The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (6 page)

I tried to pry my hand loose. “
Excuse
me? What is your problem?”

“
My
problem? Let’s talk about
your
problem. I just talked to your dad.”

“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. You don’t have to worry.”

“But I
do
worry. I worry a lot.” Something in his expression made me warm all over. His voice was curt, but his eyes were tight with real concern.

“You’re cutting off the circulation to my hand. Do you mind?”

Instead of letting go of my wrist, he loosened his hold and eased down on the bench. The muscles in his arms flexed with the motion, drawing my attention to his shoulders. Broad, hard, probably golden brown under the t-shirt he wore, they were made for snuggling against. My imagination was helpfully stripping off said shirt and filling in the details of his skin. My heart was doing little flip flops because I was actually happy to see him. Uh-oh, those were bad signs. I stood up to go. It was time to make a dignified exit--for once. I invited him to hike tomorrow and headed home. After a cold shower, I went to work. Suddenly bears didn’t seem all that scary. I was looking forward to the hiking trip more than before.

The drive to Giant Mountain was a pretty one. Ricki volunteered to drive, and I happily rode shotgun. Signs of spring were all around us. Trees were sprouting new green leaves. The rivers would be running high with snow melt. I was a little sorry we weren’t going to be on the water. I would settle for hiking the mountain though. The forest was home for me. I felt a sense of peacefulness that I didn’t feel anywhere else. I wanted to run through the woods and climb to the top of this mountain--I hoped the rest of my friends could keep up.

“Did you bring condoms?” Ricki chuckled with a snort at her cleverness.

Jumping at the sound of her voice, I snorted too. “Geez, woman! No, I did not!” Though the idea had some potential, the wearer wasn’t cooperating. “Besides, he’s not interested. You’ve seen him. He practically ignores me half the time.”

Grinning evilly, she said, “Yeah, but the other half of the time, he looks at you like you’re lunch! God, he’s hot. He’s got a fabulous ass. You’ve got to reel that one in!” Pausing to nibble her lip, she added thoughtfully, “Now, Killian… mmm. He’s more my type. Wicked hot and dangerous…”

“Yeah, he’s dangerous all right. Like a bomb! One wrong move and you’ll lose body parts! You can have that one. He’s too hot for me. I’ll just keep dibs on Sean.”

“You got it. Do you think Killian will be there?” Sucking her finger seductively, she shivered for dramatic effect. “I want to throw him into a cave and…” Winking at my open mouth, she popped her finger out like a cork.

Giggling in spite of my shock, I said, “You’re so nasty! Geez!”

A little later we pulled onto the side of the road by the trailhead. Aric, Dani, and Tyler pulled up behind us. There was only one other vehicle there. Dec waved enthusiastically. Unable to resist the magic of his dimples, I waved back. Tons more reserved, Sean raised a hand in a half wave. No Killian. Ricki sighed dramatically. She narrowed her eyes in speculation as she mentally appraised Dec.

I elbowed her. “Forget it! He’s too sweet for you. You’d give him a heart attack!”

Dani glided over to us, and we headed into the trees. Tyler and Aric forged ahead like they had a speed record to break and were soon out of view. Ricki and Dani dawdled along like they had all day. Impatient with their speed, I finally broke away, taking off up the trail by myself. Sean and Dec hung together behind me. Sean still hadn’t said anything to me, and I was content to ignore him. He was one small person in this huge wilderness. There’d be time to talk later. Right now, I had a mountain to conquer!

Barking randomly, Domino turned into a sheepdog, spending her time running back and forth between our little groups. She was crazy with joy as she loped beside us, occasionally grabbing at stalks of grass with her teeth. There was a long green stem hanging from her mouth when she raced past me again. I had to laugh at her because she acted like I felt inside. I would’ve wagged my tail if I had one. It was an amazing place. The trail cut through trees and over little streams. Huge granite boulders were randomly plopped here and there courtesy of the last ice age. Some giant had tossed them around for us to climb on and no two were alike. Some were bare and grey while others were covered with lichen or bright green moss. Occasionally water trickled down their sides and shimmered in stray beams of sunlight. It was a magical place. There should be wood nymphs and trolls.

