21. Chapter 21
Chapter twenty-one
Lucy
“ T hat’s it. I’m done. Feed me or I quit.” She was being melodramatic, but Lucy didn’t give a crap. They had been at it for days, weeks even (ok, fine, a few hours), and she needed a break. Her dutiful guide led the way, zig-zagging around rocks and plowing through bushes when necessary. Bramble scraped at her arms, snagged and tore her pant legs, and once, she even got smacked in the face by a wayward branch.
This bushwhacking thing was bullshit.
She’d been skeptical when Jonathan said it would take two days, but the reality of the situation became abundantly clear after they reached the summit and began their descent into the hellish wilderness. They’d been working so hard to move forward, but the lack of trail made the going painfully slow. Now Lucy wondered if the two-night estimation was really his way of low-balling her, giving her a false sense of security so she wouldn’t go ballistic when she learned the truth.
Having just barged their way through an incredibly aggressive thicket, they were covered in burrs from the waist down.
She dropped her pack on a boulder at the edge of a clearing. This was the second time they’d veered east and came out alongside a ledge. Arguably, the view would have been spectacular. And unlike the day before, the sky was a cloudless blue. The sun was high, but the temperature stayed mild as a gentle wind whispered through the trees. Birds chirped sweetly. Fuzzy critters scuttled about the bushes.
And all of it could go straight to hell.
Plopping cross-legged next to her bag, Lucy grabbed her Nalgene and gulped down the remaining water. With one hand, she began pulling prickly little seed pods off her thighs. She was sweaty, grimy, and starving. Her hanger was in full force, and she was about to reach a point where she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions.
Jonathan halted and marched over to stand in front of her. “We should keep moving. You got this. Just one more hour.”
His goal was encouragement despite the bleak delivery. You can do it. I believe in you. But if he was an uplifting coach in this scenario, then she was the rag-tag group of little league players getting stomped fourteen to zero. There was—flat out—nothing left to give.
“I get the urgency, Jonathan, really, I do. But things are going to get really brutal when I start gnawing on your calf in about five minutes.” The last of her good-natured humor reserve was depleted. “I’m serious. I need a break.” She stared up at him, trying to convey stubbornness and misery in one look.
It must have worked because Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Ok. Twenty minutes to rest.”
“And eat?”
“And eat.”
Lucy never believed she would feel joy again until she bit into a giant chunk of Korean BBQ pork jerky. The sweetness of the brown sugar mingling with the slight smokiness of the pork was pure nirvana. Swaying with happiness and satisfaction, she took another bite, appreciating the tenderness of the meat. Beef and turkey jerky were just fine, but pork jerky? Boy howdy! It was far superior to any other kind of preserved meat. Her belly rumbled in approval as she dug out another piece.
“Make it last.” A warning with an edge of frustration interrupted her musings. She was fully aware that her fervor probably appeared silly to her travel companion. But she couldn’t make herself care. Energy crept back into her body with every bite.
She looked up and noticed Jonathan sitting on a nearby rock, eyeballing his map and probably trying to triangulate their specific location. But he wasn’t eating. “Hey.”
He looked up. “Hey, what?”
“Why aren’t you eating anything?”
“Not hungry.”
“You sure?”
His reply was an affirmative grunt.
“Well, your caveman eloquence would beg to differ. Here.” Grabbing a chunk of jerky, she stepped over to him. She waved it in his face. He followed the hunk of meat around like a salivating labrador being teased with treats. The deep growl of his stomach and a passing breeze wafting the tangy scent must have been the final nudge Jonathan needed. He took the offering and bit into it.
Eyes rolling back, he let out another growl, this time from low in his throat. “Pork jerky. Solid choice.”
“It’s my favorite,” Lucy agreed, returning to perch on her boulder seat.
“I have a banana in my pocket if you want it.”
Lucy nearly choked on her snack. The absurdity of his offer hit Lucy like a ton of bricks. Jonathan studied her reaction quizzically. Clearly, the dude didn’t catch what he’d said because he wasn’t even cracking a little grin. His innocent miss of an obvious joke made her giggle deliriously. Arms wrapped around her belly, she flopped back on the boulder, bumped into her pack, and sent it careening off the edge of the cliff.
