by Dawn Brower
Dallas strolled over to her to her side. “It’s okay to move now. That snake isn’t going to come back here to bother you.”
With eyes still glazed over in shock, the only word she could get out was, “Promise?”
A soft smile crossed his face. “Absolutely.”
With that Ginnifer allowed herself to relax for the first time in several minutes. She started to shake with relief, and Dallas pulled her into his arms. He hugged her close until she no longer felt the tremors overcoming her body. “Ssh, it’s okay, Gin, the big bad snake is long gone.”
A laugh escaped her mouth when he whispered those words in her ear. She looked up at him with a wobbly smile. “I’m okay, thank you. I’m petrified of snakes.”
He nodded at her, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “I never would have guessed.”
Ginnifer rolled her eyes at him. “Why’d you have to go and ruin a perfectly good moment and turn into an ass.”
Dallas had a cocky smile on his face. “You should know by now, Gin, that I’m not a good guy.” He turned and walked away from her and gathered the rest of the group. “It’s time for us to head back. We need to check in with Emma at the dining hall.”
They all followed him, and as they made their way back, Ginnifer hoped that finding the snake didn’t make them the winner of the scavenger hunt. She didn’t want to go on a campout with Dallas anymore. All she wanted to do was go back to her cabin and lick her wounds. It was time to accept that the time they had together had come to an end. Unfortunately finding that snake changed everything. The thing she had previously wanted was the one thing she now dreaded. After all the tallies were in, it looked like she had to prepare for the overnight camping trip from hell. Ginnifer felt like she was in a living nightmare. Earlier in the day she had thought, if only wishing made it so… Now she had that thought for entirely different reasons. The day had started out with such promise, and now it was ending filled with misery. She had no way of escaping. If Tori could manage going on a scavenger hunt with a man who blatantly hated her, surely Ginnifer could manage to go on an overnight camping trip with her lover and his ex-fiancée. Her mind filled with cynicism as she thought, isn’t life grand?
Chapter Eighteen
The walls were closing in on her. The longer Ginnifer remained in that building, the more her lungs failed to work properly. Each breath she took burned her lungs, causing her to choke as she exhaled. The extent of her luck held—that being she still had none to speak of. Winning the scavenger hunt should have been a good thing. In Ginnifer’s case it happened to be something she wanted to lose. That damned snake ensured they had gotten the most points. No other team had found any extra items. To top it all off, they had also made it back first. So even if they hadn’t found the blasted snake, they would most likely have won anyway. The freaking snake deciding to make a home around Ginnifer’s leg ensured they would be more difficult to beat. The more she looked at it, she realized she was in a lose-lose situation. Damned if she did and damned no matter what she freaking didn’t do. Could my day possibly get any worse?
The directions that Emma had given the winning team were to pack a light bag and return to the dining hall at seven that evening. It would give them time to go over the rules and get out to the campsite Wes and Dallas had set up. Ginnifer, Melody, Cassidy, and Shelly were the team that won. The men would go over what was expected of each of them before they left for camp. Oh joy…
Once she escaped the confinement of the dining hall, she was able to finally allow herself a deep breath. Space, she needed lots of space in order to make it through the next twenty-four hours. Fuck, like she was going to actually get any room to breathe. She couldn’t fully escape Melody or Dallas. Of course Melody wanted to share a cabin with her. It all made sense. She must have seen Dallas with her and was jealous. She had been scouting out the competition and lying in wait to strike when the iron was hot. At least she appeared temporarily occupied with Dallas, so it would give her a few moments away from the two of them. Ginnifer practically ran back to her cabin to gain some much needed distance between her and Dallas. He had stood there the entire time, letting Melody fawn all over him. Ginnifer didn’t know why they broke up in the first place, but why would he make it so easy for her to jump back into his life?
