“Not going to happen. You are going to break your back and I’ll look a fool. I’ll walk on my lifesavers. Give me my shoes and socks.”
He inwardly smiled at her choice of words, but outwardly he gave her his most menacing stare. Battle-hardened men would go peacefully with that stare.
To his shock, she matched it and reached for her socks. The woman did not like being pushed around.
As his dad always said, there was more than one way to skin a cat.
In one quick movement, he bent down and picked her up like a sack of potatoes. Careful to keep her kicking feet from hitting the dirt, he tossed her over his shoulder fireman style, surprised and concerned by just how light she actually was. He might need to start force-feeding her from now on.
After a few steps, she settled. “Okay, you win. I choose piggyback.”
“Too late.”
“You are carrying a paying customer over your shoulder. What will everyone think? What will Karen think?”
Josh stopped. Good point. Karen would write him up or maybe even get him fired.
He stood still for a moment of indecision, and then said, “I am going to sit you down so you can get on piggyback. If you try to step on those feet, I will put you back like this. I can deal with Karen better than you can deal with looking foolish. Clear?”
“Yes.”
He walked a few feet and bent so her butt would land first.
“Josh—” She cut off when she plunked down on a log.
He tried to suppress a smirk, and failed, as he turned and crouched so she could throw her arms around his neck. It was clear who the winner was for this round. She got her way with the type of hold, but she still let herself be carried. Point to him.
“You think this is funny? Me being carried like a first grader?” she asked indignantly.
“Yes.”
She scoffed. “I hate gloating.”
He shrugged and chuckled. He might as well rub it in a little.
“I bet you have no friends,” she muttered.
That remark, though only uttered in petulance, struck a nerve. It reminded him of what he’d lost. Who he’d lost. And how.
Chapter Sixteen
That night Jenna tossed and turned in Erika’s tent. She kept thinking about Josh when she and the architects were in discussions. He’d sat on the edge of the firelight Indian style, quiet. His slippery gaze kept coming to rest on her, but when she flicked her eyes to catch him, he was already looking into the woods or at another face.
When the other group of campers had wrapped up, heading off to tents a few at a time, her group was still raging on. Jenna focused on each argument before minutely changing her own position to reflect the best ideas. Cleverly disguised, obviously.
One by one, she won everyone over, Ada first, as predicted. Next came Mike, back with a vengeance, and then Dale. Miraculously, it was Dale that turned the tide and convinced the other two. Lewis would have held out longer, but Mike made a comment about sour grapes and bad decisions, and Lewis gave up.
When they were finally finished, Jenna glanced at Josh, expecting the elusive gaze, and instead got a direct stare, the firelight turning his eyes a burnished gold. He gave her a slight smile and a congratulatory nod.
Pride spread throughout her body, then turned to warmth. Sure, he was a stranger, and his opinion didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but he was so closed off, and so removed. The fact that he’d paid attention to her, and noticed when she won a hard-fought battle…it mattered. It was small, but it mattered.
She’d left the fire with the soft look in his eyes burned into her memory. It was that image that haunted her dreams. And by haunted, what she really meant was that it caused a chain of sexual fantasies so potent she woke up several times at fever pitch, expecting him to be climbing into her sleeping bag. Instead, all she heard was Erika’s snoring before she fell back into a restless sleep.
Now it was morning and the camp was just beginning to stir. That meant it was early. She hated getting up early when she didn’t have to. She also hated the burning arousal eating away at her.
The log named Erika didn’t move as Jenna flailed to get out of their small shared tent. The air was crisp and moist, lending a kind of stillness to the morning Jenna had never experienced—certainly not in Manhattan, anyway. She grabbed a hoodie and perched herself on a rock at the edge of the clearing, facing the trees.
The sweet air cleared her mind of sleep as she sucked it deep into her lungs. Small movements sounded away in front of her between the trees, and chirping filled the air overhead. She took another breath, marveling at the peacefulness of the surroundings.
