“Did you hear something?” Hagen’s eyes were back on her, shrewd and focused.
Saying yes would earn her a one-way ticket to having a bathroom buddy and that wasn’t an option, even at the expense of looking a little crazy. “No.”
“Good.” He watched her for a second longer then nodded toward the trees. “Make it quick.”
Rhea grabbed her SheGoes from her backpack and hurried into the woods. No doubt Hagen had a very specific definition of ‘quick’ and she didn’t want to come up short and end up having her tinkle time turn into a spectator sport.
She stepped lightly through the trees, placing her feet gently against the forest floor. It took a fair amount of careful negotiation to maneuver through the thick underbrush but there was no way she could do her business if the group was in hearing distance.
They probably appreciated it as much as she did.
Finally Rhea stepped behind a wide tree and unbuttoned her pants, quickly doing her business. She closed up her SheGoes and was just starting to close up shop when the energy around her changed. She froze.
Something was out there.
Close enough she could feel it.
And it was big.
The energy shifted slowly, receding just a little, making it difficult to discern what direction it came from. She slowed her breathing, and pressed into the tree at her back, doing her best to be as difficult to find as possible.
Running was out of the question. Yelling for help was less of an option. Unobserved bathroom breaks were worth whatever it took to stand here and wait this out.
She closed her eyes, focusing on the energy. It would tell her more than her eyes ever could, especially in the darkness.
It felt mildly familiar, but then most animals did. Their lives were simple and so was their energy. Hungry, scared, aggressive, curious. All felt emotions on their most basic level. Simple and easy to read.
But this didn’t feel like that. This was a little dark. A little desperate. A little dangerous.
And it was moving closer.
Her heart picked up speed and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She only had one way out.
“Hagen!” Rhea braced for attack from the unseen creature sharing the woods with her. She’d given away her hiding spot leaving no doubt where she was. Hagen would never find her in time. It was dark and she was farther away than she should have gone.
But there he was.
He stood in front of her, between her and whatever was out there. Rhea leaned into his back, letting the strength of his energy seep into her terrified body.
Hagen stood still as stone, his arms pressed back against the tree, caging her in. Protecting her from who knows what without question or hesitation.
Slowly she felt the muscles of his back begin to relax. He turned to face her.
“Are you hurt?” He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. “What happened?”
Rhea shook her head. “I’m okay.” Hopefully ignoring his second question would spare her having to come up with a reasonable explanation for what scared her.
His hands stayed on her arms, gently grasping her biceps through the thickness of her sweatshirt. “What happened?”
Well shit. Hoping he would forget was probably a little optimistic of her. Considering Hagen was in charge of making sure none of them died it would be important that he know what she felt. Especially since she was the only one in the group who would see something like that coming.
But explaining her abilities wasn’t usually easy.
Or believed.
“I thought I heard something.” Maybe just letting him know something was out there would be enough. Hagen would be on alert and she didn’t have to tell him she ‘felt’ things.
Most people weren’t too hip on the idea. Like her parents.
“You heard something?” His face was almost impossible to see, leaving her to rely solely on what she felt to guide her through the conversation.
“I think so.” She chewed her lip. Hopefully her face was as difficult to see as his.
He was skeptical. “What was it?”
“I don’t know.” That part was very true. “It was big though.”
“Big.” His hands barely tightened on her arms. “How big?”
She looked up at the hulking shadow in front of her and used Hagen’s energy field as reference. “Bigger than you.”
His skepticism shifted to curiosity. “There’s not much bigger than me.”
Why did that turn her on?
Was it because she was backed against a tree by a man she was more than a little attracted to?
Yup.
Was it because he was willing to put himself in danger’s way to save her.
Absolutely.
Was it because she was interested as hell to see just how big a man like him could be?
Definitely.
“How did you see it Rhea?”
If hearing her name come out of a man’s mouth could be foreplay then that was what this was. Hagen’s voice was so low. So deep it was almost a growl. One that vibrated her insides and made her knees a little wobbly.
“What do you mean?” He was so close now she barely had to whisper. The amount of air left between their bodies wouldn’t sustain a fly. She was no longer observing his energy.
She was a part of it.
“How did you see it in the dark?” Hagen’s breath skated across the skin of her neck as he leaned down. He inhaled deeply, taking all the warmth against her body into his.
“I don’t know.” Also not a lie. Not right at this minute anyway. Right now she didn’t know anything except that his body was pressed against hers and if it wasn’t she would maybe, probably fall down.
“Re-Re!” Stewart’s voice was followed by what sounded like a herd of buffalo stampeding through the woods behind her.
“We’ll talk about this later.” Hagen’s weight left the front of her body just as Stewart crashed through the scrappy trees beside her.
“Are you okay?” Her friend wrapped her in a hug, squeezing tightly. “You scared the shit out of me.”
He held her back at arm’s length. “Don’t you do that again.”
Rhea smiled at Stewart in the darkness.
That she wasn’t willing to promise. Especially if it netted her another up close and personal experience with the local wildlife.
