by Hoff, Stacy
“Colin,” she said quietly, fighting to remain calm. “We. Have. A. Problem.” She felt, rather than saw, his eyes open.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice cautious, but measured.
It was hard to talk, as if cotton balls were stuffed down her throat. “Sa, sa, snake.”
“Okay. Don’t move. Where is it?”
“Be-behind you. I think it slithered toward our feet.”
“Stay calm. How big is it?”
“Can’t tell. Too dark.”
She felt him slowly reach the arm underneath her until he grabbed something from the open backpack behind her. He inched his other arm forward to reach for something else. His movements were so slow and stealthy it was if he wasn’t moving at all. She could only hope the snake would be fooled, too. There was no time to contemplate it.
“Don’t be scared,” he whispered, his voice so low he could barely be heard. “I’m going to get rid of the snake. To do this, I’ll have to jump up. When I do, quickly pull your feet away, all the way up to your chest. Okay?”
He didn’t wait for an answer. He jumped up, twisting around his body to face the snake. She noticed a small canister in one of his hands, and a lighter in the other. Triggering them both, a streak of fire shot out toward their feet. Scared stiff, she barely managed to jerk her feet out of the way. Heart pounding, body sweating, she scanned the floor. The fire had seared where the snake was. With the homemade torch, they could see the tail end of a three-foot long, black sliding object, slithering fast out of the lean-to. Colin let go of the canister’s trigger, and the larger flame instantly died. The little light from the lighter’s flame remained on, showing them they were safe. For now.
She released her breath, unaware she had been holding it all this time. Her heart still thumped away in her chest, stubbornly refusing to slow down. It took three full minutes before she was calm enough to utter words. “Oh, thank God! How, how on earth did you do that?” she stammered.
“Mouthwash.”
“What?”
“Yeah, mouthwash. When I was stationed in France I got used to this brand. It’s eighty-percent alcohol. Ignites like crazy, as you can see.” He laughed, but the fear in his voice was real. “Shit, Stephanie. I can’t have you here with me. It’s too dangerous. It’s one thing for me to take risks. Another thing for you to be in danger.”
“How dangerous was that snake?” she asked in halting words.
“If it was a water moccasin, and I think it was, it’s pretty dangerous. I doubt you would have died, but its venom could have put you in shock.”
“They have venom?” she asked, feeling the blood drain from her face. Maybe she was going to faint. The stress of this was almost too much to take. She was starting to feel detached from the situation. Like she was floating above while watching it, rather than living it.
“Yeah, it’s dangerous out here, remember? That’s why your television network is paying me a million dollars to do it. But that’s not what they’re paying you. I need to get you out of here. At first light, we’re going to head out to where the boats will be. If they aren’t there, I will take you back in the canoe. I would take you back now, but its still pouring rain.” He wrapped himself around her, spooning her again. He bent his forehead to touch the back of her head. Reaching over he pulled her arm to him and kissed her hand. “I promise I will keep you safe. Anything that’s going to harm you will have to deal with me first. And I take no prisoners.”
She was starting to feel better. More anchored. She tried a joke to ground them both. “You don’t take prisoners but you do have escapees. The snake got away.”
“I try not to kill anything, remember? Keep the Everglade’s ecological balance intact. Snakes are smart. The water moccasin won’t come back.”
“The snake cast out from our Garden of Eden,” she said, yawning. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy, closing as if iron gates swung shut. “That makes you my Adam,” she said, trying to stifle an even bigger yawn.
“Go back to sleep, my beautiful Eve. You’ll need to be well rested for the hike back.”
“I think I can do that,” she mumbled, the back of her head already nestled against his chest.
“Good,” he answered, pulling her even closer. He felt her breathing slow. Moments later he heard faint snoring and fought the urge to stroke her hair. She was so brave. Normal civilians would have freaked out. If she were like them, he’d be treating her for shock right now. For a city slicker, she had amazing control in the worst wildlife situations. He really hadn’t given her enough credit. She was doing wonderfully out here.
Further testing her abilities, however, was not a good idea. And he needed to stay sharp. At all times. No more fantastic sex that knocked him out cold.
Dangerous for him to be off his game. Stupid. He had no business making love to her. At least not here. If they hadn’t had sex, he would have slept lighter, and caught the presence of the snake himself, long before it became a danger to her.
He pushed aside the truth, that his deep sleep had been due to more than just a frisky night. The reality was that his mind had been clouded by all encompassing dreams. Crazy dreams. The one he remembered most was like an old Green Acres television episode. The farm was his own, though. And Stephanie was there, filling in for Ava Gabor. She rode his newest tractor sitting straight and proud, her long reddish hair flowing free. She smiled and waved to him as she drove by. He waved back enthusiastically until he noticed her clothes. Not blue jeans, or overalls, or a flannel shirt. No, she wore the black corporate suit he first saw her in. The tractor suddenly jerked to a stop. Frustrated, she cursed at the vehicle while pushing a red spiky heel down on the gas pedal to no avail. “I can’t move forward with my life like this!” she yelled over to him.
“You’ll get the hang of it,” he yelled back encouragingly. “You’ll get used to life out here. I swear it. Give it a chance!”
