It’s hard, though, when this magnetic pull toward him is so strong and maybe even involuntary. Why did I have to come to the bottom of this treacherous pit to finally find a man whom I want to pursue?
I blame my position on the sleeping bag. It’s basically a zippered napkin, and I might as well have wrapped myself in regret.
I don’t want to move. It’s not like I’m hugging him or anything. If he’s too uncomfortable, he can move away.
The sky has just begun its metamorphosis as hints of dusty purples seep into the inky blackness. Jack’s sleeping bag ispulled up to his waist as he lies on his side. His back is to me, my face smooshed between his shoulder blades. If he’d turn around and wrap me in his arms, I might die right here. Very happily.
Were it not for the fact that I have a full bladder and a lingering headache, I might have considered being the big spoon.
Boundaries, Willow.
Right.
With sloth-like stealth, I maneuver myself away from the muscled wall of heat. I may take a good, non-creepy sniff before, but I’ll never own up to it.
“Jack…” I whisper, getting a mumbled grunty sound in response. “I gotta pee.”
More garbled words. The guy sleeps hard.
“Jack, Edward and Jacob are here, and they’re forcing me to choose. They say I have to leave with one of them.”
He rolls over with a lazy stretch, and it’s like watching a lion wake up, a lion that looks very cuddly.
“Everyone knows the right choice is Team Charlie,” he rasps with a sleepy voice I’d like to marinade myself in. “Tell Jacob and Edward to piss off.”
“You’re a fascinating man,” I tell him with a grin, even though I wholeheartedly agree.
He finally opens his eyes, a soft, barely there smile on his lips. “You get cold in the night?”
Heknew!
And he didn’t move away.
The most absurd, arrogant, selfishly delicious thought sprouts—Could Jack be averse to everyone’s touch butmine?
But just as quickly as the presumption strutted into my mind, it crumbles like a charred leaf in the wind. What a stupid, beautiful wish.
“I won’t deny it. You’re like a furnace, and I run cold,” I tellhim, sighing. “It happened subconsciously. And then maybe a little consciously. Don’t get cocky about it.”
“Where did you even get this thing?” Jack scrunches his brows, ignoring my confession. He pokes at my sleeping bag tentatively, like he’s afraid it’ll disintegrate at the slightest touch.
“Walmart.” I smile proudly, relishing the growl my response elicits.
“What grade is it?”
“I don’t think whether or not my sleeping bag got a high school degree influences its ability to warm a person.” I pat his shoulder lightly. He rolls his eyes and proceeds to lecture me on the grading system of camping gear. I lift my feet to read the label near my toes. “It says it’s good for twenty degrees Fahrenheit,” I reply, meeting his gaze. “It lied. But false claims aside, I still gotta go. So, unless you’re going to grant me permission for a solo expedition to the restrooms, I need an escort.”
He shakes his head before he stands and stretches in a way that’s completely oblivious and innocent yet borderline obscene. I am no longer cold after seeing this many slivers of his skin; instead, I have to remind myself I’m not supposed to be ogling the man. Swallowing hard, I shove my feet into my flip flops and retrieve my toiletry bag.
Pale blues have joined the sky as we walk toward the restrooms, and a shiver runs down my back, reminding me of the danger lurking around us the rest of this hike.
“What’s our plan for today?” I ask, looking for a distraction.
“We’ll go over it when we’re back at our campsite. Let’s freshen up here, then get breakfast at the Canteen first.”
“I didn’t make a breakfast reservation.” I grimace, but a smug look crosses Jack’s face as he whips out that ranger badge, wiggling it before hiding it against his chest once again.
“What other perks does that thing get you?” I fold my arms, grinning at his expression. Despite his grouchiness over the joband whatever trauma it’s thrown at him, he’s proud of the badge he carries.
