Just as I snapped my picture, I jumped, mostly due to the stern voice I heard barking at me from behind.

“This is not a selfie station. This is how people die. Do you want to die today, ma’am? If not, I suggest you get your ass back on the trail.”

I turned around and glanced up. It was the same park ranger I’d passed earlier. Smokey the Bear. He wasn’t ignoring me now. It looked like I’d managed to get his undivided attention. “No need to get so barky.”

“Can you step away from the edge of the cliff, ma’am?”

“What, this little drop off?” I countered, thumbing towards the empty air that started a foot or two to the right of me. “It’s just a baby. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, handsome. I’ve got steady feet.”

“Now, ma’am, or I will come down there and drag your ass up here myself.” Mr. Park Ranger was kind of bossy.

I liked it. I could have fun with this one. “Is that a promise or a threat?”

He was no fun, though. He ignored my flirting, and it didn’t look like he was going to let up. He was getting barkier. “Did you not see the signs on the fence? It’s clearly marked, but let me guess, you’re too much of a princess to bother reading signs that say important things like warning, danger, keep out, don’t die.”

I walked away from the edge, towards the grumbling beast, but I was tempted to stay where I was and taunt him. “Do I look like the princess type to you?”

“You look like a pain in my ass.”

I picked up my canvas bag and made my way back to the fence. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, sweetheart.”

He grumbled back, “Like I said, get yourself back up here before I give you a citation. That area’s not safe.”

He ignored my taunts, so I pushed it further. “I don’t think you can do that. You’re not a real cop.”

Even from this distance, I noticed as his face changed shades, a heated red flush clawing up his cheeks. It was easy to push his buttons. Too easy. He had thin skin. Someone’s getting cranky. I tried to suppress a laugh but failed. I only laughed a little, but it was enough to make him look even angrier. This guy was over the top, but I wasn’t helping.

I pulled myself up, slid through the fence railing and back onto the trail, feeling a little breathless from the exhilaration of the climb and getting caught. There was something fun about not only getting away with things but also getting caught doing them. I’d learned that a while back. Especially when the stakes were low like this.

Now that I was back up here, I got a chance to see Mr. Park Ranger up close and personal. Well, hello there handsome.

His dark, angry eyes were fixated on me. For all his bark, I had to wonder what his bite might be like.

For one heated moment, he stared straight into my eyes, his contempt evident. Talking to Hudson had given me a rush almost as good as the drop off.

I met his eyes, letting him know without needing any words that I felt the heat between us too, a tiny little flash fire happening there in the air between us.

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