Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Waking up snuggled against the back of a man I only met three days ago is a new low for me.
Technically, I couldn’t help that I got cold during the night and unconsciously gravitated toward the muscular source of heat beside me.
And I’m certainly not sad about having to cozy up to a man this sexy.
But Jack told me he doesn’t like being touched, and until he amends that statement, I really should respect his boundaries.
It’s hard, though, when this magnetic pull toward him is so strong and maybe even involuntary. Why did I have to come to the bottom of this treacherous pit to finally find a man whom I want to pursue?
I blame my position on the sleeping bag. It’s basically a zippered napkin, and I might as well have wrapped myself in regret.
I don’t want to move. It’s not like I’m hugging him or anything. If he’s too uncomfortable, he can move away.
The sky has just begun its metamorphosis as hints of dusty purples seep into the inky blackness.
Jack’s sleeping bag is pulled up to his waist as he lies on his side.
His back is to me, my face smooshed between his shoulder blades.
If he’d turn around and wrap me in his arms, I might die right here. Very happily.
Were it not for the fact that I have a full bladder and a lingering headache, I might have considered being the big spoon.
Boundaries, Willow.
Right.
With sloth-like stealth, I maneuver myself away from the muscled wall of heat. I may take a good, non-creepy sniff before, but I’ll never own up to it.
“Jack…” I whisper, getting a mumbled grunty sound in response. “I gotta pee.”
More garbled words. The guy sleeps hard.
“Jack, Edward and Jacob are here, and they’re forcing me to choose. They say I have to leave with one of them.”
He rolls over with a lazy stretch, and it’s like watching a lion wake up, a lion that looks very cuddly.
“Everyone knows the right choice is Team Charlie,” he rasps with a sleepy voice I’d like to marinade myself in. “Tell Jacob and Edward to piss off.”
“You’re a fascinating man,” I tell him with a grin, even though I wholeheartedly agree.
He finally opens his eyes, a soft, barely there smile on his lips. “You get cold in the night?”
He knew!
And he didn’t move away.
The most absurd, arrogant, selfishly delicious thought sprouts—Could Jack be averse to everyone’s touch but mine?
But just as quickly as the presumption strutted into my mind, it crumbles like a charred leaf in the wind. What a stupid, beautiful wish.
“I won’t deny it. You’re like a furnace, and I run cold,” I tell him, sighing. “It happened subconsciously. And then maybe a little consciously. Don’t get cocky about it.”
“Where did you even get this thing?” Jack scrunches his brows, ignoring my confession. He pokes at my sleeping bag tentatively, like he’s afraid it’ll disintegrate at the slightest touch.
“Walmart.” I smile proudly, relishing the growl my response elicits.
“What grade is it?”
“I don’t think whether or not my sleeping bag got a high school degree influences its ability to warm a person.
” I pat his shoulder lightly. He rolls his eyes and proceeds to lecture me on the grading system of camping gear.
I lift my feet to read the label near my toes.
“It says it’s good for twenty degrees Fahrenheit,” I reply, meeting his gaze.
“It lied. But false claims aside, I still gotta go. So, unless you’re going to grant me permission for a solo expedition to the restrooms, I need an escort. ”
He shakes his head before he stands and stretches in a way that’s completely oblivious and innocent yet borderline obscene.
I am no longer cold after seeing this many slivers of his skin; instead, I have to remind myself I’m not supposed to be ogling the man.
Swallowing hard, I shove my feet into my flip flops and retrieve my toiletry bag.
Pale blues have joined the sky as we walk toward the restrooms, and a shiver runs down my back, reminding me of the danger lurking around us the rest of this hike.
“What’s our plan for today?” I ask, looking for a distraction.
“We’ll go over it when we’re back at our campsite. Let’s freshen up here, then get breakfast at the Canteen first.”
“I didn’t make a breakfast reservation.” I grimace, but a smug look crosses Jack’s face as he whips out that ranger badge, wiggling it before hiding it against his chest once again.
“What other perks does that thing get you?” I fold my arms, grinning at his expression. Despite his grouchiness over the job and whatever trauma it’s thrown at him, he’s proud of the badge he carries.
“Ladies love a man in uniform.”
“Really?” I ask, my voice softer. I don’t like that fact.
“No,” he replies dryly before he guides me into the restroom and checks that all the stalls are empty. “Lock the door,” he commands, then pulls the main door closed behind him.
After freshening up, we eat another surprisingly good meal for a restaurant that receives all its ingredients via mule train.
