Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Oh, God, here we go.”
I grinned. “Would you rather be mauled by a bear, or sprayed by a skunk?”
“I’m not sure if that question is morbid or hilarious.”
“Both, now answer it.”
He chuckled, biting off half the jerky stick in one go. “Bear.”
“Bear?” I shook my head. “Explain.”
“Well, you said mauled — not killed. I’d come out of it with a great story and some bad ass scars. Whereas the skunk option would just leave me pissed off and smelly.”
“Fair point,” I said, chewing on his reasoning. “What is it with hockey players and scars, by the way? I swear, you guys get excited when you lose a tooth.”
“It’s a rite of passage.”
“How many have you lost?”
“Only two,” he said. “One from a high stick and one from a fight.”
“A fight?!” I gaped at that. I had seen my brother get in countless fights during the games, but never one so intense anyone lost a tooth.
“It was my first year in the NHL,” Jaxson explained, eating the last of his jerky. “And another asshole rookie thought it was funny to slide into our goalie.” His jaw tensed. “No one fucks with my goalie.”
“Wow,” I said, noting his scowl. “That’s hot. Okay, now ask me one.”
I was sure he’d argue that it was a stupid game and he wasn’t going to play, but he must have been used to my antics, because he sat back on one palm, thinking.
“Would you rather have a third eye or a third nipple?”
“Oh, this is hard!” I tapped my jerky stick against my chin, chewing off a bite as I considered. “Nipple.”
“Nice. I was hoping you’d pick that one.”
“Perv. Okay, here’s one. It’s heavy,” I warned, waiting until I was sure Jaxson was ready. “Would you rather tell your parents you need to set boundaries, or get a call from my brother telling you he found out about us.”
“Parents. Easy.”
I laughed, even as the weight of that answer hit me square in the chest.
He’d rather face something that has torn him up for years than our secret be revealed, which told me everything I needed to know about where we were headed.
Not that I didn’t already know, but a small part of me…
I shook my head, brushing the thought away.
“Your turn,” he said, stuffing the wrapper from his jerky into his pack. “Would you rather have to buy a house and never be able to travel out of that state you’re in, or sit down with your parents and Vince and tell them how you’ve felt living in your brother’s shadow.”
“Like I’d ever subject myself to talking about my feelings,” I answered just as fast.
“But you’d stay put, knowing you couldn’t travel the way you want to?”
I sighed. “Obviously, I hate both options. But, if I had to choose… I guess I’d just need to find a really cool house in a really cool place. California, maybe. That’s like seven states in one.”
Jaxson stood, reaching a hand down to help me up. Once we had our packs strapped on, we continued on the trail.
“Here’s one,” I said. “Would you rather kiss me right now, or spank my ass?”
“Both,” he growled, and then he did just that, slapping my ass and holding it in a handful as he pulled me into him. He swiped my hat off my head for better access, and then he kissed me long and deep.
We’d only passed one other group on the trail so far, and I was thankful we were alone then, that there was no rush as his tongue swept over mine and my body melted into his.
I wished the would you rather game was real, then. I wished someone would ask me if I’d rather go back to my life before Jaxson Brittain, or stay right here in this moment with him forever. I wished the answer became reality, that there was magic in this world.
I knew without a doubt I’d choose option two.
We talked and laughed the rest of the hike, stopping a lot along the way to take photos or just sit and admire how beautiful everything was. We celebrated when we survived fording the river — not once, not twice, but three times — and we marveled at the waterfalls we found along the path, complete with a rainbow I could only dream of.
My body was beginning to protest when we hit the last few miles of the hike, hips and knees and feet aching and begging to stop. But Jaxson distracted me, sharing stories of his time in the league and asking me about college. And before long, we’d made it to our campsite.
Setting up a tent after an all-day hike was definitely not going on my list of favorite things to do, but it was all worth it when we changed into our swimsuits with a couple hours of sunlight left, and just a short, half-mile hike to the hot springs that had brought us all this way.