Wild at Heart

by Rhonda Laurel

  The elephant in the room was the sleeping arrangements. It was a nice spacious couch but not for someone of Chance’s height and girth. He didn’t seem nervous at all. In fact, he opened his leather duffle bag and had taken his shaving kit into the bathroom. She went over to the doors, hands in her pockets to keep from fidgeting. What was there to be nervous about?

  “Which side do you want?” Chance asked.

  “Um.” She bit her lip. “The right. It has more sockets on that side.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She cleared her throat. “How are we going to do this?”

  “You mean we’re not sharing a bed?” He put his hands on his hips. “I’m fully committed to this charade. I’m totally OK with us sleeping together.”

  “Well, I’m not.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I mean—”

  “Relax.” He bit back a smile. “I was kidding.”

  “Oh.” She made herself relax. “Of course.”

  Well, that was kind of fast. He could have at least thrown in some pithy remark to show he’d thought about it seriously. He was being pretty flirty in the car. Instead, he’d opened his duffle bag and was putting his things away. Maybe he wasn’t interested. He’d complimented Liv on that stupid vest she was wearing. He probably thought she was being practical when she probably bought the vest because there were places for her makeup.

  She should just let it go, but now she was on the verge of being insulted. The idea that he didn’t find her attractive was like thinking the earth was flat.

  She looked his way when he turned to go back into the bedroom. “What if someone bursts in and sees you on the sofa?”

  “My first question would be why they’d burst into our room.” He smiled, then his expression turned serious. “Your friends aren’t swingers, are they? Because I don’t cross swords with guys, and I definitely don’t share my woman.”

  “No!” she screeched. “We are not swingers. Janie has boundary issues. She’s liable to just open the door.”

  He scratched at his beard for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it. If someone comes in and I’m on the couch, we could say we had an argument and you kicked me out of bed. Not that it would be believable.”

  “Oh, it’s plausible.” She put her hand on her hip. “You can be maddening at times.”

  “Trust me.” He moved closer to her and stared down into her eyes. “If we were a real couple, there’s no way you’d kick me out of bed.”

  She stood her ground, gazing into those blue eyes, trying not to blink. It was clear that’s what he wanted, to get her flustered. She could turn on the charm too. If she wanted, he’d be begging to get into bed with her. Suddenly there was a thunderous knock on the door. Shannon went over and opened it.

  It was Janie. “I hate to disturb the lovebirds, but we’re hungry. I’m seriously thinking of eating the power bar I found in my purse for after my workouts at the gym.”

  “She’s bluffing,” Shannon looked at her friend. “She’s only been to the gym once, and that was to sign the membership contract.”

  “We can’t have Janie doing anything as dangerous as eating a nutritional meal replacement.” He smiled and turned to Shannon. “We’ll finish our discussion later. Right now, we have people to feed.”

  “Nice to know you care, Chance.” Janie squinted at Shannon as she linked her arm with Chance’s. “You coming, Shannon?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” she replied. “I just need to freshen up.”

  She went into the bathroom with her toiletry bag and retrieved her brush. She was overdue for a haircut. She’d have to remember to make an appointment with her stylist next week. She glanced at her hands. She could do with a good manicure too. She didn’t have the time to obsess on self-grooming. Where would she find the time? Sam had told her it was a delicate balance of juggling life’s pleasures with other responsibilities. She still didn’t know how her boss did it. She had kids and a husband.

  She swiped the room key from the dresser and marched over to the door. As soon as she shut the door and started down the hall, she felt someone gaining on her quickly. They reached out and touched her shoulder. She reached up and yanked their wrist hard then moved back into a self-defense stance Sam had taught her, only to find Brooks was her would-be assailant.

  “Ouch!”

  “Brooks!” She put a hand to her throat. “You scared the life out of me.”

  “Easy Bruce Lee.” He massaged his wrist. “You nearly broke my hand.”

  “Why were you sneaking up on me?”

