“Oh, you, uh, you wouldn’t?”
He shakes his head. “Now, I’m not saying that I haven’t made a mistake here or there, but for the most part, before I fuck someone, I have to have a connection with them, you know? Can’t really go after the empty vase. The woman needs some substance to her.”
“You don’t find a man who says that very often.”
He shrugs. “I’m not like every other man.”
That’s for certain. I’ve come to find that out very quickly. In fact, their parents did a great job raising their boys. It stands to reason that Wilder would be as good a man as his brother.
“What about you?”
“Oh, um, I’ve only ever been with my ex, Matt.”
He turns. “Wait, really?”
I nod. “Yup. Just him. We met in college. That’s when I lost my virginity, and yup, I’ve only ever known sex with him.”
“That’s…kind of sweet in a way.”
“Would have been if we didn’t end up getting a divorce. Now I’m a twenty-nine-year-old who has only ever slept with one man. I mean…what if I do it wrong?”
“Probably not the case.”
“Couldbe the case, as things definitely petered out toward the end of the marriage.”
“That doesn’t mean you were doing it wrong,” he says. “That just means that you two weren’t compatible anymore. Having compatibility with your partner is really important. Without compatibility, there’s no urgency to want to fuck each other.”
“Yeah, there was no urgency at all. He barely even looked at me in the final months of our marriage. He was more invested in his online gaming than in me.”
“Sad,” he says. “Because you’re far more fascinating than any online game.” My cheeks heat up as he turns to look at me. When those light gray eyes connect with mine, he says, “His fucking loss, another man’s gain.” Then he stands from the ground and stretches out before dusting his butt off. “Okay, I think it’s time for bed.”
“Yeah, sure,” I say, unsure what to do with myself after that comment.
“I think I saw a toiletry bag in the bin.” He rifles around and then pulls out a bag. “Yup. Here’s a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Oh, and some biodegradable toilet paper and hand sanitizer. I can get the sleeping bags set up while you take care of business.”
“Thanks,” I say.
He points to a large tree and says, “That might be a good spot. Take a bottle of water with you.”
Not comfortable with this at all, I walk over to the tree, and before I can even consider starting to get ready, he jogs after me with a flashlight.
“Hold on. Let me check and see if there is any poison ivy. Squatting over that would not be fun.” He checks around the tree and then nods. “You’re good. Do you want to keep this flashlight so you can see better?”
“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”
“Holler if you need anything.”
He jogs off, and for a second, I watch him. Never would I have imagined that the man I met on the street that one Friday morning would turn out to be so kind…thoughtful…caring. The way he uses his words makes me feel important, validated. His attitude toward the whole camp, so positive compared to what I was living with for so long. Matt was always negative, always complaining about something. It…it took a toll on me. So being around Wilder feels like a breath of fresh air.
Awkwardly, I take care of business, hating every second of it. I’m so not an outdoorsy girl. And because I was so scared of peeing all over my only pair of clothes, I took my underwear and pants off, peed, and then slipped everything else back on. I will dehydrate myself before I have to do that again. Mark my words.
I brush my teeth next and then head back to camp, where Wilder is standing in front of the tent with a worried look on his face.
“What?” I ask. “Oh God, did you see me with my pants off back there?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Uh, I was just setting up the tent, and it seems like there’s only one large sleeping bag…for two.”
I gulp, because I think we all know what that means.
