Mess With Me

by Kylie Gilmore

  She waved airily and then started gathering the trash from their meal. “Not literally. I was sixteen back then. That was the beginning of my romantic fantasies.”

  He helped her gather the trash. “Tell me your fantasies.” He didn’t expect an answer. He’d been half teasing anyway.

  “That’s exactly the point! They weren’t my fantasies. They were propaganda.” Her voice rose in indignation. “A sparkly glittery fairy tale where I’m passively waiting for the one perfect prince who will take me away from myself and gift me with eternal happiness.” She stood and glared down at him still sitting at the table. “You see how that could fuck someone up?”

  He stood. “Yes.”

  “Well, no more. I quit.” She marched over to the garbage can and shoved the trash in.

  He followed suit. Then she smashed her large hat on top of her head and snarled, “Ready.”

  “Easy, tiger. I’m not the enemy.”

  “Sorry, I get really worked up about this. It’s not right that women have this stuff fed to them at such a young age. It really fucks with your head.”

  He placed himself firmly on her side. “Where the hell would you find a prince anyway, right? Unrealistic.”

  She laughed. “It’s not actual royalty. It just means a man who’s handsome, strong, spouts poetry, makes you feel like you’re the center of his world.”

  He would do all of that if it meant he could have Ally in his life. He headed for the exit and held the door open for her. “Poetry,” he said as she passed, “sounds like a wuss.”

  She laughed. “Tough guy.”

  Pace yourself.

  Once they were on their way to the reservation, he asked in a teasing voice, “Think you can keep up with me on this hike?”

  “I’m sure gonna try. As long as it’s not an uphill climb.”

  “Uh, didn’t I mention the cave’s at the top of the mountain?”

  “A mountain!”

  “Well, more like a large hill. Don’t worry. I’ll carry you if I have to.”

  “You will do no such thing.”

  He found himself smiling again. Couldn’t be helped. He dug her fighting spirit. He’d still carry her if she needed a break, though.

  Turned out Ally didn’t need any assistance. This time she wasn’t dead last in their group of hikers, same people as last time, except for one of the Matts. She was definitely stronger than she’d been two weeks ago. She was working with a personal trainer, but most people didn’t have the carry through. They went at fitness halfheartedly. Ally was all in. He had a feeling she was like that with most stuff she got into. No wonder she was reluctant to consider a relationship. She probably threw herself into it one hundred percent, and if that wasn’t with a guy who appreciated her, it would just lead to a broken heart. He wanted to be that guy who appreciated her. The right guy.

  He circled back on the trail and walked by her side. She was humming a happy-sounding tune. Last time she’d been so short of breath she could barely speak. “We’re almost at the cave,” he said. “We’ll stop for a break and Rob’ll tell everyone the legend. Mostly for your benefit. Most of us heard it last year.”

  “Awesome.” She pushed her sweaty bangs off her forehead and they fell back all rumpled. “You don’t have to walk slow to keep me company.”

  “I already reached the cave and doubled back.”

  She blew out a breath. “I won’t comment on that.”

  He grinned. “You want to call me something? Mr. Muscles?”

  “No, weenie.”

  He chuckled.

  She grinned. “What’d you bring for a snack?”

  “Nothing. I figured the pizza would see me through.”

  “Oh. I brought homemade trail mix.”

  “You hungry?”

  “Not really. I’ll probably just throw it at your head for being such a smug hiker.” She did a deep-voiced impersonation of him. “Already doubled back.”

  He barked out a laugh.

  They walked in silence for a bit, the group getting farther and farther ahead of them as Ally slowed down on the steeper part of the trail.

  “So-o-o,” he said, dragging out the word while he geared up for either a great response or a killer shutdown, “now that you’re solo married, if a guy asks you out, would you be open to it?”

  She took off her hat and fanned herself with it, taking her time answering. He waited, the dread in his gut telling him he was getting the boot. At least he’d managed a stealth date with the lunch and hike. Still, if she wasn’t on board for more, he’d have to chalk today and their previous hike up to a friends thing.