  “I was not.”

  “Uh huh.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  “I guess we’re going to be bumping into each other the entire weekend.” He motioned toward his door.

  “I doubt it. I plan to stay busy and have a good time. I suggest you do the same.” She turned to walk away.

  “How can I?” He grabbed her wrist. “When you’re here with Ranger Rick?”

  “Who I spend my time with is none of your business. Especially since you’re here for the weekend with one of my friends.”

  “I wouldn’t have to be here with my rebound if you hadn’t unceremoniously dumped me. How long have you been seeing him? The timeline he gave at dinner sounds like you two were already together at the same time we were going out.”

  “I could ask you the same thing.” She wrenched her hand away. “But I don’t care about the answer. And just for the record, I wasn’t seeing Chance when we were dating. I’m considerate of other people’s feelings. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to help prepare dinner.”

  She walked briskly down the corridor, anxious to get away from Brooks. She grasped the oak banister and went down the steps past all the laughter and music playing in the living room area and headed straight for the kitchen. As soon as she laid eyes on Chance, she felt at ease. He looked quite serious as he stood by the kitchen door looking out at the greenery in the back of the lodge.

  “See anything interesting out there?” She walked over and stood next to him.

  “Just listening to the sounds of nature.” He kept his eyes trained on the surrounding woods.

  “It’s so quiet.”

  “I know.” He scratched at his beard, then turned back to the kitchen, assessing the situation. He then looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Did Brooks say something to you?” He fixed a steely gaze on her.

  “I ran into him in the hallway. He was being obnoxious.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He hoisted up his shirt sleeves.

  She touched his forearm. “I can handle Brooks. I did handle Brooks.”

  “Are you sure? I want to teach that guy a lesson.”

  “Thanks for the unbridled enthusiasm, but I may have overreacted a bit. I thought he was sneaking up on me.”

  “Was he?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think he’ll do it again.” She smiled.

  “OK.” His face softened. “I guess we should get to work.”

  “I thought there would be twelve pots going by now.” She went over to the sink and washed her hands.

  “How many people are here?”

  “Sixteen. Eight couples.”

  “OK.” He rubbed his hands together. “What can you cook?”

  “I should cook because I’m the girl?” She huffed.

  “Dial it back. I meant no offense.” He held up a hand. “I only know how to make two things. Mac and cheese and mystery gumbo.”

  “Mystery gumbo?”

  “You throw everything in the fridge in a pot, make a stew, and pray no one gets sick.”

  She gave him an incredulous look.

  “What?” He opened the cupboard. “My mother worked a lot. Leigh and I had to improvise some nights.”

  “Your dad wasn’t around?”

  “I don’t want to talk about Joe.” He said as he set the spices he’d need on the table. “Why don’t you see wha
t’s in the fridge?”

  “Fingers crossed for a takeout menu.” She pulled on the handle of the huge stainless-steel refrigerator.

  “If we’re going to make the gumbo, we’ll need the holy trinity to get this whole thing started.” He opened another cupboard, searching for a pot.

  “How bad is this gumbo? We need the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit to bless this meal?”

  “Ha ha.” He shook his head. “Culinary holy trinity. Onions, bell peppers, and celery.”

  She furrowed her brows. That didn’t sound right. “I thought it was carrots, not bell peppers?”

  “Ha! You know more about cooking than you let on.” He threw a towel over his shoulder.

  “I know to play dumb so someone else will do the cooking.” She flashed a cheesy smile and began pulling items out. “Let’s see. There’s your trinity. There’s also some chicken, shrimp, and sausage. I don’t know what kind, though. And I don’t see any okra.”

  “I won’t tell if you won’t.” He winked. “Pass me that shrimp. I’ll get them cleaned up. You dice up those vegetables. My granny used bell peppers instead of carrots. She was from Louisiana.”

  “You’ve got some Cajun in you, eh?”

