She had mentioned photo shoots. “Model” rang a bell. That seemed to fit with the body image problems and the uncommon beauty. Still, there was the enigma of the battle scars and hard shell. He’d dated a few models and a few pageant princesses, and they had all been soft and willowy, pliable and boring. This one was…not.
He was trying to decide what to do next when suddenly Jenna stopped in mid-strut.
Did she see me?
Couldn’t have—he’d been watching her the whole time and she never so much as glanced his way. He hadn’t moved a muscle or made a sound, and even if she had a superhuman sense of smell, he was downwind. There was no way she could know he was there. No way.
She tensed up.
She knew.
Chapter Nine
A presence pushed at her awareness. Something dangerous and unseen.
She scanned the area in a big arc, starting on her left side, sweeping toward her right. She was not so much looking for danger, but feeling for it. Feeling for something that didn’t belong. She’d learned long ago that trusting only her eyes could get her killed. Cracked-out hobos needing a fix got wily, and on the streets the only rule was don’t get caught.
An urban girl needed to know how to sense danger.
The presence vibrated in her awareness, all the way to her right. She scanned the area, only seeing trees and bushes. Leaves rustled in the breeze.
She faced that way, looking through the space between trees for skin, beneath the bushes for boots. She saw nothing, but there was something there.
She knew that animals would chase if she ran. Fear twisted her gut. She wondered if Chuck would hear her scream. Her eyes lost focus and then she saw it. Like looking through one of those posters with the hidden design, she picked out the shape of a crouching human amid the backdrop of foliage.
Her eyes focused. And finally she saw him.
He was so still he blended into the scenery. He wasn’t exactly trying to hide, but he wasn’t trying to be noticed, either. He was in an easy squat, hands holding a small piece of vegetation. His eyes were focused on her.
She got a thrill like trapped prey. She wanted to run. Away. Really fast.
She batted down the irrational fear and lifted her chin. “What are you doing there?” Thankfully the tremor in her body didn’t come through her words.
He stood up with no visible effort, his muscles easily lifting his body out of a crouch. “Scaring away the predators.” Eyes intense, he moved toward her gracefully, a lion stalking his prey.
A thrill went through her, half excitement, half fear. She’d just found the top of the food chain. Heart pounding, not sure if he was friend or foe, she raced through all the self-defense she’d learned in the last five years, specifically for dealing with huge, muscled men. There wasn’t much she could use on him that was likely to be effective. If he was even half as strong as he seemed, and a quarter as fast, she’d be in big trouble.
Why had she wandered so far away? She should’ve stayed in screaming distance and risked Dale finding her. She’d much rather take on a small, slimy guy than a giant killer.
With effort, she relaxed her tense body, ready to move. She brought her hands up in front of her, picking at her nails. Hands up was important. She could strike, or defend, or scratch. She was ready. Kind of.
As if hearing her thoughts, and knowing what she was doing, Chuck stopped his slow advance. The excited spark in his eyes dulled. He slipped his hands in his pockets.
Her imagination had been running amok.
And then something else occurred to her. She looked around. “What kind of predators are you keeping away? Did you see any?”
“The human kind,” Chuck said softly. Though his expression was still flat, his voice was gentle and soothing. “You need to be careful. Dale saw you come this way and followed. If you remain aware of your surroundings and stay within sight of the camp whenever possible, you’ll be fine.”
“Shall I pee next to the fire, then?”
“That might be messy. Take a buddy with you next time. If you need…other relief, take a buddy along for that, too.”
What was that look in his sunburst eyes? Amusement at her sarcasm? Hunger pertaining to the “other relief” comment? She couldn’t tell, but her newly placated sex drive roared to life, blazing hot. Not good. She needed to get the hell out of there. Dude was scary. He unsettled her.
She had no idea why that combo also aroused her. That worried her even more.
She flicked her hair to hide her discomfort. “If I had a buddy, I wouldn’t need solo relief.”