  Finally she squashed her hat back on her head and said, “Probably not. I’m on a real good kick here. I want to let it build momentum until it’s ingrained in my brain. A habit like taking good care of myself takes three weeks to make it stick.”

  “How long’s it been?”

  “Two weeks and I feel fantastic!”

  “I…” He stopped himself. He could wait a week. He wasn’t desperate or anything. Besides, she was spending time with him.

  “Yeah?” she asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Finally they reached the cave and settled in with the group, everyone sitting on the hard-packed ground or a few downed logs. Rob told them the Furman legend. Basically what he’d already told Ally with some embellishments like “sometimes on a full moon you can hear his footsteps.” Spooky campfire stuff. After, they went and checked out the cave two at a time. He went with Ally.

  “Pretty small cave,” she said, peering into the dark space.

  “He lived here through long winters too. Harsh conditions. Good thing he was the Furman.”

  She smirked. “Furry love.”

  He smirked back. They were meeting on the same dirty wavelength. Excellent.

  They walked away, letting the next group take a look. She wagged her finger at him. “You’re rubbing off on me.”

  He smiled widely, enormously pleased about that. There was no reason not to make a plan with her a week from now. It was the three-week mark that she’d said meant she’d be open to a guy asking her out. “You ever been fishing?” he asked casually.

  “No.”

  “We should go. How’s next Sunday? Right here at the lake. I have a canoe and an extra fishing rod. It’s peaceful.”

  Her face lit up and his hopes soared. “Then we can cook whatever we catch over a fire for dinner. I’ve never done that before!”

  “It’s catch and release only. But I could bring some hot dogs.”

  “And we could make s’mores!” Her blond bangs bounced in her excitement. “Omigod, this sounds amazing! Let’s make it a big party. You invite the guys. I’ll invite all my friends. It’ll be like a nature party.”

  He deflated. “The canoe only fits two.”

  She smacked his arm lightly. “We’ll take turns, silly. Or maybe we’ll just invite them for the campfire part. Great idea, Eth! I haven’t had s’mores in years!”

  He bit back a sigh. “Awesome.”

  Chapter Nine

  A week later, Ethan decided he had nothing to complain about. Okay, yeah, he had to share Ally with a bunch of other people at their campfire cookout tonight, but right now he had her to himself for the whole afternoon, fishing on the lake. They were the only ones out here besides a few small boats on the far side of the lake. So far she hadn’t caught anything and had been unusually quiet. He didn’t fill the silence with a lot of unnecessary chatter. That was one of the great things about fishing, just quietly becoming one with nature.

  After a while, she looked around and took a deep breath. “This is nice. I can see why you like it. It’s almost like meditating.”

  He nodded.

  She kept talking, confiding in him in a way few people did. “I became a teacher because I love kids, but lately my job just feels too confining, you know? I switched from fifth grade to first grade for a change of pace a couple of years ago when the position opened up, but
now I think I need a bigger change.” She made a sweeping arm gesture, which made her life vest lift. “I want to get out of the classroom and into the world. I’m thinking about being Claire’s assistant. I spoke to her current assistant and it’s a lot of work, but also has some great perks. Travel, award shows, VIP rooms so exclusive most people don’t even know they exist. Anyway, I’m giving it some serious thought.”

  His brows furrowed. “Why would you want to be an assistant when you have a college degree?”

  “It could be fun.”

  “More like you’ll be chained to your phone, handling her life.” Claire spent most of her downtime in California, the rest of it traveling to different movie locations. Ethan was deeply rooted in Eastman, Connecticut. He’d stayed to give back to the community who’d raised him. More importantly, he wasn’t far from retiring on a full pension from the years he’d put in on the Eastman PD. All of this pointed to him staying. He tried to think of Ally’s job possibility objectively. He could see the appeal of traveling around the world on someone else’s dime, the lure of the Hollywood world. And he didn’t want Ally to be unhappy, stuck in a job that stifled her, but he also knew their fledgling relationship wouldn’t survive long distance.

