Impossible Love: An Unforeseen Destiny Novel Book One by Kimberly Readnour Read Free Book Online

purpose?
    “Need help?” I ask, despite myself.
    “I’m good.” Kayla advances to the riverbank ledge, and the determination on her face makes me smile. She places her foot on a tree root and pulls up. Her shoe‌—‌no match for the muddy bark‌—‌slips, and she falls.
    “I’ve got you,” I say as I bolt behind her and place both hands on the sides of her hips. Mistake. Big mistake. Heat shoots straight from my hands down to my feet.
    “Thanks,” she mutters. Her body tenses momentarily, and then she steps up again.
    I breathe deeply, and her scent wafts over me. Kayla smells incredible, a musky scent with a hint of lavender. So unlike the coconut scent girls usually have when they visit the island. I ignore the desire to nestle my nose in her hair and push her to safety, my hands sliding off, fingertips gliding across her sweet ass. Shit . I’m no better than the fucking pervert.
    I wait a moment for my heartbeat to pace back to normal before stepping to the riverbank and scaling the ledge. When I reach the top, the deep intake of air to clear my mind doesn’t quite help. I clear my throat and proceed.
    “Okay, everyone, we’re not too far away from the waterfall. Those walking sticks are right over here.”
    My voice sounds gruff, and I’m still baffled by my reaction to touching her. Big neon letters spelling “stay away” flash in my brain, but my body fails to heed the warning. It wants nothing more than to run my fingers along that ass again.
    I lead the group along the trail, and when the path gives way to mud, I step to the top ledge. Another tour approaches, trudging through the muck, sinking to their ankles. I mentally sigh. At least it’s not knee deep.
    Nodding to the other group’s tour guide as they pass, I smile and keep pressing forward. Even though I see the same tour guides at least once a week, we never stop to make small talk. The customers aren’t paying us to stand around and listen to our conversation. A lot of us meet at Rick’s or some other joint and talk there. So a simple acknowledgment works for now.
    I glance behind me and hold back a laugh. The entire group is walking along this tiny ledge. It appears that nobody wants to get dirty today.
    Questions from my group are tossed my way, and I answer them as we trek deeper into the tropical forest. I try to stay away from Kayla, the best I can, but we keep ending up near each other. I slow to a crawl to answer Tom’s umpteenth question and suck in a breath as Kayla’s musky lavender scent breezes by me. My gaze drops to her toned legs, and I clench my jaw shut. I will not hit on her, dammit.
    The whooshing sound of flowing water magnifies the closer we get to our destination. Kayla’s pace increases as she darts forward, eager to see the waterfall. Yes, despite my deliberations to ignore her, I keep stealing glances and studying her expressions. Kayla’s an open book. And she seems to appreciate every new species of plant we come across. More than once, I have to stop myself from asking her what she was thinking.
    Then it happens‌—‌a moment of reverence. We emerge from the trail with the waterfall in full view. Kayla’s eyes widen in admiration as she takes in the natural surroundings. The tiny gasp in her breath, the awe in her eyes, I’ve seen this expression many times on different people‌—‌people appreciating God’s provided beauty. But damn, if she isn’t the most inspiring of them all. I blink a few times to rid my mind of her. Yeah, doesn’t quite work.
    “Okay, folks, we’ll eat a quick lunch, and then you can swim in the plunge pool if you want too.” We settle upon the large boulders to eat, and I try not to laugh at Kayla’s clear distaste for the chickens running rampant. We islanders have learned to ignore them. With no natural predators, those damn things are everywhere.
    Kayla and a few others brave the coolness of the water to take a dip. I move closer to the pool’s edge, sitting on