Page 48 of Kiss Across the Universe
Alannah took it over to the nearest pine and ducked under the lowest branches. A broken off stub of branch at chest height looked strong enough to hold it. She hung the rope over it and waited to see if it would hold.
Then she went back to where Kit was digging through the interior of the pack. Sitting on the ground, it came up to mid-thigh. It was a big, framed pack, one of the professional ones hikers and orienteering competitors used for multi-day events. Some of the contents of the pack littered the ground next to his feet. She spotted more rope, but most of the objects were in waterproof wrapping, and unidentifiable.
He made a small sound of satisfaction, and pulled out a pair of boots inside a giant resealable plastic bag and held them out to her. “Sock are in the boots.”
“Your boots? I’ll slide around inside them.”
“Put both pairs of socks on,” he told her. “Or stuff one pair into the toes.” He eyed her feet. “I don’t think you’ll have to, though.”
“Is that a way of saying I have big feet?”
“I’m a small size,” he told her. “Go on.”
She took the boots from him, sat on the grass and put them on. They were only a size or two too big, and she marveled. “You havetinyfeet,” she observed, standing up and stamping each foot.
“No one has ever complained afterwards,” Kit said, his gaze on the interior of the pack. He said it absently, as though his thoughts were far away.
Alannah felt the flush race through her, turning her chest and neck and face red. It was, she told herself, just the unexpected juxtaposition of being out here in the middle of the Canadian wilderness and being hit with a joke so old it creaked. But it really wasn’t that at all. She knew perfectly well what Kit was alluding to. The joke was that the size of a man’s feet indicated the size of his cock. Kit’s off-hand comment implied that the joke didn’t apply to him.
And until that moment, she hadn’t thought of him in that way at all.
Liar. You were speculating about his shoulders, noticing the warmth of his back. And you’ve been following his ass for the last mile.
And it was a fine ass, too.
Her flush deepened. She turned away, bent and fussed with the leather thonging that tied the boots closed, and fitting her leggings inside. She slapped at the mosquitos impatiently.
“Here,” Kit said, right beside her.
She sucked in a startled breath and looked up.
He held out a folded garment. “It’ll keep your arms covered. You don’t have to worry about warmth. You’ll be warm enough while you’re moving, and we’ll have a fire when we stop.”
She took the garment and unfolded it. It was a light cotton jacket with a zipper and pockets on the hips and the chest. The cuffs were elasticated.
Kit moved away, his head down, his eyes on the ground. He looked under trees, and around them, moving away steadily.
Alannah was relieved to see him go. She needed a moment to recover.
Recover from what, girl? You’re being a teenager. Her mental voice was astringent. And shewasbeing stupid.
Kit returned five minutes later. By then, she had herself under control. She had put on the jacket and zipped it closed, grateful for the thin layer of protection.
He carried a handful of leaves and stems that he held out to her. “Native sage,” he told her. “Crush one of the leaves and rub it on your face and neck and your hands. Carry the rest with you. It’ll keep the mosquitos away.”
She took the leaves and stared at them. “You’re kidding. Will it turn my face green?”
His smile was easy. “Do you care?” In the diminishing light, his teeth seemed very white.
Alannah laughed a little. “No.” And she didn’t. Now the sun was lowering and they were among shady trees, the mosquitos were driving her crazy. “How come they aren’t eating you alive?”
“Don’t know. They just don’t. Perhaps I don’t taste as good as you.” He glanced up and around. “Sunset in two hours.”
“Two? The sun is almost touching the horizon,” she pointed out.
“It’s touching the mountains. The true horizon is a lot lower than that,” Kit said. “We’ll go another hour, then we’ll set up camp for the night.”
She shivered. It was going to be a long, damp and cold night. “How long do we have to stay out here for?”
