The weight of her pack was beginning to take precedence over the novelty of the scenery. Not once had he asked if she wanted to stop and rest, not once had he even bothered to look back to see if she was still behind him. She wondered why he didn’t feel the hole her eyes were boring into his back.

“You have an amazing capacity for the insulting compliment.”

Hunter turned to look at her for the first time since they’d started out. There was a thin sheen of perspiration on her brow and her breath came quickly. It didn’t detract an iota from her cool, innate beauty. “Sorry,” he said, but didn’t appear to be. “Have I been walking too fast? You don’t look out of shape.”

Despite the ache that ran down the length of her back, Lee straightened. “I’m not out of shape.” Her feet were killing her.

“The site’s not much farther.” Reaching down to his hip, he lifted the canteen and unscrewed the top. “It’s perfect weather for hiking,” he said mildly. “Mid-seventies, and there’s a breeze.”

Lee managed to suppress a scowl as she eyed the canteen. “Don’t you have a cup?”

It took Hunter a moment to realize she was perfectly serious. Wisely, he decided to swallow the chuckle. “Packed away with the china,” he told her soberly enough.

“I’ll wait.” She hooked her hands in the front straps of her knapsack to ease some of the weight.

“Suit yourself.” While Lee looked on, Hunter drank deeply. If he sensed her resentment, he gave no sign as he capped the canteen again and resumed the walk.

Her throat was all the drier at the thought of water. He’d done it on purpose, she thought while she gritted her teeth. Did he think she’d missed that quick flash of humor in his eyes? It was just one more thing to pay him back for when the time came. Oh, she couldn’t wait to write the article and expose Hunter Brown for the arrogant, coldhearted demigod he’d set himself up to be.

She wouldn’t be surprised if he was walking her in circles, just to make her suffer. Bryan had been all too right about the boots. Lee had lost count of the number of campsites they’d passed, some occupied and some empty. If this was his way of punishing her for not revealing from the start that she worked for Celebrity, he was certainly doing an elaborate job.

Disgusted, exhausted, with her legs feeling less like flesh and more like rubber, she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Just why, when you obviously have a dislike for women and for reporters, did you agree to spend two weeks with me?”