She was supposed to be packing a very small overnight bag. As in essentials only because everyone was responsible for their own belongings as they traveled to the campsite. It was reiterated several times they shouldn’t expect anyone to carry their stuff for them. Ginnifer was willing to bet that Ms. Hot Pants would try to talk another person into lugging around her stuff. That woman was the most irritating person in all creation. Okay maybe she was being harsh, but really in her defense, she hadn’t liked Melody before she knew of her former relationship with Dallas. So it wasn’t like she instantly hated her because Melody acted like a growth permanently attached to Dallas’s arm. Ginnifer needed to cut her losses and move on. Right? How many times was she going to tell herself before she believed it? It didn’t matter how many times she said it in her mind, she knew it wouldn’t stick. She didn’t really want to give up on him, but knew there was no reason to continue the fling with Dallas. So she tried to beat it into her head it was a useless endeavor to hope he still wanted to be with her. She was a conundrum of emotions. One minute she was cursing him and ready to cut her losses. The next she got all sappy and thought about how much she wanted him. Clearly she was falling apart and needed someone to tell her what to do. For once in her life Ginnifer was at a loss and incapable of making a decision.
No, she needed to stop bouncing around. A choice needed to be made. She deserved better than whatever it was Dallas was offering her. So what if the sex was good? That didn’t mean she had to continue beating her heart to smithereens just to have a few more days of amazingly awesome lovemaking. It was very possible that she was overreacting to the situation, but she chose to believe it was self-preservation. She needed to guard her heart from further agony, and the only way to accomplish that was to put a guard up.
She had been inside of the cabin she shared with Tori for fifteen minutes before her best friend made her way back. She looked up as Tori walked into the cabin. Her hair was in a mess, but at least she didn’t stink this time. In fact she almost looked well tousled instead of terrorized. Maybe she had a better time on the scavenger hunt than either of them anticipated. There hadn’t been a lot of opportunity for them to talk while the teams reported back. They had to stay near their respective teams until everything was tallied up. Tori had no clue about all the discoveries that Ginnifer had made during the course of the scavenger hunt. She didn’t even know where to begin to explain how horrible her day had been. So it was no surprise that Tori stopped and with a look of surprise on her face. “Why do you look so depressed? Your team won. Shouldn’t that make you happy…more time with your potential lover and all that?” Her hands waved in the air, brushing the comment aside as she strolled farther inside the room.
Oh where to begin? My depression, the win, or my broken heart? They were all intertwined together as one painful experience, so with those things all at the forefront of her mind, there really was only one thing that Ginnifer could mutter, “Stupid eff’ing snake. Had to go and ruin everything.”
Her words echoed through the room. It remained eerily silent for several seconds before Ginnifer looked up at Tori and saw that she had a puzzled look on her face. She kept staring at Ginnifer, trying to dissect her. After several minutes, she finally began to speak, “I’m almost afraid to ask, but why are you cursing a snake? Is it a literal snake or a metaphorical one? Better yet, are you talking about a man because I get that too, but I need more information. I’m confused ’cause didn’t finding that snake give you a shoo-in to win this competition, explain yourself.”
With a long sigh, Ginnifer geared herself for answering Tori’s questions. What was the best way to answer them? Was Dallas a snake? She doubted it. The only promise he made
was that she would find pleasure in his bed. He fulfilled that promise in spades. She now had a craving for his touch that rivaled any addiction known to man. No, Dallas was honest. It wasn’t his fault she had fallen for him. Trying not to love Dallas had been a futile mission. She had been doomed to fail from the start. So there really was only one snake to truly blame. That wretched creature that almost made her faint with fear as it twirled its body around her leg. So with a grimace Ginnifer was forced to admit, “The snake that made it possible for us to win the scavenger hunt.”
Surprise filled her voice as Tori expressed her bewilderment, “I’m confused. I thought you wanted to win the scavenger hunt.”
Yeah, Tori was correct. Earlier that morning she had said as much as she was getting ready for yoga. She had been so happy having woken up in the best possible way. So when Tori had finally tumbled out of bed, Ginnifer couldn’t stop talking. She’d been so excited at the prospect of spending some time with Dallas, even if it had been in a group. She loved being around him. There was no way she could have known how her outlook would change. She was still basking in the glow of Dallas’s expert lovemaking skills. With a sigh, Ginnifer walked over and plopped down on her bed and frowned up at Tori. “Originally, yes I did.”
