The car came to a stop, and I silently thanked the real me, Royal, for being prepared. I knew how muddy it was going to be out there and I wasn’t going to look like an ass sliding around or falling because I’d worn senseless shoes.
“We’re here,” Declan said, reaching for the door handle.
Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God.
Chapter 8
I needed to talk to Xander. I needed him here with me, reading the clues. What did Declan’s body language mean? Was he trying to be friends with me or intimidate me?
Or was he just trying to be a normal boss and failing miserably?
I couldn’t deny there was something more between us. A spark. A sizzle.
Something forbidden.
This man was potentially very dangerous.
And yet, with his hand shielded over his eyes as the sun peeked out from the clouds, and his jacket flapping in the wind, he looked…almost vulnerable.
Definitely not some kind of criminal. Maybe just someone who hadn’t had much love in his life.
And dammit, I kind of wanted to be the person who showed him whatever kindness he was missing out on. Or be the person that made him smile, or laugh, even if it was only on the third Tuesday of every month.
“Watch your step,” Declan said, reaching out for me as I tried to walk over a particularly muddy spot about ten feet from the car.
I noticed we were the only ones who got out. Probably better that way. Their shoes would be destroyed in no time.
I put my hand into his, and my cold fingers were engulfed by strong ones—so warm it almost felt like he had a fever. He kept me steady as we walked to a washed-out trail, guiding me like he’d taken this path more than once.
“Have you been out here before?” I asked, mesmerized by the heat of his hand.
“I hike a lot.” He tossed me a smirk that said I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the outdoors or knew how to navigate them.
“Is that supposed to surprise me?” I asked.
He released my hand when we were on level ground, taking away the warmth I didn’t realize I’d been craving until it was gone.
“I was surprised when I found out you like hiking,” he said.
I snorted. Sure. His expression hadn’t changed at all.
“I guess we’re even then,” I told him. I breathed in deep and looked up to the tips of the peaks, where snow still rested, waiting to melt into the rivers below.
We’d get snow for another few weeks, maybe even longer at that elevation. I’d seen snow on those peaks in July before. But down here, it was starting to warm up, starting to hint of summer.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
“This is what I want people to see,” Declan told me. “They might not hike up there like we do, but they’ll love the views.”
“While eating hundred-dollar sushi and wearing complementary robes,” I said.
He laughed softly. “Exactly. Nature at its finest.”
I nodded. “I’d stay here.”
He faced me. “Really?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. “You get a fancy spa in here, maybe do those rural but also glamorous mud baths or maybe even man-made hot springs with a view like this…yeah, people will pay top dollar.”
“That’s a good idea.” Declan rubbed a hand on his jaw, going into business mode. “Tell me what else you see.”
I propped my hands on my hips, thinking it through, and then brainstormed out loud. “You’re going to have both types of people—the ones who want the city and the ones who want nature—so you’ll have to provide access to both. Car service?” I said, squinting my eyes and thinking. I nodded. “With champagne—an elite collection with your own labels. I’ll have to see the other site first to decide which one would work for both kinds of clientele. But yeah, spa, more than one pool depending on the size of the resort. For the outdoorsy types, you get them a sexy, rugged guide and he can get them up those trails without anyone getting hurt and they can brag about how they hiked a peak 14,000 feet tall and didn’t even need oxygen…” Declan laughed again but waved at me to continue.
So I did. I paced while I talked, walking back and forth over the mud-stained earth and telling him everything I would want to see or experience here. Everything I wished other people could see.
“You know, there’s a waterfall hidden back in those trees…just up there.” I pointed, familiar enough with these mountains that I could pinpoint every trail and every piece of wildlife alongside it.
The flora and fauna as well.
“A waterfall,” Declan said, interested. He shifted to peer toward where I was pointing like he might be able to see the waterfall from this distance. “I’d like to see that someday.”
I opened my mouth to tell him I could show him, then thought better of it. I pulled up my list of rules in my head, the ones that started with No Flirting with the Boss. Escorting him to a secret and mysterious hidden waterfall was probably on that list somewhere, too.
Declan looked over expectantly from where he stood, nearly twenty feet away, his foot propped on a rock. We’d wandered out of sight of the cars, just over a low hill.
Because his gaze was giving me the chills, I turned abruptly, planning on surveying the rest of the area. My shoe slipped on the side of a rock, throwing me off balance.
My arms flailed for a brief moment, then suddenly there were arms around me.
Declan clasped me tight against his body, keeping me from falling. I held tight for a moment, adrenaline racing through me. It wouldn’t have been bad, probably would have bruised