But she just shook her head sadly.
And then the real Stephanie had woken him up with the terrifying news of the snake.
Colin held her now, staring off into the empty blackness as she slept. Outside of this lean-to, could he still provide for her and protect her? And would she still want him to?
Chapter 13
Stephanie’s eyes popped open at the sound a screech. It was only a birdcall, but the loudest one she’d ever heard. Central Park was obviously not home to that species. Everything down here was so strange. And waterlogged. And potentially deadly.
She tried to close her eyes again but knew she had no chance of going back to sleep. Outside the lean-to was still nothing but blackness. Even the shapes of the surrounding trees couldn’t be made out.
Wide-awake, she listened to the sounds of the Everglades. The whooshing noise from the wind. The pellet-like hammering sound from the relentless rain. Trilling calls from more birds. Deep, loud croaking from frogs. The animals all sang in spite of the still-raging storm, heralding their survival. Or maybe they were simply making mating calls. This crazy, dangerous environment seemed to give off the opposite effect—coziness and hormone-loaded lust. Maybe it was all part of one’s survival instinct kicking in, the desire to mate being first on the list.
In any case, her animal instincts had certainly kicked in. But more than mating, she wanted to nest. Emotionally as well as physically, staying with Colin was starting to seem necessary to her own survival.
“Colin?” she called out quietly.
“Mmmm?”
“I know this is going to sound crazy, but—”
“Don’t tell me another snake got in. Damn it, I knew I should have built that elevated plat—”
“No snake. Sorry to worry you. I just wanted to talk.”
She heard him exhale in relief. “Okay, I’m listening.” Sounding wide-awake, he kissed the back of her he
ad. “Wait a minute, I have a small flashlight we can use.” He separated from her to reach into his bag, taking out a slim light about two inches long. She heard him flick a switch, and a narrow beam of light was cast. He placed it sideways on the ground so the beam didn’t go into their eyes and turned to face her.
“I’m surprised it works,” she marveled. “It’s so tiny.”
“Hey, don’t judge a man by the size of his equipment,” he joked.
She joined in, giggling. “Never,” she said solemnly.
“Because it’s not how big the equipment is, it’s how you use it,” he winked.
“Trust me, you know how to use it.” Hesitating for a moment she placed her hand in his and relished the moment his fingers wrapped around hers. “I like being out here with you, Colin. I mean, I don’t want to die by snakebite or anything. And I’m out here with bleeding feet. Exhausted. Scared. Wet. In an open tent made out of tree branches, for God’s sake. But I’m not in the rush to get back home that I ought to be. Crazy, right?”
“Does that mean you want to see me? Outside the Everglades, I mean.”
“Yes, it does. I know we just met—”
“We can get to know each other now. Tell me about yourself.”
Stephanie snorted in amusement. “Okay, I like to jog. I go three times a week in Central Park. When the weather is good. It’s challenging, but relaxes me at the same time. Does that make sense?”
“Sure it does. When your mind is focused, it shuts out all other thoughts.”
“Exactly! Pesky, annoying thoughts that need to be shut out. Believe me, working for Teleworld, I’ve got plenty of those.”
“Since I’m familiar with Teleworld, I thoroughly believe you. Tell me more things you enjoy.”
“Hmmm. I like dogs. Large dogs, not the little yippy ones. I adore butter pecan ice cream, any time of year, even in the dead of winter. I love New York, but sometimes wonder what life would be like out in the suburbs.”
“Is this too suburban for you?” he joked, gesturing to the wilderness outside their lean-to.
“Yep. Moving on, I have a killer apartment on the Upper West Side. It’s small, but has a loft. I keep my desk up there. The building’s basement has a gym and a laundry room. No dogs allowed, though.”
“You could get a fish.”
“I could, but it’s not practical to play a game of ‘catch’ with fish. I couldn’t take a fish out for a jog, either. It’d be impossible to get a collar that small.”
“True, very true,” Colin said, laughing. “So what about your family?”
“I couldn’t very well get a collar for them, either.” She burst out laughing. “Sorry, I know what you meant.”
“Uh huh. Can you continue, please?”
“Right. Okay. I’m close with my mom. She’s always been there for me. I’m a private person, so I’m not really open about myself with too many people. I have friends I hang out with, of course, and they’re fun. But I share the most with her.” She laughed, then frowned. “And now you.”
“I’m flattered. And interested.”
She could feel her cheeks heat up, but tried to ignore it. “I don’t talk about my dad much. He’s much older than my mom and has Alzheimer’s, unfortunately. But he’s in a good nursing home in Brooklyn, not too far from her. I visit him whenever I go to my mother’s.”
“That must be tough.”
“It is. He was such a strong man, strong physically and strong minded, and definitely strong willed,” she added, affection deep in her voice. “He’s fifteen years my mom’s senior, they married when she was twenty-one and he was thirty-six. They were really in love, though. We all still love him.” She paused, swallowing hard. “Even when he yells at us because he’s confused about who we are, or even where he is.”
“Doesn’t sound too good.”