  “Oui, mon chere. I love New Orleans. It’s a good place that has a rich history and lots of soul.” He dumped the shrimp into a colander and rinsed them.

  “And great jazz.” She searched the kitchen for a knife, cutting board, and bowl. “I learned to appreciate jazz by frequenting clubs in New Orleans.”

  “Let me guess. You dated a jazz musician one crazy summer.”

  “No. My sophomore roommate in college was a girl named Angelique. We became good friends. She taught me a lot about the culture. Her family had a lovely home in the Garden District. I totally don’t feel like a tourist anymore when I visit.” She sliced the top off a celery stalk and began to cut it into cubes. “Are these small enough?”

  “A little smaller.” He surveyed her handiwork then went back to cleaning the shrimp. “Granny Jenny taught us a lot about our heritage. She used to say New Orleans came to life at night in a way like no other city in the world. The living and dead all rejoiced together until the sun came up.”

  “Very poetic. Sounds like Granny Jenny had a lot of soul.” She kept dicing away, keeping the rhythm she’d fallen into. She hadn’t been in the kitchen to fix her own meals in ages.

  “She did. She said the Bayou spoke to her. She was a pretty good singer too. She encouraged Leigh to embrace her talent at an early age.”

  “She’s a great talent.”

  “Yes, she is. I always knew she’d make it big.” He put the cleaned shrimp in a colander and went to work on the slicing the sausage.

  “What did you granny encourage you to embrace?”

  He thought for a moment. “Freedom.”

  Wasn’t everyone essentially free? Yes, but people were complex. There were different levels of imprisonment. He may not have been confined physically, but she could see the signs of someone in a mental jail. She’d recognized it because she’d been in a mental prison ever since Paris and had been fighting her way back to feeling like the wild, carefree young woman she’d been before she was abducted. But seeing the world with grown-up eyes had changed that. She was no longer innocent in that regard. She’d met the Boogey Man. He’d slipped something into her drink at a fancy nightclub, and she’d barely escaped with her life. It had made her be more present and aware of her surroundings. She still wouldn’t drink from a glass that she hadn’t witnessed had been poured from a bottle or a can. She was more aware when people stared at her, and if they looked too long, she’d casually reach into her purse and put her hand on her tazer. She’d even found it hard to feel safe at Regency, the best private security firm in the world.

  What did Chance want to be free from? He seemed to live his life like he pleased, but something still made him keep the world at bay. She had a feeling he preferred being alone. A guy like that had no short supply of women willing to be with him. His heart was guarded, just like hers.

  Laughter came from the direction of the living room. Everyone was having a good time. She was tempted to go in there to see what they’d found so funny, but she still wasn’t ready to slip back into her role in the group again. Brooks and Liv together was a little weird, but she was over that. It felt more comfortable staying in the kitchen with Chance.

  “You can join them if you like,” he said.

  “Oh no.” She waved a celery stalk at him. “It wouldn’t be fair to make you cook this huge meal on your own. I stick by my commitments.”

  “And you didn’t before?”

  “It wasn’t a priority not so long ago. But I’m learning.” She handed him the bowl of diced veggies. “Since you want to know about me. I want to know something about you.”

  “About why I don’t get along with my dad?” He put the shrimp in a colander and walked over to her. “Why are you so interested in my relationship with my dad?”

  “I’m nosey.”

  “I think it’s more than that,” he said.

  “Nope. I don’t think so.”

  “You sure are pretty when you’re sidestepping an issue.” He moved a lock of her hair out of her eyes.

  “You can’t play to my vanity.”

  “Uh huh.” Chance leaned in to kiss her lips.

  She met him halfway, and as soon as their lips connected, a surge of electricity shot through her body. He pulled her closer to deepen the kiss, and she instinctively put her arms around his neck.

  “Whoops!”

  They broke apart to see Janie standing in the doorway with a wineglass and a long neck in each hand.

