Maybe then he’d be able to sleep tonight without thinking about Angie curled in the tent next to his.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Darkness had descended over the campsite, night dragging its shadows across the clearing. Branches scratched against each other around them and the sounds of furtive scampering in the underbrush whispered in the woods behind them. Animal songs murmured in the night, occasionally cut short with a tiny shriek.
Sitting there around the campfire, her arms wrapped around her to ward off the slight chill of the mountain air, Angie was certain of two things. First, if not for the blazing fire and the laughing group surrounding it, an essentially isolated clearing of land in the middle of nowhere West Virginia would be frightening.
And second, no matter how many people were gathered around, quietly talking or laughing, she had never before felt like such an outsider.
She glanced down at the empty bottle in her hand and thought about getting up to get another wine cooler. Then she wondered if that would be smart, because she really didn’t want to have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
She glanced behind her, peering into the darkness, knowing that the facilities were back there. Somewhere.
Such as they were.
Although that wasn’t really fair, because it really was a nice set-up. And clean. But the prospect of venturing out into the woodsâor pretty close to the woodsâin the middle of the night, alone, in the dark, didn’t exactly thrill her.
She tightened her hand around the empty bottle then stood, deciding to take a chance and have one more. Nobody seemed to notice her getting up, certainly not Dave, who was engrossed in deep conversation with Jimmy about blood and guts, or something equally unappealing. But she felt eyes following her as she made her way over to the big cooler. She didn’t have to turn to know who was watching her, not when her skin prickled and warmed with the sensation.
It was Jay.
He and Mike had gotten back over an hour ago, just in time to eat some of the leftover ribs that had been cooking all day. Angie had heard Jay say he was going into town to drink and she almost expected that he’d be staggering when he got back. But he looked sober, and entirely too serious, whenever she looked over at him.
Which was odd, because a few of the other guys had teased him about being drunk.
So either he was putting on an act for themâor putting on an act for her. And neither option made any sense to her.
And she shouldn’t be thinking about Jay anyway. She had called things off between them, she had no business thinking about him. Watching him. But every time she looked across the fire, she had caught him looking back at her, his gray eyes intense even at that distance.
She was an idiot.
She shook her head, berating herself, then tossed the empty bottle into the trash can and opened the cooler, the icy water cold against her skin. Her hand closed around a bottle and she pulled it out, turning toward the fire to read the label.
And came face-to-face with Jay.
She swallowed her startled gasp and stepped back, then felt like an idiot when he reached around and dug through the cooler himself. Instead of walking away, he stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the heat of his body against her chilled skin. He reached down and took the bottle from her hand, then replaced it with the one in his.
She looked down, feeling foolish when she realized he was doing nothing more than swapping out the beer she grabbed by mistake with a wine cooler.
He twisted the cap off his bottle then took a long swallow, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Where’s your jacket?”
“My…what?” She heard the question, but didn’t understand. Her mind was reeling, the nearness of his body affecting her ability to comprehend.
“Your jacket. Or sweatshirt. Or something. I can see you shivering even from where I’m sitting.”
“Oh. I, uh, packed so fast that I forgot to bring one.”
“And why did you have to pack so fast?”
“Because I hadn’t planned on coming, didn’t want to.”
Jay still watched her and she was afraid his eyes saw so much more than she wanted him to see. She looked away, studying the bottle in her hand, knowing she should just put it back and go to sleep.
But Jay reached for the bottle with his free hand and held it in the crook of his elbow to twist the cap off. He handed it back to her, and she briefly wondered if he had been reading her mind and thought that opening the bottle would keep her from running to her tent.
No. More likely, he was just trying to be polite.
“So if you didn’t want to come, why did you?”
The question surprised her, because she didn’t think he’d really care. Not about the answer, not even about making small talk. There was no reason for him to even be here talking to her, not after everything she’d done.
But she couldn’t bring herself to walk away, not again. No matter how hard it was to stand this close to him and not touch him.
“I didn’t have much choice. Dave pretty much told me I was coming.”
“And we all know you do whatever big brother says to do.” Anger flashed in his eyes and laced his words, sharp and biting. Angie flinched, knowing he had a right to his anger, had a right to feel that way.
But it surprised her anyway. Surprised her that he would feel so strongly, surprised her that part of her actually understood it.
And agreed with him.
She opened her mouth to say something then immediately closed it. There wasn’t anything she could say, nothing that would make any difference, or make anything better.
“Shit. Angie, I’m sorry. I didn’t meanâ”
“No, it’s okay. Really.”
They stood there, neither one talking, not even really looking at each other. Angie wondered how long it would be before either of them moved, knowing that it was just a matter of time. And how sad was it that she didn’t want to leave? That this new tension between them didn’t matter, as long as she could just be near him, if only for a few minutes.
Jay shifted and muttered under his breath, then pushed his bottle toward her. “Here, hold this.”
She grabbed it right before it could fall, then watched as Jay reached down and grabbed the hem of his sweatshirt. He yanked it over his head and her eyes drifted down, resting on the bare skin of his abdomen as his t-shirt pulled up. But the cotton material fell back in place when he lowered his arms, turning the sweatshirt right side out. Jay took the beer from her hand, then thrust his sweatshirt in its place.
