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She stood at the edge of the waterfall now, mist threading through her hair, sunlight firing along her jaw, and all I could do was stare at her like she was the one thing on earth I’d never be strong enough to walk away from.

I’d woken before dawn, restless and keyed up from the Ferris wheel, and the shower session, and the hunt I’d gone on with Jett and Ryder. I’d still been vibrating with a need that only she seemed able to quiet. I’d thumbed my phone, turned up the listening device, and let her voice fill my kitchen.

When I’d heard Hattie tell her she needed to go hiking, every muscle in my body went cold and focused at once.

A hike. Alone. After what we’d seen in the woods…

I was already out the door, keys in hand, before she’d left her room. And by the time she’d gotten into Hattie’s car, I was parked behind the hardware store, watching her through the gap between two buildings, waiting long enough that she wouldn’t catch me trailing her.

I followed her along the trail, keeping my footsteps soft, far enough away that she wouldn’t sense me, but close enough that if danger appeared, I could reach her in seconds.

I watched her stop to tie her shoe, pause at a birdsong. I watched her shoulders rise and fall as she took in the views of the valley, like she wanted it to swallow whatever hurt she was carrying.

Somehow I’d become even more obsessed when she’d about blinded me with her pepper spray.

And now, we were here, and if I didn’t kiss her soon, I was pretty sure I was going to lose what was left of my control.

I took one step closer to her, just one, and that was enough for my restraint to snap like an overstressed fence post.

“Sienna,” I said in a voice that I hoped didn’t sound as unhinged as I felt. She looked up at me, wide-eyed, licking a stray bead of water from her lip like she didn’t know what it did to me.

Yeah.

I needed cold water before I did something I couldn’t take back.

So I reached for the hem of my shirt.

Her brows shot up. “Sterling, what are you⁠—”

I pulled it over my head in one clean motion and she stopped breathing. Absolutely stopped. Her eyes were glued to my chest like she’d been frozen in place.

“Okay,” she whispered. “That’s…wow. That’s rude. I didn’t say this at the diner, but I was definitely thinking it. No one needs that many defined abs. It feels showy. Greedy, even.”

A laugh broke out of me, something that had been happening more often than at any other point in my life since she’d come around.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, trying to force her gaze up and failing spectacularly.

“Swimming,” I said, already unbuttoning my jeans.

“Swimming?” Her voice cracked. “Here? Now? With your…everything out?”

I kicked off my boots and then my jeans went next.

She slapped a hand over her eyes and immediately peeked through her fingers. “Sterling Hayes, those are thighs. Those are…public hazard thighs. Put those away!”

I didn’t.

I started to shove my briefs down, and her inhale became a squeak as she whirled around to face away from me. “Oh my. Okay! Wow! That is—sunlight should not be allowed to shine on that.”

Laughing, I pulled my briefs all the way off and turned and walked toward the water, knowing she was absolutely peeking at my ass the entire time. The rocks were cool under my feet.

“Sterling!” she hissed behind me in a strangled voice. “You are naked. We are in public nature. Nature can see you!”

I didn’t look back as I dove clean into the pool below. Cold water burst around me, shocking my system, doing nothing to cool the lust she’d lit in my blood.

I surfaced and shoved my hair out of my face, wiping water from my eyes, and looked at where she stood frozen at the bank, clutching her water bottle, her cheeks absolutely flaming.

“Come on,” I called, my voice echoing off the stone. “Join me.”