Chapter 2
Shortly after dawn, Fisher slipped out of Kyle’s bed. She hadn’t quite regrown her bones, but they were solid enough for her to stand and search the floor for her clothes. She found her tank top, bra, and skirt rather quickly, but her panties weren’t near the bed.
She shook the fog from her head and remembered drinking bottled water toward the front of the camper, closer to the door. Right. He’d removed her panties and she’d left her leather flip-flops in the kitchen area of his luxury RV.
As quietly as possible, she searched for her missing undergarments. There they were, on the floor, next to her shoes and her small handbag that she must have dropped when he’d kissed her.
Slipping on her underwear and sandals, she cast one last, longing glance at the man in the bed.
Had she really had wild, wanton sex with a total stranger? She didn’t even know his last name. But what did it matter? She was never going to see him again. And she’d accomplished her goal.
One whole night where she didn’t ache for Cody.
Kyle would never know the gift he’d given her last night. But it wasn’t just the physical satisfaction that she’d always remember. She’d had orgasms before. Usually with the help of Buzz—her trusted vibrator. No. It was the way he made her feel like the sexiest woman in the world. Like she was beautiful, and interesting, and worthy of, if not love, at least sex.
And why not? She was a healthy twenty-six-year-old single woman. Saving herself for a man who’d moved on years ago wasn’t getting her anywhere. And as much as she’d wanted him, she would never, ever, in a million years break up a marriage. Especially when there were children involved.
It was time for her to move on. Get a life. And getting laid was a good way to start.
Quietly, she let herself out of the RV. The early morning sun reminded her that she’d never found her sunglasses. And the Argo wouldn’t open until eleven. So she’d have to drive home in the bright sunlight and hope she could find a spare pair before she met her whitewater school students.
Fisher climbed into her Jeep and checked the glove box. No such luck. She felt around under the seat and found a baseball hat. She gathered her hair into a loose ponytail and threaded it through the hole in the back of the cap. Better than nothing.
At least it was a short drive to the resort. Not too much time for her to think about what she’d done. She pulled into the driveway, right next to Cody’s truck. His door opened and he stepped out just as she shut off her engine. He took a few steps to lean on the open window of her passenger side door.
“Just getting home?” He knew. It was clear from the tone of his voice that he knew exactly what she’d been up to.
“Yeah.” Of all the people she had to run into first thing this morning.
“Good. I’m glad you continued to celebrate.” He flashed a heartbreaking smile. “I’d hate for you to let us old married folks slow you down.”
Like she needed a reminder that he was married. It was like a tick biting her heart, burying itself deeper and deeper each day.
“I hope you had a good time.” He sounded sincere enough, as if he meant it. As if he wanted her to be happy.
“I did.” She tried to keep her voice cheerful. To act like this was just a conversation between two friends. “You’re here awfully early.”
“Babies make a really effective alarm clock.” His grin showed how much he adored his children. “Addy went back to sleep, but Ava is raring to go. I don’t even want to think about when she starts walking.”
“She’ll give you a run for your money.” Fisher couldn’t help but picture him chasing his kids as toddlers. He’d have his hands full, for sure.
“I’d better start saving up my energy.” He stood, perhaps realizing that she might not want to stay and chat. “Well, I’ll let you go. You ready for your guide school? They should start coming in around noon.”
“I’ll be ready.” After breakfast, a shower, and maybe a nap. “Aren’t I always?”
“Of course. I don’t know what we’d do around here without you.”
“You’d manage.”
“No. Seriously, we should have given you a raise a long time ago.” He leaned on the door again. Did he not know what he was doing to her? Obviously not. But maybe that was a good thing.
“Well, it’s not like I have a lot of expenses.” The rent was super cheap on the room she shared, and her Jeep was paid for.
“Well, you might want to save up for a place of your own.”
“Maybe.” But she couldn’t imagine living alone.
“Well, I’d better get going. Miranda is going to need me this afternoon.” Cody stood again. Maybe this time he meant it. “She’s working on her second book. Can you believe it? The first one comes out in September.”
“Yeah, that’s so cool.” The last thing she wanted was to read a romance novel written by the woman who was married to the man she couldn’t have. “I can’t wait to get an autographed copy.”
“So, let me know if you need anything. I’ll be around.”
“Yeah, sure.” Until his wife called him home.
Fisher opened the driver’s side door and stepped out of her Jeep. She gave Cody a wave and made her way to the guides’ house. She hoped someone had made coffee, a task that often fell to her since she was usually the first one up.
Ross was there, sitting at the kitchen table, wearing board shorts and his guitar.
