Attempting to mask the growing curiosity with his physique body, Jennifer turned away, but still looked with her eyes. Andrew was wringing out his shirt.
“Are you going to put that back on?” Jennifer squirmed at the thought of sopping wet fabric against her skin.
Casting a glance over his should, Andrew smirked. He pulled the shirt onto his body. The white fabric clung to his skin. He turned to face Jennifer abruptly.
“Give me a hug.”
“What? No!” Jennifer held out an arm, but he only took hold of it and pulled her into him. She squirmed against his cold body, her squeals turning into laughter. The water seeped into the fabric of her romper. Within seconds, the top half was just as soaked as Andrew’s chest.
Once Jennifer’s laughter stopped, she pulled back from Andrew slightly. Water still trickled down his face. He cleared his throat and released her arms.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said with a grin. Jennifer chuckled. Despite the cold water, he was surprisingly warm.
She lowered her gaze before she turned and headed towards the end of the tree the furthest from the waterfall, the top of the tree with missing branches. Their combined weight caused the tree to moan. A few loose pieces of bark fell to the second tree below.
“I’m hungry,” she said after a moment, touching her stomach. She hadn’t thought to think of lunch.
“I’ve brought some snacks,” Andrew piped.
Jennifer grinned, facing him again. “You’re so prepared.”
He flashed her a smile. “Always.” They nestled near another boulder near the end of the fallen tree. Jennifer leaned over the side of the rock. She wouldn’t be able to pull herself up.
“Need a hand?”
“You can help me sit up here?” Jennifer faced Andrew again. He nodded.
“Sure thing, I can just lift you up,” he smiled. “You really don’t weight that much.” He closed the space between them and placed his hands on Jennifer’s soft hips. Jennifer touched his fingers absently as she looked into his eyes. There was another sexy grin.
“Ready?”
Jennifer’s voice caught in her throat and she managed a gurgle of a chuckle and a weak nod. Andrew’s grip around her waist tightened before he began to lift her. Within seconds, he had placed her on the side of the rock. Jennifer repositioned herself, and after she was comfortable, she looked around again.
Her knees were at Andrew’s shoulders. At this height, he didn’t seem so massive nor she did she seem so small in his presence. A revelation creeped over her. If he hadn’t been there to help her, she never would have made it so far.
“I have a confession,” Jennifer said suddenly.
Andrew eyed her casually. “I love confessions. What is it?”
“I wasn’t the fastest girl in track. I don’t know why I said that.”
Andrew laughed. “You don’t really have the track star build,” he looked her body over. “You’re still very attractive though.”
Jennifer knew her cheeks were glowing. She could only offer a chuckle in response.
“I’ve got a confession too,” Andrew said quickly, breaking the tension as he squared his shoulders against her knees. Jennifer raised a brow.
“Well, what is it?”
“I wasn’t as forthcoming as I could have been about the waterfall.”
“No, you weren’t at all.” She laughed, thinking about how she must have looked to him, jumping at every large bug and flying creature she saw lurking in the shadows. “You bring a lot of women up here?”
Andrew’s face contorted. “Are you serious? Most of the women I know would have turned tailed five minutes on the first trail.” He laughed.
Jennifer frowned. “Did someone show this place to you?” Andrew shook his head.
“I found it on my own.” He looked around. “I’ve never actually brought anyone to this place before.” He met Jennifer’s eyes after he finished scanning the area. “You’re the first.”
She wasn’t sure if it was an honor or not. With an awkward chortle, she asked, “Why did you bring me here?”
“I didn’t honestly think you’d be so stubborn about seeing the waterfall,” Andrew laughed. “That’s why I kept saying we should turn around. You were so determined though,” he laughed.
Jennifer wasn’t finding it so funny. “It’s a waterfall,” she defended. She decided to add, “I almost died because of you.”
Andrew’s laughter grew and he clutched at his side. “You were nowhere near dying. Scared maybe, but never an inch close to death.”
Jennifer felt she should be upset, but watching Andrew laugh only made her happier. Soon, she was laughing just as hard with him. At length, she asked, “So how did you find this place?”
Andrew choked on a chuckle. His face fell.
“It’s a pretty awful story.”
Jennifer frowned. “Well, let’s hear it. I don’t have anywhere else to be.” She watched as Andrew shifted before her nervously and smirked. “You kind of owe it to me after tricking me up this mountainside.”
After another nervous chortle, Andrew reluctantly agreed. “Okay, I guess I can at least tell you that.” He cleared his throat and looked around. His smile had faded. “When I lived at home my father and I did not get along at all.” He paused. “We still don’t actually.” Andrew looked down and drew a deep breath in. “When I was 16 we were arguing about my inheritance and what I was going to do with it and I got so fed up with him that I decided I was going to run away.”
Jennifer raised a brow. Even though Andrew smiled, she could tell there was great pain. She touched his arm resting against the boulder.
“You came here?”
“Well, I was planning on making it to the top of Pike’s Peak. I know people hike it in the summertime and I thought I could find a cave or something,” he laughed something genuine. When he looked at Jennifer, his eyes shined. “I was definitely a stupid kid.”
