Cassandra’s POV
“Oh, sweetheart, I’d love to.” His tone was light, teasing, but the brush of his fingers against my lower back wasn’t.
I stiffened, shooting him a glare, but he just winked and sauntered ahead, leaving me seething.
Axel, as usual, was silent but always there—close enough that I could feel his presence hovering over me. I could feel his eyes lingering on me when he thought I wasn’t looking, and even though he didn’t say a word, the intensity of his gaze was impossible to ignore.
About halfway through the course, disaster struck.
The path narrowed, bordered by a steep drop on one side and a lot of rock faces on the other. My foot caught on a loose stone, and I lost my balance, pitching forward.
“s**t!” I yelped, flailing as the ground disappeared beneath me.
