Somewhere in the woods, an owl hooted, long and lonely. Branches on a nearby spruce swayed in the strengthening wind, casting shadows across the tent. Light from the campfire flickered. The perfect setting for a midnight tryst. So why did her stomach feel like she’d consumed a swarm of bumblebees for dinner instead of some truly excellent penne pasta with asparagus?
She hugged her arms around her knees and prayed she could pull off the brash composure she’d advertised out there on the mountain. Her reality wasn’t even close with nerves stretched tauter than the tightrope they’d joked about. What had she been thinking to make promises she wasn’t quite ready to keep? Not that she didn’t want to follow through, because she did. Didn’t she?
The zippered door of the tent slid apart. Her heart pounded out a rhythm worthy of the best percussionist. Sawyer crawled through the opening then turned to close the gaping door. All the better to keep mosquitoes out. And him in. She let out a shaky breath.
“I thought Jon and Liam Kennedy would never stop arguing about the stock market and go to bed.”
“Is that what they were discussing?” Did her voice sound as high and whiny to him as it did to her? She cleared her throat then took another breath.
His warm chuckle filled the tent, taking the edge off the chill that shivered down her bare arms. She missed her penguin pajamas, but they were hardly appropriate for the grand seduction she’d so blithely offered.
“I’d say discussion is an understatement. I’ve rarely heard Jon get so riled.” The sleeping bag rustled as Sawyer pulled off his shoes then slid up beside her. “I was afraid you would have fallen asleep by now.”
“No, still awake.” Damn, she’d squeaked like a little chipmunk. Again.
One arm settled around her. “Good.” Lips nuzzled her ear. “Devin?”
“Hmm?”
“Is there a problem?” He pulled away slightly to look down at her in the dim light from a moon shining through the thin nylon above them.
“Why would anything be wrong?”
“Maybe because your back is straighter than the lodgepole pines outside, and you have your knees locked in a death grip.”
She unwrapped her arms from around her legs then let herself lean against him. “Maybe I’m a tad nervous.”
His thumb stroked along her cheek. “We don’t have to do this tonight. We can talk instead, get to know each other better first.”
“We can?”
“Of course.” The arm around her tightened momentarily then let go. “What did you imagine would happen if you said no?”
“I didn’t think you’d be thrilled since I led you to believe I’d put out.”
He made a strangling sound then bent over in a coughing fit.
After a moment, she pounded him on the back. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay.” The coughing slowed to a stop. “Jesus, Devin.”
“What? It’s true.”
“Maybe, but you’re allowed to change your mind.” Silence fell between them. As one minute passed and then another, he let out a long sigh. “Can I ask why you reconsidered?”
“After I thought about it for most of the evening, revenge sex just seemed so…wrong.”
“I don’t get it.” His voice hardened. “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t even about me.”
She laid a hand on his arm. Beneath her fingers, warm skin over firm muscle sent a dart of feeling zinging through her. “It is about you. And me.” She couldn’t look at him. “All right, mostly me.”
Down near the river, a bullfrog croaked, deep and resonating. Inside the tent, her discomfort hung between them, thickening the air until she could barely breathe.
“Hey, no reason why you need to explain. Obviously I should just leave.”
Her grip on his arm tightened. “I’m sorry.” Releasing him, she hunched over up-drawn legs. “I just got out of a relationship that lasted most of the summer. I found out the guy’s major motivation for dating me was to get hired as one of Walton’s staffers. He didn’t have a lot of experience so figured he’d need an in to land the job.” She shrugged. “The irony is Porter’s actually good at what he does. If he’d simply presented his qualifications, I bet the congressman would have hired him without my prompting.”
“How’d you find out?”
“I overheard a phone conversation. The jerk thought I was still asleep and left the bedroom when his cell rang.” She clamped her teeth together. “Too bad for him my hearing is excellent.”
“What did you do?”
“Kicked his ass out of my apartment wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. When he put up an argument, I threatened to call the cops.” She grinned in the dark. “That got him moving. Then I threw his clothes out the window, just like in one of those cheesy romantic comedies. Except I’m not the forgiving sort. I can’t tell you how gratifying it was to see him pulling his pants off a rosebush. Those suckers have a lot of thorns.”
“Wow, remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“If I wanted to sink to his level, I could have influenced Walton to fire his ass. I didn’t.”
“I’m not sure I’d have been as noble under the same circumstances. So, how does revenge sex figure into the picture?”
She tightened her arms around up-drawn legs. “I actually thought Porter and I had something serious between us. Finding out he used me…hurt.” A long sigh slipped out. “I figured a fling with you was just the ticket to forget all about how stupid I was to fall for the jerk. And if he happened to hear a few subtle mentions of my extracurricular actives on the rafting trip, all the better.”
“Interesting. So, why the change of heart?”
“It didn’t seem fair. I like you a lot, and using you to build up my ego after it got kicked around isn’t any better than what that loser did to me.”
He tipped her chin upward with one finger then moved in so close his breath caressed her face. “So, you aren’t going to sleep with me because you have a conscience?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“Are you still in love with this guy?”
“No.”
His finger fell away from her face. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
“I don’t respect him. Love doesn’t work without respect.”
“True. So, what’s the new game plan?”
She scowled. “I’m not sure I have one other than time. And distance.” When the wind buffeted the tent, she stared up at the swaying shadows. “I’ll avoid Porter as much as possible after we get back to DC and stop obsessing over the fact that he totally played me.”
“Then you’ll find someone new to date?”
She shot him a quick glance. “I suppose. You can bet I’ll be more cautious about who I choose to spend time with in the future. Fool me once…” She pressed her lips tight. “Let’s just say I don’t like feeling stupid.”
“Date me. I’m not after anything.”
“Huh?”
He