Since neither of those choices were viable options, he simply sat on his bike and stared at her.
He didn’t think she could have raised her eyebrows any higher than they already were, but at his casual greeting, they somehow managed to gain another inch on her forehead.
“But how... What...”
He waited, trying to give her time to adjust to information that must surely be just as surprising to her as it was to him. He couldn’t blame her for needing a moment to collect herself. At least he’d had a few extra seconds to prepare.
At last, she seemed to find her words. “Sorry you’re late? Does that mean what I think it does?”
“If you’re thinking that I’m here to pick you up, and that we’re both going to be working together at the Medicine International outpost, then...yes.”
She shook her head. “But that can’t be. It just can’t.”
He would have loved to agree with her about the impossibility of the situation. But if there was one thing the past five years had taught him, it was how to accept situations that he couldn’t change.
All he could do was move forward.
He tried to look as relaxed as possible, hoping Cassie wouldn’t be able to see beyond his facade. Their situation was already difficult enough without her picking up on the conflicting emotions that were roiling in his chest. He didn’t feel calm, but he tried to sound casual as he said, “I hope it’s not the case that we can’t work together. Otherwise, it looks like one of us is about to be out of a job.”
For a moment, he thought she might be about to argue with him, and to his surprise, he almost wished she would. The blaze that flared up in her eyes stirred memories of all the things he’d liked the most about Cassie: her passion, her determination, her refusal to back down. But then, just as suddenly, her fiery expression changed into something he wasn’t used to seeing on her face: caution, and even uncertainty.
Was Cassie Andover, the headstrong daredevil, actually hesitating? It wasn’t the kind of reaction he’d ever expect from her. Typically, she’d act first and think later, trusting her gut and her instincts to guide her decisions. In the past, he’d envied her resoluteness. Of course, in the past, that resoluteness had left him heartbroken.
But she didn’t need to know that.
He flipped the ignition switch on his bike, and the engine roared to life.
“The sun’s going down,” he said. “Are we going to stand here talking or are you going to get on this motorcycle so that I can take you back to camp?”
* * *
Cassie really wanted to get on his motorcycle.
Part of her was aching to do it. More than anything, she wanted to throw a leg over the bike and feel it thundering beneath her. Feel the wind against her face, the sensation of flying over the road.
But another part of her was remembering that the last time she’d rebelled against the rules of safety and caution she’d been taught as a child, Bryce was the one who had gotten hurt.
And now Bryce was in front of her.
She’d finally chosen to reconnect with her adventurous side, and right on cue, here he was. A reminder of everything that could go wrong when she threw caution to the winds.
Yet Bryce seemed different than he had five years ago. He certainly looked different. She wondered when he’d started working out. The white T-shirt underneath his open leather jacket didn’t leave much to the imagination. He’d been fit when they’d dated, but now the outline of every muscle was visible through the shirt that stretched tightly across his chest. One of his triceps flexed as he rested his hand on the motorcycle’s handgrip. Despite herself, she swallowed as the tan skin of his arms rippled with the movement.
The changes weren’t merely physical. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but his posture seemed more relaxed, more carefree. The old version of Bryce Hamlin had been sweet and funny. She’d often felt protective of him. This new version was someone she wanted to sink her teeth into.
She tried to steer herself away from such thoughts. It had been hard enough to find a way to live without Bryce for five years—five years, three months and six days, her brain helpfully reminded her—and she had no business thinking about Bryce’s tanned skin now. Or his deep brown eyes. Or his hair. He’d always had great hair.
She shook her head. If they were going to be working together, she needed to keep her mind from going down this track.
For example, she really shouldn’t be thinking about how it might feel to wrap her arms around Bryce’s torso and press her body against his as they sped off into the forest together. That was exactly the kind of thought she didn’t need to deal with right now.
But she did need to get on his motorcycle. There was no other way to get to the medical camp, and Bryce was already handing her a helmet that he’d produced from the storage compartment of his bike. She was so tired that she almost dropped it, and she couldn’t help swaying where she stood.
“Hey.” Bryce left the bike to idle on its kickstand and was at her side immediately. “Let’s get this pack off you. That way you can sit down while I strap it to the bike.”
The relief in her shoulders was glorious as he eased the giant backpack off her. It felt almost as good as the sensation of Bryce Hamlin’s fingers brushing against her body for the first time in five years. Almost.
He took the helmet from her as well and tried to put it on her head. She leaned back from him, annoyed. “I can do it myself,” she snapped, grabbing the helmet from him and adjusting the straps. Bryce’s protectiveness reminded her of how people had once treated her as though she were made of glass. She didn’t want that from Bryce, of all people. Especially right now.
Also, she’d had about as much physical contact with Bryce as she could handle for the moment.
In her fatigued state, she thought that she was doing an admirable job of dealing with the shock of seeing Bryce, and the closeness of his physical presence, until he took off his leather jacket and handed it to her.
“Put this on,” he said.
“Why?”
