accidents usually occur around five miles from home.”
I just looked at him.
He shrugged his shoulders.
“We need some tunes,” Amelia said, turning up the radio.
The speakers blasted the Foo Fighters as we drifted toward the unknown.
***
I grew more suspicious and antsy as the road narrowed. After passing through scary mountain roads and cliffs that had nets attached to catch loose rocks, I had to ask again, “So where are we heading?”
“You can’t wait, can you?” Hunter asked. I gave him the evil eye. He smiled at me in the rearview mirror. “Just have some patience. We’re almost there.”
Jason held my hand and gave it a little squeeze. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, wishing my ears would stop popping. That was another reason why I couldn’t live up north. The air was thin and being in high elevation too long made me ill.
With the windows rolled down, the scent of pine and fresh air coated my nose. I was between reality and dreamland when we hit a pot hole, which tossed me rudely back into the real world.
“We’re here!” Amelia chirped.
I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Jason’s arm rested on the back of my seat. He cupped my shoulder and gave me a light squeeze. I could feel him watching me.
Amelia and Hunter jumped out, slamming their doors in the process. With another groan, I unbuckled myself.
“You okay?” Jason finally asked.
I nodded. “Was just about to fall asleep when we pulled in.”
“I gathered that. You were saying something about a hot body…not sure where that was going.”
My cheeks burned.
I don’t remember that. Why the hell do I have to mutter in my sleep?
“That’s funny. I have no recollection of that.”
“So you say…”
I shrugged it off and slid out of the car. The air hung on me like a blanket. It was much cooler up in the pine trees than down in the desert. With the sun not baking on you twenty-four-seven, being outside was actually nice.
Jason’s hand was at my lower back when I came back to myself.
“You enjoying the air?”
I shrugged. “It’s better than that hundred degree heat, but I’d take salty ocean air anytime.”
He smiled as he took me in his arms. “Is that so?”
Jason was only a few inches taller than me, but I still had to raise my head up to meet his eyes when he held me close. “Yes. You got a problem with that?” I challenged.
“Of course not. But what makes salty air so much better?” He challenged me right back.
To meet him eye to eye, I got on my tip-toes. “First of all, it’s the yin to my yang, and—”
He cocked an eyebrow. “And all those other clichés?”
“Shut u—”
Jason consumed my words with his mouth. I found myself molding to his body. Slowly we were becoming one being.
“Can you guys keep your hands off of each other for one damn hour?” Amelia shouted, shaking her head with a smile on her face. She was kidding, of course, but I didn’t like to be told what to do with my boyfriend.
Boyfriend. I’m loving that word now. Who knew?
We broke away from each other and walked into the cabin holding hands. As we passed by Amelia, I muttered, “Party pooper.”
The interior of the cabin looked like something out of a magazine selling hunting cabins. The cabin belonged to Amelia’s family, and her father was the one who decorated the place. There was a huge, freaky deer head hanging near the fireplace. As I took in the log walls and bear lamp with matching curtains, I tripped over a rug, which was an actual bear rug. The animal rights activist rose up in me, making me want to bury the dead animal trophies.
“Awesome. We get to spend the weekend with creepy, taxidermy animals staring at us with blank, black eyes,” I said, shaking my head in disgust.
“Lighten up, Syd. At least we’re not camping in a tent.” Jason kissed my forehead and went out to help Hunter with the bags.
Amelia gave me a shrug. “Sorry. My dad will not let me redo the
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