When we arrived at camp, he picked me up again and carried me toward his cabin as if the decision had already been made.
“Look, it’s already three in the morning, and it’s only for a few hours. I think we can manage, just this once. I’ll sleep on the couch,” he insisted.
Jack lived in the former bunkhouse, so his cabin was much larger than mine and had communal spaces. It made sense since he lived here year-round. Didn’t mean I wasn’t jealous, though.
“You’re right,” I whispered, mindful of the late hour.
Jack looked almost surprised. He let out a hushed laugh. “Finally, you admit it,” he whispered back, mirroring my tone, before opening the door.
I narrowed my eyes at him, which was much easier at this angle. “You know, a girl could get used to this.”
Jack’s laugh vibrated through me as he held me close. “What a surprise coming from you, princess.”
“None of my other subjects complain like you do,” I tacked on in a haughty, playful tone once we made it inside his cabin.
The cabin was dark, but a part of me knew he was grinning. I felt a strange bit of relief knowing he could still smile after everything that had happened tonight. That man had been too close to permanent scowl territory.
Jack walked through the dark living room to the bedroom and leaned down slowly. I didn’t want to let go of him, a silly notion. Eventually, he made a soft noise, and I untwined my arms from around him and found myself gently placed onto his bed. My heart thudded, and I needed to express my gratitude.
“Jack—”
He set a folded T-shirt and the promised pair of sweats down on the bed. “Be right back.”
He walked away with purpose. Cool air whooshed between us, which was okay because when I stopped to think about it, I didn’t know what I was even trying to say.
Jack returned with two throw pillows. He didn’t look at me as he carefully lifted my calves and placed the pillows under each of my legs, propping up my feet. “There you go.” His voice was softer than I was used to.
“Jack, wait.” It was hard to remember that just hours ago, we’d been enemies. The juxtaposition was off-putting, and it didn’t make sense. The one person I never thought I could trust was now the person I felt the safest with. I wanted to say something that conveyed the gravity of the swirling emotions I felt, but when he turned toward me from the doorway, his face lightly lined by the moonlight, all I could manage was a simple, “Thank you.”
“Goodnight, princess.”
I could hear the warmth in his voice as he softly closed the door, but I only let out a small, “Night,” that he probably didn’t even hear.
What else was there to say to the man who had literally swept you off your feet?
THIRTEEN
Jack
The soundof Nat tossing and turning in the other room was getting to me. But when the scared gasp and the whimpering kicked in, I burst into action. I rushed inside the partially open door and got on my knees beside the queen-size bed, touching her shoulder gently, but she didn’t stop thrashing. Her hair stuck to her face, and her pallor was all wrong.
“Nat,” I said firmly, pushing her shoulder a little harder.
Her eyes burst open, and she scanned her surroundings, taking in the bed she was lying on and the bunk beds I hadn’t removed across the room, before she blinked and focused on my face once more. “Jack?”
I pushed away the hair sticking to her face. “You’re in my cabin, Nat. You’re okay.”
“Okay,” she breathed. “Yeah. I’m okay.” She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch as she let out a longer breath. Even disheveled, she was beautiful. “Did a tree fall on my cabin?”
“It did.” I reluctantly removed my hand.
She absentmindedly touched her temple where my fingers had just been, breaking eye contact as she sat up. Her eyebrows pulled together as she looked around. “Did a tree hit this place, too?”
Was she concussed?
I moved my head into her line of sight, looking for blown pupils or something. I didn’t actually know what I was doing. I wasn’t a medical professional, but she was acting strangely.
“No.”