He gave her a fierce look. “Because you won’t be safe riding without it. If you fall off, you’ll need something to protect your skin. I’ve seen bikers come in to the ER with half the skin torn off their arms, and it isn’t pretty.”
This reminded her of the Bryce she knew. Cautious, planning ahead for every situation. Safety always came first with him.
As Cassie put on Bryce’s jacket and the familiar masculine scent washed over her, she found herself inundated with memories. In a way, the good memories were just as painful as the bad ones. What might her life be like now, if she hadn’t broken things off with Bryce? If she hadn’t put his career and everything he cared about at risk?
It was a question that answered itself. Leaving him had been the only option. She could never ever have allowed Bryce to put his career at risk for her. There was nothing he loved more in the world than being a surgeon. She’d already cost him a prestigious fellowship, and she would never have been able to forgive herself if any further harm came to his career because of her.
But what was a surgeon as talented as Bryce doing working at an obstetrics clinic in El Salvador?
She wanted to ask him, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready for the answer.
She eased herself onto the motorcycle behind Bryce and put her arms firmly around him. She’d come here to reconnect with her adventurous side, and she wasn’t going to let the surprise of seeing Bryce again derail her from that plan. She was determined to find the excitement she’d come for.
“Ready to go?” he yelled over the engine, looking back at her.
She certainly didn’t feel ready, but the sun was only getting lower in the sky.
“Let’s do it,” she said, and gripped him tightly as they sped into the jungle.
* * *
Bryce’s though
ts felt as tangled as the roots and vines of the foliage that surrounded them as they sped through the trees. He was grateful that the unmarked road through the forest required his full attention. It spared his mind from being overrun by feelings he hadn’t had to deal with for the past five years.
He felt Cassie’s grip tighten around his waist, and he realized that he might be going just a little faster than he needed to. Still, he didn’t slow down. The sooner they got back to camp, the better. Feeling Cassie holding tightly to his body brought back all the memories he’d come here to escape.
It had been a long time since he’d felt her arms around him. Anyone’s arms, for that matter.
He needed to get the trip over with quickly. The sooner he didn’t feel her body against his, the sooner they could shift into professional mode. They were two coworkers who happened to have a past, and nothing more. He needed to forget about everything they’d had together. After all, she probably had. It wouldn’t be realistic or fair to expect that she’d spent the past five years ever thinking about him.
He gunned the bike faster, racing against the setting sun.
But as dusk fell, it became harder to see the road, as well as the treacherous roots and stones that lay in their path. Despite Bryce’s desire to get their journey over with as quickly as possible, he knew he needed to slow down.
“What is it?” Cassie asked as he slowed to a crawl.
“I can barely see the road,” he replied. “I don’t want to—dammit.”
The bike sputtered and choked.
“Come on, baby,” he said to the bike. “Don’t do this now.”
But as he tried to press onward, the bike hit a loose stone, leading it to bounce and twist in the air. He heard Cassie shout and felt her body sliding behind him, and he braked hard and leaned back to prevent her from falling off the bike. She held on, but barely. Bryce cut the engine and parked the bike. He turned back to Cassie. “Are you all right?”
She’d pulled one leg up onto the bike’s seat and was rubbing her ankle. “I’m fine, just jarred my ankle a little when we stopped.”
“Let me see.”
She jerked away from his touch with a fierceness that surprised him. “It’s fine. It’s just a little sore.” She took off her helmet. “What’s our situation?”
He frowned at the bike. “We hit that stone pretty hard. I think the engine’s flooded.” He tried to start the bike, to no avail. “I might need to take a look at the spark plugs.” Cassie slipped off the bike and helped Bryce to remove her pack. He opened up the motorcycle’s storage compartment, bringing out a small tool kit.
Cassie looked at the sun, low in the sky. “There’s not much light to work by. How far is it from here to the medical outpost?”
“About five miles. The camp’s fairly deep within the forest. It’s close enough to town that we can get there easily to restock on supplies, but being in the forest gives us easier access to roads to the mountain villages. It’s too far for us to walk tonight unfortunately. The trail’s hard enough to see by day. We could get seriously lost in the forest. Not to mention the danger of running into animals or wandering into territory controlled by gangs. It’s not worth the risk.”
Although the light was dim, he could see by her expression that she had the same sinking feeling in her stomach that he did. “So if we can’t get it fixed by nightfall...”
“We’ll have to spend the night out here,” he confirmed. “I’ve got a pop-up tent and a sleeping bag.” But only one of each, he thought, but didn’t say.
“What about those animals you mentioned? And gang members?”
“There’s little chance of running into any danger as long as we stay near the trail. Most animals will ignore us as long as we leave them alone. And we’re close enough to the medical camp that I doubt we’ll run into anyone who’s not with our team... Although if we do, I should be able to talk us out of any trouble.” He smiled, remembering Cassie’s fondness for adventure. “Of course, I’m sure none of that would phase you.”
