Fragile Hearts (Poplar Falls #4) - Amber Kelly Page 0,64

crest the edge. They are standing to the side, framed by a breathtaking view, and Bellamy has Elle riding piggyback. She is holding one of Elle’s legs clamped around her with one hand, and she has her cell phone extended in the other. The two of them are making silly faces into the camera and snapping selfies. Elle starts slipping down Bellamy’s back, and her running shorts start to slide with her. Bellamy lets out a yelp and drops Elle and her phone, and they both tumble to the ground in a heap of female limbs. They are squealing and laughing and rolling in the grass.

“What did you two get into while we were back there?” Walker asks as we stand over them.

They stop wiggling and look up at us. Tears leaking down their cheeks from laughing.

Walker leans down and extends both arms to them. They each grasp a hand, and he pulls them to their feet.

“Can’t take you two anywhere.”

We all sit on a log that faces out to the view until the sun starts to set. Elle ends up on the grass in front of Walker, and he wraps her in his arms to shield her from the cold wind that is kicking up around us.

“Are you cold?” I ask Bellamy, and she tells me she’s fine.

I see the gooseflesh down her exposed arms and know that she’s lying.

I pull off my long-sleeved moisture-wicking shirt and pull it over her head. She bites her lip and then raises her arms, so I can slip it on her.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

I thread my fingers into her hair and tug the band loose. Her gorgeous hair falls down her back and around her face.

“There, that will keep the wind off your neck,” I say in explanation. But the truth is, I love her hair. I like it down and wild.

Her expectant eyes look up into mine, and I bring my hand to the side of her face, rubbing my thumb over her cheek. Her lips part slightly at my touch, and I can feel her pulse quicken at her throat. My touch does that. My gaze drops to her mouth, and a need to taste her again rages under my skin. I lean in and run my nose to hers, and just as my mouth finds hers, a bolt of lightning flashes in the distance followed by a loud, thunderous boom that shakes the ground beneath us. I jerk my head to look out at the horizon.

“Shit, how close do you think that is?” Walker asks as he looks to me over Elle’s shoulder.

“About three, maybe four miles. We’d better head back,” I tell him.

He stands and pulls Elle to her feet. I help Bellamy up and guide her in front of me. We move quickly, but this time, Walker and I stay close to them. Before we can make it off the trail, the lightning is on us, and we can see it striking ground around us. I shield Bellamy with my body, and she is trembling.

“You okay?” I ask as we speed up, Walker and Elle staying in step with us.

“I don’t like lightning,” she divulges, and I can tell she is closing her eyes and not watching where she’s going.

Fat, cold raindrops start to fall heavily around us. Bellamy stumbles over her feet, and I grasp her shoulder and keep her upright. She is terrified. I halt her and turn her into me.

“Hop up,” I tell her.

She looks at me, and I open my arms in invitation. She jumps up, and I hoist her up and feed my arms around her hips. She wraps her legs around me tightly. She buries her face into my neck, and I take off sprinting toward the opening to the trail that leads out to the parking area.

By the time we make it to Walker’s truck, the rain is pounding down on us in sheets. I hear the truck beep, and the locks disengage just as Walker skids up to us with Elle in his arms. He drops her on her feet, and I set Bellamy on hers. They cling to each other as I move to pull open the door for them as Walker hops in and gets the truck started. I guide them both into the backseat, and I run around the truck to get in the passenger seat.

There is no way Walker can see to head home. The rain is too heavy. I look back, and the girls