Her gaze gets lost in his panty-dropping eyes, rendering her speechless. Yeah… I get it. I’m kind of doing the same with his brother.
“You know what?” he adds slinging an army-green canvas courier bag over his shoulder. “You’re right. I’m a dirty boy. Let’s get me cleaned up.” He tilts his head toward the sky and shouts, “Then let the fun begin!”
Randy’s phone rings. He answers, then turns to Riggs. “It’s your—”
“I know who it is.” He takes the phone. “What’s goingon?”
He listens with the occasional “uh-huh,” then says, “I’ll get right on it.” He ends the call, hands the phone to Randy, then turns to Ash. “She wants us to—”
“Don’t wanna know and don’t care. Whatever it is, it can wait until we’ve had showers and something to eat.”
Riggs sighs. “Figured as much. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it and meet you at the lodge later. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.”
Ash turns to Rhonda, lets his eyes drop down to her backside in the cockiest, albeit sexiest way, then directs his gaze back at Riggs. “Your choice, big brother. But I’m sure whatever it is, it can wait.”
Riggs shakes his head like he didn’t expect any different from Ash. “You know me.”
“I do,” Ash says over his shoulder. He’s already walking away, following the trail we made in the snow. Rhonda is at his side with her arm still wrapped around his. “Have fun,” he calls back, clearly not fazed that his brother is staying behind to do whatever it is they’re supposed to be doing together.
Randy, Glen, and Damon turn towards Ash, then back to Riggs, then to Ash again like they’re not sure if they want to stay or go. Meanwhile, Rhonda is putting a little extra sway in her hips and looking sexy as hell doing her boom-chicka-boom walk. I’m sure Ash notices. He is a man, after all.
Glen glances down at his wet trunks and cowboy boots just now realizing how redneck all three of them look. “Wow, you’d think we’d have mullets looking like this.”
Randy and Damon nod in agreement. Suddenly, it’s an easy choice. They turn and follow Ash to the lodge.
This whole thing is as interesting as it is puzzling. I turn to Riggs. “What do you have to do that’s so important?”
Picking up his backpack, he exhales a deep sigh. “A film crew is on their way. I’m not sure when they’ll get here, but I need to set up our usual camp, which means making some chairs, a table, and building a shelter with a couple of beds. It shouldn’t take long, and I don’t want to come back out here, so might as well get it done now.”
“A film crew? Wait, you’re going to do all that in a couple of hours?”
“I’ve had a lot of practice.”
“Do you want some help?” This just got a whole lot more interesting, and honestly, it sounds kind of amazing. I love outdoor stuff, and this isn’t your typical pitch-a-tent-next-to-the-car-in-a-campground kind of thing. Besides, I want to know what the film crew is about. I want to know who they are and why they’re famous. How have I not heard of them? They can’t be actors. I would have recognized them. But what then? They’re out here without phones and obviously lost, then one call to their sister, and suddenly they’re making some kind of movie? Yeah, color me intrigued.
I’m snapped out of my detective mode when I realize his eyes are bearing down on me with so much intensity, goosebumps wash over my skin, and not the good kind. Those pools of blue are breathtaking, but right now, they’re also unsettling, and I’m left wondering if I did something to offend him.
“If you want to help,” he starts with his low, gravelly voice that sends butterflies throughmy tummy, “but…”
It’s an awkward pause as his hand comes to the back of his neck and he fidgets like he’s not sure about something.
“But what?”
His eyes drop down to my boots, then travel slowly up my body, but not in a creepy way. From the wrinkle forming between his brows, it’s more like he’s concerned about something. Then he finally comes out with it. “Aren’t you cold?”
Ah, I get it now. And I love how delicately he addressed the elephant in the forest—AKA, my bikini. Jake would have accosted me with something like, “For fuck’s sake, put on some damn clothes,” followed by, “You look like a cheap whore.” And that would’ve been my ex-boyfriend on a good day.
“I was planning to change, dummy.”
As soon as the words come out my cheeks burn. What the hell was that? The way “dummy” came out, all breathy like a cheesy Marilyn Monroe impression, couldn’t have been more flirty. What’s the matter with me? I have absolutely no intention of flirting with this man. I just need my traitorous hormones to get in line with my still-aching heart that Jake put a knife through.
He fake-coughs and I blink, realizing I’m just standing here like an idiot. How embarrassing. I quickly flash him my friendliest smile in an attempt to recover. But the deep V his brows are forming says it all—he thinks I’m a crazy woman. Great. “I’ll be right back,” I add with an awkward shrug. And with that, I need to turn around and walk back to the lodge. But I can’t. For reasons that don’t make sense, I’m keenly aware of every inch of my exposed skin, like I’m practically naked… which, I actually am. I resist the intense urge to grip the hem of my transparent cover-up with both hands and pull it down. Like that would do anything to hide my cheeky bottoms when I turn to leave. Damn see-through cover-up!
As if he can read my mind, without explanation he does something so out of the ordinary, so confusing, and so darn nice, I could almost cry. For some reason, he turns his back to me with, “Take your time. I’ll be here for a while.”
It’s like he could sense my anxiety. Who is this man?
Whoever he is, a tense breath leaves my chest, and I relax my shoulders a bit. Now I can walk back to the lodge without feeling like his eyes are glued to my half-naked ass. Why can’t I have Rhonda’s confidence? She would have been devastated if a guy didn’t bother to watch her walk away.