  “Don’t mind me.” She set the drinks down and backed out of the kitchen. “Just remember we’re all starved.”

  “Thanks, Janie.”

  “I guess we should get back to kitchen duties.” He caressed her cheek.

  “Yes. The crowd may get unruly.” She took a step back and handed him the beer, but she went to the sink and poured out her wine.

  “Something wrong with the wine?”

  “I’m parched. I’d rather have water.” She retrieved the water from the fridge and began fumbling to open it. Her hands were shaking.

  Chance took the bottle from her and twisted the cap off with ease.

  “Thanks.”

  They finished preparing the meal in silence, which was driving her crazy. Who could focus on mystery gumbo when they’d just shared a hot kiss? Chance seemed so focused on stirring the pot that she thought the spoon would melt. She couldn’t take it. She had to say something.

  “You didn’t tell me about your store. I know you mentioned a few things when we had dinner yesterday. You said something about guided tours?” She turned on a burner on a stove and set a pot of water on it for the rice to serve with the gumbo.

  Asking about his store livened him up. She noticed how he came to life when he talked about the hiking trails he’d done across the country. He’d worked his butt off saving to open his store with Porter, his childhood friend. And the recent addition of Theo, the new partner, had assisted in getting the guided tours off the ground. Things were going so well that they were toying with expansion, but he seemed to have some reservations.

  Before she knew it, an hour had flown by, and the gumbo was ready. Chance turned off the burner and lifted the lid. They both looked into the pot.

  “I thought mist like that only came out of a witch’s cauldron.” Shannon bit her lip.

  “I may have put too many spices in there.” He stirred the gumbo. “Grab some spoons.”

  “For what?”

  “We have to taste test this before we serve it.”

  She retrieved spoons from a drawer, and they each heaped out a spoonful and tasted. To her surprise, it was pretty good. She gave him a thumbs up. “Ça c’est bon.”

  “Not bad.” He smiled. “Let’s get the crowd fed.”

  She placed the rice into a bowl while Chance sli
pped on some oven mitts and poured the gumbo into a huge serving bowl. The gang all cheered and began to sit at the large oak dining room table. Well, everyone except Brooks. He looked like he was expecting to order takeout any moment.

  The group was ready to go. The food and drinks were flowing when suddenly Chance tapped on his glass with his fork.

  “Excuse me, everyone. I was wondering if anyone would mind if I say grace?”

  “Sure.” She looked at him. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Of course,” Janie said. “I feel like a heathen.”

  “That’s because you are one.” Fiona laughed.

  They linked hands around the table, and when it was time to take Chance’s hand, she linked their fingers together instead of cupping hands. Shivers ran down her spine as he rubbed his thumb along the side of her hand. He had strong hands, but he was gentle with her. She closed her eyes. She didn’t have to look up to know Brooks was looking at her.

  “Thank you for giving us this wonderful meal to share with new and old friends alike.”

  “Amen.”

  Shannon dug into her food with fervor as she talked with her friends while Chance fell into another conversation about motorcycles with the guys. She wondered what the evening would bring when they went back to the room. After that kiss they shared, she felt like anything was possible, which was crazy because they hardly knew each other. But it seemed like they’d known each other forever.

  * * *

  Chance helped clear the plates, talked with the guys, and had even played a few hands of poker. Anything that would keep him from going back to the room with Shannon. The low aching started within him when they’d kissed and hadn’t abated no matter what frivolous activities he engaged in. She did look pretty sitting on the couch with Cheyenne, Fiona, and Janie. They were chatting and catching up on all the things she’d missed when she took her emotional sabbatical. Whatever caused her to separate from the group had stung her hard, but he was no closer to finding out what had triggered the distance.

  The longer he looked, the prettier she got. There was no way he would share a room with her tonight. He wouldn’t get a wink of sleep thinking about their proximity. His cell phone rang, and he looked at the display. It was one of his business partners calling. He excused himself from the table and went out onto the back porch.