Lucy froze. Thick silence coated the air. She kept her eyes closed as she turned, uttering a silent prayer—to any deity that would listen—that her bag would be within arm’s reach. But when she looked, the backpack was sprawled on a ledge about twenty feet down. Far enough away that there was no chance of retrieving it but close enough that the patches of reflective fabric flashed in the sunlight . . . taunting her.
A rush of blood pumped through her ears. The audible thump thump thump of her heart pounded in her chest. Of all the fucking things that could go wrong . . . This never would have registered as a possibility.
A low rumble snuck up behind her, unidentifiable yet growing with intensity. It wasn’t until Jonathan’s laughter fully erupted that she turned from the depressing sight of her lost belongings. When he saw her eyes wide and mouth agape, he laughed even harder, the kind that was silent while laboring to pull in a breath. Tears streamed down his face as Lucy sat there in shock.
“This is funny to you?” Anger quickly replaced shock.
Jonathan shook his head as he struggled to make words.
Lucy shot daggers at him. “No? Because you’re sure acting like it is.” The anger evolved into a simmering rage. She could feel her cheeks reddening and her eyebrows furrowing aggressively.
“No . . . no.” Jonathan waved a dismissive hand in front of him as he managed a few words between gasps. “It’s just so . . . so . . .”
“So, what?”
“So fucking ridiculous!” He laughed so hard he could barely sit upright. Broad shoulders slumped forward as his whole body shook. The forgotten map slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground.
Lucy watched as he dissolved into a puddle of mirth, the sound husky and distracting. Her fury slowly receded. The absurdity of the situation began to sink in, and soon, she found herself cracking a smile. Because what the hell else could she do?
“Is it gone for good?” Jonathan asked, wiping his eyes and swallowing his remaining laughter. He stood next to her and peered over the edge.
“Unless you have a harness and some rope, I’d say she’s a goner.” Lucy dragged her fingers back and forth over her forehead. Of course, a tension headache would pop up after her supply of ibuprofen took a dive off a cliff.
“Damn it.” His words were so defeated that Lucy felt a fresh wave of anxiety slosh in her gut.
“Wait!” She spun and clawed her fingertips into his forearm. “You have some of my stuff in your bag. Remember? You lightened my load yesterday.”
“You’re welcome, by the way.”
She bolted for his pack and pulled open the top flap. He didn’t protest as she rummaged around. Bug spray, sunscreen, an outfit she had rolled into a bundle to keep together, her excessive first aid kit. She held up the red bag and scowled. “Shouldn’t this have stayed in my pack? In case we got separated?”
Jonathan shrugged. “Probably, yeah. But at the time, you were so bogged down with all that crap, and I wanted to make your trip easier. And fortunately, it paid off because it’s up here with us instead of down there.” He pointed down to her brand-new—now gone—backpack and then returned to her side.
She unzipped the pouch, frantically digging through the single-dose medicines to find the blessed Advil. In her haste, a thick foil packet popped out of the front pocket and landed in the dirt.
Jonathan knelt. “You dropped something,” he mentioned casually.
Lucy looked up and seriously considered jumping off the cliff to live on that ledge with her backpack. Embarrassment washed over her as she clocked the strip of three condoms dangling from his fingertips. Ribbed for her pleasure emblazoned on each one.
Heat enveloped her already sweaty skin in a full-body blush. The only thing that could cap off the mortifying moment was if she farted loudly and then threw a box of tampons at him. Maybe if she wished really hard, the rain would start up again and sweep her away with another landslide.
On the other hand, why should she be embarrassed? She was a single, grown woman, damn it. And smart for bringing protection, for planning ahead. Just in case. Safety was sexy after all.
Lucy squared her shoulders. “Thank you,” she said levelly, looking Jonathan directly in the eyes while taking the strip of prophylactics from his outstretched hand.
He attempted a neutral expression, but the slightest wiggle at the corner of his mouth ruined the effect. He was dying to say something.
Go ahead, buster. I dare you.
Wise man that he was, Jonathan kept his lips zipped and began reloading everything that Lucy had unloaded into his bag.
She nodded with satisfaction and washed one of the two pills down with a swig of his water bottle. Fortunately, her empty one lay at their feet; an obnoxious sunshine sticker with a face smiled back at her, the words “positive vibes” scrawled in cheery script.
Fate, for once, was on her side because next to the Nalgene sat the pork jerky. “Small miracles,” Lucy mumbled and snatched up the bag.
