by Ann Omasta
She felt completely charmed by this enigma of a guy. She’d never met anyone who happened to be a tattoo artist, masseur, and giant softy all rolled into one man before. It was rather endearing and intriguing.
Evidently satisfied with her first piercing, he rolled his stool around to the other side of her chair, so he could access her other ear. Likely trying to distract her from what he was about to do, he asked her, “So, what do you like to do for fun?”
She hated it when people asked her that because she never knew what to say. Telling them that she worked all the time and that she truly enjoyed it made her sound like such a loser, but she didn’t really have a lot of time for fun outside of the office. “I like to eat chocolate,” she blurted out before chastising herself for responding with such a silly answer.
“Me too,” he chimed in, kindly refraining from making her feel lame for being unable to come up with a hobby other than scarfing down sweets.
She desperately searched her mind for something witty to say about her hobbies while he cleaned and prepped her ear. She was appalled when she heard her rebellious mouth blab the truth. “Actually, I like to recreate scenes I find on Pinterest with the #NailedIt hashtag. I have a whole YouTube channel dedicated to my failed attempts to follow the instructions and duplicate things people post.”
“Oh, it’s an ironic ‘nailed it,’ huh?” He nodded with comprehension. “How fun!”
His praise seemed sincere, so she decided to gush a little bit about her odd hobby. “It is! I’ve made cakes that were supposed to be cute baby animals, but turned out like frightening demon creatures. I tried to ombre my fingernails and hair color to match once. The nails turned into a gloppy mess and I had to have my hairdresser pull an all-nighter to fix my hair for work the next morning.”
He was grinning down at her, surprise alight in his eyes. “I would have never guessed.”
“It’s sort of an odd pastime, I guess,” she admitted, before adding, “I had to find something that I could do alone when I’m too tired to work, but too awake to sleep.” She immediately realized that she had revealed too much about her pathetic and lonely existence, but it was too late to suck it back in now. Wanting to redeem herself, so that she didn’t look like a total loser to him, she quickly added, “My site has tons of followers. People seem to love it.”
“I bet they do,” he responded kindly. “I would probably get a kick out of it too because one of my favorite things to do is look through the horrific tattoo fails that get posted online.”
“No regerts!” They both exclaimed it at the same time, referring to the most famous tattoo fail that had made the rounds online. Both of them tipped their heads backed and laughed. It was the first real laugh she had enjoyed in longer than she remembered, and it felt fantastic.
Feeling inspired, he pulled up a site on his phone and began scrolling through. Whenever he found a funny one, he shared it with her. They both chuckled at the ridiculous tattoos… everything from unrecognizable animals, to misspelled words, to unintended second meanings.
“Do you have any tats?” she asked him when he set his phone down.
“None as epic as those,” he quipped, before adding, “But yes, I have a giant phoenix on my back.”
“Let me see it.” Her eyelids felt heavy as she said the words. It came out as a demand, even though she hadn’t intended for it to sound like an order.
He looked down at the floor, as was his way. “That wouldn’t be professional,” he responded quietly.
Not willing to take no for an answer, Selena flirted with danger. “I showed you mine.” She was daring him to acknowledge seeing her naked upper half.
He raised his gaze to hers, desire swirling unguarded in his eyes. “Mine isn’t nearly as fantastic as yours, I can promise you that.”
His words made her feel giddy. It was the first time he had acknowledged that he too felt the heat sizzling just under the surface between them. She sucked in a breath when he lifted his black tee shirt over his tight, tanned abs and swept it over his head before turning around to show her his back.
She couldn’t help but notice how his broad shoulders tapered into a vee at his waist, but the commanding presence of his tattoo quickly drew her attention. The magnificent fiery winged bird taking flight off his shoulder blades was truly astonishing. “It’s gorgeous!” She exclaimed, unable to stop herself from reaching out to lightly graze her hand across it.
She felt his spine stiffen and heard his breath hitch at her touch, so she was surprised when he quickly put his shirt back on and turned all business.
“We better get that other ear done,” he said brusquely, so she nodded and wondered what had so quickly changed his mood.
10
He made short work of piercing her other ear. Once he had it cleaned up, it seemed like he was going to usher her out of his office.
“Don’t I get a lollipop for being a good girl?” She attempted to lighten the mood.
He stalked over to his desk, opened the drawer and presented her with a bowl of Hershey’s kisses.
She gladly grabbed three, unwrapped one, and popped it into her mouth. Not willing to let the moment slip past, she grinned at him. “My first kiss from you… absolutely marvelous.” She wasn’t sure if it came off as sexy or silly, but she gave herself props for trying.
“I don’t want a one-night stand,” he said out of the blue.
Her head jerked back as if she had been smacked. “I don’t recall asking for one,” she snapped, uncertain what his deal was.
“We can’t be anything more than that,” he told her firmly.
She felt furious that he was telling her to her face that she would never be anything more than a fling to him, but she respected his honesty. Her first instinct was to hightail it out of his office, yet the aching hole in her chest yearned to hear what he had to say. Deciding to hear him out, she finally asked, “Why is that?”