9
Rhea shifted in her sleeping bag, trying to find a comfortable position on the knobby ground cutting into her hip. She was going to have to get a little creative next time. Maybe pile up some leaves under her bag to give her body at least a little cushion to rest on.
Normally sleeping on the ground was her favorite part about camping. She woke up feeling refreshed and calm. Connected even. Not this time. She must have ended up on the hardest, lumpiest spot of ground in West Virginia.
She peeked across the burned-out fire at Stewart. He wasn’t moving. Looking around she checked to see if anyone else was struggling like she was. Nope. The rest of the crew appeared to be sleeping like babies.
It had to be at least a little close to morning. The sky wasn’t as deep black as when they went to sleep. It was fairly easy to make out what was around her now as opposed to last night when the mysterious animal got a little too close for comfort.
Hagen was barely three feet away from her, a few strands of his blonde hair poking out of the top of his giant sized sleeping bag. He’d brought his own and it was a good thing since the ones Stewart and Chauncey found would have easily missed covering at least a foot of his large body.
Maybe even in both directions.
Rhea slowly sat up, being careful not to make any noise. Could she manage to sneak away for a few minutes and clean up without risking anyone discovering her blatant disregard for the rules of the camp out?
Did it matter?
She smiled as she slipped from her sleeping bag and slowly picked up her backpack. What was the worst that would happen in Hagen
did wake up and find her gone?
He’d come looking for her that’s what. And he’d be angry.
But she liked him angry. The way his nostrils flared. The wildness of the look in his eyes. The way he seemed to almost grow bigger right in front of her.
Yup. She could handle the worst case scenario.
Slowly and carefully Rhea stepped away from the spot Hagen picked to sleep in last night. A few yards away from the site she found a narrow path worn into the woods. Probably a deer trail but it was perfect for her, making it easy to put a good amount of distance between her and the group in a little bit of time.
Rhea picked a little patch of trees and set her bag down. Stripping off her shirt and tank top, she shivered as still cool air rushed across her warm skin. She tightly rolled her tank and shirt so they would take up as little space as possible in her bag and tucked them to the bottom before pulling out a washcloth and a bottle of water, using the latter to soak the cloth. Then she dabbed on a little body wash and started scrubbing.
It wasn’t a shower but it went a long way to keep her feeling human.
Once her top half was done Rhea pulled on a fresh sports bra and tank top and layered on a nice coating of antiperspirant. Then she stood still for a minute, listening for anything that might suggest her absence from the campsite had been discovered.
The only sound was birds chirping in the canopy of leaves overhead. She let her feelers venture, searching for anything that felt out of place. Nothing.
Rhea dropped her pants and repeated the process, quickly washing the important parts of her bottom half, hurrying to get done. Standing naked from the waist down in the woods didn’t normally bother her but then again she was usually much more alone than she was this time.
After rinsing the rag and using it to swipe away the soapy residue she rushed to pull on a fresh pair of panties. Her big toe hooked on the leg hole as she tried to shove her second foot into the underwear. The sudden snag threw her off balance and sent her toppling to the ground, landing smack dab on a pile of dried, leafy debris. A loud pile of dried, leafy debris.
Hagen’s energy hit her like a flash of lightening.
How was he so close already?
“Shit shit shit shit shit.” She jumped to her feet and yanked up her panties then her pants expecting to see him wild eyed and ready for a fight any second. As the waistband of her pants cleared her knees she dared a peek around her tiny tree grove hideaway.
No Hagen.
Rhea ducked back into her spot and wrestled on her shoes and socks. She peeked out again.
Still no Hagen.
She scowled at her toothbrush, squeezing on a line of paste. What in the hell? She knew it was him she felt a few seconds ago. He had to know she was missing and hadn’t so much as called her name trying to find her. What if she was hurt? Or worse, what if that thing from last night was still out here?
By the time she finished brushing her teeth and braiding her hair Rhea could feel her frown lines becoming permanent fixtures on her forehead.
Some protector he was.
She stomped her way back toward the camp, yanking on her backpack as she went, the sound of her boots crushing against the ground echoing through the quiet forest.
“Something wrong Red?”
Rhea spun around.
Hagen was propped against a tree not ten feet from where she stood naked just a few minutes ago, casually picking at his pointer finger with a hunting knife.
The surprise of seeing him there cleared almost immediately. “What did you just call me?”
Wait. She was surprised by him.
Rhea eyed him suspiciously. “How did you get here?”
Hagen’s eyes slowly lifted from his finger. “What do you mean?”
She hadn’t felt him. Was it because she wasn’t paying attention? No, that was part of the problem when you had an issue like she did.
It didn’t turn off.
That’s why she couldn’t spend her days in a hospital like the rest of her family. Why she failed miserably when she tried. And it was why she was here trying to prove her choice of careers was just as valid.
And could be equally important.
“I mean I didn’t hear you.” She stepped closer. “How?”