“Put this on before you freeze to death.”
Angie looked down at the shirt in her hand then up at Jay. His jaw was clenched as he stared past her, his gaze focused on the group behind them. Firelight reflected in his eyes, turning them from the color of flint to a warm blue-gray.
She sat her bottle on the cooler then pulled the sweatshirt over her head. Heat from Jay’s body surrounded her and she breathed in deep, inhaling the exotic mix of wood smoke and spice and pure male that was all Jay.
“I didn’t think it’d be that big on you.”
Angie looked up and felt her breath lodge in her throat at the intensity in Jay’s eyes. Then he blinked, and whatever emotion she thought she saw was gone. He sat his beer down next to hers then grabbed the sleeves of the shirt. They hung well past her fingers, the shirt three sizes too big, and she wanted to tell him she didn’t mind but it was too late, because he was already rolling the sleeves up to her wrists. His fingers brushed against hers and she thought that maybe he held them for just a second, squeezing them.
But then his hands were gone and he was reaching down for both bottles. He handed her the wine cooler then walked away without saying a word, leaving her staring after him, wondering what had just happened.
Wondering if she had imagined the flare of heat in his eyes when he touched her. Wondering if she had really seen the need in his expression, or the flare of pain when he looked
at her.
Wondering if she had really seen those things, or if it was nothing more than a reflection of what she was feeling herself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The rush of fast-flowing water echoed in the gorge around them. The sun hadn’t quite made it over the mountains yet and a swirling fog hovered over the river in front of them, cloaking everything in a mystery known only to Mother Nature. Jay inhaled deeply, enjoying the mingled scents of damp earth and green foliage. Somebody smacked him from behind and he stumbled forward, catching himself at the last minute before he sprawled face-first over a fallen log.
“It’s too freaking early to be communing with nature, so knock it off.” Jimmy grumbled, pushing past Jay to sit on the log he had almost tripped over.
“What’s the matter, Jimmy? Head hurt?”
Jay laughed at the expression Jimmy gave him. He couldn’t help that he was in a good mood.
Despite the early hour.
Despite the barely-there throbbing at the base of his skull.
He looked behind him and saw the rest of their small group moving along the trail, each carrying a paddle and either wearing or carrying a helmet and floatation vest. There were eight total that had decided to go on the rafting trip.
And Dave wasn’t among them.
Jay smiled again as the group gathered around, his gaze resting on Angie. Her face was just a little pale, her eyes wide as they looked aroundâand stopped on him. She offered him a hesitant smile then looked over at the two river guides who were just finishing the raft preparations.
Jay moved through the small crowd, not stopping until he reached Mike. She looked up at him and rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. You don’t have to say anything. It’ll be us four in one raft, I got it. Now shut up so I can listen to the instructions.”
Jay laughed and turned back around but he wasn’t paying attention as much as some of the others were. He’d done this before, knew what the guides were saying. Pete grimaced at some of the instructions then turned back to Jay.
“Shit, we’re all going to die. Don’t stand. Feet up. Curl into a ball. Stay away from undercut rocks. Whose freaking idea was this, anyway?”
Jay laughed again, his eyes settling on Angie. She wore the same expression as Jimmy, only he was pretty sure hers wasn’t the result of a hangover. He made his way over to her, smiling when she looked up at him.
“Ferris wheel?”
She blinked at the question, then realization sparked in her eyes. She glanced over at the rafts, to the river beyond, then back at Jay. Her mouth tilted, ever so slightly, at one corner as she shook her head.
“No. At least, I don’t think so. I’ve never done this before.”
“You’ll be fine, don’t worry. It’s fun.”
“I take it that means you’ve gone white water rafting before?”
“A few times.”
Angie nodded but didn’t say anything, and Jay couldn’t help but notice that something resembling relief crossed her face. He bit back his smile, listening to the river guides as they finished their talk. Then it was time to put the rafts in the water and move out.
Jay was careful not to be too obvious, but it was easier than he thought it would be to make sure Angie was in the same raft with him and Mikey and Nick. Actually, Angie just drifted over and joined them, not even bothering to look at the rest of the guys.
Jay told himself not to read too much into it.
“Hey, something is not right with this. Why are both women in the same raft? Moore, get over here, I want to switch,” Pete called. Jay laughed and shook his head as he climbed onto the raft.
“No way Miller. If I’m going to die, I want to be surrounded by pretty scenery.”
“You’re going to get a paddle upside the head if you don’t shut-up.” Mike settled on the side next to him and across from Angie, then turned and frowned when she noticed the seating arrangement. “Angie, let’s switch.”
Jay smothered his smile as the two women changed places, the raft rocking under the motion. Their guide, Mark, took them through the basic paddling instructions, making sure everyone worked together, then they started downstream, heading into the early morning mist.
Jay looked back and noticed that Pete, Jimmy, Adam and Dale were still arguing over who was going to sit where, then he laughed when their guide started issuing orders and telling them to just get in. He knew their own raft wouldn’t go too far ahead and sure enough, they headed closer to the bank just a few minutes into the trip to wait.
