“Tori told me she had fun.”
“I’m sure she did. She was with Dom the entire night.”
“They make a cute couple.”
“I agree.” I’m quiet, thinking we make a cute couple too.
But I don’t say it. I don’t want to freak her out or push too hard. Not yet.
I turn onto a side road, right off the highway, driving through the quiet neighborhood until the houses become sparser, and the area becomes more wooded. I open my window, fresh air scented heavily with pine rushing in, and I quickly glance over at Addie to see her wavy dark hair is blowing across her face. She keeps batting at it.
“Want me to close the window?”
She shakes her head, smiling at me. “It feels good. Nice and cool.”
“We’ll get even higher in a bit. Have you been back here?”
“No. Never.”
It feels good to take her someplace she’s never been before.
I speed up, not wanting to miss the sunset and that giant orange ball is sinking lower and lower. By the time we make it to our destination, I’m switching my vehicle into four-wheel-drive and climbing on top of a hill that’s essentially comprised of nothing but granite.
Addie clutches the handle above her, her expression wary. “You never mentioned going off-roading.”
“This is as bad as it gets. Trust me.” I come to a complete stop and put it in park, the car swaying from the climb. Before I shut off the engine, I open her window, and there’s nothing but silence.
Pine trees.
The lake looks like a pond below us.
And the sun’s going down, streaking the sky in various shades of pink and orange.
She’s quiet as she stares out the windshield, her eyes going wide as she takes it all in before she turns to me. “This is beautiful.”
I stare at her, overcome. “No, you’re beautiful.”
Her cheeks turn as pink as the sky and she looks away, staring at that disappearing sun. “Should we go outside?”
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
We climb out of the car and she follows me as I lead her onto the jutting rock. I stop just before the ledge, gazing down at the ground below. We’re pretty high up and when I turn back, I notice she’s lingering a few feet behind me.
“Come here.” I wave a hand.
She slowly shakes her head. “I don’t like heights much.”
I take a few steps backward, so I’m closer to her and farther away from the ledge. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Addie laughs nervously. “I’m a klutz sometimes. I could send myself right over the edge all on my own, thanks.”
“Adds.” I go to her and take both of her hands, giving them a squeeze. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She stares up at me, hesitation written all over her face. “I’m scared.”
Damn, she could be describing so many things. She’s scared of heights. Of me. Of how fast we’re moving. We’ve been in school a whole two days. We’ve had our own little love triangle to contend with. Is she scared of Liam finding out about us?
Does she still like him?
No way. That’s my own insecurity rearing its ugly head. If she likes him, she wouldn’t have hooked up with me last night, right?
“I’ve got you,” I murmur, never letting go of her hands as I slowly lead her to the edge of the hill. “I won’t let you fall.”
Her breathing starts to accelerate and she looks toward the setting sun, coming to a stop. “This is amazing.”
“It is,” I agree, letting go of her hands and shifting just behind her. Deciding to go for it, I slip my arms around her, pulling her snug against my body, her back to my front. She fits perfectly and everything inside of me goes hot when she melts against me.
Addie is a tall girl, but I’m taller. Her hair brushes against my jaw, soft and fragrant, and I briefly close my eyes, taking a deep breath. The woods and Addie.
An ideal combination.
“This is nice,” she says, her voice so soft I can barely hear her. “Peaceful.”
“Yeah,” I agree, clutching her tight, showing her that I won’t let her go.
I won’t let anything happen to her.
We’re silent as the sun lowers. Within minutes, it’s gone, and the light sky turns darker. Velvety shades of blue and purple, with the stars already starting to shine.
“I’m hungry,” she admits, turning in my arms so she’s facing me. “I want some of our snacks.”
Unable to resist, I cup her face, tilting her head back so her lips are primed for mine. I kiss her, soft and slow at first. Learning the shape of her mouth. The taste of her lips. Savoring her as I lick my tongue against hers. “You’re my snack,” I murmur against her mouth at one point, and she smiles.
“I’m still hungry.”
Her stomach growls as if on cue.
“Let’s eat then.” Keeping her hand in mine, I lead her over to the car.
We situate ourselves, much like we did last night—sitting on the back end of the 4Runner, Addie digging through the bag and pulling out all the food we bought to eat. Crackers and chips and dips. A mini veggie tray, plus a small meat and cheese tray. I even grabbed a box of chicken strips from the deli and the smell hits me when she pulls it out, making my own stomach growl.
“I think we bought enough food for four people,” Addie says with a laugh as she examines the spread.
“I can eat for approximately three people, so we’re good,” I say with a grin as I crack open the paper container with the chicken strips and pick one up, biting off half of it.
We eat and drink and talk. About nothing. About everything. She tells me about her job. She works at one of the local resorts, and she’s always busy, but she likes it and especially likes the money.
“Have you ever had a job?”
I shake my head, my mouth full of chicken. I chew quickly and swallow. “My mom and dad say school is my job.”
“Plus, I’m guessing you don’t really need to work?” She winces, and I’m thinking she’s uncomfortable bringing up my family’s wealth.
“If I wanted to, I wouldn’t have to work for the rest of my life.” I shrug. I’m not bragging, it’s just a fact of life.
My dad comes from a wealthy family—a family he never really wants to talk about. Plus, he was an NFL superstar for years and made a ton of money playing professional football, plus endorsements. Mom got endorsements too with a couple of lifestyle companies. They were a power couple in their heyday, before I was even born.
“What do you want to do?” she asks, sounding genuinely curious.
“I don’t know. I don’t like to think too far ahead,” I admit. “I want a league champion win this season. I want to go to state playoffs.”
“I’m sure that can happen.”
“I want to go to college and still play ball.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know about that either,” I confess.
“It’s something you should be thinking about. We’ll have to apply to college soon,” she says as she pops a baby carrot into her mouth.
“Where do you want to go?”