Fragile Hearts (Poplar Falls #4) - Amber Kelly Page 0,63

confirm.

“Ricky and I have only had sex in a bed or on a couch,” Sonia complains.

“Walker and I like to have sex outdoors too,” Elle confesses.

“Outdoors?” Sonia shrieks.

“Yep, on hikes, on the hood of the truck in parking lots, and in the fishing boat.” She ticks off each place on her fingers.

“The fishing boat that he took Beau and me out on?” I ask in disbelief.

She nods.

“How? That thing is tiny,” I ask, fascinated.

“I straddle him while he fishes. The last time, I climaxed as he reeled in our dinner.”

“No way. You just made that up,” Sonia accuses.

“Cross my heart. It was just last weekend.”

“He’s changed you. You went from my sweet, shy friend to a sexual deviant,” Sonia tells her.

“Wicked—that’s what he makes me feel. And that’s because I feel safe enough to be myself with him. Just him. It’s everything.”

A mournful expression casts over Sonia.

“I thought we were talking about Bells’s sexcapades. Stop deflecting and spill.” Elle brings the attention back to me.

“Not much else to tell. That’s all the progress that I have to report.”

“So, are you a couple now?” Sonia asks, clearly back in the game.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so though. He doesn’t seem ready for anything with a label.”

“You came for him three times the other night, and Elle didn’t even get to second base when they dated. I’d say he flew right past the casual stage with you.”

“Maybe I seduced him. Not intentionally, but I did strip down and jump in the river,” I admit.

“You devil temptress,” Elle teases.

“I was,” I insist.

“If he didn’t want you, he wouldn’t have chased you into the water. He could have easily turned around and walked back to the house. Men aren’t as helpless against us as they let on. They are helpless only if they want you bad enough,” Sonia declares.

“She’s right. I can get Walker to agree to anything if I attack him but only because he likes it. We know there used to be a gaggle of women willing to do whatever he wanted to get more from him, and he didn’t fall for their antics. He ignored them. He doesn’t ignore me because he doesn’t want to. Sometimes, I think he says no to stuff he wants to say yes to just so I will try to change his mind.”

We all giggle.

“So, you guys think I should do, what?” I ask because I need some advice.

“Tell him what you want,” Elle suggests.

I wrinkle my nose at the idea.

“Or just keep showing up and see if he makes the next move,” Sonia counters.

I like that idea much better.

Chicken.

Brandt

“Slow down, woman. This isn’t a race,” Walker calls ahead to Elle and Bellamy.

The two have been happily gabbing and trotting carefree up the trail. The very long, steep trail. Walker and I, on the other hand, have had to take several rest stops and water breaks while they stand and impatiently wait for us.

“This is why you don’t date younger girls. At first, it’s all thrilling and hot, and then at some point, you realize the woman is trying to kill you,” Walker mutters.

“Oh, quit whining, old, fat guy, and keep up,” she calls back to him.

“She knows being mean and bossy turns me on. She’s playing me like a fiddle,” he gripes.

The sound of their giggles drifts back to us.

Walker whistles low and elbows my side.

“Would you look at that? Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?” he asks, awe clear in his voice.

I look at the twin mountain peaks in the distance with clouds dancing around them. “Spectacular.”

“Fucking incredible. And I’m not talking about the view,” he clarifies.

He is not wrong. The two friends tangled together ahead of us are exquisite.

“We are some lucky SOBs, Doc,” he states.

The four of us run into a couple of male hikers who are making their way back out of the trail, and as they pass Elle and Bellamy, who are still a considerable distance ahead of us, they stop and turn to watch our girls as they walk on, oblivious to the attention.

Our girls?

“Tongues back in, boys. They would chew you up and spit you out. You don’t need that kind of trouble in your life. Go hump a cheerleader or something,” Walker says as we pass the drooling duo.

Then, we watch as the girls hook arms and chatter away as they keep walking, full steam ahead.

Two hours later, we reach the apex of the grueling trek. Bellamy and Elle are at the top when we