That was followed by showing her the proper way to clear a campsite, how to put a tarp down, how to set up a tent, and build a fire, which led him to decide that it was time for her to learn how to cook over an open flame. That led to more glaring, a lecture on the dangers of pointy sticks, and him ruining s’mores for her.
For some reason, he felt the need to end the night by sharing the most terrifying campfire stories that he could think of, ensuring that there was no way in hell that she would be able to sleep tonight. After sharing a particularly terrifying story involving a rusty hook and a group of unsuspecting campers, he called it a night, stole her dog, and left her sitting alone by the fire, trying not to think about what happened when the camp counselor opened that door in the morning…
She lasted exactly thirty seconds before she decided that she’d had enough fun for one night, grabbed the bag Garrett packed for her and made her way to the showers, where sheoverestimated how much hot water two dollars in quarters would buy her. That led to her discovering that they turned the cold water off exactly sixty seconds after the hot water ran out, that she didn’t have a towel, and that the hose outside was frozen solid.
That was followed by trying to dry off with a handful of paper towels, begging the vending machine to accept her dollar so that she could buy a bottle of water to rinse the rest of the shampoo out of her hair, and deciding that camping definitely wasn’t for her as she raced back to her tent.
And now…
Now, she was freezing her ass off.
After sending one last glare in Garrett’s direction, because it was clearly called for in this situation, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and quickly made her way towards the path that would take her back to the main road. Twenty minutes later, four wrong turns, a stop at the vending machine that ended with her two dollars poorer followed by a stop at a store called Pats to stock up on junk food, and an unfortunate incident involving a puddle, she was stumbling into the hotel foyer and making her way to mobile check-in.
An hour after that, a sniffled, “Bless you,” to the kind woman that checked her in, a hot shower, and a call to room service later, she decided that this was the only way to go camping. As she sat there, wrapped in a comforter, watchingRomancing the Stonewhile nibbling on a fry, Kristen decided that this was definitely the way to go. She had a comfortable bed, heat, full control of the television, unlimited hot water, and twenty-four-seven room service.
Not a bad way to spend the week, Kristen thought, finishing off her french fry as she debated ordering an ice cream sundae only to decide against it. At least for now, Kristen decided as shereluctantly pushed the covers off and grabbed the tray before climbing off the bed and made her way to the door.
She really wasn’t looking forward to getting up early in the morning and going back to that tent, but she didn’t really have a choice. She made a deal, which meant that she needed to make sure that she was in her tent before Garrett woke up.
It shouldn’t be that difficult, Kristen thought as she double-checked the peephole, ensuring that the coast was clear before she opened the door and placed the tray on the floor. She’d set an alarm, call the front desk and ask for a wake-up call as back-up, take a shower, get dressed, and enjoy the complimentary breakfast the hotel provided before she made her way back to her tent.
She…couldn’t help but frown as she watched the dog, who refused to let her name him, make his way into her hotel room. Swallowing hard, Kristen slowly, ever so slowly looked up and-
Nothing.
Frowning, she glanced to her right and when she didn’t find a large, incredibly handsome man glaring at her, she looked to her left and…nothing. Taking one last look, Kristen took a step back into her room only to find herself clearing her throat when her back touched solid muscle.
“Any chance that you’d be willing to tell me how you keep doing that?” Kristen found herself wondering as she watched Garrett reach past her and close the door.
“Not a chance in hell,” came the softly murmured reply that had her biting back a wince.
“What’s another word for escape?” Kristen asked as she watched him reach past her and place his hands against the door, caging her in as the move brought his lips next to her ear.
“Flee, fly, leave,” came the softly whispered words in her ear that sent goosebumps racing across her skin.
“I’d really like to do that now,” Kristen said, swallowing hard as she did her best to ignore just how good it felt to have him this close, mostly because she found her reaction to him deeply disturbing.
“And I’d really like to know why you decided to go back on our agreement,” Garrett said, his breath teasing her skin and making it really difficult to stay focused.
“I didn’t go back on our agreement,” Kristen said even as she couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was wrong with her.
“Then, what would you call it?” came the softly murmured words that were making it really difficult to stay focused.
“I found a loophole,” she found herself saying.
“A loophole?” Garrett repeated, the move causing his lips to brush against her skin.
“One that allowed me to enjoy modern amenities while still respecting the spirit of our agreement,” Kristen said, only to end up swallowing hard when he chuckled, the sound causing her stomach to do funny things.
“Meaning…” Garrett said, letting that one word trail off.
“That there’s no way in hell that I’m sleeping in that tent tonight, but I’m willing to partake in all the disturbing camp-like activities that you have planned to fulfill this deeply disturbing agreement that we made during business hours,” Kristen said, nodding solemnly, really hoping that he took pity on her and let her stay here tonight because she honestly wasn’t sure that she would be able to handle spending the night in that tent, at least not without succumbing to hypothermia.
“That’s all I can ask for,” Garrett said, taking her by surprise as he dropped his hands away from the door, the move causing his lips to brush against the back of her neck and-
There was something seriously wrong with her.
CHAPTER 18
