“Keep the blanket wrapped around you and dress in the tent.” I nearly drool over the sight of his bare ass as he rises and walks to unzip the tent without a hint of concern. His laughter echoes through the forest while I try to retrieve my jaw from the ground. “You coming? It’s a little chilly.”
“You have no shame.” I giggle, slapping his ass before ducking inside. Once we’re dressed, we head toward The Inn Restaurant for breakfast. “We’re really roughing it,” I tease as a waitress brings our food.
“I need some sustenance after last night.”
“You’ll need it more for our hike today.” I spread the map out in front of him. “It’s marked ‘very rugged’.”
“As long as you don’t wuss out and make me piggyback you once you’re tired.”
“I hiked this trail when I was seven,” I scoff.
“Let’s do it.” He drops a few bills on the table and takes my hand. This man has held my hand more in the last two days than anyone else has in my life.
We return to the tent to grab some supplies for the hike and we’re off. Trail three is a beautiful hike, and I’m thrilled to show Mason. None of the men I’ve dated before would have given two shits about seeing the amazing rock formations and winding hollows, but he seems as enamored as I am.
“Wow,” he breathes as we crest a hill and find ourselves on a large rock outcrop. It overlooks the river and miles of forest surrounding it. Stepping up behind me, he slips his arms around my waist and pulls me back against his chest.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it? I’d love to see it in winter, covered in snow.”
“It’s a date,” he says, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“You and your long term dates. You love to plan ahead, don’t you?” I press a kiss on his lips, secretly thrilled he thinks we’ll still be dating by then.
“Nothing wrong with long term, love.” His words pierce something inside me. No matter how I fight to avoid relationships, long term love is all I’ve ever wanted.
After gazing at the scenery for a few minutes, we’re joined by more hikers. Shit. It’s the two men who caught us using the men’s shower. Their hands are clasped, and the one with curly hair grins at us.
“Hey guys,” Mason greets. “Would you mind taking our picture?”
“Sure,” the other man answers, taking Mason’s phone. After he takes a photo, he asks us to do the same for them. They put their arms around each other, and I snap the photo.
“They were adorable,” I remark as we move on.
Mason laughs. “You’re adorable.”
I peek up at him. “So, your brother Alex is gay?”
“Picked up on that, did you?” He grins down at me.
“Do you get along well?”
“With Alex? Sure. It’s Parker that bears watching. You saw how he flirted with you.”
“I’m sure he was only teasing.”
“Only because you’re with me. Otherwise, he’d be all over you.”
“You don’t know that!” I shove him playfully.
“He’s my brother and I love him, but he’s the biggest whore in Indy.”
“Ian could probably give him some competition.” I laugh.
We’re both pleasantly tired and sore when we return to our campsite. Mason makes a delicious pot of chili over the fire. “Oh my god, this is fantastic,” I moan, taking my last bite.
Before Mason can respond, there’s a crack of thunder and the skies open up. Laughing, I throw our backpacks in the tent and we dive in after. Mason gives me a wicked grin, quickly stripping off my clothes. Fuck. I get to make love to Mason in a tent during a thunderstorm. Life is good. The storm pounds the tent forhours, but Mason has no problem keeping up.
Chapter Seven
