The Wild Within (The Collective) by Gwen Martin

Author:Gwen Martin [Martin , Gwen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHANCE

Tristan’s car keys sat heavily in my hand, the metal digging into the folds of my palm as I walked to the entrance of the University of Tennessee’s botanical garden. The silver rooftop of the car next to me glittered in the afternoon’s sun, and I tilted my head up, soaking in the warmth.

I searched for the teal-covered gazebo and headed toward it. Duncan stood at the edge, staring down at his phone. His hair was damp, his brown t-shirt a little wrinkled, his sharp collarbones, and his usual raggedy cargos had been exchanged for a pair of tight khaki pants.

A tingle danced over my arms and down to my fingertips. God, even in the shadow of the low hanging tree above the gazebo, Duncan was alluring. I licked my dry lips and inhaled deeply. I needed to do something. I couldn’t stand here forever staring at him.

“Hey,” I said, and shoved my hands into my pockets to give them something to do. Duncan’s head snapped up, and his wide eyes immediately fell halfway closed, his gaze slowly moving over me and back up.

“Hey,” Duncan said, his tongue poking his lip ring. “You look nice.”

My breath hitched, and I cleared my throat. “Thanks, um, you too,” I said, my voice coming out more breathless than I intended. Duncan smirked, and I ducked my head. “Sorry I was a little late. I had to drop Tristan off at the airport. Have you been here long?”

“About ten minutes,” Duncan said, pulling my attention back to him as he slipped his phone into his back pocket. He slanted his usual easygoing smile, his shoulders relaxed, one hand on his canted hip. A quiver skittered under my skin, and I pinched it between my thumb and index finger to stave it off.

Duncan pointed to a winding dirt path. I followed his lead and tried to ignore how my hand twitched when his warm wrist bumped into mine. Huge oak trees loomed over a large grassy area where kids ran around in circles, their parents watching them with smiles on their faces.

I allowed myself to soak in this moment, to let my mind drift and become lost in my surroundings. I listened to the laughter of the kids and parents behind us, the crunch of our shoes on the dirt, and the trill of a bicycle bell. My head jerked toward Duncan when his hand wrapped around my elbow, guiding me in a different direction.

I stopped in my tracks, my lips parting. Flowers were everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. Flashes of colors assaulted me, and I tried to catalog it all—red, yellow, purple, and hints of blue. Some were in thick bushes of green, others sat closer to the ground, and still more on thin vines curling around each other. In the distance, sunflowers towered like spires surrounded by a sea of wildflowers.

“Wow,” I whispered. “This is—” My brain grappled to find the best way to describe the wild beauty in front of me. “Magical.

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