I eventually caught up to Tyler and Aric. They couldn’t contain their inner-billy goat and climbed to the top of every big rock they found. When I paused to catch my breath, Dec slipped back to join Dani and Ricki. Echoes of his laughter floated on the wind that whistled through the trees. Every now and then I caught the tinkling of Dani’s giggles too. That was interesting…

I stopped at a cleft in a gigantic tumble of granite. It was almost big enough to walk through. No way was I venturing into the pitch blackness inside. As cold air drifted over my skin, I peered into the opening. What lived here? Bears? No, probably not. More likely foxes or something smallish… I felt him before he spoke. 

“Too small for bears,” he said smugly.

“Oh, you think you’re so smart, don’t you?”

“You’re not that hard to read.” He wasn’t smiling, but he looked like he wanted to. I wished I could make him smile for me. What would it take?

For the rest of the day he played shadow with me, stopping when I did, pacing me as I explored. He didn’t say a lot, but I didn’t mind. There was something about him. I tried to ignore him, but I was completely aware of every move he made. He gave off such energy… A vitality that was hard to ignore. I could almost feel vibrations coming from him. My skin prickled when he passed near; my pulse picked up its pace. He drew me like a magnet that I was struggling to resist. I peered at him now. He looked so… powerful, bigger than life, a predator. He was sitting on a rock with his face turned into a dapple of sunlight. His eyes were half-closed, a jaguar sunning itself. He seemed like he was relaxing, but I sensed his watchfulness. He wasn’t dozing at all; he was scanning the woods around us. Was he guarding or hunting? He caught me staring and straightened with a frown. I blushed and glanced away.

Finally exhausted, Domino threw herself down in a thick patch of grass, panting happily while I soaked my feet in a deliciously cold bubbling stream. Taking a cue from Sean, I closed my eyes to worship the sun. A splash of icy water on my face startled me upright with a girly squeak and a mad search for bears.

No bears, just Dec. He was standing close enough to splash me with another handful of water. I jumped up to get out of the way when the next splash hit me in the chest. Oh, it’s on! I scooped up my own handful of water and threw it at Dec. He laughed when it missed him and caught Sean instead. The others found us and an epic water battle began.

I was still laughing on the way back down the mountain. We were a ragged-looking group. Everyone was wet and muddy. Dani was profoundly put out as she tried in vain to dry off without a single dry piece of fabric.

“I can’t believe you people,” she griped.

Aric put his arm around her, and soothed, “You’ll live, babe.”

Dec caught up to me and shook himself like a wet dog. I tried to jump away from him and stumbled over a root growing across the trail. Going down on one knee with a yelp, I flailed my arms to keep my balance. Instead of keeping my balance, I slid into a loose patch of leaves that gave way into the side of the embankment. With a muffled squeak of surprise, I went tumbling over the edge dragging Dec with me. We bounced and slid at least 50 feet before landing on firmer ground in a final messy skid. I ended up on my face in the wet leaves. Dec fell on top of me with a heavy grunt. Stars flew around my head as I blinked into the dirt.

“Get off!” I grunted, pushing at his shoulders. Shoving harder, I inhaled with relief when he pushed himself up to his elbows. Turning around so I could breathe, I ended up wedged between his surprisingly heavy body and the soft ground… most of which was in my mouth. Ewww… I spit a mouthful of dirt out.

With a huge grin, he said dryly, “Nice job, darlin’.”

Voices called down from above. Ricki yelled something I couldn’t understand, but Sean’s words were clear.

“Dec? Are you guys okay?”

Dec cocked his head to listen. After a second, he shouted, “We’re okay! We’ll be there in a minute.”

I measured the width of his shoulders with my dirty palms, commenting, “I had no idea you were so heavy. Are you going to get up or squish me to death?”

Leaning his weight to the side, he sprang to his feet like a cat before hauling me upright and slapping leaves off of me. I let him since I was busily spitting the dirt out of my mouth and digging it out of my ears and hair. God only knew what
I
looked like.
He
looked wretched, and I felt a small stab of guilt.

