Love In Alaska (The Love In 50 States Series Book 2) by Shelby Gates

and off me?” he said. “Wow. I must be boring as hell when we talk about other things.”
    I frowned at him. “I mean, I like that you were considerate enough to think about it and then direct enough to tell me.”
    “That's me,” he said. “Considerate and direct.”
    “That sounds like a slogan for something.”
    “Well, if it isn't, it should be.” He smiled. “Maybe that can be my tag line for my company.”
    I frowned. “I don't think I'm in favor of that.”
    “No?” He gave me an innocent look.
    “Not if you want what just happened to happen again...”
    He laughed and gathered me in his arms. “That sounds completely irrational.”
    “I'm just telling you.”
    He kissed me. “You're also telling me there's a chance that that might happen again.”
    “Well, not now,” I said. “The rain stopped. We need to get moving, I guess.”
    He was quiet for a minute. “You'll need to get up,” he finally said.
    “You first,” I said.
    Neither of us moved.
    “Fine,” he said. “I'll say it.” He paused. “I don't want to go and I want to stay right here and I want to have sex with you again.”
    I smiled at him and slid my hand down between his legs. “Yeah. Let's do that instead.”
     

TWELVE
     
     
    We stayed in the tent all day and didn't emerge until the next morning. Meals consisted of apples and the remaining cheese and crackers but I didn't care; I was too focused on spending time with Evan. A twinge of disappointment hit me as we started packing up our gear. I knew it was time to go – Evan had another job to get to that was going to take him north of Anchorage and there was another storm predicted for that night – but I wasn't ready for our time together to end.
    Not just because of the sex. We'd done just about everything we could sexually do to one another in twenty-four hours time. Paige would have been very pleased – if I'd given her the details. But I was going to miss spending time with him. He was funny and kind and I'd enjoyed almost every single minute I'd spent with him.
    Evan's sleeping bag had dried out overnight, as had much of the ground. I helped him break down the tent and repack it. We made sure our trash was bagged up and we scoured the ground to make sure we weren't leaving anything behind.
    Then we started the trek out.
    The hike back through the valley and over the mountain was just as pretty as it had been coming in. Some of the higher mountains peaks were coated with a fresh layer of snow and everything looked brighter, more vibrant, after the rains. The trees and grass were an emerald green, the exposed dirt a rich, earthy brown, the sky a shade of blue I was sure could never be captured in a painting or a photograph.
    The only thing missing from my hike was Evan's voice.
    We'd started out chatting as we left, the conversation coming as easily as it had since we'd met. I didn't like the word 'chemistry' to describe relationships, but it seemed like we had it. The further we walked, though, the quieter he got.
    So I started getting in my own head.
    Maybe he was regretting bringing me. Maybe he was regretting having sex with me. Maybe I hadn't been as good as he'd hoped. Maybe I hadn't been a good idea. The longer we walked without talking, the more anxious I got.
    When we stopped to eat a quick snack, I couldn't keep my mouth shut.
    “What's wrong with you?” I asked, sitting down in the dirt and rotating an apple in my hands.
    He sat down across from me. “Nothing.”
    “You haven't spoken in almost an hour.”
    “You were timing me?”
    “No.”
    He stared at the apple in his hands, then bit into it. I waited. He didn't say anything, though, focusing on finishing the apple instead. I frowned at mine, but ate it anyway. The flesh was firm and sweet and juice dribbled down my chin. I wiped it away.
    He polished off his apple and chucked the core into the thicket of trees. Then he stared at the ground for a moment.
    “This is the most time I've spent with