“Of course. I’m fine, Casey, really.”
“Here, let me help you.” Setting the camera aside, he took her left arm and supported her while she rose unsteadily to her feet. The way she winced when she put weight on her right leg told him that she was hurt a bit worse than she wanted him to know, but a few tentative steps convinced him that nothing was broken or even sprained.
He kept his hand on her arm until she was on more even ground. She glanced up at him with an awkward smile. “I really am okay,” she assured him again. “I’m going to have a very colorful bruise, but that’s the extent of it.”
“Probably going to be sore, too.”
She shrugged. “That was already inevitable after the hike.”
She’d put her cap back on a bit crookedly. He reached up to straighten it, tucking her honey-blond hair away from her face. The gesture brought him closer to her and she tipped her head back to look at him from beneath the brim of her red cap. She stood very still as he traced a fingertip down her jawline, wiping a smudge of dirt from her chin.
“Bet you thought I’d be the one to wipe out today,” he teased quietly, hoping to make her smile again.
She did. “I guess we’re both a little accident-prone.”
He chuckled. “Maybe.”
“Of course, the hike isn’t over yet. You could still ‘wipe out.’”
“I do have a tendency to press my luck,” he admitted, his hand still touching her face. He spread his fingers until his palm cupped her cheek. “Gets me in trouble sometimes.”
She made a slight sound that might have been a swallowed laugh. “I can see that.”
“Sometimes it’s worth it,” he murmured, lowering his head. Holding her gaze with his own, he said, “You never answered my question earlier.”
“Which question?” she asked, tilting her head back a little more.
“Do you like it when I flirt with you? Because, you know, I’ll stop if you don’t.”
She gave a little shrug. “There’s no need to stop. I like it well enough.”
Amused by her nonchalant tone, he said, “Let me guess. I’m a pleasant diversion.”
“You could put it that way.”
Grinning, he spoke against her lips. “I’ve got no complaints about that.”
Chapter Six
R ationally, Natalie knew this was risky. The timing was terrible, and she wasn’t the vacation-fling type, anyway. But the truth was, kissing Casey felt too darned good. As she had suspected it would.
He lifted his head slowly, his gaze locked with hers. “Going to push me into the water now?”She slid her hand around the back of his neck. “Maybe later,” she said and pulled his mouth to hers again.
He smiled for a moment against her lips, until the kiss deepened and amusement faded into something very different. Natalie felt her breathing start to quicken again, but this time she couldn’t blame it on exertion or altitude. This reaction was due totally to Casey.
The sound of voices mingled with the rush of water, seeping into her consciousness. Someone laughed, and she and Casey broke apart, staggering backward as if caught doing something they shouldn’t. Rubbing her sore thigh, she looked toward the trail just in time to see two couples in their late teens or early twenties climb into sight. They were chattering and laughing and roughhousing a little, and seemed to be having a great time. And not one of the fit-looking foursome appeared to be at all winded by the climb, Natalie noted with a frown.
The newcomers greeted Natalie and Casey with friendly nods, then moved to the side of the cascades to exclaim excitedly over the view. Natalie and Casey shared a glance, then moved in unspoken unison toward the trail.
The return drive to the cabin was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Natalie sat back in her seat, watching the passing mountainsides, occasionally looking at Casey. He caught her gaze at times and smiled. They talked about how much fun they’d had, the beautiful trail, what a joy it had been to reach the falls. They didn’t specifically mention the kisses they had shared, but she had no doubt that he was thinking about them, just as she was.
Casey parked in front of her cabin and turned off the truck. “I’ll put the furniture back on the deck before I leave.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Thanks. I could use your help with the table, especially.”
They went inside only long enough to freshen up and for Natalie to make a pot of coffee. They drank half a cup each, just for the energy boost, and then she poured the rest into an insulated carafe for drinking later. Casey went out to get started on the deck, and she followed him after changing from her hiking boots into more comfortable sneakers.