“Then you came to the right place. I don’t want anyone telling me how to fish. I read the rules, and I follow them.”
“I’m totally not surprised,” she said.
As with everything so far, she was a good student, and several hours later we had four king salmon and two rainbow trout fish to show for our work. We stored them in the cooler I’d rented, and then we just drove the boat around the lake.
“Now that you know what you’re doing, next time rent a small plane, and fly up to one of the remote lakes in the Chugach Mountain Range. You might not see another soul while you’re out fishing.”
“Have you done that?” she asked.
“Yeah. The last time two of my teammates were up here we did it.”
“Let me guess. You have your pilot’s license too.”
“Yep.” A cloud passed over the sun, and I lifted my sunglasses to stare at her. “And you could have one too.”
“I’ll have to think about that. But it’s been pretty nice down here. With the exception of the area at the marina, we’ve hardly been crowded.” She pointed to the expanse of the blue lake, surrounded by trees and jagged mountains beyond that.
I turned the boat off and let it idle, and she crawled over, carefully balancing, to sit across from me. She leaned in and kissed me on the mouth. “We’ll have to make up for the lost time tonight.
Shit. I’d been so tired last night, I’d forgotten to warn her about my nightmares.
A line crossed her forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“If I move around in my sleep, just get away from me, okay? Don’t get in my face, or grab my arms.”
Now her upturned lips flattened out. “Why?”
“I’m trained to react. If I’m not fully awake, my body may perceive any touch as a threat. I don’t want to tackle you.”
That was not a very accurate description of what my reaction would be. Tackling would be a nice outcome.
I’d probably break someone’s arm or put him or her in a choke hold. For that very reason I was keeping my rifle unloaded. My handgun would be loaded, but I’d have the safety on and it would be zipped up into the bottom compartment of my backpack. It was accessible, but not if I was completely asleep.
She didn’t ask anymore questions. She just moved to sit next to me, cuddling closer and laid her head on my shoulder. “I won’t grab you if you’re asleep.”
After a full day in the sun, maybe I’d sleep well tonight. A dreamless sleep next to Loren was just what I needed.
Chapter Twelve
Loren
Yesterday I’d been slow to wake up, but today I was determined to be the early bird and get up before Jackson. So as soon as the first ray of weak sunlight filtered through the trees, I opened my eyes. I forced myself to sit up instead of rolling over and ignoring the sun, which is what I’d done the day before.
It was hard to leave the warm nest where Jackson and I had slept snuggled together. We had one more night together, and tomorrow I intended to lie next to him as long as I could, treasuring the feel of his muscular body pressed up against mine.
After the day long fishing trip, we’d both been exhausted. We made out for a while, and Jackson had shown me how to give him a really great handjob, which was also a first for me. Then he’d rubbed his fingers over my clit with one hand, and penetrated me with the fingers from his other hand, fucking me with his fingers until I was incoherent with lust.
I’d come riding his fingers and I’d fallen asleep. But now I was up, and I wanted to show Jackson I could be just as productive and resourceful as he was. Out in the open air, I shivered, even with my thick hoodie on. It had to be around forty-five or fifty degrees. I checked my phone. Five-thirty a.m.
First I washed my face and brushed my teeth. Then I ran around grabbing the same kind of sticks and kindling that Jackson had. I got a fire going, and I grabbed the zippered bag from inside the tent that contained our food. I chose a package of dehydrated biscuits and gravy and set to work.
Once they were ready, I grabbed the side of the tent and shook it. “Up and at ‘em!”
Jackson groaned. “What the hell?”
“It’s after six a.m. And today’s my last full day. We have to make the most of it.”
He emerged from the tent, looking hotter than ever as he ran his hand through his dark hair. “Loren. You’re not going to prison. You can come back.”
“But you won’t be here.” I said. I was the one with the flexible schedule. Over the next year I was going to try to build my business, and accept every wedding contract that came my way. But if I did need some time off, I could schedule it whenever I wanted. He would go where he was needed, and it wouldn’t matter if he needed the time off or not.
He didn’t respond, but he did wander into the woods for a minute. He came back and showered with tepid water and brushed his teeth.
We ate in a comfortable silence. As we put out the fire and rinsed our pan off he asked, “How do you feel about some survival skills today?”
“I’ve already learned to maneuver a fishing boat, fish for salmon and trout, hike, and camp without campground amenities. So yes. I’m up for it.”
“Good. I mentioned situational awareness. I need to teach you to be aware of your surroundings and how to get away if it comes to that.”
“I’ve taken plenty of self defense classes. I even took a Krav Maga class.”
“That’s great. But most of those classes don’t go deep enough. You need more. If you’re going to carry a purse that’s worth more than some cars, then you need a crash course on how to protect yourself.”
“Do you think I should get rid of the purse?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Do you think I shouldn’t have been carrying it?” I asked.
“No. I don’t think that at all. I wouldn’t have known that it made you a target. But some asshole did.”
“It’s not right that a purse could make someone a target.”
“No it’s not right. But I don’t care what’s right. I care what works. For that matter, I think you should rehire your bodyguard.”
“What?” I could not believe what I was hearing.
“I think it would be safer if you had a bodyguard.”
“Have you listened to a word I said?”
“Look. I’m not the public relations guy for a reason. I get stuff done, and I say what I think. There’s no point in sugar-coating it. You’d be safer with a bodyguard.”
That was bullshit. Safer? From what? From never having a life of my own? “Wouldn’t anyone be safer?” I yelled.
“Possibly. But definitely you.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw. “If my sister had had a bodyguard, she’d--”
He rarely talked about his siblings. “She’d what?” I asked.
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. But you should reconsider the security issue. Even if it’s just when traveling. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Where did he get off? I thought he’d understood how I felt about this topic. “You’re just like everyone else. You think you know what’s best for me.”