Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
His lips twitch, like he’s fighting a smirk. “Sure you are, city girl.”
There it is again. City girl. Like a nickname he knows will rile me up.
“Keep calling me that, and I’ll start calling you Grizzly Adams with a chainsaw,” I shoot back, unable to resist.
His smirk wins the battle, curving slow and smug. “Better than a city girl who thinks hiking boots are a fashion statement.”
My mouth opens, ready to snap back, but the way he’s looking at me stops the words in my throat. His dark eyes gleam with amusement, but there’s something else there too—something that makes my stomach flip.
I look away, breaking the moment before it gets too intense. “You could try being nice, you know. It wouldn’t kill you.”
“Nice doesn’t keep people alive out here.”
The bluntness of his reply catches me off guard. I glance back at him, and for a split second, I see past the gruff exterior. There’s something in his expression—a flicker of something haunted—that makes me wonder what he’s seen, what he’s carried.
But then he turns, continuing down the trail like the conversation never happened.
We stop at a clearing near the river, the sound of rushing water filling the space between us. I drop my backpack, my shoulders aching from carrying all my gear.
“Break time?” I ask, plopping down on a flat rock.
Flint nods, crouching to refill his canteen in the river. His movements are precise, methodical, and I can’t help but watch the way his shoulders flex under his T-shirt.
“You do this often?” I ask, more to fill the silence than anything else.
“Do what?” he replies without looking up.
“Guide helpless city girls through the wilderness,” I tease.
His gaze flicks to mine, and there’s a spark of humor in his eyes. “Nope. You’re my first.”
I grin, leaning back on my hands. “Lucky me.”
He straightens, shaking the excess water from his canteen. “That’s one word for it.”
“Come on,” I press, leaning forward. “You’re telling me no one’s ever asked for your help before? You’re, like, the unofficial mountain guardian of Devil’s Peak.”
He snorts. “Most people around here know how to handle themselves.”
“Well, I think you secretly like it,” I say, my tone playful. “Being needed. Being the gruff protector.”
He steps closer, towering over me, and the air shifts. His gaze pins me in place, dark and unreadable.
“You think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?”
My breath catches, but I refuse to back down. “I think you’re not as tough as you want everyone to believe.”
For a moment, neither of us moves. The tension crackles like static, the air between us charged with something I can’t name but can definitely feel.
Then he steps back, breaking the spell. “We should keep moving. Sun’ll start setting soon.”
As we hike deeper into the forest, Flint surprises me by pointing out small details I would’ve missed—a deer trail winding through the underbrush, claw marks on a tree from a black bear, the delicate bloom of a wildflower nestled between rocks.
“You really love this place, don’t you?” I ask, unable to hide the admiration in my voice.
He shrugs, but there’s a softness in his expression. “It’s home.”
I nod, understanding more than I expected to. “I get it. There’s something about this place... It’s wild, but it’s alive. Like it has a heartbeat.”
He glances at me, something unreadable in his gaze. “Not what I expected from you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Figured you’d see it as another project,” he says, his tone blunt. “Something to fix or save.”
I bristle, his words hitting a nerve. “I’m not here to ‘fix’ anything. I’m here to show people why it’s worth protecting.”
“And you think a camera’s gonna do that?”
“It’s a start. Not everyone gets to live in the middle of it,” I smirk, “some of us have to fight to make people care,” I tease.
He stops, turning to face me. “You think I don’t fight, hmm?”
I take a step closer. The words hang between us, heavy with implication. His jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he’s going to argue. But instead, he pushes a stray lock of hair out of my face before his lips hover just inches from mine. “Careful, sugar. You got that look in your eye.”
My eyes narrow. “What look is that?”
“The one that says you want me to kiss you.”
My mouth pops open with shock. He’s so stubborn and gruff, I never expected him to even think about kissing me.
A smirk covers his face then, the pad of his thumb sliding across my lower lip. “You’re dangerous for a man like me, princess. Maybe the most dangerous thing on this mountain.”
“Oh,” I breathe, my thoughts swimming so fast I can hardly catch him.
He grins, eyes sparkling with amusement. “We should set up camp before it gets too dark.”
I swallow the bundle of nerves lodged in my throat, shockwaves pulsing through me as I realize I’m disappointed that he didn’t kiss me.