres leches cake for dessert.”
She could hear the smile in his voice. “That sounds nice. My mother used to make the most amazing tres leches cake.”
“I could eat a few right about now.” He hiked her up, marching on. “We’ll find a place to rest, and I need to call a friend. Then we’ll borrow a car and drive the rest of the way to the coast.”
“Borrow?” she echoed.
“Did I say borrow? I meant appropriate. Commandeer? How about steal?”
“Have you stolen a lot of cars in your life?”
“More than I can count, Peaches.”
The nickname made her pulse skitter. “Why do you keep calling me that? Do I smell like peaches?” She leaned down and sniffed herself.
“No, more like Red Hots.”
She frowned. “What’s that?”
“You’ve never had Red Hots?”
“No.”
“It’s a cinnamon candy. They can be pretty spicy.”
Her lips twitched. The perfume she always wore had notes of cinnamon. Did he like it? Leaning closer, pressing her breasts into his back and moving her lips up next to his ear, she asked, “So why do you call me Peaches?”
His fingers dug into her thighs. “Do you want the polite answer?”
“No. I always prefer the raw, gritty truth.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
He seemed to debate over what to tell her. Then, he surprised the hell out of her with his unfiltered answer. “Because you have the best goddamn ass I’ve ever seen. Juicy as a peach.”
Chapter eight
Why lie?It was the truth, and Xander thought she should know. For a long, probably shocked moment, Essie didn’t say anything. Just continued to bounce up and down on his back, her full, tantalizing breasts smashed against his body, arms wound around his neck and that cinnamon scent torturing him with every step he took.
“Um, thank you?” she finally said.
“It’s true.” He hiked her up higher. “Are you offended by my bluntness?”
