“Hey, in my defense, you have the most incredible legs…” He broke off and shrugged. “I’m probably not helping my case with comments like that.”
“I put in a lot of hours at the gym. Good to know they haven’t been wasted.”
A bit of his tension eased. The woman turned him in circles with her reasoning, but he was thankful she didn’t seem offended to hear he’d been checking her out. “Anyway, I told Walton not to worry since we don’t have a whole lot in common. Chances of a meaningful relationship are nil.”
“Except chemistry.” She gave him a long, lingering look. “We’ve got that going for us. In spades.”
Heat shot through him. “I can’t argue with a statement like that.”
“Which brings me back to my original question. What’re we going to do about it?”
His pulse thrummed in the silence as the seconds ticked away. He entertained visions of Devin stretched out on a sleeping bag, minus the penguin pajamas. “What do you want to do about it?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Different isn’t necessarily bad. Lately, the men I’ve dated could be poster boys for guys to avoid…” She sighed. “This raft trip is kind of like a vacation even though I’m technically working. Have you ever had a holiday romance?”
The memory of a long ski weekend with his brother Tripp flashed through his mind. After helping a petrified beginner down an advanced run where her date had ditched her, he’d wound up spending more time in bed than on the slopes. Then there was the spring break in Mexico with Griff… “A couple of times.”
“How’d those turn out?”
“Not bad. We don’t exchange Christmas cards, but no one was hurt when we parted company.”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
“It does?” His voice cracked like an adolescent boy in the throes of puberty.
“Yep. I’m ready for a change. Someone new and different from my usual relationship candidates. Someone nice who has a brain but isn’t devious.” She gave him another up and down perusal. “I’d say you qualify.”
Hadn’t he just told Jon he was ready for more than a casual fling? Vacation romances led nowhere, so why was he even considering her proposal? His gaze went straight to those amazing legs. Okay, maybe he knew why he was going to say yes. Didn’t mean it was a smart choice on his part.
Sawyer reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Of the three Wilde brothers, I’m definitely the nicest.”
“Well, there you go. Case closed.” Her eyes filled with determination—and maybe a tiny hint of fear—as she met his gaze. Any hesitation was gone in a flash. “We were destined to meet, make mad, passionate, crazy love to forget all our problems, and then go back to the real world with smiles on our faces.”
His heart sank a little while everything south of his waist rose to the challenge. “If you say so, I’m not going to argue.”
“Great.” She jumped to her feet then reached for his hand to pull him up. “I’m ready to take a walk on the wild side. Are you in?”
His other arm came around her waist to steady her when she swayed. “Oh, yeah. I’m definitely in.”
Bright eyes sparkled up at him. “Maybe we should wait until we get off this hillside to start.” She waved toward the plunging drop to the valley below. “Living life on the edge is one thing, but rolling around near a cliff exceeds my thrill-seeking aspirations.”
He grinned. “I imagine I can control myself for an hour or two. Maybe even until everyone turns in for the night. No point in providing fodder for the newshounds.”
“Somehow, I doubt they’d care what I do with my personal time unless it negatively impacts the congressman.” She squeezed his hand. “Shall we head back down?”
He wasn’t in a rush to join the rest of the group. Hanging out with Devin was a hell of a lot more fun than listening to Dwight bitch about the lack of cell reception or the TV crew argue with Charles over baseball. Still, as the late afternoon sun slid behind the mountains, the shadows crisscrossing the valley below had lengthened considerably.
“I suppose we should go. Gregor is probably at the campsite prepping dinner by now and wondering what the holdup is with the rest of the group.”
Walking beside Sawyer, she tilted her head to look up at him. “Your cook is a colorful character.”
“Literally, with all those tattoos.” He gripped her arm when she slipped on some loose dirt then slid his hand along soft skin to clasp her palm in his. “Gregor might look like something of a renegade, but he’s a classically trained chef.”
“No offense, but what’s he doing working for you?”
“He needed a break from the pressures of a high-end restaurant. You could call this summer something of a sabbatical for him. Then there’s Jon.”
Her fingers twined with his. “Love him. You have to appreciate that subtle sense of humor.”
“Oh, I do, and his laid-back attitude keeps us all on an even keel.”
When the trail narrowed, she fell behind to let him lead the way. “What’s Roman’s story?”
“He drifts from job to job. I picked him up in California along the American River.” Sawyer glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. “When one of my regular employees was sidelined by an accident, Roman volunteered to fill in for the rest of the season. So far, the kid’s worked out okay.”
As they reached the ledge across the cliff face, she edged up to stand next to him then let out a slow breath. “He hit on me yesterday but took my rejection in stride.” A grin flashed. “I don’t think he was too broken up by my lack of enthusiasm.”
“I figured he’d give it his best shot but didn’t see any need to intervene. You seem more than capable of taking care of yourself when it comes to men.”
Her eyes darkened. “You’d think.”
He touched her shoulder then gestured toward the narrow trail. “Are you going to be okay on this section?”
“Sure. Slow and steady may not win many races, but it’ll get me to the other side.”
“Yes, it will. Hold on to me if you feel wobbly. We’ll be across in a couple of minutes.”
When she had a firm grip on the waistband of his shorts, he set out. Heights had never bothered him in the least, even when the walking surface was only a foot wide. But the feel of her cool fingers down low on his back sure got his attention. When they reached the far side, and she slid her hand out of his shorts, he let loose a sigh of disappointment.
“Easy-peasy.” Her voice held only a tiny quaver. “Nothing to it.”
He turned to pat her shoulder. “You’re a natural born tightrope walker.”
“I don’t think I’ll run off to join the circus just yet.” She pointed. “Shall we head down?”
“Yep. Go ahead. You can set the pace.”
As he followed her, admiring the view of sleek muscles flexing as she scrambled down the hillside, he couldn’t help thinking she’d been setting the pace since the moment they met. Not something he was used to, and more than a little disconcerting. He was the one who usually took the lead. Knowing exactly where he was headed in a relationship removed all the guesswork and kept him on a straight course toward his goal. But with Devin—
“Almost there.” She turned to flash him a bright smile.
He responded with one of his own. Maybe a few unexpected detours would prove to be a good thing.