fall for this man.
Too late, whispered a little voice inside her head. Far too late.
It had already been a monumentally bad morning, the worst, and after being on the edge for close to an hour, and now teetering on a different edge altogether, she didn’t feel steady, so when he lifted his hand, in which he held his PDA, with a sheepish smile on his face, she nearly lost it right then, but somehow she kept it together.
Then Jack was there beside her yelling, “Michelle! Michelle, where are you?”
“Here.” Michelle came out from behind a second tree, a spot of bright yellow in her jacket, her hair loose and tumbling around her shoulders, a cut along her jaw, but otherwise whole and healthy.
Jack rushed to her and hauled her in for a tight hug, fisting his hands at her back as if he was never going to let her go. “What was that? Where were you going? What were you doing?”
“Just trying to get a good view,” she said, sounding shaken. “I wanted to do something for myself, and prove I could. So I got up here, and then I was afraid to go back down.”
“Oh, baby-”
“I’m so sorry, Jack, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He pulled back to stare at her. He let out a low laugh, then hauled her close again. “It’s okay. I love you, Michelle. Love you so damn much.”
Lily’s eyes had locked on Jared and didn’t let go as she moved toward him.
“She’s okay,” Jared said, gesturing to Michelle.
“Yes, but how about you?” It was hard to breathe, but that didn’t matter. “Looking a little worse for wear there, chief.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I’m fine.”
“You helped her get up here, to the top.”
“A little.”
A lot, she suspected.
“She wanted a taste of freedom,” he said. “Wanted to be in charge of her own destiny. Not because of her father, or because of her husband, but because of herself.”
A feeling Lily knew all too well. As, she suspected, did Jared. Being in charge of one’s destiny had to mean a lot to a man who hadn’t always gotten to be in charge of his. She’d meant to strangle him, possibly kill him, but now… but now she wanted something else entirely.
He smiled. “What?”
“What what?”
“You’re looking at me funny. Like…”
Like I want to spread you on a cracker? Because I do…
“Like maybe…” He stepped even closer, so that they were toe to toe and eye to eye. Or they would have been eye to eye if she’d been just over six feet tall as he was, instead she was more like nose to chest, but he dipped his head down a little so that their jaws nearly brushed. She could feel his warm breath on her temple, his gaze running over her face, and it was the oddest thing.
She felt naked in front of a crowd.
“You were worried about me,” he said softly, sounding a little surprised, even awed and a lot amused.
“Hell yeah, I was worried.”
He grinned, and the sight of it caused a flood of emotions: fear, relief-giddy relief…anger. “You think it’s funny?” she demanded. “That I was so worried I could barely breathe?”
“Are you kidding? I-”
But she didn’t want to hear it, and whirled away, leaving him talking to air.
He merely snagged her arm, bringing her back around to face him. At least he was wise enough to swipe the grin off his face. “It’s sweet,” he said. “I think you’re incredibly sweet.”
“You keep calling me that.”
“Yeah? So?”
“No one’s ever accused me of being sweet before.”
At that, he tipped back his head and laughed, and, oh yeah, that pissed her off, too, but he scrambled to tighten his hands on her before she tore free again. “Here’s the thing,” he said. “It’s not an insult.”
She glared at him, or wanted to, but her chest felt too big, and sort of restricted, and for some odd reason, her eyes and throat burned. “We’re behind schedule,” she managed. “Let’s go.”
Michelle and Jack were still kissing as if they intended to swallow each other’s tongues. She stalked past, tapping them on the shoulders as she went. “Reunion’s over. We’ve got a hike to finish.”
THEY MOVED eight miles that day. By the time night came, and Lily got everyone fed and happy, she was feeling the effects of keeping a smile on her face.
Over a roaring fire, Rose suggested a game of Truth or Dare. Rock nixed that, probably with a healthy dose of fear of what Rose might ask him to do or say.
Jack, going through the supplies that had been dropped for them earlier, came up with a bottle of whiskey, which he used to liberally lace everyone’s hot chocolate.
They all sipped, then promptly choked in unison as the fiery stuff made its way to their bellies. Jack grinned and stood up. “Okay, here’s a game from the college drinking days. We go around the circle and tell something about ourselves. Either a truth or a lie…Everyone has to guess which. If you fool everyone, then they all have to drink. If you don’t, then the liar drinks.”
“We’ll be plastered in no time.” Rose clapped with glee. “I love it.”
Jack nodded. “Good.” He sat next to Michelle and poured a second, very healthy dose of whiskey into his own mug. “I’ll give you an example of how it works.” He looked at Michelle. “Truth or lie…me going out with you had nothing to do with your father being richer than God.”
“Lie,” Michelle whispered.
Jack, eyes never leaving hers, lifted his mug to his mouth and took a long swig.
Everyone at the campfire was silent as the implications of what Jack had said, and then admitted was a lie, sank in.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Okay, so now you get the game.”
Michelle stared morosely into her mug, silent.
Jack looked at her. “Now I’ll go again to be first,” he said. “Truth or lie…By the end of our first date, I didn’t give a shit about your father’s money.”
“Lie,” she whispered, head down, eyes on her drink.
“Truth,” Jack whispered, then pointed to everyone’s mug. “You all drink.”
They lifted their spiked hot chocolate to their lips and each took a healthy swallow, while Michelle just stared at Jack. “What? What did you just say?”
“By the end of our first date,” he repeated softly. “I didn’t give a shit about your father’s money.” He nudged her mug to her lips. “I haven’t given it a single thought since then.”
Michelle drank, then coughed, her eyes watering as she continued to stare at Jack. “Really?”
He sank next to her, and smiled a little shakily. “Really.”
“Oh, Jack.” She flung her arms around her husband, the action touching Lily more deeply than she’d expected. Or maybe it was the two deep sips of spiked hot chocolate she’d had. She glanced at Jared.
He was looking right at her.
Nope, not the alcohol getting to her head.
Him.
“Okay, now me.” Rose stood up, a little unsteady on her feet. “Truth or lie.” she cupped her own breasts. “I know my body’s fabulous, but it’s not quite all God-given.”
Rock let his gaze travel slowly up said body, from her toes to her roots and slowly back again. “No, ma’am,” he said. “That’s all you.”
“Fooled you.” Rose locked her gaze on his and pushed up her breasts. “Sometimes God needs a little help.”
They all drank, then Rock pulled her to the log and stood up. He looked down at Rose. “You’re far too much of a handful for me.”