“We’re too different. Don’t you see it? I wouldn’t fit in your world, and you certainly don’t fit in mine. We are doomed for failure before we even begin.” His direct gaze was making her uncomfortable. She was used to people diverting their eyes from her, especially when they were forced to give her bad news.
She refused to admit how hard she had tried to fit into his world with her stupid casual outfit that she had stressed over, especially since he had just told her that she didn’t belong here. Blinking a few times to hold back the unwanted tears, she fumed and tried to think of an appropriate response.
Before she could say anything, he went on. “You belong with someone who is wealthy and dignified. You need a man that can go to your fancy parties and talk to anyone in the room… someone who has social graces… someone not like me.”
“Are you done telling me what I need?” she asked, fully annoyed. At his nod, she told him, “I can’t stand guys like what you are describing. We are too much alike. I need someone different… someone like you.” It was the most she had put her feelings out there in a very long time.
“We don’t have anything in common. We are too different to make it work.” He seemed adamant.
She didn’t particularly like this stubborn, negative side of him, but she wasn’t about to back down. “I bet we have plenty in common,” she guessed. “We just have to discover it. What do you like to do?”
“I do a lot of camping,” he revealed to her.
“I love camping!” she lied. He raised his head with a hopeful look at her, and she immediately wondered if she had gone too far.
11
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Todd’s eyes gleamed with the excitement of juicy gossip. “You mean to tell me that YOU are going camping?!?”
“Sure. Why not?” She tried to act nonchalant, even though she was already feeling nervous about it.
He bugged his eyes out at her. “Why not?!?” He spluttered before ticking off reasons on his fingers. “Umm, let’s see... you don’t like the outdoors, you know nothing about roughing it, you’
d die without your electronics, you’ve probably never used an outdoor restroom.”
At that last one her eyes darted in his direction, the look on her face could only be described as horrified. Shaking her head to clear the mental image of using the bathroom outside, she told her assistant, “You’ve got it all wrong. Camping has changed a lot since the last time you stepped a foot into the woods. It’s considered to be a luxurious retreat now. In fact, there’s a word for it. I looked it up online,” she added proudly. “It’s called glamping.”
“If you think that hot, handsome, and rugged massage-tattoo guy is planning a glamorous camping vacation, you aren’t as smart as I thought you were,” Todd informed her.
For the first time, a bit of anxiety over her impending camping weekend began to creep into her mind. Her dark brows furrowed together. “He did ask if I had my own gear, or if I needed him to bring some for me.”
Todd’s laughter echoed on the high ceilings of her office as he tipped back his head and bellowed. “The word ‘gear’ doesn’t imply luxury, I’m afraid.” He told her, enjoying this way more than he should be. “Did you tell him you’d be happy to use his gear all weekend long?” Her assistant waggled his slightly over-plucked brows suggestively at her to make sure she understood the true meaning of his words.
She crinkled her nose. “Don’t be crass,” she chastised him. “Besides, I had already insinuated that I camp all the time, so I told him I’d bring my own things. I figured we could just buy whatever I need.”
“I’m on it,” Todd assured her. He was always happy to go on a shopping spree with her money. “Do we want a tent, sleeping bag, and campfire cooking implements or a fully-loaded recreational vehicle?”
She only considered for a moment before answering. “It’s probably best to stick with that second option.”
He chuckled and shook his head as he was leaving. Even though he tried to say it under his breath, she heard him mumble, “Oh, this is going to be a hoot.”
She paced back and forth across her office a few times trying to convince herself that she would fit in at the campground. Just because she’d never been to one, didn’t mean she couldn’t go, right?
It will be fine, she reassured herself over and over, until she almost began to believe it.
12
After scribbling a quick note to her cat sitter and bending to tell Mr. Whiskers “goodbye,” Selena went outside to wait. She thought the early dose of fresh air might help calm her jitters.
Hunter asked where her gear was when he picked her up in his dated, filthy Jeep Wrangler. His vehicle was a little rough around the edges, but it suited him perfectly.
Selena nervously wiped her palms on her Gucci leisure suit and wondered for the thousandth time if she could possibly fit into his world. “It has already been delivered to the campsite,” she assured him, beaming a smile in his direction and trying to look composed, despite her sky-high anxiety level.
He gave her an odd look, but didn’t make a comment about her response as he loaded her large Louis Vuitton case into the back of his Jeep. Once they were on the road, he took her dainty hand within his own much larger one and said, “It’s going to be great to get away from it all for a bit, isn’t it?”
She nodded, but thought about her tablet, phone, and laptop that were all tucked away within her expensive handbag. Todd had made her promise to disconnect during this weekend trip, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to keep her word. There were some things that simply required her attention. She was the boss, and no one could step in and completely fill her shoes. A multinational conglomerate didn’t run itself, and it didn’t stop during the night or on weekends. Despite all that, she would do her best to minimize her screen time during this trip.
