Why had she even said anything? But she knew why. Because she hated the idea that this was all fake to him.
“Do you want to change the terms of our agreement?” he asked, his forehead furrowed.
Biting her lip to keep from telling him to keep his money, that this was no longer just a job to her, she shook her head.
“Okay. Let me finish what I was saying then. About a bonus.”
Softly sighing, she kept her lips pressed together.
“For each time you let me hold your hand, I’ll owe you a kiss.”
Brielle’s eyebrows shot up, but she kept her eyes pointed forward. That was the last thing she’d expected him to say. She immediately tallied up how many kisses he owed her.
Four. You let him hold your hand four times. He owes you four kisses.
“Does that sound fair to you?” Tyler asked.
Was he testing her? Did he suspect how she felt? Did she want to reveal the truth?
Arranging her expression into neutral, Brielle faced him. A cocky smile curved his lips, making her want to begin collecting her owed kisses then and there. Still, she had to take control, couldn’t let him rattle her. Couldn’t let him know the effect he had on her.
Why not? What’s the worst that could happen if he found out?
She didn’t have to think about it long before the answer flowed into her head.
If he’s only pretending to have a thing for you—as agreed upon!—then you’ll look like a fool if you tell him that this has become real for you.
Was she really going to let her pride get in the way?
“Yes,” she heard herself say. “That sounds fair.”
Okaaaay. Now he knows you want him to kiss you. So much for your pride.
Tyler’s cocky smile morphed into a smile of surprise. “Really? You’re okay with that?” He chuckled. “I thought for sure you’d say you wanted a hundred bucks for each time you let me hold your hand. But if a kiss from me will do the trick…” His words trailed off.
A blush made its way up her neck and onto her cheeks. He’d been bluffing, and now she looked like a fool. Just like she’d feared.
Annoyed with herself—and him—she shook her head. “I was kidding. I’ll take the money.”
The smile vanished from his face and a muscle worked in his jaw. “If that’s what you prefer.”
No. She didn’t prefer that at all. She’d much rather kiss him. But now what was she supposed to say? By his reaction, she suspected he also preferred the kisses over the cash. But maybe that was because he couldn’t afford to pay her more. Or maybe he really wanted to kiss her. He’d tried to get her to kiss him before. But was he playing her, or was there really an attraction there?
Get over yourself and put yourself out there. After this week you’ll never see him again, so what does it matter if you look like a fool? Yes, Cara will kill you, but she’ll get over it.
Not sure if she was ready to take a chance, Brielle nibbled on her lower lip while she focused on how much she liked the way it felt to have Tyler hold her hand.
So much for thinking she had feelings for him. Clearly, money was most important to her.
Then why did she initially agree to trading hand-holding for kisses?
Yeah. That stumped him.
He would never understand women. Or, at least, he would never understand this woman.
“How much are your kisses worth?” Brielle asked, catching him by surprise.
“What?”
“Your kisses. Are they worth a hundred bucks each?”
Where was she going with this? He had no idea, but he was intrigued. “They’re worth much more than a hundred bucks.”
“Really? How much do you think they’re worth?”
Narrowing his eyes, he studied her face as they walked along the trail. Was she going to say she wanted a bonus equal to whatever dollar amount he placed on his kisses? Or was she flirting? Her face was open, her eyes dancing. Okay. Definitely flirting. Hope soared within him. “A grand. My kisses are worth at least a grand.”
Eyebrows rising, she said, “Wow. You sure think highly of yourself.”
He knew more than one groupie who would think that was a bargain.
She tilted her head. “Wait. Does that mean holding my hand is worth a thousand dollars? Or does that mean you’d be getting ripped off if you let me kiss you?”
He liked where this was going. “I think it’s a fair trade.” A wide smile curved her mouth—a mouth he very much wanted to kiss. Then he got an idea. “The value of kissing me is something you should decide for yourself, so I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a freebie. Right here, right now.”
Her head jerked back. “A freebie?”
Nodding, he said again, “Right here, right now.”
She glanced behind them to where his parents were walking.
Following her gaze, he said, “We can let them pass.”
Was she going to agree to this outlandish idea? Suppressing a triumphant smile, he waited to see what she would say.
Was she really going to agree to this? At that moment she wanted nothing more, and despite her doubts, she had to do this. Was going to do this.
Cara is so going to kill me.
With her hand still gripping his, she stopped walking. Jeff and Ann quickly caught up to them.
“Everything okay?” Ann asked.
“Yeah,” Tyler said. “Everything’s great. Go ahead. We’ll catch up.”
The confidence in his voice combined with the knowledge that he was about to kiss her—or was she about to kiss him?—sent her pulse into overdrive and woke up every last butterfly in her belly.
“Okay,” Ann said with a smile. Moments later, they were out of view.
Chapter Thirty-One
Brielle stared down the trail where Tyler’s parents had disappeared around a bend, her heart pounding like a jackhammer.
“They’re gone,” Tyler said, his voice low and sexy.
