The air rushed out of me as I collided with a solid chest, and then I was falling.
Dean had been running full tilt from the other direction, and when I appeared in his path there was nowhere for either of us to go. He tried to catch me, I tried to stop my fall—neither of us was successful.
We hit the dirt hard, tumbling in a mess of limbs down a hill until the ground finally stopped us. My lungs burned, my pulse rioted, and then I realized—Dean was on top of me.
His body caged me in, warm and solid, his breath fanning across my cheek. For a moment, neither of us moved. His eyes swept over my face, dazed but intent, like he wasn’t sure what the hell had just happened but couldn’t bring himself to look away.
“You…” His voice came out rough, his brow furrowing. “You just appeared out of nowhere.”
I blinked up at him, still breathless. “Correction. You ran me over.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, like he wanted to argue but couldn’t quite manage it. “Pretty sure you darted in front of me.”
“Pretty sure I didn’t,” I shot back, heat crawling up my neck. “George was chasing a rabbit.”
That pulled his gaze away—briefly—to the trees, where George was sniffing a patch of grass a few feet away looking completely innocent. “So, you were chasing George?”
My lips parted, “Yes.”
His weight shifted just slightly against me, enough to make my breath hitch. Dean’s mouth curved, slow and adorable. “You know… if you wanted me on top of you, there were easier ways.”
I gasped, smacking his shoulder, even as my pulse skittered wildly. “You’re insufferable.”
“Mm.” His eyes glinted, daring. “And you’re blushing.”
Before I could shove him off, a cold nose wedged between us, and George planted a sloppy lick across Dean’s jaw, tail wagging like he was proud of himself.
Dean groaned, pushing him back with one arm. “Perfect timing, George.”
I covered my face with my hands, half mortified, half amused.
And of course, that was the exact moment voices carried through the trees.
“Dean?” Trisha’s voice called with curiosity. “Is that you?”
Dean froze above me.
A second later, Thomas stood behind her, coffee cups in hand.
They both stopped short, their gazes sweeping over the scene—me flat on my back, Dean on top of me, George panting happily by our sides.
Thomas’s brow arched. A grin tugged at his mouth. “Well. Morning you two.”
“Morning,” Dean and I said in unison.
Thomas’s grin widened “Ah, young love. I almost forgot what it was like. Passion so uncontrollable you find yourself frolicking in the forest.”
Trisha elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re ridiculous.”
But Thomas wasn’t done. His grin sharpened as he tipped his chin to us. “Just… maybe save some of that energy for the rugby match this afternoon, yeah?”
My stomach dipped, and I glanced up at Dean, remembering the shirts Mr. McHenry had handed us at the banquet.
Dean pushed smoothly to his feet, brushed himself off, then pulled me up so easily it was as though I weighed nothing at all.
Before I could even gather my wits, Trisha caught me at my elbow and pulled me aside, eyes glinting with curiosity and humor. “Okay,” she said, dragging out the word. “Do I evenwant to know how you two ended up rolling around in the dirt together?”
Heat rushed up my neck. “It’s not what it looks like.”
