Page 10 of Entangled in the Woods
“Hurry back, Fumbles. Don’t go falling into the toilet. I would gladly help you up, but it might be embarrassing for you.”
Hearing Wilder’s comments, Jenny covered her mouth to hide her laugh. This guy was so cheesy. I pushed Wilder’s knee, and he let the barstool turn his body so I could escape his hold.
Jenny linked her arm through mine and pulled me toward the back of the bar, where I assumed the restroom was. I glanced back at Wilder, who had turned back to the bar, clearly gloating with his friends.
We weaved through a few empty tables and walked around the one that held patrons. An eerie feeling came over me as I felt eyes staring at me. The table had four people sitting around it, each with a mixed drink in front of them.
They had stopped their conversation and stared at me as if they were trying to recognize me. Three large men sat facing one smaller woman. All the men looked similar with their dark hair and tanned skin. They all had tattoos on their necks and arms.
The woman, who had long strawberry blonde hair, leaned over and whispered to the largest man at the table. He kept his gold eyes on me, following me as I walked. What an odd eye color. His gold irises stuck out in stark contrast to his tanned complexion. A beard covered his chin and cheeks. The brownhair on his face looked just long enough for me to run my fingers through, and?—
Where didthatthought come from?I asked myself. What was it with these locals? Was there something in the water here? I turned my attention back to hiding away in the bathroom with my friend.
Jenny hauled open the restroom door and pulled me inside. “Tell me everything right now. Leo and I have been watching you and that…guy. He’s huge! No wonder he scared you in the woods,” she said. “If a guy like that came up to me when I was running alone, I probably would’ve peed my pants.”
Cutting off her spoken trail of thoughts, I interrupted. “Doesn’t it seem a little weird here?”
“What do you mean? It’s a bar. In the middle of nowhere.” Jenny checked her makeup in the mirror. I suddenly realized I hadn’t put any on.
“I mean, don’t the people seem just a little off to you? Everyone’s staring.”
She dismissed my worries with a flick of her hand. “I’m sure it’s just the locals Robinson warned us about. They don’t seem so bad. Free drinks and good company, right?” Her eyebrows raised suggestively.
“He’s super intense. He obviously wants to take me home,” I said.
Jenny immediately dismissed my estimate of Wilder’s intentions. “Maybe he does? Maybe this is a one-night stand? Who cares? You should do what you want. Enjoy yourself before you lock yourself in your room to write your thesis.”
Ready to get the attention off me, I turned to face her. “Is that what you’re doing with Leo?”
“Leo and I are going to begoodfriends. If I’m going to be stuck in a cabin in the middle of the woods, I might as well have some fun with the guy I’m stuck with.” Jenny fluffed herhair, posing in the sink mirror. “He’s cute and smart. I need something to do during my time off. I’m not looking for anything serious—a fun summer fling. Maybe that’s what you should have with Wilder too.”
She turned to me abruptly, ending our conversation. “Good girl talk.” Jenny grabbed my hand and led the way out of the bathroom, on the hunt for another drink.
Smiling at her words, I followed. My new friend was right—I needed to loosen up and have some fun before I got caught up in my work. For the last four years, I had been so focused on supporting myself and furthering my education that I’d lost sight of the part of life that was supposed to be fun for a girl in her twenties.
Maybe it was the first beer taking effect or Jenny’s pep talk, but I felt pleasantly surprised to see another beer waiting for me on the counter in front of my empty barstool. Wilder stopped his conversation as I climbed into my seat. Smiling, he clinked his glass on mine and looked into my eyes.
“Glad you didn’t fall in,” he said.
I couldn’t help but smile back.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The poundingin my head woke me up. Sunlight felt piercing as I opened my eyes to find my face directly in front of a window with broken blinds. Groaning, I stretched my arms above my head and turned over to see Wilder sleeping quietly in the bed next to me. Now that it was light out, I could see what the room looked like. It was definitely a bedroom decorated by a guy—sparce furniture with a couple of random band posters on the wall.
I sighed. My body wasn’t sore in places where I should have felt that delicious ache from a good night with a hot man. Last night Wilder had not lived up to his wild name. Disappointing, for sure.
BAM! BAM! BAM!The pounding returned, and it took me a couple of seconds to realize it wasn’t in my head. Wilder roused and rolled out of bed. He pulled on his boxers before answering the door to his bedroom, mumbling something about roommates. I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, my feet immediately hitting the floor. His bed was just a mattress. He didn’t have a bedframe. Grabbing my sweatshirt and leggings, I tried to get dressed before Wilder opened the door. My shirt was barely on and my leggings pulled to my thighs when he swung the door open.
“What?”
“You were supposed to be at Camp forty-five fucking minutes ago!”
“I was a little busy.” Wilder looked behind his shoulder at me. The large man in front of him took a glance at me and sighed loudly. I quickly pulled my leggings up to my waist, hoping he hadn’t seen something he wasn’t supposed to.
“What the fuck, Wilder. You knew you had to be at Camp this morning. It’s mandatory. You don’t have a choice. And now you drag a girl into this?” The man rubbed his hands over his face. “What were you thinking? Get dressed. I don’t have time to drop her anywhere.” He took a few steps backward. “Hope you have enough food for her in this shit hole for the next three days because that’s where she’s staying.”
“Umm, I would like to go home,” I said. Adjusting my leggings, I grabbed my purse and made my way to the doorway. What kind of mess had I gotten myself into? This was the trouble Robinson had warned us about yesterday. Never again. I was stuck here without a car or a phone, with Wilder as my only way home. Great.