“What did it look like back then?”
“It was easier to get to. I just kept moving up, and then I saw the stream and I decided to follow that.” He took another short breath in and held it this time. “I brought a little sack with food and ate it all for lunch.”
Jennifer smirked. She rubbed his forearm. “Is that when you decided to go home?”
Andrew gave her a playful grin and shook his head. “I know a thing or two about the outdoors and planned to eat berries if necessary. I decided to go back because…” he stopped.
“What is it?”
She watched as Andrew turned serious. He looked towards her.
“Well, my father was right,” he chuckled. “You don’t have to tell him that, though. I was a privileged brat and really took for granted the wealth I was born into. When I came here I saw the beauty and,” he shrugged, “I don’t know, I guess something clicked. I realized that I wasn’t the center of the universe. I felt so small here and I finally understood what my father was always going on about how our family meant responsibility.” He finished with a slanted frown.
“Is that why you’ve served on boards?”
Andrew nodded. “My father thought the experience would be good for public companies, but I wanted to understand the heart behind nonprofits who were driven to pump money back into the community. I started volunteering when I was 17 and then the rest,” he shrugged. “Well, you know the rest.”
Jennifer smiled. Most men she knew with multimillion-dollar wealth only showed up at benefits and silent auctions for the publicity.
“So when you went home did you tell your father about this place and your change of heart?” Jennifer loved a good happy ending to a story. She faltered when Andrew’s face didn’t change. He shook his head.
“I never told anyone about this place.”
Jennifer was stunned into silence. She took a deep breath and touched her stomach. “So how about that food?”
“Coming right up,” he turned his attention to the Camelback, a 20-liter reservoir f
or water with an extra part for small gear. Jennifer assumed that was where he had held the rope. He pulled out two smashed sandwiches still wrapped in sealed plastic and long rectangular tubes of mayonnaise and mustard.
They prepared the sandwiches silently. Jennifer was the first to take a bite. The bread was a bit dry, but she was thankful to have something to eat now that they had reached their mark. As she chewed, she thought of what Andrew had told her and felt pride rising in her chest. She had never been on such an intense hike like that before. At one point, she had to use her hands on the ground to pull herself up, the grade had been so steep and the ground so loose. And to think, she was the first to see it with Andrew. That had to mean something, didn’t it?
She had never considered herself the athletic type, and apparently, she didn’t look it either, but she was far from being out of shape. While she had a gym membership, the most she ever did was toning exercises and then the elliptical. She could work her legs for days on that machine and never break a sweat.
“What are you smiling about?” Andrew had finished a bite of sandwich. He stood and leaned against the rock just to the right of her legs. “Proud that you made it?”
Jennifer chuckled with a bit of reserve. She nodded, wiping at more loose strands of hair sweeping past her face.
“I wouldn’t have let you give up,” Andrew beamed back. He took another bite.
Jennifer reached for the bottle of water at her side. Andrew had given her his. The reservoir pack was still full of water, more than enough to help them both on the trip back down.
“It’s pretty chilly up here,” Jennifer commented.
“Because of the trees,” Andrew responded. They both looked up. “That water is incredible though.”
Jennifer nodded. She crossed her legs at the ankle. When Andrew turned back to her, their eyes locked.
“So what’s up with your crazy strength?” She asked. “I’ve got a nickname for you. I love nicknames. Want to hear it?”
Andrew stifled a chuckle as he took another bite. “Go ahead.”
“Hercules.”
He couldn’t contain the chuckle and it grew quickly to a rumble of laughter.
“Okay, that does sound a little lame. How’s Samson or Superman?”
“Didn’t Samson have a thing for women?”
“Just prostitutes.”
He laughed even harder. “I don’t like Samson.”
“Okay, Superman, then. Can I call you that?” Jennifer enjoyed the tease. She liked the way Andrew’s eyes glinted when he smiled. He studied her carefully, a smirk still on his lips.
“How’s about you can call me whatever you want as long as I can call you Rabbit.”
Jennifer frowned. “What?”
“Like Jessica Rabbit. Whenever I look at you, I think of her.”
Was that even a compliment? Jennifer scoffed. “Who the hell is Jessica Rabbit?”
“You don’t know?”
She shook her head. She didn’t like the way the name sounded either.
“When you get back to the hotel, google it. You’ll see.” His smirk grew.
Jennifer played with the frown on her lips. “Whatever, Super-man,” she pronounced it thickly, unable to keep herself from smiling widely. “So how’d you get to be so super?”
“Well, Jessica,” he made sure to pause and laughed when Jennifer grimaced, “I’ve always been into being in shape.”
“That’s a thing people are into?”
“Absolutely. I’ve learned Krav Maga too.”
“What’s that?”
“A style of fighting.”
“Like a martial arts?” Jennifer grinned. She totally called it.
“Kind of.”
“Well that’s really cool. So when did you start working out?”
Andrew’s face flushed. He ran and hand through his hair. “You know, I would have never pegged you for such an interrogator three hours ago.”
Jennifer giggled nervously and took up a renewed interest with her sandwich. “You’re just so interesting,” she said softly before taking a bite of sandwich. The bread was still dry.