Jay rested the paddle across his lap and looked around, taking in the abundance around them. The ground lifted on either side of the river, pine and oak growing thick and green. He squinted and looked downriver, seeing the outline of the steeper cliffs as the mountains grew taller and more rugged. He looked down and noticed Angie watching him with a smile.
“It is gorgeous, isn’t it?”
He nodded, then looked over at Mike and Nick. “What do you think so far?”
“I’ll let you know once we get started, okay?” Mike still didn’t look thrilled at the adventure, so Nick reached out and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Shouts greeted them from behind and Jay turned to see the other raft finally moving their way. Mark leaned forward, giving them instructions as they pushed back into the current. Their first rapid was coming up, an easy Class I. Jay glanced over at Angie, saw the slight tightening of her mouth as she mentally prepared herself.
Then they were there. Paddle, paddle, paddle. Stop.
And done. Jay laughed at the nearly identical expressions on both Mike’s and Angie’s faces as they looked behind them, surprised to hear they had just shot their first rapid.
“That was it?” Angie asked, almost looking disappointment.
“We’ve got some bigger ones coming up, don’t worry. Just keep doing what you did, and it’ll be a piece of cake,” Mark assured them.
Angie looked over her shoulder at Jay, her smile bright, excitement now clear on her face. He felt an answering smile on his own face and realized this was probably one of the best ideas he had come up with yet.
**
The morning passed quickly. The sun rose higher, burning off the last of the mist, and beat down on them, hot and bright. Jay adjusted the strap on his sunglasses then sat them back on his face, making sure they were secure. They weren’t his best pair, but that didn’t mean he wanted to lose them.
“Alright guys, we’ve got a Class IV coming up. We can take the easy way and shoot straight through, or we can get a little crazy. What do you guys want to do?”
Angie and Mike exchanged glances, then looked back at Mark.
“Get a little crazy,” they said in unison. Jay looked over at Nick, one eyebrow raised in amusement.
“I think they’re getting a little cocky.”
“Hey, this was your idea. I’m putting the blame squarely on your shoulders.”
Jay laughed and shifted, repositioning his feet so he was more balanced on the raft. Mark gave them instructions on which way they would paddle, and what to expect each minute, along with what to do if they fell out.
Get back to the raft, or aim for the middleâaway from the undercut rocks near the bank.
Everyone dipped their paddles in, waiting, then Mark shouted his instructions and everyone dug in, pulling harder as the raft shot forward. Waves of water pummeled them, pushing and pulling at the raft as it tumbled left then right, sailing over a rock then coming back down.
“Right side forward, left side back.” Mark’s voice carried over the roar of thousands of gallons of water forcing its way between the rocks. Jay’s paddle met air as the raft went airborne then landed nose first. The right side, their side, scraped against a boulder and tilted up, up. Jay dug his foot in and leaned back as the nose of the raft dipped down once more. A wall of water crashed over them, leaving everyone wet and sputtering before disappearing behind them.
Jay heard a surprised scream and turned forward just
as Angie lost her balance. She wheeled her arms, her grip still tight on the paddle as she started falling backward. Jay lunged for her, his fingers just catching a strap of her jacket before she tumbled backward and disappeared into the water.
“Holy shit.” Jay wasn’t sure who yelled, didn’t care as his heart dropped into his stomach, fear holding him in an icy death grip. His eyes scanned the water, searching for signs of Angie. Her paddle broke the surface, straight up like some misplaced street sign, but he didn’t see her.
And then he realized she was still holding onto the paddle as the river swept her away.
“Paddle, paddle, paddle!” Mark shouted the instructions, leaning hard on his paddle to steer them through the rapids. Jay didn’t know where he found the strength, only knew that they had to paddle, that if they didn’t, they wouldn’t reach Angie in time.
He muttered a prayer over and over, watching as that lone paddle moved downstream, shifting away from the middle and closer to the right bank, closer to the unforgiving, undercut rocks.
But Angie still hadn’t surfaced and Jay’s fear grew. She was alright, she had to be alright because she was still holding that damn paddle straight up. She had to be alright.
His arms burned as he dug deeper into the water, pulling with everything he had to reach Angie. And they would reach her, because the alternative was unbearable.
“Look, there!”
Jay looked in the direction Mike was indicating with a nod of her head and felt a sliver of short-lived relief when he saw Angie’s head break the surface. Her eyes widened in shock before she turned onto her back, her feet stretched out in front of her. Her body bounced over another rock and she went under again, the water claiming her one more time.
“Faster! There’s another Class IV coming up. Paddle, paddle.”
Fear like he had never known before gripped Jay and he struggled to push it away, knowing only that he had to paddleâhard, fastâto reach Angie before her body was battered into the rocks.
She broke the surface once more, her arms flailing by her side, the paddle still in her hand. He watched her face harden in determination as she turned in the raging water then flipped over, now on her stomach, her feet kicking against the water as she aimed for the raft.
Playing With Fire (Firehouse Fourteen Book 2) Page 16