“Lia, come back. Change by the fire and I’ll go in the corner to change.” Stalling, he urged me again. “Come on, I promise not to look if you promise not to look.”
“Fine.” Stomping to the fire, he brushed past me. His clothed chest inched past mine. If our clothes were currently air drying at all there would have been steam when he walked by me. “Don’t peek.” I looked over my shoulder and saw his back against the wall, arms crossed over his broad chest.
“Scout’s honor,” he said smiling, holding up two fingers, and I began to take my clothes off.
Chapter 6
Whit
I should have confessed I was never a Boy Scout despite my wilderness background and survival skills, a lie of omission on my part. Honestly, I hadn’t intended to look. I promised her I wouldn’t, but the shiny metal frame hanging on the wall as a makeshift mirror reflected her little show. I had forgotten it was even there until I turned around and saw her sliding her clothes off in the wavy reflection. If I told her about it now it wouldn’t look any better for me. I decided to keep that little pearl of information to myself and save her from any embarrassment she might be feeling. That was about as honorable as I got.
Awestruck, I watched Lia wiggle her pert ass out of her soaked tight jeans, leaving transparent panties struggling to hug her ass, ending with an awkward hop to untangle them from her legs. She tried draping the blanket around her to get the rest, but after dropping it twice she gave up and gave me another show pulling her top off. Her breasts bounced inside the cups of her sheer bra. Not exactly hiking attire and I had a feeling she’d meant for that dumb jock to catch a glimpse of her in them.
Jealously coursed through me unexpectedly. I didn’t know this girl from anywhere, but she toughed out the hike here without too much complaint in the pouring rain and did what needed to be done. I found that admirable and far different from the stupid girl she claimed herself to be. Lacking self-confidence that would come to her in time with life experiences, she didn’t strike me as stupid at all. My dick didn’t care and certainly rose in her general direction with interest and appreciation.
“Done,” she said from the direction of the fire and I gulped back a response. I didn’t want to be done watching her, so I quickly stripped down, leaving my tight fitting boxers on and draped the blanket over my hips, hiding my body’s reaction to her as best I could. The air inside the cabin was cold on my chest, but I wasn’t going to risk her seeing my dick misbehaving from an automatic response I couldn’t control.
Walking back toward the fire, Lia stood in front of it, her hands tightly clutching the blanket like a lifeline. We were stuck here for the time being. Gruffly I stuck my hand out. “Hand me your clothes.” Lia bent down to pick hers up and I moved the bench closer to the fire to lay the wet items over it as best I could, pressing out wrinkles to dry the denim and cotton.
“How long do you think this storm will go?” She was watching the fire, her head bent down as I was watching her.
“Morning, I reckon.” I moved to stand next to her and a shiver coursed through her. Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms and discreetly adjusted things below, rewrapping the blanket around us both.
Looking over her shoulder, she eyed me from the chest down and back up again snorting. “Smooth.” She actually growled, saying it like she was torn between what I assumed was annoyance and something else I found alluring.
“Wasn’t trying to be. Although, you’d know it if I was.” Chuckling into her now damp hair that smells like coppery rainwater and the fire, she elbowed me gently in my gut and I suppressed the desire to push back into her. Maybe…I was a bit of an opportunist after all.
“If you try telling me that sharing body heat will dry us quicker I’ll kick you.” Our eyes met and hers rolled, letting me know she didn’t appreciate my moves, so I tried changing tactics by offering a calorie laden bribe. Food should pacify the savage beast, right?
Reaching up between us, I raised my hand, pointing a finger at her, and her face crinkled at the corners like she didn’t trust me. “Ah, I have a diagnosis,” I informed her.
“Okay, you’re a doctor now?” She didn’t trust me, but I’d go with it, ignoring her sarcasm.
“You must be grumpy from lack of food.”
Her shoulders rolled and I wrapped the musty blanket tighter around us. “Is that what we’re calling it now?” She was snippy and I wondered how long tonight was going to drag on waiting out the storm because sleep seemed doubtful in these conditions. Tracking a wayward hiker was part of my job, but usually they were much more pleasant, even grateful and I hated that maybe I’d pissed her off somehow.
“Do you have any medical issues I should know about? Diabetes? Hypoglycemia? Medication needs?” I was mentally crossing my fingers that she’d say no. “I’ll have to come up with another plan to get us out of here if you do.” Her tone changed, almost contrite.
“N-no. I guess I am hungry, though.” Her head rolled and I rested my hand on her shoulders to keep her from bumping into my nose. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be a complainer,” she said, and I believed she meant it.
“It’s all good, Lia. I’ve got some energy bars in my backpack.”
Grousing, she leaned back and I guided her to sit down, wrapped up in the blankets as I reached for my bag. “It’s not any vegan hippie shit, is it?”
“I thought you were from Brooklyn?” Surprised, I nudged her, earning me a laugh.
Lia snorted and I watched her nose turn up. It creased slightly, making it look tiny and adorable on her face. “I might be from Brooklyn, but I’m not one of those granola loving hipsters.”
“Oh, well, it’s one hundred percent high protein and carb content covered in chocolate.” I had no idea guessing what was in my backpack. I hoped it wasn’t the leftover spirulina algae bars I had been trying to get rid of from the cute hippie chick who was always trying to jump me. Calisto Anderson owned the organic shop, Dingleberries, in town. Yeah, I know. The name spoke for itself. My man granola was about to take a nose dive and I reminded myself that a bushy hippie chick’s tantric sex moves were not worth the taste of green algae.
“So are you feeding me to distract me?” I handed her a bar, letting her rip it open. Secretly relieved, it was Rocky Road granola peppered with marshmallows and vegan coco-chips.
She broke off a piece, handing me half of the bar, which I put into my mouth, chewing. “You must have a really poor opinion of men, sweetheart.”
She sighed, leaning against my chest and I adjusted my legs around her. “I’m sorry. It’s not you…honestly. I just feel defensive.”
“Tell me why? Surely that idiot jock didn’t break your heart?” I couldn’t believe I was having a heart to heart with this girl I barely knew. It wouldn’t be happening unless I felt seriously attracted to her. I could see my best friends Hunter and Damien forcing me to turn in my man card afterward.