Andrew looked down and then shook his head. “I’ve just always,” he stopped, meeting her eyes again. The awkwardness was back.
“What is it?”
He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily before looking away. Jennifer offered her best reassuring smile.
“I won’t judge you,” she said with a girlish giggle. Andrew chuckled.
“I don’t care if you judge. It’s just my biggest failure. Ever.”
Jennifer’s brow knotted in confusion. “A failure keeps you in that kind of shape?” She marveled. “I’d like one of those.”
Andrew chuckled. “Well, like most American boys want to be heroes when they grow up, I wasn’t too different.”
Jennifer smiled. “You’re pretty close, Superman.”
Andrew couldn’t keep from laughing. “Not quite. I wanted to be a SEAL.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “That’s incredible,” she paused. “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry.”
Andrew shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it, but I don’t like talking about it.”
There was a brief period of pause. “So were you in the Navy?” Jennifer asked.
Andrew shook his head, laughing. “I never actually pursued it other than my personal training.” Jennifer’s eyes grew wide. Andrew laughed at her shock. “I know. I was a pansy.”
“Why didn’t you at least try?”
There was another sheepish chuckle. “I was too afraid of failure.”
Jennifer fell silent. Her sandwich was half gone and rested in her lap. She leaned back on her left hand and removed her ball cap with the other. Pulling the band holding her hair in a ponytail, she began to fan it out across the length of her shoulders.
Andrew watched her. “So what about you?”
She chuckled. “Oh, I don’t do much at the gym.”
He laughed. “No. Tell me about college. Why don’t you want to talk about that? You’ve grilled me sufficiently so now it’s your turn.”
Jennifer felt herself closing down immediately. She forced an awkward sound from her throat, a mixture between a laugh and a stifled chortle.
“My major was so unimportant,” she shook her head, avoiding Andrew’s eyes. “It just doesn’t matter.”
“I’m not going to judge you.”
They shared a laugh. He was mocking her. “Okay,” Jennifer began. She braced herself with the palms of her hands against the rock she rested upon and leaned forward. “My major was fashion.”
“Really?” Andrew smiled and looked her over with emphasis. “That explains your delectable taste in attire.” He chuckled, bringing ease to the rigid air. “Did you want to be a designer?”
Nodding, Jennifer shrugged and then laughed out loud. “Of course. I wanted to design accessories,” she paused, “handbags, really.”
“Well, why didn’t you?”
Jennifer didn’t offer an answer. She shrugged again and hunched her shoulders.
“Started working for Melone?”
“That was part of it.” She took a deep breath in. “The other part was I guess finding someone to believe in me.” She looked to Andrew. “My family only thinks I’ve succeeded because I work with a millionaire.”
Andrew pursed his lips, nodding silently. “I understand that.” He smiled. “Women only want me for my money.”
Jennifer laughed. “And your hot bod?”
“So I have a hot bod?”
Scoffing, Jennifer looked away, a bright smile still on her face. “How much are you worth?” She turned towards Andrew, watching his face change. He seemed taken aback by the question.
“I sure hope you don’t use that as a pickup line.”
Jennifer faltered. “You’re right. That’s rude.”
“34 million.”
She gasped, and then tried to cover her surprise. Her mind crunched Melone’s numbers quickly
in her head.
“I’ve got 15 mil on Melone.”
Jennifer’s eyes bulged. Who was older? She tried to remember his resume. Melone was 34.
“I’m 29.”
“Are you reading my mind?” She asked exasperated.
Andrew shook his head. “I’m just been through this routine before. People size me up. First by the wealth, second by my age.”
Jennifer leaned back on the rock. She tried to cast a quick glanced towards Andrew, but he watched her warily, and their eyes held.
“Did James approach you for partnership?” Andrew nodded.
“Three years ago.”
Her eyes widened. “You turned him down?” Andrew nodded, watching her intently. “Why?”
“I wasn’t ready to do business with him,” he paused, “Melone and I know each other very well.”
Jennifer frowned. James hadn’t given her that impression. “Are you enemies?”
Andrew chuckled and shook his head. “I wouldn’t invest with him if we were. He’s a great business partner, always has been, but I,” Andrew glanced away and didn’t finish.
“Did you approach him to partner this time?” Jennifer pressed.
“Yes.” He lifted his head again and met her eyes.
“So why let him treat you like you had to beg?”
Andrew smirked. “Men like Melone like power, even if it’s an illusion.”
Jennifer thought about the interview. Knowing Melone, he would have grilled Andrew as if he had several other contenders waiting on standby. Now it seemed as if there had only been one.
“Why’d you want to do business now? Why now?” Jennifer asked after a moment.
He pursed his lips and then sucked in air before shaking his head. “I’m not going to answer that one.”
“Fair enough.”
The rushing water filled the air with sound as they fell silent. They still held each other’s gaze. She wasn’t sure for how long. Jennifer had a strange urge to reach for Andrew’s head and cradle it in her lap. He was at the right height. She reached for him but placed her hand on his round shoulder.
Millionaire Romance: In Love With My Boss - A Contemporary Romance (Millionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Comedy Romance Book 1) Page 7