Or maybe it’s just that I’m still exhausted from yesterday, and anything would taste amazing right now.
Jack also grabs sack lunches for each of us, which I add to my stash of snacks from the previous day, and then he orders me to hand over my collapsible coffee cup.
He disappears into the canteen and returns with steaming coffee in each of our mugs before leading me to a picnic table.
We deposit our bags on the floor, even though unstrapping Marigold from my back is still a small feat each time, before we sit side by side on the bench, elbows leaning on the table as we cradle our drinks.
I inhale the delicious aroma of caffeine, closing my eyes with the first sip, and I open them to find Jack tearing open three sugar packets.
I watch as he empties the sugar into his black coffee before turning it milky with two servings of creamer.
“Having some coffee with your sugar there?” I ask with a teasing smile.
His lips purse as he continues stirring his concoction.
“I’ve tried quitting, but I’m a sucker for a sugary Starbucks coffee.
Even attempted making my own, but it’s not the same.
I eat pretty healthy ninety-nine percent of the time.
This is my one indulgence,” he shrugs, a small grin lifting his cheeks.
“So you like it sweet,” I drawl, my smile growing, loving knowing this little fact about him.
But then he lazily meets my gaze before his eyes flick to my lips. “I do.”
Wow. Okay. I desperately want to fan my cheeks right now, but I’m still frozen in his trance.
He breaks the spell by clearing his throat and facing forward, taking a long sip of his sweet fix while I sit here trying not to spontaneously combust with the electricity zipping around us. This man is lethal.
“Only coffee, though,” he shocks me by continuing.
“Huh?”
“I don’t like sugary cocktails or sweet tea or any other sweet drink,” he adds, shifting uncomfortably as he avoids eye contact.
I face him, feigning a zoned-out expression while I twitch one eye.
He turns to me, a scowl replacing the adorable awkwardness from a moment ago. “What’s happening right now?”
“I’m malfunctioning after this overload of volunteered information.”
He lifts an eyebrow, appearing only slightly amused before tenderly adjusting my hat. Then he leans in closer, grazing my ear as he curls a stray strand of hair out the way, and I gulp, frozen like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s sights.
Jack swallows heavily and turns his head, breaking the tension, and we finish our drinks without another word. Once he rinses our cups and returns them to our packs, he helps me tuck back into Marigold’s tight embrace.
“Thank you for repairing Marigold. I could have done it,” I say, and I pause, wondering whether I’m letting Jack have too much control over this hike.
His roughened fingers gently lift my chin before he whispers, “I know you could have.”
An involuntary shiver runs through me, and he drops his hand but holds my gaze. “You were tired, so I helped. Doesn’t mean you were incapable.”
“I don’t want to finish the next few days and realize I was nothing more than a damsel in distress,” I say quietly. “I can’t just let you do everything for me.”
He purses his lips, eyes narrowing as if he wants to argue, but he nods once instead. “I’ll remember that. How’s your cheek? You need more pain meds?”
“I took some after breakfast.” I resume putting things back into Marigold.
“I’ll redress the wound when we get to Cottonwood Campground.”
“Which is…seven miles away?”
“Yeah. But we might take some detours. I need to drop our tents at the canteen, then we’ll get water refills and head out…
” He pauses, surveying our surroundings absentmindedly before meeting my gaze.
“Look, whoever is behind all this is getting desperate. I know you want to feel like you’re being helpful and accomplishing something, but when it comes to your safety, I need you to follow my instructions explicitly.
No going rogue while I’m trying to keep you alive, okay? ”
“Yes, sir,” I salute.
“I’m serious, Lo.” His breathing quickens, as if he desperately needs to have my agreement, giving him a semblance of control over this situation.
“Well, Jeez, coming in hot with the nickname. At this rate, I’ll do anything you tell me to,” I say with a grin, patting him on the chest and hoping to lighten the mood.
He does that growly thing again, and I soak it up like a vitamin infusion.
“I swear, I won’t do anything dumb and will defer to your professional expertise,” I add.
He lets out a long exhale, his relief palpable.
“Come on, Rambo. I’ll behave.” I pick up my ruined tent, heading toward the canteen with that pleading look in his eyes burned into the back of my mind.
It’s a fine line, wanting independence and also needing his help, but there’s more to this for Jack than just doing his job well.
I just hope he hasn’t built up too big of a wall because of whatever’s happened in the past.
Because I really want to crash through that wall and demolish it.