Page 23 of Double Booked

A moment later, he heard the bathroom faucet running, and he sighed. This was so bad. If she knew he’d been picturing her naked, she’d probably lump him into the same category as her stupid ex-boyfriend. There was one major difference, though. Cole wasn’t cheating on anyone, emotionally or physically. In fact, he hadn’t dated anyone in months, which partially explained why he was ogling his pretty roommate. He was no better than the elk in the rut, though his chances of getting lucky were probably much slimmer.

Suddenly, Eden reemerged from her bedroom, dressed and fresh-faced.

“That was fast,” he said.

“I decided not to take a shower until after the hike.”

“Good idea. We’ll probably work up a sweat.”

“I just have to get on my boots and coat, and then we can go.”

He perched on the arm of the couch while she started pulling on her new hiking boots. Then he noticed her socks. “Hold on. You can’t wear those socks.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

“They don’t go up high enough. You’ll get blisters.”

“These are the only kind of socks I have.”

“You can borrow a pair of mine.” He stood and went toward the stairs.

“I can’t wear your socks!”

“Why not?”

“It’s just weird!”

“Trust me. You’ll thank me later.”

“Fine,” she huffed.

He jogged upstairs and dug out a clean pair of hiking socks from the drawer. Then he went back downstairs and handed them to her.

She eyed them with disdain. “These don’t match my outfit.”

He tried not to laugh. “Nobody’s going to see them except me.”

Looking resigned, she lifted her pant legs and removed her socks. He eyed her bare ankles and feet like a starved man at a buffet. Since when did the sight of a woman’s feet entice him so? Her skin was soft and creamy, and her toenails were painted pink. Luckily, she was too busy pulling on his socks and hadn’t caught him looking. He felt relieved once her legs were covered, and she pulled on her boots.

He grabbed his backpack, which contained his camera, snacks, and water. He’d packed extra this morning, hoping she’d agree to go hiking with him. In the meantime, she put on her new jacket and grabbed her purse. A few minutes later, they were driving away in his rented Jeep Wrangler.

As they entered Rocky Mountain National Park, he glanced at her to gauge her reaction. “Have you ever been here?”

“Once, a long time ago.”

“With your family?”

“Um-hmm. I was ten years old.”

“Is that why you decided to come back?”

She nodded. “It left an impression on me.”

He understood perfectly, and they couldn’t have picked a better day. Colorado was showing off its fall colors. The orange, yellow, and red leaves dazzled in the bright sunshine.

He wanted to ask more about why she’d come here, but he assumed some of it had to do with the breakup, and he didn’t want to bring it up. He was just glad she’d agreed to accompany him and was determined to show her a good time.

Before long, he pulled into the parking lot for the Bear Lake trail. “Here we are,” he said.