Page 48 of Cherry Picked
“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” ~ Fitzwilliam Darcy
Jack’s voice echoed off the walls, so loud I jumped and nearly bobbled my mug of cocoa. “What?”
“Two sleeping bags, Hawk. One.” He pointed a finger at the bag I was sitting on. “Andtwo.” He pointed at Crys’s sleeping bag, which I’d left with my other spare supplies.
“I… I…What?” I asked again. His words still weren’t making sense.
“Is it…? Are you expecting Si—someonetonight?” Jack demanded, pushing to his feet. “Crys said… But I didn’t think… Do you want me to leave?”
I gaped at him. We’d been getting along so well. He’d made me cocoa with so many marshmallows I was pretty sure my nose was sticky. He’d packedbooksin his backpack alongside his emergency flashlight and first aid kit because he knew that, to me, they were just as essential. He’d brought me my very favorite sandwiches—which were absolutelynotleftovers from lunch, thank you very much, since these weren’t on the summer menu, but I’d been too besotted by his thoughtfulness to call him out on his lie.
And now… this.
I crossed my arms. “My plans are none of your concern.”
Jack stalked closer. His eyes narrowed with an intensity I rarely saw but which always managed to mangle my insides and weaken my knees. “Whose. Sleeping bag. Is. It?”
My heart galloped wildly. “Worried that I’ve organized tent orgies on Fogg Peak?” I goaded. “Wondering if I arranged some kind of thunderstorm sex fest here in Kirkcaster Cave? So what if I did? None. Of. Your. Business.” Two could play at the stilted-speaking thing.
Jack’s mouth opened in shock before closing with a determined clack. “Changed my mind. I’m not leaving. Whoever you have coming here will just have to deal.”
“Suit yourself,” I said.
I snatched up both our mugs and took them to the mouth of the cave to wash them out. Darkness filled the forest around us as the rain pounded the ground, but I didn’t hear any thunder yet.
For three days, I’d thought of nothing but Jack. So many times, whether I was setting up signage on Glassy Ridge, or laughing over how many followers I’d gotten overnight when one of my posts went viral, or stargazing at night, I’d turned my head to say something to him, expecting him to be right there, as usual, ready to offer advice, or make a snarky joke, or simply share my joy.
I’d missed him so much I ached.
But this new tension between us? The protective walls we’d both thrown up and were now defending by launching angry barbs at each other’s tender spots?
Yeah, no, I hadn’t missed that.
I wanted to scream at him, to confront him with his odd inconsistencies. How could he care enough about me to make my favorite sandwiches, be attracted enough to me to get hard when we almost kissed, climb up a fucking mountain just to tempt me with his nearness, and act all jealous and overbearingly cockblocky, when he’d made it abundantly clear thathewould not be having sex with me under any circumstances?
The sound of the falling water was hypnotic, and I wondered at the irony of being trapped here in a cave during a heavy rainstorm with the person I cared about most but who didn’t want me the same way. Or… who wanted me but wouldn’t allow himself to have me.
I’d changed my mind about forced proximity being hot. This shit wasawful.
Even now, annoyed as I was, I could sense his presence in the cave behind me, feel his hot gaze tracking my every movement, practically hear his heart beat. My dick was half-hard just from his nearness. Being stranded in this small space with him all night was going to be torture. If he wouldn’t be with me the way I wanted, I almost wished he’d leave so I could jerk off in the privacy of my own tent.
Why can’t I?
When I walked back to set the mugs down near the rest of the cooking gear, I glanced over and found him watching me steadily.
“You can use myextrasleeping bag,” I told him. “But you’re sleeping out here. The tent is mine.”
He blew out a breath. “Bird,” he began. “I’m being ridiculous. I’m sorry—”
The affectionate nickname did things to my belly, but I hardened my heart.
“You should be. You’re being an ass.”
“I’m not… that is…” He sighed. “We’ve shared a tent a dozen times—”
“Yes we have.” Nerves made my hands shake, but I played it cool. “But my plans tonight require privacy.”
“Seriously?” Jack stared at me. “What plans? Reading? It would be way warmer with both of us together. Remember that time at Joney Creek?”
