Chapter 2

As we loaded into the van, I took a seat next to Jesse. Safety in numbers and all. I really thought the whole team would be here, and now I was feeling like an ass for being the only one. Well, the only one besides Jesse, who actually wanted to be here. I slid a glance over to watch him watching the trees that passed by the window.

His rich, golden skin picked up the sunlight that shone through the glass. He had beautiful dark brown eyes and deep brown hair. I’d seen him, of course, but was usually too preoccupied to interact with him. And now we were stuck in the woods together. At least if I was going to be stuck, I’d have a good view.

My uncle put me up to coming. He was the CFO of Printech and the reason I started working there. Of course, he was hoping I would go the corporate route, but that would never have worked. I wasn’t a numbers person or a finance person; I was a people person. Except, even that got overwhelming too, and I needed a break from peopling sometimes. Truth be told, I wasn’t planning to sign up for any of the team-building exercises. My uncle pulled me into his office and went on and on about reputation and the way it looked if his own family didn”t participate.

When I finally opened the sign-ups, the only one left was the Bigfoot Experience. I wouldn’t have put my name down if I hadn’t had him breathing down my neck. While I was surprised not to see more people from work, it was a bit of a relief, actually. Less people to have to put an act on for.

I leaned against Jesse. “Do you camp often?”

Jesse sighed slightly before turning to me. “Yeah. I mean, I haven’t in years, but we grew up camping.”

“Really? Why?”

It was something I never understood. Choosing to give up all the luxuries of modern civilization and roughing it. Why would people decide to go backward when we’d worked so hard to advance technology and conveniences? As a kid, I remember trying to sleep on a trampoline at a friend’s house. Except there were bugs, it got damp, and we noped out of that fast, ending up in the living room, under a blanket fort. That was the closest I came to sleeping outside.

And now I was going to be in the actual woods for a whole freaking week with a beast looming around us, and who knew what kind of bugs.

Jesse shook his head. “It’s a lot of work, but it was always special. Time away as a family to simply be together. Time to step outside of the busyness of every day and enjoy the beauty of nature. It’s nice to get away, see the wonders of the world, and it’s a reminder that there’s more to life than punching the time clock.”

“But there are bugs in nature.”

He cracked a smile and I rather liked the way it looked on him. “Yes, there are bugs. But there are owls, foxes, squirrels, deer, bats, bears, and a lot of other amazing creatures, too.”

My gaze slid past him to the dense woods outside that were so completely removed from the city. “Yeah, I’m not sure that’s any better.”

Jesse let out a laugh. “It’s going to be a long week for you then.”

No kidding.

Jesse returned his gaze to the window, and we sat in silence for the rest of the drive. When we went off-road, even more off-road than we already were, a big bump had me clutching for an armrest. But we were on a bench seat, so it was his leg I grabbed and definitely not an armrest. Jesse sucked in a breath and cut me a look, one that I couldn”t read. Normally, that was something I excelled at; reading people. Reluctantly, I released his leg and shrugged an apology.

Strike announced our arrival, and the van came to a stop. I stood up quickly, hoping to not make any more of an ass of myself than I already had. I slipped on my mask, the one that made me Printech Salesman of the Year, for the third year in a row.

Everyone unloaded the vehicles, and I busied myself with small talk with the other campers. Small talk was my bread and butter. I could weather and hair and day job the hell out of anyone because it came with the sales territory. The surface stuff was easy; it was everything else I found hard.

Of the fourteen of us here, twelve were couples of all ages and stages. There was an elderly husband and wife celebrating their fiftieth anniversary with an adventure. A hot, young gay couple that seemed mismatched, but so completely in love. And a woman who confided in me that she planned to propose to her girlfriend. I was surrounded by people in love, who, for some reason beyond my comprehension, decided a week in the woods hunting for Bigfoot was the perfect way to celebrate. Weirdos.

And then there was me. And Jesse. Great!

“Alright folks, it’s time to set up camp. Best to do it while we have plenty of daylight,” Strike announced, before revealing a pile of tent bags.

“Oh? We are setting up our own tents? I thought they would be ready for us.”

Strike let out a loud, raspy laugh. “Where’s the fun in that? Our staff is available to assist, but will not be doing the work for you.”

I frowned as I grabbed a tent bag and walked to a clearing. The information about the trip said everything would be provided for us. Since they got a lot of tourists and travelers, they offered all the necessary supplies. Guests were only expected to bring clothing, and a small suggested list of items. In my mind, I’d pictured more of a glamping set-up. Constructed canvas tents with full beds and tables to sit at, not something that came in a bag and needed assembly.

Jesse clapped my shoulder. “Come on. I’ll help you with yours and then you can help me with mine. It’s not as hard as it seems, it’s just the getting started that’s the worst part of it.”

At least he had knowledge about these kinds of things. Jesse took my bag, opened it, and began laying out the fabric. He was bent over, ass in the air, and damn, that made for a great view. He looked over his shoulder at me, catching me staring at his juicy butt.

“Come on, I’m not doing this for you.”

I brushed my hand through the wave of blond hair on my forehead, pushing it back. “Right. Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to. I just, uh, got a little…”

“Distracted?” Jesse supplied with a smirk.