The crunch of boots announced a presence nearing behind her. She glanced back as Josh stopped behind her, looking out into the trees as she was, sharing the companionship. He looked fresh but tired, ready for the day but slightly dreading it. There were layers to that onion.
“Beautiful, huh?” Jenna asked, turning back. Best to ignore it; onions tended to cause tears.
“Yes. Serene. May I sit?” Josh nodded to the rock next to her.
She nodded, trying not to notice the butterflies in her stomach. “Oh, look,” she said, pointing at a squirrel skittering across the ground. “I mean, granted, they’re just rats with tails, but those tails make all the difference. It’s easy to ignore the fact that they have rabies and carry diseases.”
Josh sniffed, a smile dusting his lips.
“You’re up early,” he said after an easy silence.
“Couldn’t sleep. You?”
“I’m usually up early.”
“Huh.” She took another breath and let the silence linger between them, tranquil and light. His shoulder lightly grazed hers. He seemed so content with his surroundings, so relaxed. He was at home where he sat, in the middle of the trees and forest.
After a pleasant few minutes, he glanced behind them, and then sighed. “Duty calls.”
“Don’t forget the shovel.”
She heard him snort as he moved away, leaving a strange feeling of emptiness in his wake.
Jenna shook her head—she was quite obviously losing her mind.
After breakfast, Josh supervised as his team cleaned up. They were in a cluster, washing and drying dishes over large tubs of soapy water while carrying on another heated debate regarding some archway or other. Lewis led one side of the opposition with only Dale for support, and while Dale could spew out some surprising intelligence, something that shocked the hell out of Josh when he’d heard it last night, today he was back to staring at Erika’s breasts.
Erika led the opposing team with more vehemence than was strictly needed. It didn’t take a genius to realize that her verbal attacks had nothing to do with the debate, and everything to do with her best bud. Josh knew women could get riled up when defending a sister, but Erika was on another level. It made him want to smile. Lewis had better watch his back.
And then there was the queen, sitting it out. Jenna didn’t give one opinion, or answer a single question. Unlike last night, where she had surprised and impressed him with how on top of each argument she was, and how she’d been able to bend the outcome to her will, this time she didn’t seem to be hearing anyone else speak.
Josh took up his mantle of stalker as he surreptitiously watched Jenna go about her washing duties. She was kneeling in her stylish jeans; her muscular butt flexed as she bent over the washing tub, not noticing when a large pan splashed dirty water across her front.
For all her high-society elegance, she didn’t mind putting the ol’ nose to the grindstone. She wasn’t a woman to shirk her duties. Josh appreciated that.
He felt like he was walking on a knife’s edge. He wanted her fiercely. He wanted to strip off those jeans with his teeth, lick up her thighs, and feel her squirm in anticipation.
He sucked in his breath and turned away, trying to ease the erection that filled his pants.
He’d been smart this morning. He’d put on looser je
ans.
The bitch of it was, that wasn’t all that he wanted. Watching her last night, dancing around with her words, turning everyone to her way of thinking—she was incredible. She was interesting; she was smart; she had so many contrasting elements that he just wanted to pick them apart, one by one. He wanted to figure out what made her tick, get her opinions on random things, wine and dine her, figure out what made her eyes sparkle in pleasure, and in anger. He wanted to make her smile.
The other half of him wanted nothing to do with her, with his interest in her. For the last couple of years he’d been curled up happily, securely under his rock with his wounds, hidden away from the world. He’d lived with his sins, and he’d come to terms with them. He didn’t want to poke his head up now and expose himself all over again, especially to someone of Jenna’s caliber. She didn’t deserve the wreck of a man he’d become. She didn’t deserve the boiling inferno that he knew he’d turn into when he lost himself to the rage and hurt that still bubbled inside him. He had decided that it was a no-go. It was the right decision.
Then she had grabbed his cock.