Talking a mile a minute, Tori started bouncing her thoughts out loud as she roamed around the room, her hands flailing with each statement. “Well what changed? I need you to explain what possibly could have happened in a few short hours that would make you want to abandon the idea of spending some possible alone time with your latest man candy.”
With a small laugh at Tori’s rambling, Ginnifer resigned herself to telling her exactly what her problem was in the simplest terms possible. “Melody is his ex-fiancée.”
“Oh, you mean Audrey 2?” Tori asked.
Ginnifer burst out laughing at Tori’s interpretation of Melody, wiping a tear from her eye she looked at her and said, “Oh. My. God. I can’t believe you compared her to a man-eating plant. I thought I was the only one that gave her snide nicknames in my head.”
“Please. There is no better comparison than that. I finally figured her out. It took me a minute to see underneath that fake exterior. She is a man-eater. She’s a predator of the worst kind. I feel sorry for Dallas if she wants her hooks back in him. He’s doomed.”
With a confused look Ginnifer asked, “Why do you say that? I know I hated her on contact and all, but that was before I knew she was his ex. Why’d you instantly dislike her?”
Tori strolled over to sit on the bed next to Ginnifer. “She sees us as competitors. She brings her claws out to warn us off. She starts out nice until she knows how to warn you off. You notice how she is sugary sweet with Emma? It’s ’cause Emma can help her attain her goal of latching back onto Dallas.”
Ginnifer scrunched her mouth up in disapproval before saying, “So you think he’ll get sucked back into her bullshit? I couldn’t tell if he wanted to push her away or if he actually enjoyed the attention.”
Tori wrapped her arms around her in a half hug, laying her head on Ginnifer’s shoulder. “What can I say? He’s a man. They aren’t to be trusted.”
“I know you have issues with men, Tori. They are not all bad.”
Tori raised her head and looked Ginnifer in the eye. “I appreciate that you believe that, but you’re wrong. They’re all selfish bastards. Don’t get me wrong, they do have their uses. It’s best not to trust them with your heart.”
Ginnifer frowned and sadly had to agree with Tori’s assessment. “Yeah too little too late. I really tried, Tori. I didn’t want to feel anything for him. Dallas surprised me, and before I knew it, he wormed his way inside. He’s sneaky that way. How am I going to get through a night watching her fawn all over him?”
With an evil smile on her face, Tori stood up and told her, “By using every weapon you have in your arsenal. You have to fight fire with fire. Under no uncertain terms are you to allow him to realize how much you’re hurting.”
“But I am hurting, Tori. I can’t fake happy.”
Tori laughed. “No, but you can be the sexiest damn cowgirl on the range.”
With horror Ginnifer asked, “Do I want to know what you have in mind?”
Clapping her hands in excitement, Tori began to dig through one of her bags. “Of course you do. Don’t worry your pretty little brain. I’m going to take care of you, and in the process Dallas won’t know what hit him.”
With a resigned sigh, Ginnifer stood up and asked, “Okay, I don’t really have the energy to fight you. What do you need me to do?”
Tori marched over and began shooing Ginnifer to do her bidding. “First go get your ass in the shower. I’m in charge until you leave. In fact, I’m even going to pack your overnight bag.”
“Now I know I’m terrified. Do you have any idea what needs to go in that bag?”
With glee slicing through her words, Tori announced, “Yes. And no, it’s none of the bullshit they listed off. This bag will be filled with all of the tools you’ll need to not only drive Dallas crazy but make sure he leaves you alone as well.”
“I still have my doubts, but I’ll leave it in your capable hands, oh Wise One.”
