Taunting Callum (Big Sky Royal 3)

“I’ll have it done way before anyone can get here,” she says. “Looks like you ran over a nail back there. I wish the construction crews were more thorough when they clean up. You’re not the first person to meet this fate on this trail. Jerks.”

She fiddles with something, and suddenly, my tire is full of air again.

“You’ll want to replace the tire soon, but this will at least get you through today.”

“Aspen.”

She doesn’t look me in the eyes, just returns to the pouch under her seat and stows her tools.

I grip her arm just above the elbow, and she turns those eyes up to me. She looks…unsure.

“Thank you. You saved the day.”

“I’m not even wearing my cape.” She winks and turns to go, but I’m still holding onto her, so she raises a brow and looks down at my hand, then back up to my face. “You have my arm.”

“So I do.” I want to kiss her so bloody badly, my lips hurt. “I didn’t realize you enjoyed cycling.”

“I’m just trying to soak in all of this amazing weather,” she says. “Like I said the other day, it can leave in the blink of an eye around here. And I’m not a big fan of winter activities. Too cold.”

“What other activities do you enjoy?” I ask.

“Let’s ride and talk,” she suggests, and I immediately agree, pushing off on my bike and riding next to her. David keeps a safe distance behind us, never letting me get out of sight but not listening to our conversation either.

I’m just thrilled that she didn’t roll her eyes and ride away, leaving me in the dust.

“I like to hike, ride my bike, and sometimes I jog, but not if it’s too hot. I do not like to go camping or boating.”

“Why is that?”

She shrugs a shoulder. “I just don’t. I pay a mortgage so I have a roof over my head. Sleeping in a tent doesn’t sound fun in the least.”

“No camping.”

“Day trips are really all I have time for anyway. Drips & Sips is more than a full-time gig.”

“When is the last time you went on holiday?”

“I’ve never taken a vacation.”

The bike wobbles beneath me as my head whips over to stare at her, and I have to stop myself from falling.

“Never?”

“Nope.”

“That’s incredible.”

“I don’t have much time for travel.”

“If you could go anywhere at all, where would you like to go?”

“The Maldives,” she says without hesitation. “The photos make it look like heaven, and I heard it’s sinking into the sea. I’d like to see it before it’s gone.”

I can take you there tonight.

I want to do just that. Whisk her away for an incredible holiday in paradise.

But I don’t think she’d be open to that. Not yet.

“What about you?” she asks.

“Me?”

“Yes, is there somewhere in the world you haven’t been that you’d like to visit?”

I frown, thinking it over. “I’ve been pretty much everywhere,” I say. “Actually, there are some things in Alaska I haven’t seen that I think would be fascinating.”

“You could take an Alaskan cruise,” she suggests. “If you like water, that is.”

“I don’t mind the water, but I think what I want to see would best be done on foot.”

“You want to walk across Alaska?”

“Parts of it,” I say with a laugh. “You look appalled.”

“That doesn’t sound fun at all. If I’m on vacation, I don’t want to hike in the middle of nowhere. I want to sit on a gorgeous beach with a cold drink and a hot cabana boy.”

I raise a brow. “Cabana boy?”

“Sure. He can fetch me things and just look good.”

“Hmm.” I’ll make sure any servers in the Maldives who come into contact with us are female.

I’ll be the only man she ogles.

“Well, this was fun, but I have to turn back,” she says as she comes to a stop and takes a drink of water. “I have the afternoon shift at the café.”

“You take different shifts?”

“Yeah, we rotate. It’s fair that way. Although I’m around for both shifts many days, particularly when we’re shorthanded. Have a good day.”

“Wait.”

She stops and raises a brow at me.

“What time shall I pick you up on Saturday?”

“I’ll just meet you there.”

“That’s not how this works. If I’m escorting you, I’ll pick you up.”

She bites her lip, and just when I think she’s about to say no, she says, “Seven works.”

“I’ll see you on Saturday at seven, then. Have a good day, Aspen.”

She waves. “You, too.”

I watch her ride away, her ass sitting perfectly on her seat. For the first time in too bloody long, I feel hope catch in my chest.

I can’t wait for Saturday.Chapter 5~Aspen~“I would kill for your hair,” Monica says as she takes my red curls from a riot of craziness to a sexy, sleek, and sophisticated ‘do.

“And I’d kill to have you live with me so it looks like this every day. Because, trust me, it doesn’t. It’s usually a frizzy mess.”