by Abby Knox
He snapped the photo and his entire demeanor changed back to officious and intimidating.
The ranger stepped over to where Ever stood on the rocks, reaching up to return her phone to her.
What happened next only took place in a few seconds, but she would remember them as the longest and most terrifying few seconds of her life. As Ever was admiring the ripple of his muscles under all that khaki, her mind wandered, and her foot slipped.
She stumbled a bit, correcting herself by trying to fall forward over the boulder. The sexy ranger let go of her phone and grabbed on to her forearms to steady her. Ever instinctively turned her head only for a slight moment to regretfully watch her smartphone tumble down the cliff, and a piece of the ancient boulder gave way under her boots and she fell straight down.
Ever opened her mouth to let out a scream, but no sound came out.
Her first thought was, If I die out here, Drea’s gonna kill me.
Ever’s next thought was there was something familiar about this scenario. She’d read about falls just like this one. Several people had died along this trail over the years, two of them right here at the overlook, from this very spot on this very boulder, probably. On one hand, she had made progress in conquering her fear of the great outdoors, having bravely clambered up the rock for her victorious photo shoot. But this super-hot man she was essentially stalking through the canyon had made her forget what a sheer drop it was beyond that boulder. Several hundred feet.
Welp. If I’m going to die, I’m glad it’s at least in the most beautiful place on the face of the earth, and the last thing I’m seeing is the most beautiful man on earth.
But the beautiful man apparently did not see things that way. His hands stayed locked on her forearms even as gravity determined to pull her down.
There is no way he can hold me, she thought.
Ever thought wrong.
She likewise gripped his forearms as her feet scrambled against the crumbling cliffside.
“Don't look down,” he said to her. “Look at me.”
Ever obeyed. Her feet stopped their frantic scrambling, her heart stopped palpitating, and instead she focused on the ranger’s face. His furrowed brow. He was going to save her. Then she saw herself reflecting back in his aviators. That’s me. I can do this.
This wasn’t exactly what she had had in mind that morning when she’d decided to stalk him through the canyon just so she wouldn’t be alone in the wilderness without a clue. She put all that out of her mind because she saw the kind of genuine concern that most people only pretend to have for other people.
He doesn’t care a thing about himself. It doesn’t matter how far I fall, this person will try to help me.
And the next thing she knew, she was safe. She was no longer falling to her death. She was instead falling into the sensation of this park ranger’s insanely muscular arms around her waist, somehow holding her as if she weighed as little as a feather. That's when she realized her feet were still not touching the ground.
The ranger had her caught up so fully in his arms he was actually lifting her up and pressing her body flat against his.
“Whoa, there, missy,” he said, turning her away from the edge of the boulder and setting her down on terra firma.
He failed to let go of his grip immediately, though, and she sensed something else as his gaze met hers. His stare was hard to read but impossible to look away from.
His gaze seared deeply into her chest and kept sinking deeper. All the way down. So far down, Ever felt her sex flutter.
Was this happening? Or was it just one of the desert’s optical illusions?
Ever might dismiss all of that, if it weren’t for another thing. She was certain, as he held her against his sculpted body, that that wasn’t a flashlight in his pocket.
Chapter 6
Logan
OK, bro. She’s safe. Just set her down and back away.
But those baby blues of hers. Up close, she had the kind of gaze that could get him to do anything she wanted.
And he wanted to do all of it. Right now.
Her long eyelashes fluttered up at him expectantly, her thick, perfectly tweezed eyebrows communicated everything with a provocative little arch. And right now they were telling him to kiss her.
It was possible he was reading her wrong. It was also possible he was dehydrated and losing his mind. Instead of kissing her right away, he marveled at her perfect skin, the soft, dark pink shade of her lips.
Logan recalled a headline of an article he’d recently read, which claimed that a woman’s best shade of lipstick is whatever matches the color of her nipples. Logan had no time or interest in this kind of reading. He could not have told the difference between a tube of mascara and a tube of lipstick. His mind did not have room for that kind of shit, but for some reason, his reptile brain had filed that article away in the back of his subconscious and chose to dig it up at this moment. Obviously, he was horny.
Logan really did not want to start thinking about this strange woman's nipples, especially not in the seconds after he’d nearly watched her meet her death on his watch.
But there he was, thinking about her nipples. And…wait for it…yep. There was his cock, rising to the occasion.
He hesitated in letting her go. His protective caveman self didn’t want to let her go, and neither did the instinct in his rock-hard cock.
You don’t even know her name and you’re ready to put it in her? Yes. Definitely.
Logan finally let go of his hold on the woman, but not before seeing her lips part and sensing what he thought could be, maybe, possibly, the hardening of her nipples against his body, through the fabric of her flimsy midriff top.
But he let her go anyway. He decided to wait for the right moment. Wait for a time when they weren’t both overcome with the rush of adrenaline and fear and relief.
“You OK?”
She breathed, “My heart is pounding out of my chest because I almost died, but other than that…nope, pretty sure I still feel like I might die.”
