“Hmmmph.” She didn’t bother to hide her skepticism.
“And not only that, you’re also going to help steer.”
She blinked and turned around, her gaze dropping to the long paddle he held out her. “Steer?”
“Yes. Teamwork, Allie.”
“You’re determined to turn me into a happy camper, aren’t you?” she grumbled, but took the paddle from him. “It ain’t going to happen.”
“It already is happening.” His lips twitched as he turned and pushed the paddle into the water, pushing them away from the water’s edge.
The moment the boat lost purchase on the bottom of the lake, it began to rock a little more.
“Clint.” Her voice rose as panic assailed her.
“We’re fine. Just hang on to your paddle until I tell you to put it into the water.”
He moved to the middle seat and sat down, facing her back.
“I’m going to turn us to the east then I’ll have you start to paddle as well.”
She didn’t answer, just turned away from him again and glanced out over the edge of the lake. The surface barely moved, just had tiny ripples from where his paddle dipped into the dark blue depths.
“Okay. Go ahead and put your paddle into the water on the right side.”
Taking a deep breath she slid the paddle off the edge of the canoe into the water.
“Just like that. Good. Now push through, then lift it out and repeat,” his voice encouraged. “Good job. You’re doing great, Allie.”
His praise shouldn’t have pleased her, but it did. Ridiculously so. She flushed and continued making the jerky strokes, until she finally found a rhythm that worked for her.
The canoe glided through the water, taking them further out onto the lake. Comfortable with paddling now, she glanced up and took a moment to really drink in the view.
The sight was literally breathtaking, stealing away her ability to draw in a full breath and tightening her chest. Everything around her was bigger than life. The dark crystal blue of the lake and massive peaks of the mountains in the distance. So rugged, raw and seeming untouched.
A view that must’ve been relatively unchanged for centuries.
“You’ve stopped paddling.”
She flushed and pressed her paddle back into the water again.
“It takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” he asked, his voice tinged with awe.
“Yes.” She didn’t deny it and drew in another lungful of the crisp clean air. “It’s amazing.”
“I love to come out here and camp every now and then.”
“Wait, you don’t actually work up here?”
“No. I like isolation every once in awhile, but all the time? Nah, can’t handle it.”
“So you work around people?”
When she’d first learned Clint had become a forest ranger, she’d basically assumed he lived way off in the woods and spent his days talking to Bambi.
“Yes. I work around people. In fact probably my favorite part of the job is when I give guided tours to the kids.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “For real?”
“Yeah. Schools bring kids in for field trips all the time. Kids are fun. So curious and honest. The honesty part cracks me up sometimes.” He gave a soft laugh and she couldn’t help but notice how his voice had changed when he’d mentioned the kids.
This was a man who wanted to be a father. She knew it without a doubt. But then, Clint had always been patient with kids. Her stomach warmed and she swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat.
“Though the bulk of my work is spent isolated, I work with people at times,” he went on, as if sensing they’d gone into deeper waters with their topic. “And though my house is pretty close to the park, the town is just about a ten-minute drive away.”
Relieved at the change of subject, her ears perked up at the new topic. “Is there a place that does manicures?”
“Manicures?”
“Nails. A place that does nails.” She glanced down at her fingers as she pulled the paddle out of the water. “By the time you come to your senses and return me to civilization, I’m going to need one hell of a job.”
Clint’s laugh sent a warm shiver down her spine.
“I don’t know. There may be one around, I’ve never checked.”
“No mall?”
“Nope. Couple of mom and pop shops.”
“Wow.” She tilted her head and nodded. “Small town.”
“Definitely won’t find a McDonalds.”
“That could be argued to be a good thing.”
The canoe slowed and she glanced over her shoulder to figure out why he’d stopped paddling.
He stared back at her, his blue gaze had narrowed somberly. “Is it really that bad? Being out here?”
Her breath caught again and she turned around to look out off the front of the canoe.
Once again the view around them rocked her to her core. Made her feel small and insignificant. Made her feel kind of stupid for bringing up getting a manicure. Her stomach clenched and she swallowed hard. Maybe she had become a little superficial…
“No,” she said softly. “It’s not bad at all. It’s pretty damn amazing actually.”
The water around them stirred as he dipped the paddle into the lake again, then the canoe surged forward.
“Hang on,” he called out as she began to lower her paddle back into the water. “Let me turn us toward the shore over there. I want to show you something.”
She relaxed and waited until he gave her the okay to paddle again, before dipping back into the water. They steered closer to the shoreline before the canoe slowed again. She glanced behind her to see Clint holding his paddle still in the water to bring them to a stop.
He leaned forward and his warm breath feathered across the curve of her ear. Tingles raced down her spine as warmth eased through her body.
“Okay, now look at the shore,” he said quietly. “Toward that really dense group of trees.”
She had to refocus her gaze, since it had started to cross from each warm word he spoke against her ear.
“What am I looking for?”
“Talk quietly,” he commanded, his voice still barely audible.
Talk quietly. Good Lord. What was the guy afraid of? Scaring the fish? She searched the shore and started to shake her head. Hissing, “I don’t see—oooh.”