Cassie took a few steps away, into the darkness. He guessed that she wanted a couple minutes to compose herself. He couldn’t blame her. An hour ago, he’d never dreamed he’d be working with Cassie again, let alone facing the prospect of spending a night alone with her in the woods.
He turned back to the bike. “I think I can fix it. The only trouble is that it looks like it might—”
But before he could even finish his sentence, a fat raindrop plummeted from the sky onto his nose. Followed by several more. And then the sound of many more, hitting the tree leaves high overhead. Bryce estimated they had about two minutes to pitch the tent before they were both completely soaked. He was fast, but he wasn’t that fast. He turned to Cassie, wondering how to break the news to her.
She said it for him. “We’re going to have to spend the night out here, aren’t we?”
“I’m afraid so. There’s no way I can fix anything in this rain. I can barely see the engine.”
She gave a curt nod and tucked the ends of her hair behind her ears as the rain began to plaster it to her head. Funny, he thought. At first, he’d felt a pang of regret that she’d cut her long hair, but as she tucked her locks behind her ears, he could see how the short bob suited the angles of her face.
“Bryce?” Cassie broke him out of his reverie. “If there’s a tent, we’d better get it up now.”
“Right.” He retrieved the tent from the storage compartment, where it was bound into a compact square. It was large, but not that large. Two people would fit quite snugly, if they didn’t mind sleeping close together. Very close.
Enrique was right, he thought. I should have taken the milk truck.
* * *
Cassie shivered inside the tent, cold and damp and fairly miserable.
Bryce had insisted that she take the sleeping bag. He was stretched out beside her, using his arm as a pillow. She, at least, had the luxury of burrowing down into the sleeping bag and bunching up the fabric beneath her head. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was better than sleeping on the ground.
“You’re shivering,” he said. Damn. She’d hoped he wouldn’t notice. But then, crammed inside the tent as they were, it was probably impossible to ignore even the slightest movement.
“I’m fine,” she lied.
“You’re not fine. Just being in the sleeping bag isn’t enough. You need to get out of those wet clothes.”
She would have loved nothing more than to get out of her wet clothes. In privacy. With some clean, dry pajamas to change into. And without her ex nestled firmly beside her in a small tent.
As long as you’re wishing for things, you might as well add a million dollars and a pony to the list, she thought.
“What do you suggest?” she asked. “There’s barely any room to move around in here. One of us can’t go outside while the other changes.” As if to prove her point, a clap of thunder broke overhead and the pattering of the rain on the canvas tent grew harder.
“Easy. I’ll turn away, and you just sort of shimmy out of whatever you need to from underneath that sleeping bag.”
She frowned, skeptical. “I’m not sure there’s enough room.”
“I’ll keep my back turned. Use the sleeping bag for cover. It’ll be just like changing clothes at summer camp as a kid.”
She wouldn’t know. Summer camp, with all of its outdoor activities, had been deemed too risky for Cassie as a child. But she understood the gist of what Bryce was saying. There was just one problem.
“What about you?” she said. “You’re soaking wet, and you don’t even have a sleeping bag or a blanket.”
“I can deal with it. I have before. Believe me, just having the tent is a luxury compared to some of the situations I’ve had to sleep in since coming here.”
“I have a feeling that no matter what you’ve been through, this sleeping si
tuation is one of the strangest.”
A small smile crossed his face. “I have to admit that meeting you here, learning we’ll be working together, and then sleeping together in close quarters on your very first night was not exactly how I thought the day would go.”
She was glad to see that he felt the situation was as absurd as she did. But she couldn’t let him shiver on the ground all night. She wouldn’t be able to sleep, knowing that he was so uncomfortable.
There was only one thing she could do. “Bryce, I can’t let you sleep on the ground in wet clothes while I’m dry in a sleeping bag. We’re both adults. Just...strip down to your boxers, or whatever, and we can open up the sleeping bag like a blanket and share it.”
He hesitated.
She mentally kicked herself. Less than an hour ago, she’d hopped onto the back of his motorcycle and promised herself that she’d still find her adventurous side, even with this new complication of seeing Bryce for the first time in years. But that wasn’t meant to include convincing him to strip off his clothes and huddle next to her for warmth, without giving a second thought to how he might feel about it. She’d certainly spoken before thinking about how she might feel with him so close to her.
To her surprise, after a moment, he said, “Okay. I’ll turn around, and we’ll both do what we have to do. At least this way we’ll have a chance of having dry clothes by morning.”
Ten minutes later, Cassie found herself stripped down to her underwear, with Bryce in the sleeping bag behind her. The bag could fit them both, but just barely. They had to lie on their sides, and Bryce’s arm was draped over her.
It felt surreal to be so close to him again. Still, Cassie had to admit that she was far more comfortable than she’d been a moment ago. It was a relief to be out of her wet clothes, and she was sure Bryce felt the same. As the warmth of their bodies heated the small space, it was almost pleasant to lie together, listening to the rain drumming on the canvas tent.
Falling Again in El Salvador Page 3
