CHAPTER 10 #3
Picturing his camp and how nice it was yesterday reminds me of camping with Mom when my brothers and I were little.
Even back then, Dad never came, but Mom always loved the outdoors, and she took us on our own little adventures.
Josh, Keegan, and I thought sleeping in a tent was the greatest thing in the world.
The only thing better was roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.
“It’s just that, well, we were told fires were strictly forbidden here. ”
A tinge of a scowl paints across his face. “Who would care about something like that?”
“The people at this lodge, for one. They’re the ones who told us. They made it pretty clear that no fires are allowed in the area. So, yesterday, when we smelled smoke blowing in from your direction, we thought it was a forest fire.”
“A forest fire? What? Wait, is that why you went out there?”
“Yeah. We assumed it was something smoldering from a lightning strike. Back home, if that happens, you put it out before it gets out of control.”
His brows form a deep V as he mulls that over for a minute. “Makes sense. You must have been getting ready to go for a swim. I saw the pool.”
Yeah, two pools and seven jacuzzis,” I say excitedly. “Have you seen them?”
“Seven? I guess I know how I’m spending my evening. I do love a good hot tub.”
Dang, I shouldn’t have said anything. Of course he wants to hit the hot tubs. Part of me is tantalized at the thought of sharing one with him. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him in swim trunks. But who knows where that would lead—probably him on top of me, that’s where.
The way he smells, all spice and musk and manliness is bad enough, but it doesn’t end there.
A girl could get lost in those deep blue eyes and forget she’s going home in three days while he goes back to wherever he’s from.
She could forget she’s never going to allow herself to be vulnerable to a man again.
Or, she could throw caution to the wind and have what would probably be the best weekend of her life.
Then what?
And that’s the problem, isn’t it? Then nothing. I’d go home and he’d go to who knows where with his brother for some crazy adventure on the other side of the world leaving me a distant memory.
But the way things stand now I can always say I met the famous Riggs and Ash.
That’s something. And while I have him here, the seamstress in me keeps wondering about his clothes.
I thought about them on our way back from his campsite yesterday.
They’re different, rugged and tactical, yet oddly fashionable.
What he’s wearing today is clearly made by the same company, but I don’t recognize the brand.
Even the T-shirt is unusual. It’s an earth tone, sort of a dark, greenish khaki.
But what makes it different is how heavy the material is, and everything is quadruple-stitched.
Who does that? It’s probably the most durable T-shirt I’ve ever seen.
The one he had on yesterday wasn’t as tight, but it still fit him like a glove.
Someone knew what they were doing when they designed it.
Still, I can think of a few improvements.
For one, the fabric looks like inorganic cotton with a low thread count.
I’d use preshrunk organic cotton with a high thread count.
It would be so much smoother and more comfortable without compromising durability.
I’d also play around with the width of the hems at the bottom, neck, and sleeves.
They’re too wide. A few little tweaks here and there would really make the shirt stand out.
Then there’s the shorts. They’re a lighter khaki than the shirt and clearly made with heavy denim, but the way they fit in the thighs and butt is all wrong.
The pants he was wearing yesterday had the same problem.
An ass like that deserves better. And they’re already showing a lot of wear at the pockets.
The right front pocket is seriously frayed.
I’d line the tops of the pockets with leather. That would look amazing.
The unusual necklace and bracelets he’s wearing really bring it all together. The necklace is probably hemp, and a small, dark, polished-wood box with rounded edges hangs from it. I stole a closer look when I was gluing his cut together. It’s so interesting. I’ve never seen anything like it.
His bracelets are similar to the paracord style I’ve seen plenty of times, but his are different. First, they’re made with the much smaller 95 paracord, not the usual 550, and the weaves are tight, with metal objects woven in between the braids. Everything about him is so interesting.
The overall look works, but I’d love to clean it up.
That could be fun. When he’s not looking, maybe I’ll try to get a few pics.
That way I can play around with some ideas if I ever want to.
Making something other than dresses would be a nice change.
Besides that, some pics could come in handy for future bubble baths.