He blinked those lush eyelashes twice in quick succession. That must be the equivalent of a normal man blushing. “Touché.”
Jenna smiled and started toward the camp. He fell in beside her and matched her stride “You have a good sense of direction. Most city dwellers get lost, or the very least, ask which direction west is.”
“Always have had a good sense of direction. I am a master at finding my way in the city. Dump me anywhere and I’ll get where I need to go without getting lost.”
“That is a useful skill.”
“Necessary skill. When I was young, I ran away a few times. Getting lost was not an option in the middle of the night in the city.”
“Where did you go?”
“When I ran away?”
He nodded once.
“It was usually when my bodyguard Max was off duty. I ran to find him. I hated my stepmother, my father was never around… Max was always nice to me. He took care of me. You know, in a nursemaid sort of way.
“The first time I tried to find his place, I got hopelessly lost in his neighborhood. It was not a nice area. My stepmother had called him, freaking out that I’d left from the night photo shoot. Max went looking for me. He found me right before some hobo crackhead could rip my dress off and rape me. That was the last time I got lost.”
“How old were you?”
“Ten.”
It wasn’t until Jenna noticed Chuck’s hands curling into fists that she realized what she’d just told him. She had no idea why. It had been a long time ago and she’d handled it when it happened. She’d taken the warning for exactly that—a lesson. But she’d forgotten the gravity of it—how bad it sounded when spoken aloud. To a stranger.
She straightened her back and kept her chin up, allowing silence to descend. Chuck obviously didn’t know what to say, which was just fine. She might have a colorful past, but she didn’t need pity, nor did she care to discuss.
“How did you know I was there?” Chuck asked, before they reached the camp.
“Not used to people noticing your hiding places?”
“No.”
Jenna shrugged. “I felt your presence.”
In his usual flat voice, he said, “You felt my presence.”
“Yeah…so?”
Those kaleidoscope eyes turned to her. “Another useful skill. Excuse me.”
He left her on the edge of the clearing, heading toward the group of guides gathered near a barbecue grill. He must have been late for a meeting.
Jenna shrugged and went to help Erika set up her tent. Lewis was still in their tent, presumably taking a nap. Jenna thought about paying him another visit, but refrained when the guides broke up. The head guide, Karen, walked into the center of the clearing.
“Excuse me, everyone. Excuse me! Everyone.” All the ridiculous excitement of the other groups subsided.
Jenna still couldn’t believe people were paying for the privilege to be dirty and pee outdoors.
“We are going to get dinner started. Red Team, you are on protein. Your camp guide will divide up the duties among you. Yellow team, you are on salad. Purple Team, veg. Orange Team, starch. Green Team, you get cleanup.
“Please note, if you have any special needs, please see your individual guide. Please be careful about food storage and disposal, as there are bears in the area. The large metal containers are set up for that reason. If you see a bear, please
notify the closest guide immediately. Thank you.”
Karen turned to her own group, but not before she caught Chuck crossing her path and giving him one hell of a scorching smile. They were doing it. Or at least they had done it. No question. She wanted him in a bad way. But he was impossible to read, and Jenna had no idea if the feeling was mutual.
Before she could say anything to Erika, Chuck had them in his sights and was striding toward them.
“Gather round, everybody,” he said once he was standing in front of the girls.
He gave the tent a glance while he was waiting. “Your tent is going to fall down,” he said to Erika.
“What?” She and Jenna both turned. Chuck pointed to two of the supports that were not properly in position. Erika got down to fix them.
“Aren’t you two architects?” he asked quietly, a small smile playing across his face.
It was the first facial emotion Jenna had seen, and she stood in rapture. It was as if the clouds had parted and the sun shone through. When Chuck smiled, it lifted all the stony coldness and softened the harsh angles, creating one hot goddamned bastard.
Chuck’s gaze skimmed over her eyes, and then came back in a rubber-band snap. All trace of humor fled. He was back to being tragically handsome instead of magically handsome. Too bad.
She felt a hand on the small of her back. Lewis.
