Feeling reckless—and more than a little sexy and powerful herself—Sierra said, “How about I say it to you when we’re bothnaked?”
“That’ll work, too.”
She twisted in his embrace to look up at those knife-sharp cheekbones that pointed down to the full lips she found so darnkissable. “All kidding aside, you sound like you were in a very bad place. But you’ve never told me what put you there?”
“That’s a story for later.” Flynn slid his hands along her neck as he leaned his forehead against hers. “For now, know thatyou’re the ocean to me. You’re what keeps filling me up. I can’t thank you enough. Hopefully, today’s a start.”
“You’ve got to stop. Every time you thank me, I’m compelled to come right back and thank you. For helping me work past my fear to embrace my life here. For showing me how strong you see me, which gives me the courageto feel it, too.”
Flynn stopped her from saying anything more by taking her lips. Right there, in the bright sunlight with a solid row of othersightseers crowded elbow to elbow with them along the railing. He kissed her long and hard and just this side of way too muchtongue for a state park.
“That’ll be our punishment. The next one of us to thank the other will get kissed. Relentlessly.”
She giggled and tried to pull him back into another kiss. “Is this reverse psychology? Because I kind of can’t think of anythingbetter.”
“Wait. Hopefully this will be better. I brought you a present.” He shrugged his backpack off. Flynn jutted his chin to indicatethey should cross the highway as he dug in it. “Let’s get away from this crowd so you can open it.”
“Flynn, this whole day is already a present.”
“That sounded suspiciously like you were circling toward a thank you. Are you looking to be kissed again?”
“Most definitely.”
Grabbing her hand as he slung the pack back up, Flynn jogged the rest of the way. Kept jogging, in fact, as he stepped offthe marked trail and just pushed through the waist-high ferns and bushes. They were immediately swallowed up by the thickforest.
“Where are we going?”
“Someplace more private.”
That would sound delightful, if they weren’t in the middle of a national forest they both knew less than nothing about. “Letme rephrase that question. Do you actually know where we’re going?”
“Nah. But this is a protected scenic area. I’m sure it’s safe. We’re just heading away from all the people.”
“What do you have in mind once it’s just us and the spruce trees?”
“Depends on how well my present goes over.”
Laughing, Sierra took the lead, jumping over fallen logs thick with moss. A zigzag pattern removed them quickly from any soundsor sights of the trails. Sun broke through the canopy above, but only in indiscriminate spears of golden haze. Layer uponlayer of green surrounded them.
Flynn pressed her against the springy, mossy bark of a tree. Spiky orange blossoms ringed the base of it. “This is good.”He held up a small box, tied with a blue ribbon. “Open it.”
She didn’t need to be asked twice. Greedily, Sierra snatched the box away, curiosity burning through her. And yet she tookher time removing the ribbon, rolling it up, and stuffing it into the pocket of her shorts. Because no matter what was inside the box, she was touched by the gesture alone, of Flynn going to the trouble to search out a sparkly blue ribbon. For her.That ribbon would be saved for the rest of her life.
Sierra popped the lid. Inside was a journal covered in teal leather stamped in gold with the words DREAM BELIEVE DO REPEAT. She stroked her index finger over the embossing of each word.
“You told me that you pressed flowers as souvenirs of good memories. I was thinking you could start doing that for memoriesof the two of us.” He reached down to pull off a stem with multiple orange flowers spiking from it. “Here’s one to start.Not exactly fireworks for the Fourth, but it’s as bright as a sparkler, that’s for sure.”
It was unutterably sweet. Touching. Sierra knew she should wait. Both to protect her heart and to not put Flynn on the spot.But this gift . . . it filled her heart so darned much that she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Looking up at him, Sierra said swiftly, “I love you.”
Flynn jolted. Visibly. Like a live wire got shoved into his chest and head to toe, he stiffened. Then he took a step backward.
Uh-oh.
She’d blown it. Freaked him out. Pressured him too soon.
They’d known each other, been friends for two months, but only dated for one. Sierra felt closer to Flynn in four weeks thanshe had to Rick after more than three times that. But they were her feelings. Ones that Flynn wasn’t required to reciprocate.
At least, that was the first wave of thoughts that crashed through her brain. As he took a second step backward, a whole new flurry of thoughts barragedSierra. They were in a relationship. Relationships were built on honesty, on trust. At least this one was. So she shouldn’thave to keep her feelings a secret. Or be worried about sharing them.
Flynn could do whatever he wanted with her statement. The only way to be true to herself as well as their deepening . . .entanglement . . . was to be open. No different than telling him if she had a stomachache, or worried about paying her rent.So he’d darn well better stand there and take it like a man.
Sheesh. Sierra hadn’t realized that declaring her love would bring out her feistiness.
She snatched the flower out of his hand. Opened the cover, carefully teased each petal flat, and then slammed the journalshut.
The sound must’ve jolted Flynn out of his coma of panic. He sort of jerked once more, then he set his shoulders. Great. Guessthey were both bracing for a