“Not on my watch,” he replied.
God, what a dorky thing to say, he thought. Right out of Old Man McBee’s handbook of “How To Remain Single Forever.”
And then, as if something broke open, the woman’s whole body, whole presence, seemed to soften in front of him and move in close once again. Her face relaxed into relief and exhilaration and need.
Her hands rested on his shoulders. It was clear. She wanted him to kiss her and Logan was half mad with wanting to do so. What choice did he have but to oblige? Fuck waiting for the right moment.
Logan leaned down and his lips found hers. He just wanted a small taste, he told himself.
And then, melting into her softness, her sweet and salty mouth did him in completely. Her lips opened to him and he plunged deeper and teased her mouth with his tongue. Everything about this moment was perfect, and perfectly insane.
No woman's kiss had ever felt this right to him before. On the surface, she was so wrong for him. Silly, sassy, totally unfit for the outdoors, a little too in love with her phone. But damn, these lips, her mouth, her sensuous little body. His basest instincts compelled him to claim her. She brought out something primal in him that he never knew with any other woman.
Her mouth received his tongue with urgency, and Logan felt her grip on his shoulders tighten. He pulled her in closer, hands gripping her ass. He bent his knees to give her neck some relief, she was so much shorter than he was.
A better solution to the difference in height was to just get down and horizontal. Here? Not a good idea, bro.
Her hands worked their way down over his chest, giving him another rush of pleasure. But why was it such a bad idea, really?
Footsteps. Voices. Tittering.
Logan and this woman had been spotted making out like teenagers, and he was in his full work uniform. Shit.
He regretfully pulled his lips away from the heavenly abyss of this female and looked over at the main
trail. It was a family with small children, no packs, apparently headed down to take pictures at the overlook and head back up to the rim of the canyon.
Reality came crashing back into him. What was he thinking? He was supposed to be working. Walking the trail. Protecting nature from hikers. Not making out with ill-prepared tourists. He should be halfway down the trail by now, checking on wildlife activity and making sure water was running to all the rest stops along the way.
Not making out with women whose names he didn’t know.
She looked up at him, seemingly surprised that he pulled away.
“People.”
“What?” she said, confused.
“There are people headed this way.”
She smirked conspiratorially up at him. “Oh. You mean, rescuing hopeless damsels in distress and then sticking your tongue in their mouths is not in your job description, Ranger Rick?”
Logan could not stop the laugh that escaped from him. He had not laughed out loud in…well, a long time. He had to laugh because he did not know what else to do if he could not have his hands all over her.
As the group approached, she turned and waved. “Hey folks! Having a good morning? Be careful if you pose for a photo. I almost died up there,” she said, gesturing at the boulder that almost ended her life. “But Dudley Do-Right here saved me. Literally pulled me back up after I fell.”
Oh god. Please shut up. But don’t actually shut up. But please, don’t get me fired. Logan’s thoughts were a mish-mash.
The dad of the group looked bemused. The woman was smiling. She had obviously seen them kissing.
Logan’s strange new kissing partner continued, pointing to her ass. “And that is no small feat, hauling this baby up the side of a cliff, let me tell you.”
The mom laughed. The kids looked confused. The father looked concerned and used his arms as a guardrail to make sure the kids did not wander too close to the outer edge of the trail.
Logan, however, wanted to crawl under the boulder. He was utterly consumed by a woman who not only would not stop talking and had no filter, but obviously had no idea how beautiful she was.
Top that with her sass and midriff top, wouldn’t she be the exact opposite of the kind of girl Papa McBee would choose for him? She was perfect in every way.
Toast. He was completely and utterly toast.
Chapter 7
Ever
She knew exactly what this handsome park ranger must be thinking, and that had to be: Do you ever stop saying the most inappropriate things?
The nice family of four, out for a morning hike, had asked Ever to take their photos—in front of the boulders and not on top of them—before they headed back up to the rim of the canyon.
Ever had hung back and admired Ranger Rick, who asked the mom and dad questions to make sure they had enough water for the trip back up, and also answered all their questions about the trail and the canyon in general. “If you ever decide to hike all the way to the bottom, make sure you apply for your backcountry permit first, months in advance, and give yourself a few days to complete the hike. And always make sure you are used to carrying a large pack and that your boots are broken in. It’s very rewarding but it can be a very punishing environment.”
Ever began to feel some anxiety at his words. She only had a two-night permit to stay in the canyon. She was not comfortable with her pack. Her boots were not broken in.
But she forgot all these worries the next moment when she had watched him talk to the sweet little kids. She had liked the way he included the children in his gaze as he spoke, gesturing excitedly with his hands. He was very good at his job.
She could see he loved the canyon by the way he spoke. He was still not over the wonder of this amazing place.
The kids had stared up at him with big eyes, 100 percent attentive. That was saying something.
Uh oh, Ever. Don’t you go there. He may be a hot piece of ass and a bitchin’ kisser, but don't go getting your hopes up.