The ride out to the countryside was peaceful. Selena hadn’t initially been thrilled to discover the top was down on the Jeep, but after the first few minutes of trying to control her flying hair, she had given up and let it blow around freely. It was a crisp, cool, and clear day with just the edges of the chill of fall beginning to surface. The bright sun felt warm on her cheeks as she tipped her head back and enjoyed the fresh air.
Hunter had an easy calmness to him that made the silence in the vehicle seem comfortable. Before long, they were pulling into the quaint lakeside campground.
Hunter chuckled and pointed at the gigantic bus-sized RV that was parked in the best campsite location, blocking the view of the smaller trailers, campers, and tents. “Geesh. Look at that monstrosity.”
“Yeah, I think that’s probably mine,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Oh, wow.” he furrowed his eyebrows, obviously not approving of what he saw and likely realizing that she hadn’t actually been camping before.
Already feeling like a failure at being an outdoorsy person, she tried to reassure him. “It will be loaded with the best camping supplies and everything we might need for a fun weekend.”
“Sure,” he said, nodding and giving her a half-smile, but she sensed that he was already somehow disappointed with her.
As they drove slowly through the campground, she pulled the car’s sun visor down to look in the mirror and attempt to fix her hair. She couldn’t help but notice how sad her eyes looked in her reflection. Why did she always end up disappointing everyone, no matter how hard she tried to fit in?
When Hunter parked the Jeep at his campsite and got out of the Jeep to begin setting up his tent, Selena was horrified to see that her RV completely blocked his view of the lake. “We could switch spots,” she offered as she walked over to where Hunter was already beginning to pitch his tent. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he accepted her offer because she had no idea how to drive her massive camper.
“Nah, I’m good,” he smiled at her, before asking, “Maybe we can do the campfire at your site?”
“Yes, that would be great!” She probably sounded a bit too enthusiastic, but she was happy to be able to contribute something positive to this outing.
Hunter quickly and efficiently erected his tent. Selena couldn’t help but watch the muscles ripple on his back as he worked. She felt like she should be doing something, but she wasn’t sure how to help. Looking up at her and swooping his hair back from his face, Hunter suggested that they go whitewater rafting at the outfitter they had passed just up the road.
“I love whitewater rafting,” the lie gushed out of her.
Hunter gave her a surprised look, but quickly hid it. “Great! I was afraid we’d have to go on the beginner’s rapids.” He sounded relieved that she wasn’t a newbie, so she didn’t have the heart to tell him that was exactly what she was.
She made a scoffing sound in her throat. “Beginner’s rapids.” She scrunched her face up and shook her head. “Those are for wimps,” she decided out loud. As she spoke, she wondered what kind of danger she was getting herself into.
13
Selena had never done anything that remotely resembled whitewater rafting, but if Hunter was involved, then she was happy to learn. Once she agreed that his plan sounded like fun, he suggested that she go ‘get ready.’
“Sounds good,” she smiled and tried to look confident before retrieving her luggage and heading to her camper. Once inside, she frantically dug through her clothing bag. What exactly did one wear to go rafting?
She finally settled on a bathing suit under sporty dark gray capri leggings, a soft pink v-neck tee shirt, and her brand new water shoes. After pulling her hair back into a low ponytail and smearing on some tinted lip balm with sunscreen, she decided that she looked the part of a whitewater rafter––even though she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
Once they had signed their lives away on waiver forms, her palms grew sweaty at the raft launch zone as the guide rambled on about the class three and four rapids they would be encountering on their intermediate rafting tour. She almost raised her hand to admit she had never done this before, but the fear of looking even more like a dork kept her from speaking up.<
br />
She donned her helmet, grabbed an oar, sat on the edge of the raft, and tried to look as confident as the jovial people in their group seemed to be.
Their guide sounded excited when he said, “We are going to have some fun today. I love taking out groups of people that know what they are doing!”
Selena almost cracked and admitted that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t want to look silly in front of Hunter or admit that she had mislead him. Besides, this would be a group effort, right? One person doing the wrong thing wouldn’t be enough to upset the boat would it? Deciding that she was smart and observant enough to fake it, Selena bit her tongue and mimicked what the others were doing.
Tucking her feet into the raft, she used her leg strength to brace herself and hold on. As the raft took off and began to cruise smoothly over the bubbling and churning river water, she decided that she was an incredibly fast learner and already had the hang of rafting. She even turned to the side and beamed a smile at Hunter, who heartily returned it. Relaxing the tension in her legs a bit, she decided that this nature activity might not be as bad as she had feared. In fact, she was almost having fun.
That short moment of enjoyment ended quickly when their guide started barking out orders as the rapids began to increase in both size and velocity. She desperately tried to remember what he had indicated “right back” and “high side” meant when he had explained them back on shore, but in the heat of the moment as they were crushing through the rapids at a high rate of speed, she would have been lucky to remember her own name.
She tried to paddle like the others, but water kept splashing into her face and the intense jostling of the boat made it difficult to see what her companions were doing. She ended up copying their movements, but a second or two too late, which caused her paddle to crack into those of the people in front of and behind her.