“Some days are better than others. I’ve walked into his room a few times to find him singing songs from the sixties. Always something from the Mamas and the Papas. Worst rendition of ‘California Dreamin’ you’d ever want to hear.” She let out a small laugh. “He enjoys watching television. None of the shows I’ve worked on, though. He only likes game shows. Wheel of Fortune is his favorite.” She cleared her throat. Ever since she started talking about her dad, it felt dry and constricted. “It’s hard to watch him slip away.”
Colin put his hand on her shoulder, rubbing her softly. “I’m sorry you have to go through all that.”
“Thanks, but the situation is what it is, you know?” She stretched out her legs and sighed. “At least I have my memories of how he was. A great father, expected a lot from us, but terrible at doling out discipline. We got away with murder. Especially my brothers, Brian and Greg. If they wrestled in the mud, my father would want to join in. In fact, once they did that in our backyard. I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack from yelling so loud.”
Colin dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t say Howie and I were always well behaved, either. Not unless you consider good behavior to be lighting the barn on fire the time we played with matches.”
“How’d that go over with your parents?”
“They never knew. We only wound up scorching the door. Good thing we dumped so much water on it only the surface was ruined. We covered the damage over with mud so no one could tell and the next day ditched school to throw on a coat of paint it.”
“Good idea.”
“Yeah, I’d say. I’m still alive, which is proof my parents never found out.”
She chuckled. “My brothers are close to each other like you and Howie. Brian and Greg help out a lot, so at least it’s not just me and Mom trying to handle everything for Dad. She talks to my brothers every day. I talk to them about once a week. They’re much older than me, but really good guys. Brian’s the younger one, he’s in grad school. He’s getting married as soon as he’s done. His fiancée, Elena, is studying abroad. I don’t know her too well yet. Greg, on the other hand, is a confirmed bachelor. He delivers packages for UPS. Loves the Yankees. Big time. Anyway, no nieces or nephews yet.”
“I’m glad family is important to you, because it’s important to me.”
Stephanie nodded. It was wonderful to be understood.
“When’s the last time you had sex?” he asked calmly.
Stephanie’s mouth dropped open at the non sequitur. Somehow this conversation was becoming more personal than the sex they’d had. It was one thing to reveal herself physically, but to reveal herself emotionally—that left her lying truly naked in front of him. She realized she’d pulled her hand away from him and was frowning. “Nice segue,” she snarked.
“It’s all about getting to know you. So, when’s the last time you had sex?”
“Do you have a short memory or what?”
“Besides tonight,” he said, taking back her hand.
Stephanie hesitated. She hated to get this personal, but obviously he wasn’t going to let this go. The answer would make her sound like a head case. But she wasn’t going to lie to him. “It’s been a while,” she said quietly. “I swore off dating after things went south with Freddie, my ex-fiancé.” She hesitated for a moment, sweeping a sweaty strand of hair away from her face with her free hand. “I haven’t turned into a man-hater. I’m not bitter or anything. I’m just protective of myself.”
She fell silent, contemplating the past, hoping it wouldn’t affect her future with Colin. But the memories were painful. After almost six years of dating, Freddie had given her the key to his Brooklyn brownstone. She had been excited to move in. He had more than enough money from his Wall Street job to support her. Though some may have seen her living off her fiancé as an easy way out of working, she had been thrilled. Freddie understood she’d spend her time writing, and though he didn’t think much of novels, let alone romance
novels, he’d let her do what she wanted. But she never got the chance.
It had taken her a few weeks to move in and unpack all her stuff. One night, just as the move was complete, she keyed into Freddie’s brownstone, hoping to surprise him with a home cooked dinner. But when she went in, she heard noises from the bedroom. It sounded like Freddie grunting. Alarmed, thinking he was injured and in pain, she ran to the bedroom to help him. But the situation only left her injured—he was having the time of his life. Having sex with Adrienne. Her cousin Adrienne. Make that her slutty cousin Adrienne.
Her younger cousin had been perched on top of the bed, exhibiting herself as if on stage. She was down on all fours, arms splayed out, her naked ass high in the air. Freddie was mounted on top of her like a dog, pounding away.
More than the graphic proof of their betrayal, an even worse thought had preyed on Stephanie’s mind. Freddie and Adrienne were obviously enjoying themselves thoroughly. They were having a much better time, in fact, than Stephanie and Freddie had ever had with each other. Stephanie had never looked out of eyes as lust-filled as Adrienne’s. Freddie had never seemed so lustful himself. He had never looked at Stephanie the same “I want you” way he’d looked at Adrienne.
Stephanie was sure she had given Freddie her all. It obviously hadn’t been enough. It was so unfair that Adrienne could just pop out of nowhere, with no emotions involved, and still manage to give Freddie what he’d really been looking for. If only Freddie had told her. Shown her. Cared enough to share his desires with her.
Unbelievably, Freddie had only met Adrienne the week before. At Stephanie’s engagement party no less. Adrienne’s tight fitting, black lace, V-neck dress was cut so low her breasts were barely covered. Stephanie knew should have suspected something when Adrienne wouldn’t leave Freddie alone all night. It wasn’t like she’d ever shown an interest in Stephanie’s life before. In fact, they rarely saw each other, and then only at family events.