“Look at you, doing the walk of shame.” He strummed his guitar for dramatic effect.
“What? Shame?” She rolled her eyes. “Why is it that when one of you guys gets laid, you brag about it? High-five each other. You never call it shameful. But when a woman does it…”
“You’re right.” Ross set his guitar down and stood up. “Put ’er there.”
He held up his hand and she smacked it. Hard.
“So?” He waggled his eyebrows, looking for details. “How was it?”
“A lady never tells.” She smiled coyly. “At least not before coffee.”
“There’s coffee and bacon, but you’ll have to scramble your own eggs.” Ross picked up his mug and chuckled softly. “Unless they’ve already been scrambled.”
“Oh, grow up.” Fisher made her way toward the coffeepot. She poured a steaming mug and inhaled.
“Hey, you wanna play with the boys?” Ross shrugged.
“I sent the boys home and found myself a man.” Fisher had always been able to fit in with the guys. She’d listened to their bragging and banter and bullshitting. But she’d been a little on the outside. Until Brooke had joined the team last summer, she’d been the only woman who lived here full-time. Lily had come along a few weeks before Brooke, but she wasn’t one of the guys. She’d become a friend, and as far as Fisher knew, she was the only one who knew about her feelings for Cody.
“I’m happy for you.” Ross started strumming a soulful tune on his guitar.
“Thanks.” Was it that obvious to everyone that she’d lived like a nun in some ways?
“No, really.” Ross gave her a genuine smile.
“Am I that pathetic?” She suddenly felt very tired. She couldn’t decide if she needed food or sleep.
“No. Just selective, I guess.”
She grabbed a couple pieces of bacon from the oven and sat down at the table. Food. Nap. Shower. Then she could face the day.
“So who was he?” Ross asked.
“I don’t really know. He’s a SoCal guy, so…” She shrugged. How did they do it? How did they just hook up with random people and act like it was no big deal?
“So what was it about him that made you, you know?”
“I don’t know. I guess he was interested at a time when I needed to feel…”
“Wanted?” Ross played another few notes on his guitar.
“Something like that.” Fisher polished off the bacon and licked her fingers. “What? Are you going to write a song about it?”
“You never know.” Ross turned his attention to his guitar. He hummed along, a sign that he was, indeed, working on a new song.
Fisher took the rest of her coffee up to her room and encountered Tyler in the hallway. He had a goofy grin on his face.
“You just getting home?” he asked, raking his hand through his hair.
“Yeah. So did you keep Brooke from worrying about me all night?”
“I did my best.” Tyler shrugged and headed down to the kitchen.
Thankfully, Brooke was in the bathroom when Fisher got to the room.
Suddenly very weary, she collapsed on her bed. Her body still hummed, but her mind started racing.
What had she done? And why did something that had been so good last night only make her feel even worse this morning? It was supposed to be meaningless sex. It didn’t matter, though. She’d never see him again. She hadn’t given him the chance to offer anything more. Or to disappoint her when he didn’t.
* * * *
Kyle woke to an empty bed. It wasn’t the first time, but it was the first time in a long time he’d been disappointed by his companion’s early departure.
His strong blonde. Strong. Sexy. And so damned responsive.
He felt pretty good about helping her forget her boss for the night.
But he needed to remember why he was here. What his boss expected of him. And what he owed the man who’d given him a shot to make something of himself even without a college education.
Time to get moving. Shake off the fog of last night and go over his reports one last time before getting into the character of a whitewater guide-in-training. He was in good shape physically but had never actually been down a river in a raft. Except for the one at Disney’s California Adventure. At least he was a strong swimmer. He imagined that the years he’d spent boogie boarding and bodysurfing would help prepare him for the experience of being thrown into the water.
He read over the introductory e-mail, which included a list of gear and personal items he’d need, a glossary of terms he would learn, and a general outline of what to expect for each day of the course. The first day would consist of introductions, safety instructions, and setting up camp. He had a small tent, but he planned on sleeping in the RV except for the two nights they would be in the wilderness camps.
Sleeping in dirt wasn’t the most appealing idea to him, but he could fake it for a few days. Especially if it helped him fit in and be accepted as one of the guys. And once he gained their trust, he’d be in a position to take down the company. Or rather, buy them out. Well, he would just be the deal maker. His boss would write the check.
They’d make a nice profit when they sold to a larger company, and if he stuck it to his big brothers, that would be even better. It would serve them right for taking his father away from him when he was just ten. For sending him back when they got their inheritance. He would have been better off if his father had stayed gone. And his mother would have been much better off without having her heart broken time and again by a man who was too good for his youngest son but not good enough for his oldest sons.