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It could be that she just wasn’t that into this side of the business. Interacting with strangers might not be her thing. But he didn’t think so. He’d seen her laugh with the interns and he’d managed to make her relax and be at ease at times with him.
His gut said something was up with this woman. The stupid part of him that couldn’t give up on the idea that he could help her wanted to jump in and protect her.
Luckily he was smart enough to listen to his head where she was concerned and not his heart. He knew damn well he had a hero complex, always wanting to save people.
It had gotten him into trouble in the last months of his time in the Marines. And he hadn’t been able to save the woman. Not one little bit.
He looked away from Joy, wishing he hadn’t messaged his friend after all. He needed to keep his distance and keep his head out of places and business it didn’t belong in.
Chapter 13
“This really isn’t in my job description,” Joy grumbled beside him after they’d had the safety lecture.
Kaeden laughed. He was stoked for the whitewater rafting trip and was glad it was just the adults going so they could go on something with some real whitewater.
He’d planned this knowing it would be his favorite part of the trip even though it had been a two-hour drive to get to the Royal Gorge run on the Arkansas River.
Jax and Dave walked past them, and from their talk it was obvious they were trying to come up with a way to make their trek down the river into a competition.
Kaeden shook his head and looked back to Joy. “You’re going to feel great when you hit a big challenge and you have to push through it together and you get out the other side. There’s nothing like that feeling.”
He didn’t mention that people did sometimes die on the Arkansas River or that she had miles of class III and IV rapids to look forward to. They weren’t the hardest in the world, but this wasn’t going to be a lazy float down the river.
She tilted her head at him. “I didn’t think you were one for teamwork.”
Her words stopped him. She was right. He wasn’t. Hadn’t been in a long time because teamwork meant trust.
He shrugged off her words but the unease they caused lingered.
She seemed willing to brush past it. Or maybe she was so anxious about rafting that she didn’t realize her words had hit a mark.
“Or I could fall into that big challenge and be left behind by the raft.”
Now he focused on her, stepping closer. He put a hand out to stop her. “Hey, we won’t let that happen. Trust me, if you go over, you’re going to be pulled out, I promise.”
She rubbed her hands up her folded arms. “I’d just really rather not go in at all.”
He looked around. “You can probably stay here. I don’t think Jack will mind if you don’t come if you’re really uncomfortable with it.”
She was watching the river, but she glanced now at the others getting into their gear around them. She bit her lip and he could see her thinking.
“I promise,” he said. “If you get out there, you’ll love it. The scenery is gorgeous so the times when the water is quiet you’ll get to see things you don’t see otherwise. And the times when the water is rough, it’s not too bad. It’s enough to get your blood pumping and have fun. Nothing more.”
She looked to him now and there was still indecision on her face. He shouldn’t be pushing her. He didn’t know why he cared if she went. The truth was going out on the river with someone meant you bonded with them. He shouldn’t want this.
But he did. For some reason, he wanted to see her overcome this fear.
He stepped closer and replaced her hands with his on her arms, rubbing them. She was wearing a wetsuit. Touching her through the heavy neoprene shouldn’t be affecting him the way it was.
“You can do this,” was all he said, kicking himself even as he did it.
He could see the moment she made the decision in her eyes. She was going to do it.
It was stupid that her decision gave him so much pride. And in a ridiculous move, he knew he was going to make sure she was in his boat.
It was also stupid that he somehow found her sexy even in her flotation vest and helmet.
“If we lose any of the team,” Jack said as they all loaded into the rubber rafts they’d be taking down the river, “I’m holding you responsible, Kaeden.”