  She smiled sunnily. “Chained to a phone in Paris maybe? Not so bad.”

  “Do you really want to work for a friend? What if something goes wrong?”

  She stared at him. “Geez, Eth, I’m trying to have a quarter-life crisis here and you’re ruining it with all your common sense. I’ll admit I’m a little worried about having a friend for a boss. Maybe that’s why I haven’t given her an answer yet. Or maybe I’m just waiting for something better to come along.” She sighed. “I don’t know. I just…I need to shake things up. I’m ready for the next thing, whatever that is. Maybe I should just grab this opportunity and hope for the best.”

  He relaxed a little. She was just restless. “What do you really want to do? If you could do anything in the world.”

  “Hmm…professional dominatrix.”

  His jaw dropped.

  She burst out laughing.

  He shook his head. “You got me.”

  “Yeah, I’m not so into that.”

  “What’re you into?”

  “My vibrator.” She clapped a hand over her mouth.

  He smirked.

  “Maybe I should sell sex toys. Or start a sex-toy company with even better vibrators.” She lifted a hand. “Made for women by a woman.”

  “Been a while for you.” And let me help you with that.

  “Now why do you say that?”

  “You mentioned it at the diner with Cali. Plus, so far all your ideas involve sex.”

  She blushed and looked off in the distance over his shoulder.

  “Ally.” He waited for her to meet his eyes. “Maybe what you’re looking for isn’t out there, but in here.” He tapped his forehead. “And here.” He tapped his chest right over his heart.

  Her brows scrunched together. “You mean like yoga? Spirituality?”

  “Like living a life of purpose. Whatever that means to you.”

  She stared at him for a long moment before slowly shaking her head. “How’d you get so wise?”

  He barked out a laugh. “I ripped that off Joe. He’s been like a dad to me. Anyway, he said that when I was struggling over what to do with my life, and it brought everything into focus.”

  She stared at him as if waiting for him to spout more deep stuff, so he gave her his honest opinion on her sologamy stuff.

  “It’s good to take the time to work on yourself, but you don’t want to trade one extreme for another.”

  She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

  He treaded carefully. “Like…dropping everything in your life for something new.” He’d choked. Dammit. He wanted to say don’t close off the possibility of us just because you’re working on improving your life.

  He tried to work up some better words, but they just wouldn’t come out. He didn’t know where he stood with her, didn’t want to back her into a corner, especially didn’t want to say something all feelings-like that she wouldn’t return, so he just sat there tongue-tied.

  Her fishing line jerked and she squealed, standing up in her excitement and peering down in the water.

  Never stand in a canoe!

  Splash! They both took a dunk in the lake.

  Fucking cold. He should’ve explained about capsizing to her. Canoes were tippy; you had to stay low and centered. They bobbed on the surface in their life jackets. Neither of them wore a swimsuit, just long-sleeved shirts, shorts, and bare feet. Luckily they’d left their valuables locked in his Jeep.

  “I think we scared the fish away!” she exclaimed with a laugh.

  He shook his head and quickly retrieved the paddles and his rod. Hers was nowhere to be found. Fish probably swam off with it. “Hold these,” he said, shoving the paddles and rod at her. “Gimme a moment to right it.”

  He maneuvered the canoe back upright, went to Ally, got the stuff and tossed it in the canoe. “It’s got water in the bottom, but we can still make it back to shore.”

  “Sorry, Eth. I’m a nature newbie.”

  “It’s fine. See? This is why I made you wear a life jacket.” She’d balked at wearing it, saying she was a strong swimmer.

  She splashed him playfully. He wound up for the mother of all splashes and soaked her. Not that they weren’t already soaked. He grinned because he even got some plant life in there and it looked like a seaweed wig.

  “Sea creature!” she hollered, swiping at it. “Get it off!”

  “Relax. It’s just some dead eel grass.”

  “Eel!” Her blue eyes widened, her fingers frantic as she tried to untangle it from her hair.

