Chapter 11
Rhett
Jakob was holding me with my legs thrown around his waist, hands cupped under my ass as he kissed along my jaw. Throwing my head back, I pushed my fingers into his hair and held on tight. I rutted my body along his hard length between us and tried to keep from moaning out loud in pleasure. I wanted, no, needed to be alone with the sexy man for more than a few stolen moments.
Right when I was about to ask for us to relocate to a flat surface, a bird squawked nearby and I grumbled at the interruption to my happy dream.
Reaching out to push at Hansel, I wanted to poke him for leaving the window open and ruining my nap. Instead, my hand touched the cool grass and I was startled awake by the unexpected sensation.
Hansel was sitting up a few feet away, rubbing his eyes in the bright afternoon light. Wait, afternoon?
“What time is it?” I asked, my voice froggy from the unexpected nap. We’d gone for a long hike and it had worn us out. “Where is Helga?”
“Either she got lost a couple hours ago… or she abandoned us here,” Hansel mused, holding his phone up to see if he had service again. His frown told me he did not.
“Abandoned us?” I squeaked, clearing my throat and trying again for the masculine tone I’d practiced for years. “Why do you say that?”
“She had pictures of the trail from GPS and seemed adept at following it.”
Hansel kept holding his phone up, standing and offering me a hand. I took it and joined him in dusting off the loose vegetation from my pants. “Any luck?”
Hansel shook his head, “No, and I put it on airplane mode to save battery halfway out here.”
“You took pictures the whole way, though, right?”
“Yeah?” Hansel replied as if questioning.
“Maybe we could follow the pictures you took like clues,” I explained, unsure if he even took enough wide shots for that to be possible. “And backtracking, we should see our footprints, too. Right?”
“Oh, my god, Rhett, you’re a genius.” Hansel hugged me in a quick press before opening his photo album. In the corner of his screen, I saw less than fifty-percent battery. “We can follow some of these to the main path at least.”
“Let’s get to it then, I was hungry before our impromptu nap.”
We trekked forward, following the path we’d made wider on our way there, as well as Hansel’s pictures. It meant a lot of stop and go to double check, and it was over an hour before we found the main trail again. Hansel had taken a picture right after Helga declared we were turning, so we knew which way to go. That still meant another hour of walking was ahead of us.
“It will be time for an evening meal before we get out of here.” I breathed heavily beside my brother.
No one else had passed us, likely already home from their own recreation. Most people weren’t stupid enough to leave the trail without preparations and a map. Helga had a map, but she hadn’t left us with one.
“Hansel,” I broached, after we spotted another tree he’d taken a picture of, confirming we were on the right path. “When was the last time you took a nap?”
“Hmm? Oh, probably last spring after a big meal with friends when they slipped me a beer.” Hansel laughed to himself under his breath. “My belly was so full when I woke up, I swear I peed for two minutes straight.”
“And besides after a big meal and alcohol?”
“Oh, damn, probably years.” Hansel rubbed at his neck where I noticed a bit of sunburn. I felt sensitive skin on my own exposed flesh and probably looked similar.
“Yeah, you hated naps as a kid,” I pointed out, remembering the epic temper tantrums. I wasn’t sure where I was going with my thoughts, but it felt off. “And I never nap, I’m always too keyed up with too many things to do.”
“Maybe us getting worn out on the trail and finally sitting still was all we needed,” Hansel commented absently, scrolling through his pictures again. “There’s only a few more pictures left before the one I took of you in the parking lot. I should get service soon.”
“Oh, awesome.” I perked up. “Do you think any of your friends might be available to give us a ride home?”
“I hope so, I don’t want to walk another step for at least a couple days after this debacle,” Hansel complained, but picked up the pace at the prospect of being back in civilization sooner. “Or maybe Helga will be waiting for us?”
If that were true, why was my subconscious niggling at me about why we were so sleepy? And why would she have left us in the middle of nowhere? I wanted to believe my mind was playing tricks on me, I couldn’t help the hope I had that I was wrong.
The sky was turning into brilliant shades of pink and orange when we reached the trailhead and picked up our pace until our feet hit the paved car park.
“Civilization!” Hansel called out in joy as his phone made a sound announcing he had service again.
I was exhausted, but I couldn’t help laughing at his dramatic response.
“Damn, that’s a lot of notifications.”
“Anyone who might come pick us up?”
“Rhett, Hansel,” a familiar voice called out.
I turned to find Jakob rushing toward us.
With a bulky backpack and metal water bottles in both hands, his hug was rougher than intended.
“Oomph.”
“Oh, sorry.” Jakob backed up to get a better look at me, then thrust the bottles at us. “Here. I’m so glad you’re all right. Did you get lost?”
“Sort of. Thanks,” Hansel answered for me, taking the water and chugging it down without hesitation. “You don’t happen to have food, too, do you?”
“Yes, granola bars.”
Jakob dug into the backpack he wore as I sipped water and took him in.
“What are you doing here?” My words came out more accusatory than I intended, but my nerves weren’t in the best state.
“I saw you weren’t home, but I thought you would be…” Jakob rubbed at the back of his neck and looked at the ground as he mumbled out, “And I saw where you were from Hansel’s post.”
“You social media stalked me, Jakob?” Hansel teased, and I was glad to see he was in a positive mood. “I thought you were into my brother?”
My happiness at his good mood tanked as I felt my face heat. That was saying something since I definitely had a sunburn.
“Hansel,” I chided, but he ignored me and walked toward Jakob’s pickup truck.
Jakob ran a hand over his mustache and beard, and I suspected he was hiding a grin. “Well, he’s not wrong.”
“Can you give us a ride home? We’ve been walking for hours,” Hansel explained.
Jakob’s face turned grim. “I thought Helga was with you?”
“How did you–? Oh, right. My post.” Hansel pulled out his phone and started scrolling through notifications while Jakob opened his passenger door and let me in first.
“Helga had the map and we were waiting for her in a clearing,” I explained as we buckled up and the truck rocked as Jakob joined us in the cab. I would be in the middle beside him, since there was only one bench seat. “She went to get a picnic. Or so she said.”
Jakob’s intake of breath let me know he caught my meaning. But Hansel wasn’t paying as much attention.
“Us falling asleep didn’t help.”
“Yeah, that’s what I find so suspicious,” I replied. “Helga made us coffee, did the dishes, then took us on a hike with a picnic? It doesn’t add up.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Jakob agreed. “Do you think she might’ve put something in your coffee?”
There was my inner fear. The subconscious idea I hadn’t wanted to speak out loud.
Hansel’s head whipped up. “Wait. I thought I felt sluggish because I was out of shape. You’re saying Helga might have drugged us and abandoned us in the woods?”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I could only nod. None of us spoke another word as Jakob started the truck and drove us back to the cabin we called home.
It didn’t feel much like home anymore.