Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

42| Dangerous woman

Max ♕
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It takes about ten minutes for me to even semi-relax. I'm not used to my feet not being firmly on the ground, and my lack of control makes me nervous as hell, but seeing her smile makes it worth it.

Mostly.

"Nice and steady," she says as we trot along the path.

The air feels hot as the sun peeks through a gap in the mountains. In some ways, I can see why she enjoys this so much. I've never been one to embrace the L.A hiking trails, but even I can't deny how peaceful it is up here. For someone like Alyssa, the freedom a place like this offers must be bliss.

"Don't hold the reins so tight," she says.

Sweat pools on the back of my neck as I loosen my grip. I'm a fast learner – you have to be in a sport like boxing – but something tells me this is one hobby I'm not going to get the hang of.

Kino, on the other hand, would love this. He's always been the nature type, and when Dad and I would be working on the heavy bag in the yard, he'd be busy examining bugs or making forts out of leaves. The kids at school would bully him for it, so one day I pulled them aside after school and gave them a talking to. They never bothered him after that.

Chest tight, I push away the thought of him and focus on the view in a bid to ease my guilt. A comfortable silence stretches on as we amble down the path. My horse clearly has a vision problem because he walks right next to the trees lining the path and scratches up my arms in the process. I wince as Alyssa looks back and laughs; at least one of us is enjoying this.

She leans her head back, face basked in sunlight, and says, "You know, this is just what I needed. So, thank you. More brownie points coming your way. You'll have to start thinking about what you want to trade them for."

I grin and straighten up on my horse. Now we're talking. "Oh, I've thought about it."

Her eyes flash seductively. "And?"

I steer my horse closer, positioning my face near hers. "I'll let you know when I'm ready to collect," I say, and then I push forward like I'm the next Paul Newman and not some kid who doesn't know the first thing about horses.

The rest of the afternoon is like something from a cheesy romcom, and god help me, I like it. We spend the ride talking about anything and everything, from our favorite desserts to our favorite celebrities. Every now and then, I remember that I'm sitting on top of a deathtrap, and she reaches out and takes my hand before talking me through it.

"You don't strike me as the type to like Sci-fi," I say after her confession.

"Well, then, you'd be wrong," she says.

"Like aliens and shit?"

"More like advanced societies," she explains. "I like dystopians too. There's something about watching the world fall apart that makes you appreciate real life a little more, you know?"

"So what I'm hearing is you thrive on chaos. Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey," she says, swatting my arm, "chaos can be a good thing. Forces you to appreciate peace."

"Maybe," I say, but I'm not convinced. I've had enough chaos to last me a lifetime – I don't need anymore.

"Let me guess," she says, running a hand through her horse's mane, "you like car movies as well as violence."

I give her a playful look. "You trying to say I'm predictable?"

She laughs and rides off into the distance without answering. I follow after her down a path that loops around, sending us back in the direction of the ranch. Truth be told, I prefer it out here, just Alyssa and me, as opposed to some fancy dinner party with her family. If it were up to me, we'd stay here forever.