Her eyes widened and tension rocked through her muscles. The bear she’d just spotted stepped out from one of the trees and glanced at them, before wandering along the shoreline.
“Oh God. It’s a bear,” she whispered. “For real. That’s a bear.”
“Yes, for real that’s a bear.” He paddled them closer. “Do you have my camera?”
She laid the paddle across the canoe and fumbled in her pocket for his camera. Turning around, she handed him the small device and then spun back to watch the bear.
It wandered along the shoreline, in and out of trees, paying little attention to them. A shiver ran down her spine, but this time it was from fear.
They weren’t that far from the campsite. They’d only paddled for about five minutes. And there were bears this close?
“Does that kind of bear eat humans?”
Clint laughed again, then she heard the click of the camera go off as he took a picture.
“The black bear is more likely to eat your food than you, Allie.”
“I don’t know,” she muttered. “Let’s just say I’m glad we’re on a lake right now.”
The camera clicked again. “Doesn’t really matter. Bears can swim.”
“What?” Her voice carried across the water and the bear glanced out their way.
“It’s true. A bear can easily swim across a lake.”
“Where’s my fucking paddle?” She fumbled to get the paddle in the water again. “We are so out of here.”
“Easy.” Clint’s sudden hand on her shoulder gave a reassuring squeeze.
“Bears freak me ou
t.”
“They freak a lot of people out.” His other hand descended upon her shoulder and he started to massage the fear out of her. “I promise you, humans generally aren’t on their diet.”
“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes, and eyed the bear warily. Come after me, buddy, and you’ll get a paddle shoved so far up your—
“Besides, you have to admit she’s beautiful.”
She grunted. “She is. Scary, but beautiful.”
They fell into silence, watching the bear wander around. Another movement caught her eye. Her mouth parted on a gasp as a smaller bear bounded out from the trees.
“Her cub.” His warm breath tickled her ear.
“It’s so cute! Take a picture of it.” When he didn’t immediately move to comply, she moved her arm behind her to elbow him in the ribs. “Hurry.”
He gave a soft chuckle before his hands slid from her shoulders to grab the camera again.
The disappearance of the warmth of his touch sent a small ache of loss through her, but she ignored it as she focused on the sight in front of her.
She watched the mother bear and cub wander along the lake’s edge, in and out of trees scavenging for food. It was like something on the freaking nature channel. Never could she imagine that she’d be up this close—seeing it for herself. It was amazing, so touching, her eyes pricked with tears.
“All right. Grab your paddle, we’ll head further out down the lake.”
After one last lingering glance at the bears, she grabbed her paddle again and waited for Clint to guide her.
They stayed on the lake for another hour at least, observing more wildlife. Deer, elk and eagles. Her mind overflowed with images and sensations.
“I don’t suppose you’d be up for a small hike?” Clint asked.
“Actually, yeah. I think it could be fun. Great substitute for my usual step class,” she teased, surprised she was actually excited about exploring the area.
Clint pulled the canoe ashore and led her on a hike that lasted another couple of hours. When she’d complained of hunger, Clint was ready with yet another granola bar. This time she didn’t quite mind the nuts and berries, they held her over longer than any sugary bar would have.
By the time they arrived back at the campsite the sun was beginning to set and Clint must have taken close to a hundred pictures.
“You wore me out,” she murmured after helping him drag the canoe to shore.
Though her muscles ached, her body seemed to be on high alert for his touch. During their day he’d often get a little too close—whisper something in her ear. Or grab her hand to help her keep her balance on the hike. And of course each touch had brought her right back to the warm fuzzies status.
Allison tried to shove away the reminder as she stumbled over to the folding canvas chair near the campfire and collapsed into it, rubbing her aching calves.
Keep it friends, Allison, friends is so much simpler.
“You did great today,” Clint said, glancing down at Allie and giving a slight smile.
She had done great. The realization pleased him. Confirmed what he already knew, that Allison was more than just a pretty face. That the fun, carefree girl he’d once known was still hiding inside, she just needed a little coaxing to come out.
“Are you hungry for dinner?” he asked.
“God, yes. But, please, no more granola bars.”
“No granola bars.” His lips twisted. She probably wouldn’t care much for the other options though. “I was thinking more along the lines of whole wheat pitas stuffed with tuna, and dried fruit on the side.”
“Hmm. I don’t suppose I could convince you to whip up some chicken Parmesan?”
His loud laugh cracked through the trees. “Sorry, kitten. The bacon was the last of the meat we had. The ice in the cooler only lasts so long.” He paused. “Or I could break out the freeze-dried chicken and potatoes. But I was going to save that for tomorrow night.”
Her eyes snapped open and her brows drew together. “Umm…eew. Tuna please.”
“Don’t knock it until you try it. It’s actually pretty good,” he said, before heading to the SUV to grab the food out of the back.
When he returned he handed her the food. “Since I made breakfast, I thought you could help out and make dinner.” He winked. “I’m going to build the fire.”
Allison wrinkled her nose but didn’t protest. He smiled at the small victory, then went to set up the kindling and paper for the fire.
