Page 57 of The Next Chapter

But I’m a big fan of them now. A super-fan, you could say.

I only got a split-second glimpse, but I definitely saw a compass.

Thinking about Noah shirtless and all tattoo-y is not doing anything to help me regulate my body temperature. I’d tied my hair out of the way back at the cottage, but the bits that have escaped have welded themselves to my neck and forehead.

I push on, my only hope now to get back to the cottage and take a cold shower.

Noah’s breathing picks up.

A very cold shower.

‘Lily,’ he calls, and I come to a stop. I have to rest my hands on my knees and take a few deep breaths as I reconcile the fact that I’ve broken into a sprint trying to outrun Noah and his six pack.

We’re on the other bank of the river now, opposite the hotel. This is the side covered in forest and to the left of us, the mountains bank steeply uphill, dense with evergreen trees.

‘Everything okay?’ I ask once I’ve caught my breath and had a drink. I keep my eyes trained on Noah’s face.

He nods and wipes his forearm over his head. I have a strange and possibly slightly perverse urge to lick him.

‘Wow, you’re fast.’

I don’t mention that I was trying to outrun his abs.

‘That infinity pool that Lola mentioned is just up here.’ He points towards the trees and a small opening through them. ‘I might include it on the hidden gems list. I thought it would help bring business to the hotel. Do you want to see it? You don’t have to go in,’ he tacks on the end, no doubt noticing that my eyes have gone wide with fear.

There’s a number of things I could fixate on here. Like my fear of open water. Or the fact that Noah paid me a compliment. But I’m still stuck on the fact that Noah wants to show me something. Me.

‘Well, we are meant to be circumnavigating this run,’ I say, when really, I’ve spent the whole time thinking about Noah running behind me.

‘I know, just a little detour, then we can get back to checking the route.’

I’m still not sure that I exactly trust myself.

‘How far is it?’ I ask, remembering my last trip uphill with Noah.

He peers into the trees. ‘Not far. It’s pretty steep, but after about ten minutes it levels out. We need to follow the water. I think you’ll like it.’

Looking closer, I can see that there’s a trickle of water coming through the gap in the trees. It cuts across in front of us and then disappears into the loch, too small to even be a stream.

‘Okay, why not?’ I tell him, earning myself a smile. ‘I am always up for an off-the-cuff adventure.’ (Lies just come so naturally to me these days.)

Noah does a soft little laugh. God damn it, he’s onto me.

‘Come on then, adventure awaits.’

He takes off through the gap and this time I let him lead. With no one around to catch or judge me, I take in his broad back. The way his muscles work together as he climbs, like a game of sexy Tetris.

It’s possible that operating at a higher altitude than what I’m used to is scrambling my brain’s ability to get a read on people. Or maybe like Lola, Noah is just a bit of an enigma. I think he’s quite shy, he goes red a lot (which for the record, I’m a huge fan of). But then at other times he’s more confident. Like the way he’s taken charge here. What my brain isn’t failing at, is coming up with other scenarios in which Noah could take charge. It’s readily supplying those, no problem.

‘Just a bit further,’ he calls as we climb. My leg muscles are protesting now and I’m back to using my hands too. I wonder if every trip out with Noah is going to end with me crawling around on the floor.

‘It’s here.’

Noah suddenly stands up and I move to join him, pushing through a final thicket of branches that have knitted together between two trees.

The view steals my breath.

The tarn is about half the size of a regular swimming pool and sort of an oval shape. The water is clear blue. At one side, a smooth rock juts out of the mountainside, a small stream of water trickling over the edge of it. Noah’s right, it’s exactly like an infinity pool and looking out over the craggy mountains. It’s absolutely stunning. Behind us, we’re pretty much surrounded by trees.