Jenna ripped her eyes away from Chuck’s face. She had no business checking him out.
“Okay, we are on protein,” Chuck said. “Tonight we are having hamburgers and hot dogs. Mike, I understand you are a vegan. You have a choice to join the salad or vegetable team if cooking meat…”
“Offends you,” Jenna supplied.
Chuck nodded, still looking at Mike.
Mike dug his hands into his pockets. “Naw, man, I’m game. My being vegan is not a moral decision.”
“Okay, who has barbecued before?” Chuck asked.
Mike raised his hand.
“So, the guy that doesn’t eat meat is the only one that has cooked it,” Erika said dryly.
“Who knows how to cook in general?” Chuck asked. He didn’t sound hopeful.
Jenna and Mike raised their hands. “Lewis, is your hand raised?” Jenna asked.
From directly behind her, he said, “No.”
“Good.”
She felt a playful shove. She leaned into his chest. He didn’t like to show affection in public, so she didn’t push it, but that little bit was comforting. Feeling a solid presence at times was enough.
Across the clearing there was laughter and clapping. This time from the purple team.
“Why is everyone so freaking happy?” Mike asked.
“Great question,” Erika muttered, crinkling her nose.
“I’ve seen our cook make hamburgers for the kids,” Ada supplied helpfully.
“Well, I’ve seen Phil heat a hot dog on a grill when we were visiting his family in Connecticut,” Erika shot back.
“Whoa. This is not a competition.” Mike scratched his nose, covering his chest with his arm as he did so. Clearly he was still worried about being elbowed.
“Erika and Jenna, you’ll be cooking,” Chuck said. “I’ll help once things get rolling. Mike and Dale— Where’s Dale?” The women of his flock were accounted for, so Chuck had let his attention wander from Dale’s whereabouts. However, there were plenty other women in the area. The thought hit each one of them simultaneously. If Chuck ever panicked, Jenna had a suspicion it would look like this.
Chapter Ten
“There!” Ada pointed to the vegetable table across the way. Dale was skulking too close to a woman twice his age. Thankfully he didn’t have a visible erection, but the woman he was talking to was clearly uncomfortable.
Jenna felt the group grow tense around her. Except for Chuck. He became sinewy and fluid, hinting at that predator she’d seen in the clearing. This time, she had a feeling he wouldn’t rein it in.
With a spark of fear regarding what he might do, Jenna felt herself stalking across the clearing before her brain caught up with the movement of her legs. Her sex pounded, wet with arousal.
She needed to think about why her fear of Ranger Chuck made her wet. She was pretty sure that wasn’t a normal reaction. She was also pretty sure it was the second time, and she should be checking herself into a mental institution for self-preservation.
“Dale,” Jenna said with a snap in her voice. “What are you doing over here?”
Dale’s eyes widened momentarily as he glanced behind her. Not seeing whatever he was looking for, he slunk back down. A slick smile curled his lips. “You didn’t bring Chuckles with you.” His gaze roamed her chest.
“You skeevy little perv. Get back to our group.” Jenna laced her words with steel.
With a smile still on his lips, he gave a last look at the woman before slinking away. It wasn’t until he got closer to the Red group that his posture changed dramatically. He hunched like a whipped dog under Chuck’s murderously calm eyes.
Jenna turned to the relieved woman. “That guy is a sex offender. I don’t know if he’s dangerous, but don’t talk to him. Don’t be polite. If you think you’re in danger, call someone over. I have a feeling Chuck won’t let him out of his sight again, but just in case, tell all the women of your group not to trust or go near that man. Okay?”
The older woman nodded gratefully, visibly shaken. Jenna felt a presence behind her and turned to face Karen, who was perhaps an inch taller than her. Two Amazon women squaring off. It felt like Karen had been waiting for this moment. Jenna had no idea why.
“Is there a problem?” Karen asked with a sickly sweet smile. A fake smile.
“Yes, his name is Dale, and he came with our group. Wasn’t our choice.”
“Oh yes, Charlie mentioned it.”