“Come over here, you. You’re a mess.” I plucked leaves and broken twigs out of his hair. He had broad smears of black dirt all over him, including his face. Looking around, I spotted my backpack. The water was nearly empty, but there was enough. After rinsing my mouth, I handed it to Dec.

“I’m sorry, Dec. It was an accident.”

“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked as he circled me, peering interestedly at my body.

“What do you mean? Nothing!” I felt naked and backed away from him. “What are you doing?”

Laughing at me again, he said, “Oh, relax. I’m just checking to see if you’re bleeding! You’re so suspicious! Do I look dangerous to you?”

“Well, no. But looks can be deceiving,” I muttered uncomfortably. “Come on. We’re going to have to walk around the base of the cliff before we can get back to the trail on top.”

Easily pacing me, he surprised me by reaching out and taking my hand. No one could see us from above, but he angled us to the back of a tree to be sure the view was blocked. Serious now, he smiled very gently, his eyes soft.

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. That was profoundly insensitive of me. I know what you’ve been through.”

He was so sincere I nearly cried.

“Forgive me?”

One dimple made an appearance, and I caved. “Of course I do. Who could say no to the dimples? So while I have your undivided attention…”

A knowing grin creased his face. “Here it comes. Go ahead. Ask me. I know you want to.”

Unable to help it, I started to laugh again. He really was incorrigible. “Fine! What’s the deal with Sean?”

We started to pick our way along, admittedly making our own trail, but down was down. We’d get there eventually.

“Sean likes you, but--”

“But what? Does he have a girlfriend someplace?” I knew it! No one that hot was single! It figured. It made perfect sense. Ugh.

“Don’t be stupid. Does he act like someone who has a girlfriend?” Pointing his chin towards the trail above us, he added, “It’s not that. It’s complicated. We’ve got… uh, family issues. We might have to leave to help our… family take care of some things. He just doesn’t want to get serious with anybody right now.” He locked eyes with me. “That’s probably a good idea.”

He was lying. But it was close to the truth. His story had the right nuances without any facts to make it completely believable. Hmm. Very interesting. Those huge blue eyes stayed locked with mine, and I wanted to believe him. The more I stared into his eyes, the more I wanted to believe him. Of course, he was telling the truth. Why would he lie?

Still moving along, he lifted me up and over a rock that blocked my way. He had an easy personality. Everything about Dec was warm and fun. He was like a puppy; you had to like him.

“So he likes me?” I asked out of the blue 20 minutes later.

Draping his arm around my shoulders, Dec kissed the side of my cheek just as we rounded a bend and popped out onto the main trail. We had an audience. Dec coughed with a strangled laugh as Sean’s eyes narrowed instantly.

With a great show of holding me up, he leaned into my ear. “Do me a favor, darlin’, and limp a bit for Sean’s temper.” Much louder, he said, “We’re almost there, and you can sit down.”

Catching the suspicious gleams in Sean’s and Ricki’s eyes, I stumbled heavily into Dec’s side. He shocked all of us when he scooped me up in his arms.

“Oh, yeah, this’ll make him soooo much happier!” I whispered in between giggles.

Hefting me easily, he replied, “That’s what he gets for being jealous!”

After eyeballing us closely, Ricki asked, “Are you okay? Did you hurt… anything?” Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she took in the tan skin visible through the huge tear in his t-shirt. Half of his stomach was showing, and he
did
have nice abs…

When we got to the cars, Ricki looked at Domino’s wet, muddy body and asked if anyone had a blanket to cover her seats. Oh, crap, I didn’t even think about that. Ricki’s car had cloth seats. In the end, the dog and I rode back with Sean and Dec. Domino curled up on the leather backseat with Dec, and they were both asleep in minutes. I was all out of witty conversation so I pretended to sleep most of the way back. I kept my face turned away from Sean since I kept breaking into a grin. Sean was jealous? Hmmm. Very, very interesting… Sean glanced at me every now and then, but didn’t break the silence.