Before she could even finish the sentence, Walker had shrugged off his jacket. He stepped close to Keira and wrapped it around her. The fleece was butter soft and it was still warm. Plus, it smelled like him.
Reluctantly, she slid her arms into the fleece. The cuffs flapped at her fingertips. “But now you’ll be cold.”
He shook his head, plucking at his thick, charcoal-gray thermal. It clung to his chest in a way that made Keira’s heartbeat leap in response.
“This is super warm,” he said. “I’ll be fine. And either you’re wearing the jacket or we’re leaving.”
Frowning, Keira looked up at the rocks. She wanted to know what the view looked like from the top.
She relented, heading toward the end of the point. “Okay, fine. But if you get sick or something—”
He interrupted. “If I get sick it’ll have been worth it.” He gestured at the stones. “Ladies first. Unless you want me to show you the way up.”
She shook her head and scrambled up the rocks. She’d been climbing around the Maine coast since she was a kid—her dad used to bring her down for lobster rolls and tide-pool watching on Saturdays. The memory made her eyes sting. She blinked hard, focusing on the salty sting of the cold rocks beneath her hands and the smell of flint and peat smoke that drifted up from Walker’s jacket.
It only took a few minutes of hard climbing before Keira found herself up at the top, standing on a broad, flat rock. The fog was thicker up here, obscuring the ocean that crashed below.
Walker pulled himself up behind her, his cheeks flushed pink with the cold air and the effort of the climb.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Keira looked at the fog swirling around them like tattered gauze. She couldn’t even see where the point joined the mainland. The keening birds were lost in the white overhead, and the dark, seething ocean was barely visible below. It was like being on the inside of an egg. She could hear everything that happened outside the thin, cream-colored shell of the fog, but the only thing she could see were the gray rocks beneath them.
And Walker.
A violent wave crashed against the point, and the rush of noise thrilled Keira.
“It’s like the ocean’s sneaking up on us,” she said.
Walker’s face lit up. “I love that. I think it feels like playing hide-and-seek with the universe.” He stared out at the invisible horizon. “When I discovered it, I felt like I’d found the perfect hiding place.”
She’d never seen him look so relaxed. The corners of his eyes even crinkled up when he smiled. She took a step closer to the edge of the rock. The wind caught her hair. It whipped around her face, stinging her eyes and pasting itself across her mouth.
“Don’t get too close to the edge,” Walker warned. “The spray makes it slippery.”
Just then, another wave bashed against the rocks and the ocean spat square in her face.
“Ugh!” She spun away from the spray, putting her arm across her eyes. She wiped at the salty mess, but the dangling jacket sleeves made it hard to get the hair and salt water off her face.
“Let me help.” She felt the brush of fabric against her face, as he used his sleeve to wipe her forehead and cheeks.
Keira looked up at him, filled with an electric flood, like she’d touched a live wire.
With his gaze locked on hers, he smoothed her ponytail and tucked it into the jacket collar. Keira’s knees felt uncertain beneath her.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Sure.”
Keira swallowed hard, acutely aware of the blood coursing through her veins. Walker moved a degree closer, his arms sliding around her shoulders.
Behind him, Keira saw a dark wall of round bricks spring up. A hook-studded ladder leaned against it. A strangled cry leapt out of Keira’s mouth.
Walker pulled her away from the edge of the rocks, and the red-sheened hallucination faded in front of Keira’s eyes. Walker followed her gaze into the swirling fog, not letting go of Keira.
“What happened?” he asked.
For one second, she let her head dip against his chest, shaking off the vision.
I am not losing my mind. I am not. I. Am. Not.
Walker kept his arm around her shoulders, a furrow of concern between his eyebrows.
Keira shoved her hands into her pockets. “It was a gull,” she lied. Her voice wobbled like a buoy in an uncertain sea. “It flew out of the fog right behind you.” She forced a little laugh. “It scared the crap out of me. Obviously.”
Walker stared at her uncertainly. “A gull? I’m surprised I didn’t hear it crying.”
Keira nodded. “Sorry. I swear I’m not usually that girly. I kill my own spiders and everything.”
Walker threw back his head and laughed. “I’ll remember that. Maybe I’ll have you kill my spiders. I’ll deal with the gulls and you can handle the eight-legged things.”
“That sounds fair.” Keira relaxed. The point had gone back to being another jutting bit of the Maine coast, without any unexplainable walls or mysterious ladders. It was easier to believe she was still sane when everything looked normal.