The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series) (10 page)

Conversation fell away as the trail difficulty intensified even more. Tessa never stopped or complained as they climbed. The path was so narrow they had to go single file. If he hadn’t had to concentrate so hard on his steps, he would have taken more time to enjoy the view ahead of him. As it was, he could barely enjoy Tessa’s rear swaying in front of his eyes.

The terrain suddenly flattened out onto a plateau. Without the incline, he realized how hard his legs had been working. His quads quivered with the sustained exertion. He could only imagine how Tessa’s quads must feel right now… He could almost feel the heat of her thighs on his fingertips. They were probably soft and smooth and muscular.

“The lookout spot is over there, behind that outcropping of rocks.”

A pasture of green opened up before them. It wasn’t huge, maybe only a couple hundred feet in every direction, but it was large enough to be spared the shade of the tree canopy. Running through the middle was a small river with a five-foot waterfall that emptied into a pond before the water continued over the edge of the mountain they’d climbed.

“This is gorgeous. I can’t believe there’s anything better up here than this place.” Seriously, if they’d climbed the whole way to see the lookout point, and she’d never even mentioned this beautiful spot, he couldn’t guess how stunning the view from the lookout must be. Sweat trickled down his back. The thought of going for a dip to cool off was too good to pass up. “I’m sweating like crazy. I’m going to take a swim to rinse off. Want to join me?” he asked, pulling his shirt over his head and walking toward the pond.

“I didn’t bring a swim suit,” she said, following him.

“Me either, but I’m not about to let that stop me.” He stopped at the water’s edge and toed off his shoes, then peeled off his socks. He paused with his hands on his waistband. “If you don’t want to see the rest, you better look away.”

He didn’t miss the pink of her cheeks as she turned her back. Her coloring had nothing to do with the heat or their hike, he was sure of it. It was the same pink hue that had tinged her cheeks a couple of other times when he’d been bare-chested in front of her. Seeing him without a shirt caused a strong reaction in her, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

“You’re leaving underwear on, right?” she asked.

“Wrong. Hiking back with soaking wet boxers would lead to way too much chaffing of important parts. I’d rather go nude here.”

“Oh,” she whispered.

He stripped down, leaving his clothes in a pile on the dry riverbed. The water was cold as he waded in then submerged fully, and for a moment he worried about shrinkage. But Tessa probably wouldn’t get close enough to him to notice anyway. It was more refreshing than he’d imagined. Instantly, his body temp dropped and his energy revived itself. “You can turn around,” he said.

“How is it in there?” Tessa asked. She pulled her shirt away from her stomach, making the material flutter, fanning her overheated skin.

“Better than it looks. Stop being a prude and get in. I’m sure your bra and panties are no skimpier than that bikini you wore the other day.”

“I’m not a prude. And if I come in with my panties on, won’t I end up hiking in discomfort too?”

“Good point. You should come in naked. I’ll be honest. The cold water swirling around my junk feels pretty fantastic. You’re missing out.”

She took off her sneakers and socks and dipped a toe into the water. “Swear you’ll be a gentleman and not look until I tell you it’s okay. And you’ll keep your distance. Deal?”

“Deal,” he said with a wink before turning his back.

Chapter Ten

T
essa hesitated with her thumbs looped into the elastic of her panties. So far Logan had kept his word and hadn’t turned around. But would he continue to be good? The thought of his gaze raking across her naked body made her hotter than the sun beating down on her bare skin.

“Are you in yet?” he asked.

“No, don’t turn around,” she said.

Pushing aside her last ounce of hesitation, she stepped out of her panties and tucked them into the pocket of her pants, then added her bra to the mix. She couldn’t stop the instinct to cover herself with one arm across her breasts. She attempted to cover the rest of herself but quickly gave up. She needed more hands.

But not Logan’s hands.

Giving in to the moment, she let her arms hang by her sides and stood completely uncovered. It was only skin, right? Besides, the water would cover her as soon as she got herself into it.

Embrace nature.

Her body might be hot and in need of cooling off, but that didn’t mean the water didn’t feel damned cold. “I thought you said this was refreshing.”

“It is. If you’d stop being a baby and get in, your body would adjust to the temperature faster.”

“I am getting in.”

Cool spring water rose up her thighs. When it crested her hips, she shrieked.

“Are you okay?” Logan asked, simultaneously turning and reaching for her.

She shrieked louder and dropped into the water, her knees hitting the bottom like a cement block. “I told you not to turn around!” The cold water now hovered around her shoulders, almost stealing her breath while she adjusted to the temperature.

“But you yelped and I thought you needed help or hurt yourself,” he said, shrugging. “I was prepared to save you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He grunted. “How was I to know you’d make that sound because of a little cold water? You could’ve fallen or twisted your ankle.”