Tori laughed and gestured for her to get moving. So with some reluctance, she did as she was told and walked into the bathroom. There really was no arguing with her once she got something in her mind. Ginnifer might as well get up and do what she wanted. She needed to take a shower, anyway. The hot steam would be cathartic in helping relieve some of the tension from her muscles. If what Tori had planned truly helped her get through the night, the torture would be worth it. Otherwise she had no clue what she could do to make the night go by any faster. As it was, she already dreaded seeing Dallas again. Ginnifer reached into the pocket of her jeans looking for her phone so she could listen to some music while she showered only to realize it wasn’t there. Oh God, Dallas had put it in his pocket after taking a picture of the freaking snake. How could she have forgotten to get it back from him? The blasted man should have handed it back to her instead of putting it in his own pocket. There was nothing she could do about it now. It was something that would have to be dealt with later. But the only thing she could really think about was, damn it I will have to actually talk to him so she could get it back.
Chapter Nineteen
After Ginnifer got out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked out to find out what Tori had planned. She had gone into warp speed to get everything ready while Ginnifer was in the shower. She had dug through her own clothes as well as Ginnifer’s to gather the items she deemed necessary to make her into a sexy cowgirl. Luckily they wore the same size clothing. Tori was a little shorter than Ginnifer, but that only became a problem with her tailored pants. Her skirts and anything meant to be on the short side still fit Ginnifer’s lean body. In this instance, Tori had actually raided Ginnifer’s clothing to pull out a pair of skin-tight black jeans hemmed into a boot cut. When she wore them, she didn’t have any extra room because they hugged the curve of her ass and were tight all the way down her leg until it flared slightly at the ankle to allow for boots. From her own wardrobe she pulled out a black leather vest with three tiny silver buttons down the middle and a cutout in the shape of a V at the bottom of it. It curved up over her shoulders in the fashion of a halter top. The back of the vest was nearly non- existent, with only a couple of inches to leave her back almost entirely bare. She finished the look with a black leather belt that held a holster for a knife and a flashlight. She looked closer and thought it looked like a black lasso was thrown on the bed as well. A pair of black cowgirl boots with silver buckles was sitting on the floor next to the bed.
There was no shirt anywhere among the items on the bed. Terrified as to what her answer might be, Ginnifer looked at Tori and asked, “Where’s the shirt? Please tell me that isn’t a whip.”
An evil laugh floated through the room as Tori sashayed over to stand next to Ginnifer. She picked up the vest a
nd showed it to her. “This is all you are wearing. No bra, either. Just this to hug your breasts as you parade around camp. His tongue will be hanging out when he sees you wearing this outfit. I guarantee it.”
Ginnifer was scandalized. She had never worn anything quite like the outfit Tori had laid out for her. So she addressed her biggest issue with it as she said, “Um, won’t this be a little cold to sleep in? I mean, um, it is a camping trip.”
Tori nodded her head in the affirmative as she began giving Ginnifer detailed instructions. “You’ll absolutely freeze. It’s why I’m packing a nice sweatshirt in your backpack for emergencies only. Do not take it out unless you can’t bear the cold. You need to walk around as long as possible in this get-up so Dallas can’t keep his eyes off of you. It’s a sacrifice we women have to make in order to get our point across. Why do you think I wear those nosebleed-inducing shoes every day? It’s a statement. I don’t like wearing them. Now remember you’re not to encourage him. Do not look at him. Do not acknowledge him unless he asks you a direct question. Even then, be abrupt and walk away. It is imperative that you are blasé about the whole situation. It has to appear like what is going on between him and Melody doesn’t mean a damn thing to you. Be your usual sarcastic self, but at a distance. Do you understand me?”
Ginnifer didn’t know if she was going to remember all that. It was a lot of information to process when her brain was barely functioning as it was. She decided to pretend she had heard it all. “Okay fine. I understand all that. But please explain what the whip is for. I get the flashlight, but what the hell do I need this thing for?”
Tori waved her hands at the item in question. “Oh that’s just for looks. I’m going to attach it to your belt loop so it hangs down. Trust me, he is going to eye it up. It’s sure to give him ideas. Just do not give in to them. Oh, and it’s a lasso, not a whip.”