And then, this guy had to go and do something totally unfair. After answering their questions, he asked the kids if they wanted to become official junior national park rangers. When they enthusiastically said yes, he removed two pamphlets from a pocket in his shirt and handed them to the kids.
“These are junior ranger program guides. All you have to do is complete the tasks in there, and your parents can help you with the online stuff. Always have your parents help you when you’re online. But since you’re here, I can get you started with the oath. Would you like to take the Ranger Oath?”
Needless to say, the children looked like they were about to pass out from excitement. He asked them to raise their right hands, which of course they did.
“Repeat after me,” he’d said. The kids obeyed, and Ever didn’t hear anything else of substance. Her ovaries dropped about fifty eggs at once, and her uterus was doing backflips to get her attention. Watching him with kids was making her want to make his babies. Lots of them. Immediately.
It made zero sense to her brain, but tell that to her lady boner.
As if all this superhero ranger mystique wasn’t driving her mad with desire already, then he kicked it up a notch. He took out a small box from his pack. When he opened it, she saw that it was a little self-contained stamp and ink pad. He used it to stamp an official national park stamp inside each of their pamphlets.
“You can use this to get a stamp from any national park, and they’re all different. It’s like an autograph from nature.”
Oh my god. So corny. So damn cute. Open my legs and put a baby in me now, Ranger Rick.
Their little faces had hero-worship all over them. Like they were meeting Captain America. And she could not stop her brain from going there. But it went there, and there was no getting it back. He would make a fantastic father.
And then before she could stop herself, she imagined being pregnant with the ranger’s baby. Or babies. Yes, two little curly-headed twins, a boy and a girl, with his beautiful hair, strong jaw and long legs, and her blue eyes and sense of humor. And eyebrows. She had good eyebrows. She gulped, remembering letting her ex Brody put it in her without a condom a few weeks ago. Let’s hope you squeak by on that score.
Ever had looked at the sweet little family as they thanked the park ranger and went on their way.
Their moment of passion interrupted and gone, the park ranger turned to Ever and informed her that he was going to escort her out of the canyon back to the safety of the rim.
“I’ll pay for your lodging, if necessary. I cannot in good conscience let you hike to the bottom today.”
Ever was taken aback. “Excuse me? Just because I almost fell to my death does not make me unfit to hike the canyon.”
Logan raised one eyebrow at her, and then without asking permission, he grabbed her pack, dismantled it, unzipped it and starting emptying it out.
“Oh really,” he said. “Let’s have a look at how prepared you are.”
Ever was outraged. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you never to go through a woman’s purse?”
“I never knew my mother, and this is not a purse,” he replied, not looking up from his work.
Ever almost took a stumble backwards at this revelation. Her heart broke. Her own mother had died when she was a child, but at least she had known her. She missed her something awful. Ever had so much to say about this, but she held her tongue.
And so, Logan rolled right by this fact and kept going. As if he’d just revealed which way he likes to hang his toilet paper roll.
“This is a piece of equipment that you’re using all wrong, at your own peril,” he added.
She huffed as she watched him take out her hairdryer and hold it up with a quizzical look. “Exhibit A.”
“So?” She turned quickly from sympathy to fuming as she watched Logan hold up her very expensive hair dryer by the cord, like it was a dead octopus.
“And where were you planning to plug this in?”
“I was told there would
be electricity at the campground in the hollow.”
The park ranger nodded. “There is, but its use is restricted, and it’s not for personal grooming.”
“Well, it’s too late now,” she said. “I can’t just leave it on the trail like litter.”
Logan ignored her and continued his ransacking.
“You don’t need this…you don’t need this…this bar is already melted, so you won’t be able to eat this…”
Ever stomped her foot. “Stop it! That’s a special energy bar for women. See the little person dancing under the moon on the package? That shit is expensive!”
Logan looked up, and suddenly his face changed. Dammit, she didn’t want him to hear the unsteadiness in her voice as the tears began to well up.
“Did you just stamp your foot?” He looked not so much judgmental, but more like a deer in headlights.
“I have to do this. My boyfriend booked us this hike over a year ago, and then he tried to cancel it just last week, saying I wasn’t fit enough to do this. Translation: He thinks I’m too fat. I can’t take another person telling me to give up. So if you’re about to tell me to turn around because of that, then fuck that. I’ll be on my way down to the bottom, and if you want me to stop, you’re just gonna have to arrest me.”
She folded her arms and swallowed her tears. No way was he going to see her cry.
He was silent for a few moments. She returned his silent stare as long as she could.
Then he stood. “That’s not what’s happening here. I’m worried you’re going to get sunburned. I’m worried you won’t have enough water. I’m concerned that this pack is too heavy for your frame and that you’re wearing it wrong. And most of all—more than anything else—I’m worried that you’re alone. You should never do this trail alone.”
She breathed, “Well, I’m not leaving. I’m going to keep going.”
Logan grimaced and approached her cautiously. “Then I’m going with you.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do with all this stuff?”
