“I…” He trails off and squeezes the bottle between his fingers so hard, I’m surprised it doesn’t burst.
He blows out a breath and shakes his head, as if he’s trying to kill whatever thoughts are swarming in his head.
“We have to go to the woods. I’ll meet you in half an hour.”
His words are final.
He doesn’t wait for a response, just sweeps past me and strides in the opposite direction.
And I can’t tear my eyes away from him.
From the way his legs carry him in long, confident steps to how his shirt clings to his back, sweat turning the fabric into a veil that reveals more than it hides.
His back muscles shift with his steps, slightly tight, rolling and coiling and looking so goddamn?—
I slap myself.
My skin burns and the bruises throb, but I do it again, this time forcing myself to look away from Vaughn’s body.
Because I refuse to let whatever this is blossom.
Fuckthat.
“Uh, what the fuck is that?”I point at Vaughn’s backpack as we trek up the mountain.
I know it was said that we wouldn’t have security, but that’s impossible. Vaughn and I are too important to leave unguarded.
Therefore, members of security are currently following us, and judging by the sound of rustling leaves, they gave up trying to be unnoticeable.
But they’re far enough away that it feels like it’s only Vaughn and me.
He’s kind of the last person I want to be with after, you know, the epic freak-out an hour ago.
But hey, maybe it’s also good so that I can confirm this is absolute nonsense.
My theory is, Dad hit me on the head earlier and I’m imagining things.
Yup. Makes complete sense. We’ll go with my brain’s genius of finding solutions.
“Necessities,” Vaughn says in answer to my question, keeping his gaze on the trees spilling out on either side of us ahead.
“Necessities? Jeez, why do you need necessities for gathering wood?”
“I need necessities for everything.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I tilt my head to the side. “We’ll have to bring the wood back, you know.”
“And?”
“And how will you do that with a backpack on?”
“I’ll wear it on the front.”
“Extra weight for no reason.”
“There’s always a reason for necessities when out in the wild. I’m well prepared for emergencies, unlike a certain someone who only has water.”
“This is all I need.” I shake the bottle in my hand. “I don’t even know what the hell you have in that bag of tricks of yours. Any necessities to fight bears?”
