Page 27 of Wild Lies

I try my hardest to hold on to this moment. To him. But it slips from my fingers as quickly as it arrived, rocking my body as I convulse on his fingers. Black spots appear in my vision, blurring at the edges before I cry out with ecstasy, my nails scraping against the rock beneath me.

Kade pulls his fingers from me, licking them clean like he’s just finished eating a really good meal. His intense gaze holds mine, my chest rising and falling as I try to catch my breath. Neither of us utters a word as the world around us returns to focus.

Standing to his full height, Kade rests his hands on either side of me, looking out at the view. I run my hands over his shoulder and up into his hair, pulling his attention back to me. Dusting my lips over his, I shuffle closer to the edge of the rock.

It’s only when he leans away from me that I realize he wasn’t kissing me back. A groove grows between my brows as I blink up at him. Have I read this wrong?

“I need to ask you something.” He looks unsure.

I put the only logical two and two together that my post-orgasm brain can come up with and say, “You don’t need to ask me to return the favor, Kade. I will. I want to.”

“No.” He steps further back, releasing me as he somehow manages to pace in the waist-deep water. “God, no, Chlo.” He looks at me and must see the worry from his rejection written all over my face because he returns to me, resting his hands on my thighs as if to reassure me. “Fuck, I’m messing this up. I wanted to know if you’d go on a date with me? I know you won’t be in town for long, but I’d like to take you out.”

Oh. I wasn’t expecting that.

At my lack of response, Kade rushes, “You don’t have to. It was a stupid thing for me to suggest.”

There’s a fluttering in my chest that I can’t quite figure out. It’s not quite panic, but it’s damn near close, and yet, I still find myself blurting, “Yes. I’d love to go on a date with you.”

Kade kisses me as if to seal the deal and another type of warmth settles in my gut. This feels right for right now, but I can’t help but look to the future and how I’ll feel like I left a part of myself here with him when I go home.

16

CHLOE

I’m scanning through my phone, looking at the pictures I took yesterday on the hike with Kade and Aunt Liz as I wait for Rachel and Ollie. Yesterday, after cooling off in the creek, we looped back around to the car park, stopping to take in the breathtaking views as we went. I spent this afternoon, while Kade was at work, editing a few of my favorite ones before uploading them to the cloud, so I can access them whenever I want.

The next picture is of another meadow we came across after the creek. This one had some wild horses in it, and I snapped a few shots as they grazed the long grass, afraid that even the soft click of my camera might punctuate the silence and scare them off.

When a shadow falls over me, I look up, a soft smile on my lips, expecting to see Rachel and Ollie. Instead, I’m greeted by a tall, naturally beautiful brunette with a hesitation about her.

“Hi,” she says, wiggling her fingers at me. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but you’re Rachel’s sister, right?”

I lock my phone, setting it down in my lap as I give her my full attention. Nodding, I reply, “I am.”

She steps forward, holding her hand out, a tentative smile on her lips. “I’m Maddie Hart. My family owns the ranch. Again, so sorry for disturbing you, but Rachel mentioned that you’re a photographer?”

“There’s no need to apologize.” I sit up a little straighter, my curiosity piqued. “I am. A photographer that is.”

Maddie’s shoulders drop before she slides onto the edge of the chair in front of me. “I’m in need of a photographer and Rachel said you might be able to help?”

I’m caught off guard, the bare skin on my chest heating as I fiddle with the phone in my lap. “I mean, I don’t know that I’d know any or many photographers in Montana, but I can sure help you find someone.”

Maddie chuckles, her white teeth flashing at me before her features soften. “I meant for you to take the pictures. I’ll be needing portraits as well as landscape shots of this place. I get you might already have a job, but I can offer a competitive package and job security for at least twelve months.”

She stares at me, waiting for a response, as panic, mixed with a hint of anticipation, flares in my chest. I look down at my phone, the ghost of the images I was looking at before she came over flashing through my mind before I shift my focus back to her.

I bite down on the inside of my mouth to keep my face neutral when what I actually want to do is jump out of my chair and do a happy dance. “I’ve taken some pictures since I arrived and I have my portfolio on my laptop from my days with Glow. Maybe we can meet later in the week, to discuss logistics and I can show you the pictures I have and make sure my style suits you?”

Maddie beams at me before standing, running her hands over her jean-clad thighs. “Yes, that would be perfect. Have you been to Chapters and Crumbs yet?”

I shake my head.

“Great. We can go there, they have the best pastries and coffee in town, and it’ll give me a break from here.” She throws her thumb over her shoulder to the busy lobby. Her phone buzzes in her hand and she turns the screen over to read it. “Duty calls. I’ll touch base with you later, if that’s okay?”

“I can’t wait,” I reply, genuinely excited.

With a quick goodbye Maddie all but floats away, leaving me behind with the thrum of anticipation for our meeting. There will be a lot of logistics to figure out, like getting my social media up and running again, organizing my portfolio website, as well as figuring out my living situation, but this could be the start of something new. Something that can be all mine. These are things I was planning to do anyway, but this conversation with Maddie will just accelerate my timeline. I pull in a reassuring breath as I stare down at a picture I took of the lake this morning. It feels right.