Her hand was still in his and she felt a subtle tug, like he was inviting her to come closer. Desperately trying to calm her racing heart, she inhaled through her nose and slowly exhaled through her mouth.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said as she faced him. “I mean, give away one of your valuable kisses.”
A lazy smile curved his mouth. “I don’t mind.”
Then a new thought popped into her head. “Hold on. What are my kisses worth?”
One of his eyebrows arched. “Ah. You figured it out.”
“What?”
“Your kisses are worth much more than mine.”
His teasing somehow calmed her, and she smiled. “I see. So, if I let you kiss me, you’ll only owe me more.”
He laughed. “Now you’re catching on.”
“Hmm. Should I be keeping track?”
A pitiful look, like he was asking her to have mercy on him, came over his face. “I don’t think I can afford that.”
Right. He was already paying her an outlandish amount. Anyway, she was only kidding. “All right. I won’t keep track.”
He wiped a hand across his forehead. “Thank you.” Then he locked his eyes on hers. “Time for you to decide.”
“Decide what?”
“What a kiss from me is worth.”
“Oh.” The butterflies in her belly jumped up and cheered.
Tyler released her hand, and while keeping his gaze on hers, he ran one hand along her jaw, stopping under her chin, then his other hand slid behind her neck.
She was captive to his gaze, unable to move, his for the taking.
“Brielle,” he murmured. Then he lowered his lips to hers, his mouth claiming hers for his own. With one hand still cupped around her neck, the other slid around her waist, drawing her tight against him.
Brielle’s arms went around his neck as her heart soared. Oh! This kiss was worth so much more than a thousand dollars. She sank against him, melted into his arms, savored the way he took possession of her.
She
had tried to imagine what it would feel like to kiss him, had fantasized about it, but it was so much better than she had thought. When he finally released her, something important occurred to her. No one had seen their kiss. Tyler’s family was long gone. It hadn’t been for show. It had just been between them and it was the most real kiss Brielle had ever experienced.
Tyler had no doubt. Brielle was into him. That kind of passion could not be faked.
Thrilled beyond measure that her feelings reflected his, he stared into her eyes. “Well?”
The question appeared to confuse her. “Well what?”
Softly laughing, he couldn’t suppress his grin. “What do you think a kiss from me is worth?”
“Oh. Uh…”
“What are you guys doing back here?” Mia said as she came around the bend. “We’ve been waiting and waiting for you to catch up.”
Tyler winked at Brielle, whose eyes widened like they’d been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to. Then he took her hand and looked at Mia. “Just spending some quality time with my girl.”
And at that moment, she was his girl. And he liked it that way.
His girl? Not his girlfriend? Was that better? Was that more real? Brielle had no idea, but when he took her hand in his and they started down the trail after Mia, all she knew was that she was glad she’d taken the risk, glad she’d agreed to the most amazing kiss she’d ever experienced.
And he said that was just a sample. He still owes me four… No. Now it’s five kisses.
Smiling, Brielle knew that Tyler wasn’t just pretending anymore. After that kiss, there was no way she would believe he was putting on a show. Especially since they hadn’t had an audience. That kiss had been real, the passion genuine. He wasn’t playing her, she was sure of it. Happiness blossomed within her. She was glad she’d taken the chance.
They caught up with the rest of his family and continued on.
Soon the group came to an area that made Brielle stop in amazement. Tyler stopped behind her—the trail had become too narrow for them to walk side by side. They were in a wide-open area with sloped hillsides along the edges. Trees dotted the tops of the slopes, but in the open area the ground was white and as Brielle looked around she saw several boiling mud pots and small steam vents.
“What’d I tell you?” he asked as he stood close to her, sending a river of heat flowing through her.
She smiled at him. “You were right.”
“I love that we can see all of these features close up,” Tyler said. “No fences or boardwalks guiding us. Just us and nature.” He slowly spun around. “And besides us, there’s no one here.”
She thought it was awesome too. And knowing how much he loved it made her appreciate it all the more.
Tyler took her hand in his.
Six kisses owed. Brielle smiled.
He led her closer to a mud pot.
“We don’t want to get too close,” he said. “The crust could be thin.”
They stood several feet from the edge of the mud pot and watched the bubbles grow, then burst, over and over, like watching a pot of boiling water, except the liquid looked like chocolate milk. Then Tyler led her to a steam vent, a crease in the Earth where steam flowed out in a continuous vapor.
Awed by the spectacular sights, she took it all in.
A narrow stream wound its way down the middle of the open area, the water clear but the ground beneath it a dark green.
“Why is it that color?” Brielle asked, pointing to the stream.
“It has to do with different colored bacteria that thrive in certain water temperatures. Remember, the water flowing through here isn’t like a normal stream. It’s warmer than you’d expect.” He smiled. “Tomorrow I’ll show you some springs that have amazing colors.”
Speaking of amazing, she was amazed by him, by how hard she was falling for him after such a short period of time. And that kiss. The memory sent a surge of wanting cascading through her.
“Shall we continue?” Ann asked.