“Is there a can opener?”
“In the bag over there.”
He struck a match and held the flame to the kindling and paper. A few minutes later the fire was crackling and licking heat into their campsite.
“Here you are.”
He glanced up and found Allie holding out the tin plate with his dinner on it. He rose to his feet and accepted the food.
“Not bad, Allie, not bad. We’ll make a camper of you yet,” he teased, expecting her to protest or make some scalding remark.
She surprised him, though, when her face flushed and pleasure shimmered in her eyes.
“Thanks,” she finally said and moved to sit down in her chair, clutching her own plate as she picked at her food.
Interesting.
Clint lifted the pita and took a bite. The tuna hit the spot, easing his hunger for protein, and he polished it off within minutes before moving on to the dried fruit.
By the time he’d finished his dinner, she’d eaten nearly half of hers.
He stood and took his plate over to the hand pump, a few yards away, rinsing it off. Soft footsteps behind him notified him of Allison’s presence.
“You done already?” he asked, noticing his voice sounded scratchier than usual.
Damn. There’d been a tickle in the back of his throat since last night. He brushed off the possibility he was getting sick. He never got sick. Hell the last time had been…a couple of years at least.
“Yeah,” she answered as she took her turn washing off her plate. “I’m going to bathe in the lake and go to bed.”
“You already bathed this morning.”
“Yeah but we spent all day getting sweaty under the hot sun,” she pointed out with a teasing scowl, then headed back toward the lake.
He noted with surprise that she wasted no time. Just stripped off her clothes and dove into the water before he even had a chance to appreciate her nakedness.
His body stirred to life and he clenched his jaw, willing his dick to settle down.
She emerged a few minutes later, apparently happy with the quick rinse. After grabbing her clothes, she hurried past him, breasts and ass jiggling as she made her way into the tent. Maybe she was getting a little too comfortable with this nature stuff.
His body was definitely reacting now. Christ, she’d be lucky if he didn’t have her flat on her back before the moon had fully risen. What the hell. Did she want him to lose control? Who ran around bare-assed naked in front of the opposite sex and didn’t expect a response?
“Hey, Clint?” Her sweet voice rang out from inside the tent. “I thought you said you bought me some pajamas. Where are they?”
He opened his mouth then shut it again. Hmm. Maybe that impulse buy on the pajamas hadn’t been the best choice. She certainly wouldn’t find a flannel nightgown in the bag.
“Clint?”
“I did,” he said calmly. “They’re in the plastic bag inside the duffle bag.”
He listened to her unzip the bag and search through it, then the rustle of the bag.
“Oh my God.”
Trying to figure out if that had been a good Oh my God, or a bad one, Clint stood again and began to clean up the rest of their dinner.
He heard her step out of the tent again, and he glanced over, not sure what he’d find.
She had another pair of sweats on, and gripped the silky nightgown in her fist. It took him a half a second to realize she was making a beeline toward the fire with it.
“Oh no you don’t.”
He dropped the trash and caught her wrist before she could toss it into the flames.
Allison tugged at her hand. “I am not wearing this.”
“Fine. Sleep naked then.”
Her lips parted, and the green in her hazel eyes more prominent in the firelight.
“You’re not funny, Clint.”
He plucked the nightgown from her fingers and put it safely behind his back.
“I’m not trying to be funny.”
Her cheeks reddened. “You buy me a sweat suit my grandmother would wear, and a nightgown that would make her blush.”
His mouth curled. “It’s actually quite decent. It covers all the pink areas, and—”
“I am not wearing it.”
“Great. I’d much prefer you naked anyway.”
“Oh.” Her fists clenched at her side and she swallowed hard “I’m not sleeping with you. If that was your motive in buying it.”
“Allie, why are you fighting the inevitable?” He stepped closer and caught her chin between his fingers. Determination rushed through his blood. And desire, hot and potent. “You want me, and I want you, kitten. More than you know. Last night I let you sleep without sharing my sleeping bag. That’s not going to happen again tonight.”
Her eyes widened and he heard the shift in her breathing as a visible tremble ran through her body.
“I’ll just wear the sweats to bed,” she said with husky defiance.
“I’ll take them off.”
Her face flushed and her lower lip trembled. “I shouldn’t be surprised, Clint. Not after you tied me to the bed the other night.”
“I did.” He paused and lowered his head closer to hers. “And you know what, Allison? You liked it.”
Her breasts rose sharply, the tips just brushing in a light contact across his chest. He barely stopped the strangled groan that threatened, even as his cock hardened.
“Did not,” she whispered, her eyelids fluttering closed.
“Did too.” He pushed the nightgown back into her hands and then brushed his mouth against hers. “Now go change. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
She shook her head and pulled away. “Why are you determined to make this happen? It’s going to destroy our friendship.”
Because she’d been a fever in his blood since she’d stopped looking like a gangly teen, and had developed the luscious curves of a woman. Because he’d been out of his mind with jealousy when Kenneth had made the moves on her. Because if he didn’t have her soon he was going to explode.
Seducing Allie: Seattle Steam, Book 3 Page 11