in detail before letting them into the water, outlining exactly what he expected, and how they needed to listen and respond to him if he asked them to do something.
“Do you think he’s this alpha and dominating in bed?” Shelly whispered to Kitty, shivering with excitement.
Again Harley had to bite her lip to keep a straight face.
TJ shot her a look as he checked and rechecked the gear, then got everyone into the water, managing to avoid helping Kitty spread suntan oil on her limbs or helping Shelly tighten her vest across her enhanced and expensive breasts. Much to their disappointment, he let Harley do both.
That part of the river was wide, calm, and flat-which was why they were on it. Harley had her camera out, able to both steer and shoot pictures. The water was so clear and deep that they could see fish gliding through the currents beneath them in the sunny spots. It was like a whole other universe existed down there, and the coeds actually fell silent, soaking it all in, absorbing the beauty.
Until one of the fish broke the surface with a splash.
Startled screams abounded, and Tandy accidentally rolled her kayak. Her friends sat watching her attempt to right herself, tears of laughter streaming down their faces.
Harley got it all on digital.
TJ righted Tandy with ease, making the others sigh and look at each other, clearly wishing they’d thought to roll. Tandy was none the worse for wear, though she did have a brief hair crisis.
A coyote appeared on the shore, visible through the bush. “Wolf!” Kitty cried out. “What if it eats us?”
TJ looked at Harley across the water. Obviously, she was to field this one. “Actually, it’s a coyote,” Harley told her. “And he’s not going to eat you.”
“How do you know?”
“There’s been only one fatal coyote attack on record, and that was back in 1981, in Southern California. But to be safe, don’t ever feed one.”
“What if it comes up to us while we’re eating?” Tandy asked.
“It won’t.”
“But what if it does?”
“Then make a lot of noise to scare it off. Wave your hands, yell, throw a rock at it, whatever you have to do.”
The coyote bounded off out of view.
“Holy shit,” Lani said. “That thing’s moving.”
“They can run up to forty-three miles per hour,” Harley told her.
“Shh,” Shelly breathed. “It’ll hear us.”
“It’s already heard us,” Harley said. “They have better hearing than dogs.”
“It’s all alone,” Shelly said. “She needs a sorority.”
The others laughed. “He or she isn’t alone,” Harley said. “They travel in packs and hunt in pairs. You just didn’t see the others, but they’re there.”
“How do you know all this?” Lani asked, looking sincerely interested.
“I study them for my other job as a wildlife researcher.”
“Cool.” Lani smiled at Harley. “I’m a biology major.”
They spent a few minutes talking about that, after which the others seemed to accept Harley slightly better. She snapped more pictures and found herself enjoying it. Probably most of that came from their fearless guide, who happened to look damn fine in the lead kayak, wielding a paddle, his biceps flexing as he steered, the rest of his body relaxed and completely in control.
An hour in, Kitty needed-demanded-a potty break. The girls got out of their kayaks, accepted drinks from Harley, then stripped out of their wet protective gear down to their bikinis and plopped on the rocky sand at the water’s edge. Harley was wet, too, but left her shorts and tank top on over her bathing suit. TJ’s board shorts and performance tee were also wet, but they didn’t seem to bother him any. He once again checked the gear-while the girls checked him, whispering amongst themselves.
TJ’s shorts came to his knees, his shirt loose. While he looked damn good, his clothes were definitely hiding the true extent of how in shape he really was. After checking and rechecking everything, he peeled off his wet shirt and, in just the shorts, bent to his pack, probably looking for a dry shirt.
Kitty dropped her drink. “Sweet baby Jesus,” she whispered.
He wasn’t bulky. His body had been hardened and trained over the years the old-fashioned way, from lots of hard work.
“He’s even hotter than I thought,” Lani whispered.
“I don’t know what I’d do to him first,” Kitty whispered back.
Harley knew. She knew exactly. She’d lick that stomach, then drop to her knees and slowly ease those shorts down over his hips so that she could lean in and-
“Think he’s taken?” Tandy whispered.
“Yes,” Harley said without thinking.
They all turned and stared at her. “By you?” Tandy asked incredulously.
Okay, she was pretty sure that was not a compliment.
Shelly’s eyes were narrowed. Clearly they weren’t willing to believe Harley could catch a man like TJ-which led to a problem.
Harley was a horrible liar, always had been. The fact was, TJ wasn’t taken, not by her, not by anyone. TJ belonged to no one, except maybe the mountain.
“Is he with someone?” Tandy asked again.
“Can’t really say,” Harley whispered. There. How was that for the truth? She couldn’t say because she didn’t know exactly how “taken” he considered himself.
As if knowing that they were discussing him, TJ looked over, eyes unerringly locking in on Harley.
She forced a smile. He paused, then returned it before turning back to the gear.
Shelly was still staring at Harley. “Why can’t you say?”
“Yes, Harley, why can’t you say? It wouldn’t be right.”
Tandy and Shelly exchanged a look. “Why?” Tandy asked. “Are you insinuating that he’s…gay?”
Harley had to bite her lip to keep from letting the gust of nervous laughter escape. She hadn’t thought of that. But maybe if they thought he was gay, they’d leave him alone. “Can’t say,” she repeated firmly.
Lani sighed in disappointment.
Good Lord, they would actually believe that the big, edgy, obviously testosterone-ridden TJ was gay rather than believe that he’d be in a relationship with her.
Finally Kitty shook her head. “No. There’s no way he’s gay.” She narrowed her eyes at Harley. “If you wanted him for yourself, all you had to do was say so. But honestly, I don’t see him reciprocating. You’re not his type.”
The other three looked at Harley in grave disappointment, as if she’d broken some sacred sorority trust. She didn’t care, as long as she did her job, which, as TJ had pointed out with utter seriousness, was to protect him.
What can she say? She’d tried.
They all got back on the river, and an hour later came to a sharp turn where suddenly the water moved faster than half a mile an hour. Like one mile an hour.
Still, the coeds shrieked and screamed as if they’d come to the edge of the world. TJ called out directions, his voice filled with quiet but unequivocal command, which in turn forced the girls to shut up if they wanted to hear how to save themselves. He was calm and utterly authoritative, and they leapt to do his bidding, as if pleasing him was all that mattered.
When Harley found herself doing the same, she had to laugh at herself, then let out a surprised squeak when TJ let the girls pass them and snagged her by the back of her life vest, holding her and her kayak next to his. “You’re grinning like a Cheshire cat,” he murmured, pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head to study her. “Explain.”
She looked into his face, then snapped a picture of him, glancing down at her LED screen as the picture flashed there. His eyes readily revealed his intelligence, a sharp wit, and also an inner strength that never failed to give her a flutter. He had a strong face, a beautiful face, though he’d hate that assessment. Did she care to share that he turned her on like no other man ever had? Hell, no. “Inside joke,” she murmured.