He hated to admit it, but that had been a game changer. He had nearly rubbed himself raw last night after replaying that scene in his mind. He shouldn’t have touched her, let alone kissed her, but…there was only so much a man could take. He’d done the right thing eventually—for her more than him, but…
He rubbed the back of his neck. It wasn’t right. He wasn’t up for this shit. Not anymore.
His team was finishing up as Karen joined him.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
Karen’s smell wafted by his nose. It was a mix of hot dirt, petunias, and patchouli oil. “Going great. They aren’t all that into the natural side of things, so mostly we hike while they work.”
“Oh Goddess, those types of people.” Karen wanted to be a wiccan. Or maybe she was a wiccan—Josh never listened when she talked about it. She didn’t believe in God in the traditional sense; she believed in a divine Goddess. Apples and oranges, in Josh’s opinion.
Or apples and tomatoes.
Josh held his tongue. No sense in telling her he preferred those types of people.
It was at that moment that Jenna looked up. She glanced at Karen, then caught his eye and held it for a moment, before looking back at Karen.
“Well, I talked to some of the other guides,” Karen said, meeting Jenna’s direct stare. Jenna’s gaze hardened, turned intense, and then hostile. Karen looked away. “We think it might be fun to combine groups on today’s hike. Let the guests get some social time in with each other, make it easier on the guides.”
“I don’t think my group would be into it.”
“I think they would. They would still be getting their guide, but now they’ll get to talk to some other people.”
Josh shook his head. “Karen, with all due respect, for this crew that is a bad idea. They don’t care about nature and they barely tolerate each other. They’re here because their boss sent them here. They’d only drag the other groups down.”
“Well. Despite what you think, we’ve already decided. Orange and Red will be together today, and the other three groups will be together.”
Josh knew a losing battle when he heard one. “I am warning you now, Karen, this is a mistake. This team does not play well with others.”
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you to share?” Karen said mockingly.
Josh clenched his fists, keeping his anger in check. That comment had just guaranteed Karen mayhem. Josh would’ve tried to play mediator between the two groups, but Karen was doing this out of petty jealousy. For that, she would get what a bunch of aggressive New Yorkers could dish out. Good luck.
“Great,” Josh said dryly. “When do we move out?”
“Soon as you’re ready.” Karen squared off to him, trying to hide a small smile and failing. Her eyes glittered and she was standing too close. “See you on the trail,” she whispered.
She walked away in a weird kind of strut, probably trying to mimic Jenna. When Josh looked back to his team, he saw Jenna following her with narrowed eyes. By the time that gaze hit him, he was already looking away.
It was midmorning on what seemed to be a random trail with a bunch of giggling yahoos. Jenna was walking with Erika and Mike, trying at all costs to avoid the Orange Team, and failing miserably. Josh was in the front leading both groups, walking beside Karen. From what Jenna could see, and she was watching him closely because she had nothing better to do, he wasn’t talking all that much, but he was being talked to quite often.
It was fairly obvious that this was Karen’s idea. No sane person would combine Team Red with anyone else. She’d heard Josh warn her, apparently for the second time, right before they set off. Karen had smirked and thanked him for the heads-up.
It didn’t even take ten minutes for someone to complain about Dale. Josh didn’t intercede, and neither did Jenna. They seemed to have the same thought—this was Karen’s idea; let her handle it.
From directly behind Jenna, she heard a man say, “Oh! Helen, look! A bat! Guide Karen, we see a bat! Look, everyone! Oh man, fantastic!”
All of Orange Team stopped on the trail, which was awkward, as Red Team didn’t. Erika bumped into a woman, Jenna stepped around a man, and Mike plowed through an older man. They heard “ooohhs” and “ahhhs” behind them as they caught up with Josh and Karen.
Josh met Jenna’s eyes, held them for a moment, and then scanned everyone else. “Let’s stop a minute and look at the…flying object.”
Karen gave them all dirty looks before she stepped through their line to join her team. “Actually, Bert, bats usually come out at night. What you are seeing is a bird. Let’s see if we can identify it, huh?”
