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It was a long, fabulous moment before she eased back with a tiny grin wobbling across her lips. “You were right.”
“Oh, in what way?”
“I didn’t know you.”
I wanted to say it was impossible to really know anyone, but I yanked that thought back. Instead, I said, “I’m right about good coffee, too. When we get back, I’m going to make you one of my special brews.”
She cocked her head in a sassy smile. “Are you asking me on another date?”
“Yes, Captain Bossy Boots, I am.” I kissed her cheek and smacked her butt. “Let’s go.”
The angle from the giant rock was so steep we had to work together and brace ourselves on the sturdy trunk of a massive tree. Each step down the craggy cliff was a test in precision and balance. As the sun arced overhead and cast spears of light through the foliage, the raw scent of earth became more pungent. It was a long time before the tang of the salty ocean finally mingled in the air.
I straddled a massive fallen tree, and on the other side, loose stones shifted beneath my feet.
“Careful.” I reached for her.
“We’re nearly there,” Indiana said as I helped her over the log.
“Thank Christ, I was beginning to think we were climbing into hell.”
“We’ve already seen hell.” Her expression was etched in both ferocity and vulnerability.
I nodded. “That’s true. It’s all heaven and lattes from here.”
She scrunched her nose. “You’re obsessed with coffee.”
“Yep.”
I had to duck down to squeeze beneath a low-hanging branch.
“Tyler.” Her tone was hesitant, and I braced for what she was going to ask. “I’m sorry I accused you of being a bad cop. I was wrong to do that.”
Relief washed through me. “Thanks. I guess I was wrong about you, too.”
“In what way?”
“I thought you were a hard ass, but really, you’re a big softie.”
She slapped my back. “Hey, I’m not soft.”
A laugh escaped my lips. “No, you’re not. Thank you for telling me about your scars.”
We exchanged a look, which was a whole conversation in a heartbeat.
I wriggled around a boulder, and she placed her hand over the scar on my back. “Can you tell me how you got this?”
I tensed. “It’s a bullet wound.”
“I can see that. You have one on your chest, too. Were both of them from the same time?”
I nodded. “Nearly killed me.”
“I bet. You got lucky.”
Huh. If I was lucky, I wouldn’t have put myself in that situation.
“So, tell me what happened?”