  “It’s just a plant.” He swam up closer and carefully extricated the offending grass. “There.” He tossed it away.

  She gazed at him, her lips parting.

  That was the sign he needed. That look in her eyes. The attraction electric, a force all its own, drawing him in because he knew with absolute certainty it went both ways. He lifted a hand, gently pushing her bangs out of her eyes. And then forced himself to turn away. He’d end up drowning them both the way he wanted her.

  “Got to get to shore,” he muttered.

  He hauled himself into the canoe, careful to stay low and centered, turned and offered her a hand.

  “Won’t I pull you in?” she asked.

  “Nope. I’ve got you.”

  She placed her hand in his and he pulled her up. She flopped ungracefully into the canoe and stayed low, like she was afraid to tip it again. He guided her over to the bench seat and took the one across from her.

  She shivered. “I didn’t even bring a change of clothes.”

  “Me either. We’ll dry. I’ll hang up our stuff, get a fire going.”

  “Oh, really? And in the meantime we just run around in our birthday suits?”

  He smirked.

  She jutted out her chin, and he stared at it instead of her lush mouth. God, she was sexy. He wanted her naked so bad he could taste it, though he’d planned on being a gentleman and giving her a hoodie from his Jeep to cover up while their clothes dried.

  He lowered his voice to a husky tone. “I’ll warm you up once we get to shore.”

  She stared at his mouth, her pink tongue darting out to lick her lips. Kill him now. “Oh,” she said in a breathy voice.

  He grabbed the paddles and paddled to shore with powerful strokes.

  A few moments later, she crossed her arms, hugging herself. “Damn, I’m seriously cold.”

  “I have a towel and a hoodie in the Jeep. You can dry off and wear the hoodie. It’ll probably fit you like a dress.”

  She eyed him. “What are you, a park ranger? No. Take me back to my apartment, where I will shower the dead eel germs off me, remoisturize, and redress.”

  He grinned. “So now I’m a park ranger?”

  She nodded once. “If the bro
wn felt hat with the drawstring chin strap fits.”

  He laughed out loud. “Come on, city girl, stay with me on this. Back to your apartment is the wimpy way to go.”

  “You take that back, tough guy. I hear an implied weenie in there.”

  “The guys’ll be here soon. They’re going to show up to an empty party.”

  “Then you stay here while I drive your Jeep back to my apartment and change.”

  “With your lead foot?”

  She scowled and then her scowl faded as she watched him paddle. She dug the display of strength, he could tell by the flush of pink in her cheeks. She lifted her head, her expression pure desire. “Did you, uh, want me to help paddle?”

  He smirked. “Then how would you ogle my muscles?”

  Her cheeks dotted with red. Ha. Busted. She turned away, looking at the shoreline, and then turned back to him. “Let’s speed this up, muscle man.”

  He did, loving the nickname. He got them safely to shore, dumping his fishing rod, paddles, and their life vests on the sand before clearing the water from the canoe. Then he stored the canoe in the designated area a short distance away.

  When he returned, Ally was doing a little bouncing dance to keep warm.

  He took in her goose bumps, her wet hair pressed flatly to her head, her pale lips, her soaked clothes, clingy and see-through, and did the only logical thing—pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her lips were soft and yielding, exactly as he’d hoped. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing against him, igniting carnal need. Scorching hot, tongues tangling, they devoured each other. He gripped her hair, his other hand firmly on her ass, pressing her against him. She moaned softly, threatening to break his control.

  He pulled away, both of them breathless.

  She stared at him, her fingers touching her lips.

  He grabbed her hand. “Come on.”

  “Don’t you need your stuff?”

  He stopped, and she gave him a knowing smile. “Blood left your brain, didn’t it?” she asked.

  He kissed her again, hard and fast. “You’ve got a smart mouth.”

  They stared at each other for a long pulse-pounding moment. He wanted that mouth and a lot more of her. Right here, right now. Kissing Ally had only confirmed what he’d known deep down—they fit. On every level.