“Well, I didn’t. And I couldn’t help the noise. The water is cold and my body was hot and…”

His gaze dipped down as if he could see through the water to her naked flesh. “Yes, it was,” he said in a tone so low it was almost a whisper.

What did that mean? He didn’t see anything, did he?

Her head spun with the thought that he’d seen her naked breasts.
But hey, why not? He’s already seen my ass so why not give him a peek of my boobs too?

“You didn’t see anything, right?” she asked, resisting the urge to cover herself. The water did that job for her, didn’t it? She couldn’t see anything below his waist where the water line hit him—not that she was looking—so he must not be able to see her either. At least, that’s what she’d keep telling herself, since climbing out of the water wasn’t an option. He’d definitely get an eyeful then.

“Not really.” He looked her in the eyes and she instantly knew the truth.

He saw my boobs.

As if in response to the confirmation, her nipples beaded. Damn it, they wanted his attention. Well, they weren’t going to get it. Tessa swam deeper into the water. Getting involved with Logan was not an option if she planned to keep her ties to Cutter’s Creek limited. He’d just become another reason to feel the pull to come home. “How do you keep seeing parts of me naked?”

“How do you keep finding yourself naked and in situations where you need help?” he countered.

“I didn’t need help this time.”

“It sounded like you did.”

“I think you wanted a peek.”

He grinned. “If I wanted a peek, I would’ve turned around and watched. I only turned when you shrieked. So it’s your fault I saw anything. However, if it’s any consolation, what I saw, even fleetingly, was pretty spectacular.”

She swallowed hard. She wouldn’t let him know how much his comment rattled her. Not admitting her problem was definitely the first step to ignoring it.

They swam around in the pond together, but separately, and she had to admit it did feel good to rinse off. But now that her body temperature had dropped to a normal level again, the water felt almost too cold.

“How long do we need to stay in here exactly?” she asked.

“It’s getting pretty chilly, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Why don’t we go see the lookout?”

Nibbling her lower lip, she hesitated to say yes. There was one little problem. “I didn’t bring a towel. What was the point of not swimming in our underwear if we have to turn around and put our clothes back on wet skin? This wasn’t a good plan.”

“True, but I’ve got an idea.” He started to wade out of the water.

“Whoa there, big guy,” she said, raising her hands to make him stop walking. He didn’t.

“You noticed.” He chuckled.

“You could warn me you’re on the move. Don’t you want me to turn away like before?”

“I never told you to turn away then either. I’m not afraid of you seeing me as I am, but if you’d feel better about it, then you better turn away now because this water isn’t gonna cover me for much longer.”

Oh sure. He’s so confident. Doesn’t care who sees what. Fine. If he doesn’t want to cover up, then it’s not my fault if I see—Whoa!

Water droplets rolled down Logan’s back and shoulders, trailing along his skin until they crested the hills of his nicely sculpted ass. Forcing her eyes to the water around her, she refused to watch any longer.

The man was beyond attractive, no doubt, but that didn’t mean she’d cave. And sure, he’d been nothing but sweet and kind and respectful to her the whole time she’d known him, but that still didn’t mean she could give in to the temptation that was Logan. Not now. Not ever.

“You can come out now. I won’t watch.”

Tessa looked up to find Logan holding out a blanket in front of him like a wall. Where the blanket had come from she had no idea but she was immensely happy to see it. She could cover up and dry off without having to make her clothes damp.

She waded out of the water quickly, already shivering, and pulled the blanket from his hands and wrapped it around her shoulders, crisscrossing the ends against her chest. Squatting down, she managed to grab her clothes and one strap of her backpack while still holding the edges of the blanket closed. When she stood, she finally took a second to look at Logan. He’d wrapped his shirt around his waist, and slung his backpack over one shoulder. The rest of his clothes hung from his hands down the front of him like a loincloth. His bare chest, close enough she could touch it, made her long to lick the water droplets from his skin as they ran in tiny rivers down his washboard abs.

“This way,” she said, walking barefoot down the riverbank toward the lookout. She led them around a bend and past a thicket of trees and bushes that hid the lookout spot. “Be careful here since this isn’t part of the path.”

As she passed through the last overhang of tree cover, the lookout spot opened up into a small clearing right on the edge of the mountainside. There was no barrier between them and cliffs, just open, unobstructed views of the mountain range.

“Wow,” Logan said, coming to stand beside her. “This view is stunning. Now I get why you hike all the way up here.”

They stood side-by-side in silence for a few minutes enjoying the view. Tessa loved the way the sun beat down on the mountains, casting some of it into shadow while the rest practically glowed. The longer she looked, the more detail she saw, and she tried to commit every part of it to memory. When would she get to come up here again? Next summer? That felt like forever from now. But how soon did she want to come back to visit? Hadn’t she tried too long to get away to already miss this place?

“I wish I’d thought to bring a blanket. Then we could have somewhere to sit down and relax for a while.”

“We could use that blanket.”

