Page 27 of Maneater

I can’t seem to purge the inappropriate thoughts of Rex out of my mind. He might think twice about being alone with me if I keep staring at his crotch.

Heat crawls up my neck until my cheeks are burning. Or maybe he’ll really want to be alone with me.

I busy myself with adjusting my backpack, pretending that I’m verifying I have everything with me. Anything and everything to keep from locking eyes with him. Somewhere in my addled brain I’m convinced he’ll know exactly what I’m thinking about if I do.

“Did you need help with anything?”

I realize I’m struggling to hoist my backpack over my shoulders, which is ridiculous. At this point in my life, I’ve been hiking for so long that getting ready to hit the trail is muscle memory. However, that unconscious action seems to have flatlined. My fingers fumble and I’m twisting my waist and rolling my shoulders as if I’m warding off a flea infestation.

“Here,” says Rex. “Let me get that for you.”

One warm, strong hand lands on my shoulder and I tense, my breath caught in my throat. Holy shit, I might pass out. Of course, then he’d have to carry me back to his cave, so would it really be all that bad?

Rex grabs the strap of my pack with his other hand then lifts it onto my shoulder. “There. Comfortable?”

The absolute last word I’d use to describe my situation is comfortable, but I’m not about to let him know that.

“Yeah, that’s great. Thank you.”

Rex smiles. “Of course. Ready?”

I need to snap out of my Rex-induced trance. “Totally. I’m excited.”

Ooooh… I wince. Could’ve made a better word choice.

“Me too.”

Rex tosses his pack over his shoulder like Paul Bunyan wielding his axe. I briefly wonder why this man isn’t a lumberjack. He’s certainly built for it. He’d probably be able to yank a tree out of the ground by its roots.

I snort at the visual. I also remind myself not to fixate so much on what a gorgeous male specimen Rex is. I’ll never survive the day otherwise.

“You said where we're going has the greatest view in the park?”

Small talk for the win.

Rex nods as we set off on the trail. “In my opinion, it is.” He gives me a sideways glance. “Not many people attempt it, so I hope you’re as experienced as you say you are. I might have to carry you over my shoulder otherwise.”

He winks, and my knees wobble.

I let out a shaky chuckle, and thankfully, he faces forward again so he doesn’t see me bite my knuckle. Fuck me, but this is going to be a long ass day.

After an hour or so of chit-chat and an easy trek, the path veers off to the left—the opposite direction of where the arrow on the sign points. The trail is much narrower and doesn’t seem as if it’s been maintained at all. Rex stops at the fork. He points toward the narrow path.

“This is the way we need to go to get to the top.” Rex retrieves his water canister from the pouch on his belt and unscrews the cap. Right as he’s about to take a drink, he pauses, his brow furrowing. “You know, if you’d rather make, this a more relaxing outing, we could always…” He shifts from foot to foot. “What I mean is, if I’m being too pushy…” He places the cap back on his canister without taking a drink. “There are scenic limestone bluffs in the other direction that are interesting. Lots of people go there because they’re so…” Rex clears his throat. “Interesting.”

I have no idea what’s caused this sudden hesitation. Unless he’s picked up on how attracted I am to him and would rather we stay on a more well-traveled path. I could respond by agreeing to change our course. Then I won’t have to worry about being alone with him either. We can be trail bros, and he can be my platonic guide, showing the Ozarks newbie what it’s all about.

Nah.

“I’m really looking forward to that view. It sounds awesome.” I scramble to come up with something to say that will seal the deal. “Plus, I’d never know how to get there without you guiding me.”

“Don’t ever hike up to the summit without me.” Rex’s tone has a steely edge that startles me.

“Oh.” I draw my eyebrows together. “How come?”

“I still haven’t found that mountain lion and discussed… err…” He rubs the back of his neck, glancing around as if said lion is about to leap out of the bushes. “What I mean is that the trail isn’t maintained very well because it’s barely used. It would be easy to get lost if you’re not extremely familiar with the terrain.”

I nod. “Okay, then I guess this is my chance since you’re with me.”