Whatever the little beast that had jumped out at me was, it had been just as scared of me as I was of it. It ran off before Jack could even make his way over to see what it was.

“What was it?” Jack asked, his eyes wide.

I shook my head. “I’m not sure… some kind of wild beast. It ran off.”

“Let me get some more wood,” Jack said.

Even though I should have just done it myself, since I was the one that wanted to put space between us, I didn’t. I sat back down and covered my face with both hands.

Every memory of what Jack had done to me floated back into my mind. It didn’t matter how good he looked with his shirt off, I couldn’t forget how he’d just thrown me under the bus.

Hiding my idiot brother’s drugs in my car. I still didn’t know why he did it, and I didn’t care. All I knew was that he didn’t care enough about me to keep me out of their stupid trouble.

The police came to my house. Handcuffed me. I could still picture the way my neighbors looked at me as they hauled me down to the station.

My cheeks were warm, either from the fire or from reliving the embarrassment. Jack had been so desperate for money back then, but I didn’t think he would work with my brother in the drug business. He knew how angry I was with my brother for what he was doing. It was hard to believe he’d gotten involved, and then to put the drugs in my car.

It didn’t surprise me my brother would do it, but Jack should have stopped him. Jack should have drawn the line. Yeah, it was years ago, and while I was mostly over it, I still couldn’t forgive him, nor could I understand why.

“Here,” Jack said throwing a bigger log into the fire.

The flames grew as they popped and crackled. He looked down at me, and I could tell he was worried about me.

“Still cold?” he asked.

“It’s better. Thanks,” I said hugging myself tighter.

No matter all the good times and the love we once shared… he’d made his choice when he screwed me over. He showed me how little I’d actually meant to him.

I’d only seen him a handful of times over the years. Nothing more than a hello until yesterday when I was so desperate for a ride that I’d rather talk to my ex that got me in trouble with the police, than step on the boat with the pixie girl who looked down her nose at me.

Jack had tried to talk to me several times after the incident, but I didn’t want to hear it. There wasn’t anything he could say that would erase what he’d done. Eventually, he’d gotten the hint and stopped trying, but now here I was trapped with him until morning.

What had I been thinking? Then again, I couldn’t forget what he’d done when his boat sank. He helped me to shore. He didn’t let go of me. Not even for a second.

“Thanks for saving me,” I said before I could stop myself.

“Well, I didn’t really—”

“Just say you’re welcome.” I forced a weak smile.

Jack smiled back, but he didn’t say anything. He placed his hands on his hips and looked around the area. “Maybe you should try to get some rest. I have no idea how far we’ll have to walk when morning comes.”

“I don’t think I can sleep out here,” I said looking over my shoulder at the nearby shrub. A bat swooped down toward us moving from one tree to another, and I covered my head. “This is why I never went camping. I hate the outdoors.”

“Camping isn’t so bad,” Jack said.

“Your version of camping is a case of beer and a big fancy camper.”

Jack chuckled. “Kill for that right now.”

“I’d kill for my bed.”

Jack blinked several times before he looked down at his feet. I could still picture him standing there that morning naked in my bedroom. The sun seeped in from behind the curtains highlighting each and every one of his muscles. That was the last time I’d actually seen Jack other than the few glimpses I’d had at the police station before we broke up.

I bit my lip so I wouldn’t let out the big sigh I’d been holding in. What I felt like doing was pounding my fists against his hard chest and begging him to explain, but there wasn’t anything he could say to undo it.

Jack was a selfish asshole that only thought of himself. Well, most of the time. It wasn’t entirely true considering he pulled me to shore, but that was different. He wasn’t going to just stand there and let me die.

“Warmer?” Jack asked.

“Yes,” I said moving my shoulders around. “I feel itchy though.”

“Your clothes need to dry.”

He was right. They were in some weird stage between being half-dry and half-wet, but unfortunately, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. It wasn’t like I was going to take my clothes off and let them dry.

“If you set them out to dry it might help,” Jack said.

“I’m not getting undressed.”

“I was just suggesting… I’d turn around,” Jack said his cheeks pinkening just a bit.

Really though sitting in my underwear while my clothes dried wouldn’t be that different than sitting on the beach in a bikini. The only thing that was weird about it was being with my ex.

“Well,” I said looking around. Was I seriously considering it? Truth be told I really hated feeling so itchy. It felt like little ants moving up and down my back. “Okay. Turn around.”

“The whole time or just while you undress?”

“The whole time,” I said sounding angrier than I’d intended.

I took off my clothes and set them on a rock near the fire. My skin instantly felt less itchy, but I was still cold. Hopefully, they’d dry quicker laid out near the fire. And hopefully no one would come wandering around to find me sitting in my underwear on the beach., but it was so quiet I was pretty sure we’d hear anyone coming. To be totally honest if it meant I could go home, I’m not sure I’d care.

“Fuck it,” Jack said standing up. He kept his back to me, but the sounds of his zipper cut through the quiet night like a sharp blade. He laid out his pants near the fire and sat back down in the sand. “Pretend they’re shorts if you need to.”

I sighed. We were being stupid. We were both adults, and we were both stuck in the same shitty situation which honestly had entirely been my fault.

Goddammit. He’d lost his boat because of me.

“You can turn around,” I said. “It’s not like it’s anything we both haven’t seen before, right?”

“Thank God,” he said turning around rubbing his hands so close to the fire I was afraid he was going to get burned. “Crazy how much colder it is away from the fire.”

“Is it weird that no one is around?” I asked. “I mean really how far away from civilization could we be?”

Jack looked up at me, the flame dancing in his dark eyes. “Do you feel up to walking?”

“I kind of don’t want to leave the fire,” I said biting my lip.

“Me either, but if you change your mind, we can go.”

I flashed him a weak smile. “Okay. I think it’ll be easier in the morning.”

Jack nodded and scooted a bit closer to the fire. The way it lighted up his skin reminded me of the time he’d sprinkled the rose petals leading to the candlelit bedroom. He looked the same, maybe even better than he had that night.

I sighed, and Jack looked up at me for a split-second. He didn’t ask.

I wished things could have been different. There was a time I’d really thought Jack was the one. Boy, had I been wrong.