“Maybe.”

His brown eyes warmed, drawing in the natural light that came down through the trees, making them gleam. Was that interest that sparked in them? Or just flattery at being admired? There was a lot to admire about him. How had I not noticed this beauty sitting at the front desk? Maybe because he always had a phone to his ear, or maybe because I had my head up my ass.

“Okay, how do we do this?”

Jesse talked me through each step patiently. We got to the final hole for the last tension rod. When I tried to get it into place, it whipped up and slapped me in the face.

“Oh, fuck!” I stood up, holding my cheek.

Jesse let the tent drop, running around to check me out. “Let me take a look.”

I met his gaze as I pulled my hand away. With the gentlest touch, he brushed my stinging cheek. He took a breath. Or maybe he took my breath; it was hard to tell with him so close to me. Jesse blinked hard and took a step back.

“It doesn’t look too bad, might bruise, but it missed your eye.”

“It’s not going to scar, though?” It sounded vain, even to me, but my face was my foot in the door wherever I went. I put a lot of effort into my looks and I’d hate for one attack of a tent to ruin it.

Jesse rolled his eyes. “No, your beautiful face remains intact.”

Beautiful?His annoyed tone didn’t match the word. Was he using it as an insult? With the way his gaze held mine as he checked my cheek, he didn’t seem repulsed by me.

Jesse indicated toward the tent. “We’re almost done.”

Right. Back to business then. We got my tent up without any more beatings. It wasn’t much, but I had to admit I was proud of it. I stood back with my hands on my hips, admiring the makeshift shelter.

“Not too shabby, Reed.” Jesse grinned.

“Yeah?” I smiled broadly.

“Yeah. Now, we do mine.”

We got Jesse’s tent up a lot faster after having done it once before, and, thankfully, without any further injuries. I touched my hand to my cheek and felt a slight welt had formed. Great.

Jesse stood back, observing his tent, before sliding a glance at me. ”Thanks, Reed. It”s always easier with an extra set of hands. I…uh, think I”m going to work on setting up my stuff.”

That felt like a dismissal if I”d ever heard one. ”Right. Thanks to you as well. I appreciate the help. I”m going to see if I can find an ice pack or something.”

”Probably a good idea. I”ll catch up with you later.”

”Later, Jesse.”

The tents were set up in wheel spokes centered around a bonfire pit. Several chairs were set around it and a long wooden picnic table was being turned into an outdoor kitchen of sorts. A camp stove was set up on a stand next to the table. One-half of the cute couple I’d seen at the museum was sorting through tubs and arranging large cans on the table.

He had this gorgeous deep blue hair in a style similar to mine and wore a black faux leather jacket. Not the typical camping gear. As I walked up, his partner ran up to him. He had long, wavy brown hair and wore a bright green hoodie that said Portland Bigfoot, I Believe.

“Hey Ri, I heard they have night vision goggles for us to use. I’m going to go see if I can snag a pair.” The brown-haired man kissed Blue Hair’s cheek. An action that brought an immediate smile to his face. It was sweet.

“Sure thing, Camper. I’ll be here.” He sent him off with a slap to his ass.

I closed the distance to Blue Hair, clearing my throat to pull his attention away from the man who had him in a trance.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt. I was hoping to find an ice compress or something.” I pointed to my cheek.

Blue Hair guy was tall, but his partner had been his equal in height. He was a few inches taller than me, though. He scanned my face and winced when he saw the raised mark on my cheek.

“Ouch. Tent attack?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Educated guess. I’m pretty sure the whole place would be freaking out if you’d gotten injured by stumbling across Bigfoot,” he smirked.

“Haha, yeah. Right. Do you think he’s actually out there?” I asked and shifted my eyes to the trees.

The man shrugged. “I don’t really care one way or the other.”

Not what I was expecting. But then his whole vibe wasn’t really meshing with the whole Bigfoot Hunting theme. “So you’re not a cryptid enthusiast then?”

“Nah. Not really. But my boyfriend loves all this paranormal shit. And, well, I love him. I’m happy being anywhere he is. So, am I looking for Bigfoot? Nope, don’t give a fuck. But I will follow him anywhere. Haunted asylum, mystical woods, hunting for creatures of legend? If it puts a smile on his face, I’m there.”

“Wow.” The word came out on a sigh. If he weren’t already completely spoken for, I might have fallen for the gorgeous bad boy. What would it be like to have someone love you like that? God, I wanted that. I’d never had anyone serious in my life. I’d dated a lot, but never got much further than two or three dates. After that, things tended to get deeper, and deeper was vulnerable and hard.

“There’s a cooler with ice packs tucked around the food. I’m not sure where the first aid stuff is yet, but that could probably do. I’m Rider, by the way.”

“Reed. And thank you. I just don’t want it to leave a permanent mark.”

Rider’s eyes clouded for a moment at my words. “No, you don’t want that.”

Wanting to redirect whatever darkness tugged at him, I asked. “How’d you get roped into setting up the food?”

His blue eyes brightened immediately. “Oh, I volunteered. I may not know anything about camping or cryptozoology, but helping people with food is something I’m passionate about.”