“It’s a bird, for Christ’s sake,” Mike said as he rolled his eyes dramatically. “Do they not have birds where they come from?”
“If there are birds in Manhattan, there are birds everywhere,” Ada said with disdain.
“Charlie, would you care to describe the kind of bird we are seeing?” Karen asked in a singsong voice. Her group all watched the bird as it sat idly on a tree, the picture of boring birds all over the world.
“Of course,” Josh said as he calmly walked through his group. “Red Team, would you like to learn about the gray catbird?”
“No,” Erika said. “Can we keep going?”
“Let’s all come and learn about the gray catbird,” Karen said to the Red Team, focusing on Erika. She was trying for a power play here, using her status as a means of identifying her importance.
Little did she know, her status meant nothing to the Red Team. Erika met her gaze and spat, “It’s gray. It flies. It’s a bird. I get it.”
“What if it was a man in a red cape with a cleft in his chin? Would you go see then?” Mike asked.
“Of course I would. So would you, I might add—”
“As the name implies,” Josh said as he stood in front of a rapt group of older people, “the gray catbird is slate gray, with a distinctive black cap and a long black tail. They are named by their call, which is—”
“Let me guess,” the sixty-year-old woman named Helen interrupted. “It sounds like a cat?” She smiled and leaned in, sharing a joke. The rest of her group chuckled, including Karen.
Josh looked at her with his customary straight face. “That is correct, Helen.” Josh turned back to the bird. “They have a nasal, catlike mew. Occasionally their call is a kak-kak-kak or a soft, mellow chuck. These birds are also referred to as the black mockingbird, the black-capped thrush, or the cat flycatcher.”
“He does bird calls?” Mike asked no one in particular.
Josh looked at the people in front of him, all bobbing their heads, fascinated by the bird in the tree. Suddenly the bird fluttered and took flight. Orange Team gasped, started laughing, and clapped wildly, smiles all around.
“It’s a fucking bird,” Ada said as she looked on in bewilderment.
Jenna�
�s mouth dropped open. She’d never, in all the time she’d known Ada, heard the woman swear. She must really, really hate this tour.
A grin worked up Mike’s face. He was no doubt thinking the same thing.
Karen positioned herself next to Josh, so close their arms were touching. “We haven’t seen that type of bird yet. What are your reactions?”
Jenna looked back at her team, all looking on with bored incredulity. “Shall we walk on? I’ve seen the map—I know the way.”
“Yes!” Dale said. For once, he wasn’t looking at a woman.
Everyone stared at him for a moment, unused to his human qualities outside of architectural language, and then turned back to Jenna. As a group, they turned and started walking. It only took ten feet before Karen squealed at them to stop “at once.”
“What is she, a German watchtower guard?” Mike mumbled.
They didn’t even slow. She yelled again, another demand, and was, again, ignored. With any luck they would get thrown off this accursed trip.
“Jenna, please.” It was Josh.
Jenna stopped. He had taken care of her, tended her feet, kept her safe in the woods; she owed it to him to listen.
Everyone else stopped with her. They would be lost if she didn’t lead, and they knew it. She owed Josh, but she also owed her crew.
Conundrum.
She met his gaze. “Ranger Bob, Team Red is tired, we are bored, and we’d rather just keep going. I know the way. Can we, pretty please, meet you at the lunch spot?”
Josh’s eyes were locked on hers. A tiny smile played around his lips. She knew from memory how soft they were. How expertly and passionately they kissed. She could tell he wasn’t angry that they weren’t listening to Karen, or irritated that they wanted to leave.
Karen, however, was livid.
“First of all,” Karen said, marching up with her hands on her hips, a stern look on her face, “he is not a ranger, he is a guide. Second, his name is Chuck, and it would be best if you call him that. Respect him so he can keep you safe. Third, he is trying to educate you about our natural environment, and it is disrespectful to ignore him. We are all trying to have fun here, and you are ruining it for both teams.”
Unexpected Hero (Skyline Trilogy Book 1) Page 13