They moved along, eventually climbing a hill.
“Oh my goodness,” Mia said, her voice filled with a mix of excitement and concern.
“What’s wrong?” Rob asked.
She pointed up the trail to the plateau of the hill. “There’s a bison sitting right where we need to go.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Brielle asked.
“We’ll go around,” Jeff said, pointing off to the right where they would have to step through tall grass and over fallen logs.
They gave the bison a wide berth and were soon back on the trail—a wide-open hilly area covered with yellow grass, green weeds, and a profusion of wildflowers, all undulating in the breeze.
They were still the only hikers around and Brielle loved it. With the trail running through the grass, there was enough room for Tyler to walk beside her, and to Brielle’s delight, he did, holding her hand as they went.
“Is that a bear?” Ann said, an edge of concern in her voice as she pointed to their left.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Brielle’s head snapped in the direction Ann pointed, her gaze sweeping the area.
“Yep,” Jeff said, squinting into the distance. “Looks like a grizzly.”
Brielle’s heart pounded, but this time it was utter fear that fueled her racing heart. The bear was about thirty yards away. Much too close.
“That is so cool,” Rob said, his voice low.
Then the bear looked their way and lowered its head.
Panic seized Brielle. Was it going to charge them? Pure terror swamped her and she gripped Tyler’s hand as she moved closer to him.
His arm went around her shoulders and he drew her against him. “Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
Though still tense, she had no doubt that Tyler meant it. He would protect her.
The bear lifted its head and stared at them. Tyler released Brielle’s hand, stepped in front of her, then he seemed to grow in size as he waved his arms and yelled “No bear! Go away! Leave! Beat it!”
Rob and Jeff joined in, waving their arms and yelling too.
Brielle peered around Tyler’s body and watched with immense relief as the bear lumbered away.
Tyler had done it. He’d protected her, shielding her with his body.
“Oh my goodness,” Mia said, her voice laced with excitement. “That was crazy.”
A kaleidoscope of emotions swirled inside Brielle, rendering her speechless.
“You okay?” Tyler asked as he encircled her in his arms.
Nodding against his shoulder, she whispered, “I think so.”
“That was awesome,” Rob said.
“Thank you,” Brielle said to Tyler after he released her.
Tilting his head as he looked at her, he said, “For what?”
“For scaring the bear away.”
“Uh,” Rob said, “I think he had a little help.”
Proud of Tyler, Brielle turned to Rob. “Maybe so, but he stepped up first.”
Rob rolled his eyes, but Brielle ignored him, turning to Tyler with a radiant smile. To her, he was a hero.
Tyler grinned, then he took her hand as they continued down the trail.
As they walked, Brielle looked back several times to make sure the bear hadn’t followed them, and once they’d put quite a bit of distance between themselves and the bear, she managed to enjoy the hike once again.
Eventually they reached an area that looked like moonscape—white ground with several large pits of steaming, boiling mud. These pits were about forty feet across, so Brielle was glad when no one in Tyler’s family suggested they get closer.
After observing the natural phenomena, they continued the hike, pausing for a break beside a small lake filled with turquoise water. She and Tyler sat on a log a short distance from his family.
“When you’re ready to collect on those kisses,” he said with a grin, “just let me know.”
Her eyes went to his mouth, the me
mory of their earlier kiss filling her mind. Then she looked at him with a grin of her own. Feeling brave, she said, “I think now’s a good time to collect one of them.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Why not?”
Then his eyes narrowed. “How many do I owe you, anyway?”
“I think nine, but I’ve kind of lost track.”
“Are you counting when you grabbed my hand when we saw the bear?”
Suppressing a smile, she said, “Yes.” When he didn’t say anything, she asked, “Is that okay?”
“Actually, I think you should owe me a kiss for that.”
Loving their flirtation, she nodded. “That’s fair.”
He took out his phone and tapped the screen.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a note of how many kisses I can collect from you.”
Laughter burst from her mouth. “Okay.”
He tucked his phone in his pocket. “All right. I’m ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“For you to collect that kiss.”
Did that mean he expected her to make a move? “Wait. If you owe me the kiss, shouldn’t you initiate it?” Was she really having this conversation with the hottest man she knew? Yes. Yes, she was. And it was wonderful.
A lazy smile formed on his mouth. “Yeah. That makes sense.” Then to Brielle’s delight, he straddled the log before pulling her close to him.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as anticipation made it hard to breathe.
Tyler placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head so that their mouths lined up. “Ready?” he asked, his voice low and sexy.
“Yes,” she whispered.
His smile grew, then he moved in, pressing his mouth against hers while his arms wound around her, holding her tight against him.
Brielle was in heaven. This was only their second kiss—she didn’t count that brush-by that she’d given him the night before—and she was already anticipating the next one. And the next. And the next.
Would she eventually run out of kisses to collect?
Then a realization hit her. All she had to do was take his hand, and then she would owe him kisses. Of course, he would have to collect on them, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
Game On (Fair Catch Series, Book Six) Page 13