He gave her a rare grin. “Guess you were busy washing your...” His smile faded and the blue of his eyes deepened as they moved down her body.
Suddenly she felt more naked than a few minutes ago when she actually was. Had he seen her? If he was able to get this close who’s to say he wasn’t closer? She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back, embarrassed and a little disappointed that maybe Hagen wasn’t exactly what she thought he might be. One minute he was a knight in shining armor, rushing in to protect her in the face of an unknown adversary.
The next he was sneaking a peek at her tits.
Hagen’s face darkened as he pushed off the tree and stalked toward her. The angles of his face were hard, even under the unruly beard covering most of his cheeks and jaw.
His temporarily missing energy came thundering at her. Rhea started to back up. He snagged her wrist with one hand, stopping her retreat.
It could have been an intimidating move, one that would have earned most men a healthy kick to the instep and maybe even an eye gouging, but the feeling of his energy stopped Rhea’s anger in its tracks.
He was offended.
She held still as he continued to come closer, not stopping until her head was tipped almost completely back to look up at him.
“I don’t have to sneak to see women naked Red.”
No. He probably didn’t. They most likely lined up to show Hagen what they had on the off chance he might want to do more than look.
And it pissed her off. Because she wasn’t that kind of girl and maybe that’s the kind of girl he liked.
And because it shouldn’t matter.
Rhea yanked her wrist free. “You don’t get to have a nickname for me.”
One blonde eyebrow lifted slightly. “Don’t I?”
“No.” She stared him down, getting angry again at his amusement.
“As far as you know I saved your life last night.” His eyes focused on the thick braid slung over her shoulder. He watched intently as his fingers picked up the cord of hair and slid down the plaits to toy with the free bit of fringe under the elastic band he sold her. “If that doesn’t earn a man nickname rights then I don’t know what does.”
She snagged her hair from his fingers. “Then I guess you’ll have to keep trying until you figure it out.” Spinning away from him, Rhea walked back toward the campsite.
“Rhea.”
She contemplated not stopping. Make it clear how aggravated he made her this morning. But the pull of what he might want to say to her was too much.
“I’m not a man you should challenge.”
She almost laughed. Yeah, if Hagen didn’t like to be challenged, she definitely wasn’t his kind of girl. “If you don’t like being challenged then you’re dealing with the wrong woman.”
His eyes crinkled at the edges. “Who said I didn’t like it?”
“I—” She stopped short, not really sure how to answer that.
Hagen chuckled under his breath. He tipped his chin toward where the rest of the group was beginning to stir, loudly. “Why don’t you go back and make sure no one’s head explodes when they realize they’re alone.” He pulled his shirt over his head revealing the most stupid body she’d ever seen.
Like dumbfoundingly stupid. The kind of stupid that made your jaw drop and your ovaries explode. “Uh. Kay.”
Just thirty seconds ago Rhea wanted to flog him for possibly sneaking a peek at her and now she was struggling not to blatantly stare at the thick cover of pale blonde hair covering the width of his broad chest that tapered down over the lines crossing his abdomen. She should feel at least a little bad. But considering Hagen was the one putting it on display she had a hard time scrounging up even a bit of guilt.
And maybe he did it on purpose. Her reaction was probably pretty standard. Want to change the conversation? Take off your shirt. Women will forget what in the hell they were talking about. He figured she was like the women who fell all over themselves to climb into his bed. Another girl with a knife out, ready to dig her own notch on his headboard.
Not this one. If he liked a challenge then Rhea would bring it. She might be a little taken aback by his physical display but that didn’t mean she would ever be a quivering pile at his feet.
She smiled at him, forcing her eyes away from the patch of hair just above his waistline that was a tiny bit darker than the rest. “Do you just walk around the woods with your shirt off trying to impress the wildlife?”
He grinned at her again. For someone who made a habit of hiding how he felt behind a grumpy exterior Hagen was certainly wearing his amusement on his sleeve this morning. Maybe he actually liked being out here in the woods, sleeping on the ground, eating re-hydrated crap, and peeing on trees.
Hagen tossed the shirt onto his shoulder. “Not the wildlife I want to impress.” He turned and started through the woods. “I’m going to wash off in one of the springs. Much easier than your way.”
Rhea watched him walk away.
That man might make her regret forcing him to come on this trip.
Especially if he was going to be in this kind of a mood the whole time.
And insisted on walking around half-naked.
****
Hagen walked back to camp, shaking the water out of his hair and beard as he went. He could smell the fuel from their small camping stove as it heated up the backpacking food Chauncey bought. He probably spent a pretty penny on the high-end, freeze-dried meals, but it guaranteed the best chance at a happy crew.
Or as happy as a bunch of non-backpackers could ever be backpacking.
Rhea was sitting cross-legged in front of one of the three stoves they brought, watching water boil as Chauncey sat beside her, asking question after question about last night.
She didn’t look up as Hagen joined the group and a deep part of him grumbled at being ignored. The same part he fought every second of every hour of every day. His whole fucking life.
Hagen Page 10