Charlie? So that’s what this was about. She was jealous that a pretty girl had intimate access to her man. Ridiculous.
“Great,” Jenna said. “You can get the details from him—”
“I already did. We’ll take care of it.” Karen said it like she was patting Jenna on the head and telling her not to worry about the things that only concerned the grownups.
Which pissed her off.
“Look,” Jenna said, letting a hard edge define her voice. “Dale is not someone to mess with. We’d hate to find out too late that he is capable of rape. Or worse. So if he’s chatting up women, away from Chuck’s watchful eye, you need to be worried, okay? You need to intervene.”
“Like I said. Charlie and I’ll take care of it.”
Anger boiled over in Jenna’s voice. “If that scene, just then, was you taking care of it, then you’re doing a piss-poor job. Get your act together, or you might find yourself filing a police report as your boss hands you a pink slip.” Jenna gave her a hard stare and noticed Karen’s smile turn brittle. She was slipping off her high horse.
Mission accomplished.
Jenna nonchalantly stepped around the other woman and stalked back to her group, throwing a little runway sensuousness into her movements. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but she knew Karen was watching and she wanted to leave a lasting impression. Don’t mess with the boss, bitch. Boom!
It wasn’t until she had almost reached Chuck that she realized his eyes were blazing, and not in a good way.
She dropped the walk immediately. Karen she would taunt, but not Chuck.
“Erika is at the barbecue.” Chuck’s eyes delved into her, fiery and burning something deep in her body. “Why don’t you go give her a hand?”
She slunk away without making a sound. For some reason, it felt like the right thing to do.
Erika unceremoniously handed her a spatula. “Time to cook, woman. Take off the shoes, get pregnant, and cook some meat!”
“Can I just settle for the last one?”
“I did.”
The barbecue was a large, rusty contraption with a grate a foot above a metal shelf. It stood waist-high to Jenna and was long enough fo
r two people to comfortably man the grill.
Before taking the brush to scrub off the charred remains of previous meals, Jenna checked Chuck’s location. With a sigh of relief, she realized Karen had been the one in trouble, not her. Chuck was speaking calmly to her, but it was causing her face to turn red with anger or embarrassment. Maybe both.
“They’re totally doing it,” Jenna murmured.
Erika stopped scrubbing and wiped her forehead. She glanced over her shoulder. “I could’ve told you that. When we were first meeting, she tried to change groups with him. It was after she looked straight at you. Ha!” Erika patted Jenna on the shoulder. “I don’t blame her, home wrecker.”
“Yeah, right. I brought my boyfriend, unlike you.” Jenna noticed Dale’s rigid stance. His eyes were directed at her chest. “Do you want a fat lip?”
“Hey!” Mike gave Dale a shove with his elbow. “Get working or I’ll sic Chuck on you.”
Dale’s head turned slowly, and he surveyed Mike with a blank stare. Mike’s brow furrowed, his confidence visibly draining away. Mike shook his head a fraction and jabbed at the coals. “You’d better not turn out to be a serial killer.”
“Do you think they are an item, or are they just doing it?” Jenna asked Erika, trying to ignore the slimy man opposite her. She wished Chuck were there. She’d believed him when he said he’d keep them safe.
“I think they’re an item,” Erika said. “He defers to her all the time. That’s—”
“They’re just doing it,” Mike said.
Erika and Jenna stopped scrubbing and looked at Mike with complete focus.
“How do you know?” Erika whispered excitedly.
“Because I’m a guy and I know.”
Jenna leaned in, then back again, the blast of heat from the coals too much. “Not good enough.”
“I can’t believe I am getting involved in chick gossip.” Mike wiped sweat from his temple. “She’s the boss of this woods-walking thing; that’s why he defers to her. But he barely looks at her, he doesn’t look for her, he doesn’t listen when she talks, and he doesn’t… I don’t know, he doesn’t seem all that into her.”
Unexpected Hero (Skyline Trilogy Book 1) Page 7