She shot him a sideways glance. “But then I’d be naked again.”

“True.” He grinned. “And the problem would be?” His voice trailed off as he raised an eyebrow at her. “You keep the blanket, but I’m still going to lie out for a few minutes. I guess I’ll lie on my shirt instead of letting it dry in the sun.”

He’s going to get naked and suntan?

Oh my…

She should not be excited about this situation. It was bad news for her keeping her distance from him. How could she hang out with him being naked and not want to jump his bones?

Because you’re in control of your desires and you don’t desire to get involved with him. He can sunbathe nude. It’s totally natural.

He set his backpack in a patch of shade then nudged a few twigs out of the way as he cleared a spot to lie down. No matter how many sticks he moved, he’d still be sitting on the hard ground while she cuddled the soft blanket. The part of her brain wanting to keep her distance from Logan battled with the other part wanting to see him lying completely naked in the sun. Chiming in from the deepest recesses of her subconscious was the little voice of her inner sex kitten that
really
wanted an excuse to lie down naked beside him.

She’d known other people in high school who’d found little places in the mountains to skinny dip and sunbathe nude, but not here. This was her spot. One time, her ex-boyfriend Zack had wanted her to bring him here for some sexy time outdoors. Part of her had wanted to say yes, but for whatever reason she’d gone with her gut instinct and said no. And thank God she had. Who knows how many people would have found out about their adventure with his big mouth—probably the whole town would’ve known, as usual. A part of her always knew she couldn’t trust him.

She didn’t feel that same kind of hesitation in her gut when it came to being here with Logan. This time instinct told her she could trust him with this secret place—with her body. In fact, the thought of being with him in this situation was too tempting to pass up.

People sunbathe nude in Europe all the time without ending up fooling around. We’re friends. Lying in the sun. Like cats. But without the fur.

“Wait. You can have the blanket.”

Shit! Why did I say that?

“What’s that?” He stopped and turned to face her. His shirt was still tied around his waist and covered his groin.

Because I want to see what’s under that shirt.

“You can use the blanket.” She swallowed and prayed she was brave enough to deal with the repercussions of this moment in about a minute from now. “If you promise you will never tell a soul about this, especially not Travis.”

“Are you saying you’re going to get some sun too? Naked?” A grin slowly bloomed on his lips. His eyes seemed to light up as if they were reflecting the sun as well as his enthusiasm.

“Turn around,” she said.

He laughed. “Why? You can’t expect me to move around, literally on the edge of a cliff, with my eyes closed for the rest of the afternoon.”

“Humor me. Please,” she added, softly.

He turned his back.

If she’d thought it had been hard taking off her clothes and getting into the pond, this was at least triple the difficulty. Before she could talk herself out of it, she took off her blanket, shook it out, and arranged it on the flattest section of ground. Then she lay down on her stomach and rested her chin on her crossed arms, focusing on the beautiful view and slowing her heart rate, and
not
on the fact that she was laying in the sun, butt naked—literally—with an almost complete stranger. A sweet and dangerously sexy almost stranger.

“Okay. You can turn around.”

She gritted her teeth together and fought the urge to roll up in the blanket like a human burrito. All he’d see was her butt and he’d already seen it once, he’d even touched it, so she needed to relax.

Tessa froze as Logan turned around.

“Nice,” he whispered under his breath, but she still heard him loud and clear as if he’d yelled it from the mountaintop. Pride swelled within her at his understated compliment.

At the sound of a tiny groan coming from his direction, she almost glanced toward him. Instead, she forced herself to focus on nature.

An eagle flying in circles in the distance.

A songbird chirping in a near by tree.

Fluffy, white clouds gliding across the sky.

Logan’s shirt falling to the ground. Oh shit.

The shirt that had been the only article of clothing covering his body.

He settled on the blanket beside her, close enough that she was ultra aware of his presence—she’d have to be dead not to notice him—but not close enough to accidentally touch each other. He’d chosen to lie on his back and fold his arms under his head as if he were casually reclining on the couch, not on a blanket in the middle of nature, naked…with a naked woman beside him.

Logan’s penis is getting a suntan.

Don’t do it… Don’t do it…

“Do you have enough blanket?” she asked casually as she turned to look him in the eye.

But his eyes were closed against the bright sunlight. A lazy smile played on his lips. He looked so peaceful lying there. She was instantly glad she’d given up the blanket so they could both enjoy it.

The water that had been on his chest had long since dried and now his skin looked kissed by the sun’s rays. She licked her lips. A faint dusting of hair on his chest grew thicker below his belly button, like a trail leading to—

Wowza. I said not to do that!

She could practically hear her inner sex kitten bouncing up and down with excitement and anticipation while her more rational, logical self cursed her for being weak and making things more difficult than they already were. If only she hadn’t looked at what was hanging out, semi-erect, in the sunshine.

But it was too late. The damage was done. The package had been unwrapped.