Lucy was shocked by how light her step was for the remainder of the day. The fallen pack belonged to the mountain goats now, meaning she had much less to lug around. As far as silver linings go, it was thin, but she’d take what she could get.
The pair hadn’t stuck around too much longer after the mishap. They snacked a bit more—acutely aware of their reduced rations now that Lucy’s cache was gone—then forged on.
The afternoon waned as the two weary travelers came upon a small clearing. Butted up against the bottom of a rock ledge and surrounded partly by sturdy trees, the setting had a familiar feel. It was reminiscent of the campsite along the original trail minus the creek.
Jonathan stopped and placed his hands on his hips as he surveyed the area. Lucy took advantage of the pause to drink some water. The temperature had risen enough to dry out the mud, making the arrival of summer more apparent. Despite the torrential downpour the day before, the ground beneath their feet was dusty between ragged shards of granite. Each step kicked up small plumes behind them. The buzz of crickets added to the distinct seasonal feel.
“Home sweet home,” Jonathan conceded, releasing the buckles on his bag.
“We’re stopping?” Lucy asked. “For the night?”
“Yep.” He slid his pack from his shoulders and lowered it to the ground one-handed, forearm flexed and glistening with sweat.
Lucy watched him with intensity. Aside from breakfast, the moment he rolled up his sleeves that afternoon had been the highlight of her day. “But I still have energy. We could keep going. Get us closer to civilization.”
“I’m sure hiking without any cargo is delightful, but I’m having a different experience over here.” He placed a hand on either side of his lower back and arched, lifting his chest to the sky. A relieved groan passed his lips after his spine popped and cracked a few times. The stretching lifted his shirt, allowing Lucy glimpses of tanned skin pulled tight over well-cultivated muscle.
Flashes from the night before teased through her mind. Jonathan in nothing but hiking boots and tight undies, brandishing a hatchet like her own Chippendale hero. The scene played out in her thoughts a few times during their journey. Each time she imagined a different variation. Sometimes she made the move; other times, he closed the distance and enveloped her in his nearly nude warmth. But every fantasy ended the same way: Sex . . . with her grumpy guide.
Lucy swallowed to keep from drooling all over herself as the Adonis in question turned to face her.
“Think you can manage?” Jonathan asked, sounding slightly perturbed.
“Huh?” Shit. He must have been talking while she was shamelessly objectifying him. Y ou’re better than that, O’Malley , she berated herself. “Sorry, I was . . . lost in thought.” She shrugged with a self-deprecating smile.
“What I was saying was that we’ll set up camp like we did yesterday. You handle shelter, and I will get a fire and dinner going. Can you manage that?”
“Oh, yeah. Sure thing.” Lucy turned and instinctively went for her pack. It took her a second to remember that she didn’t have one anymore and let out a blustering gasp worthy of any telenovela.
Startled, Jonathan leaped to his feet. “What happened?”
“My tent.”
Realizing she wasn’t in danger, the guide’s shoulders relaxed. “What about it?”
“I don’t have it anymore,” Lucy said, hoping he would realize on his own that the math didn’t add up. There were two of them and one hammock. Was he going to make her sleep outside? Were they going to share? Heat crawled up her neck and splayed over her cheeks.
Jonathan rapidly blinked and scoffed. “Wow, you really weren’t listening a minute ago, were you?”
Reaching up, he dragged two fingers across his stubbly jaw. Lucy watched, transfixed, eyes trailing down his wrist to that forearm of his.
Damn it! Focus!
She popped her eyes back up.
“We’re going to share the hammock. It won’t be the most comfortable setup, but it’ll be the safest. Did you think I was going to make you sleep on the ground?” Twinkling amber eyes lit up Jonathan’s handsome face. He pursed his lips while one thick eyebrow quirked up in question.
Good god, he was sexy. Butterflies fluttered in Lucy’s stomach and made their way lower. She was going to be sharing a bed with her guide. With Jonathan. The man who saved her life. Twice, if the opossum situation counted, and at that moment, it ticked the right column in Lucy’s book. She had no idea how she was going to manage sleeping while being well and truly pressed against him.
Please, don’t let me make this awkward.
A grin slowly emerged, revealing his straight, white teeth as Jonathan seemed to read her thoughts. “Don’t worry, sunshine. I promise to behave as long as you do the same.”