BURNT (The Wild Flames #1) Read online

  She looked up and laughed.

  “Nothing...it just tastes really good.”

  “No...” He shook his head. “What do you mean by we’ll see how the weekend goes?”

  She snickered. She didn’t know what she meant by it, other than it just seemed like the right thing to say.

  “Nothing, but maybe after this weekend you’ll decide you’ve changed your mind.”

  “I doubt it,” he mumbled, only this time she didn’t pretend like she didn’t hear him.

  “What do you mean? We’ve changed since the last time we were here at Iron Horse,” she argued. “I’m not the pushover I used to be.”

  His eyes squinted as he laughed. She crossed her arms in front of her and stared at him.

  “Why are you laughing?”

  “No reason, but I didn’t know you thought you were a pushover. I definitely never saw that side of you.” He smiled.

  She looked away. “The point is...we both have changed. It’s life.”

  She turned to the grill, remembering how surprised she was that he volunteered to do one grilling. She couldn’t stop herself from replaying their make out session at the movie theatre. Everything reminded her of it.

  “Well if we’ve changed, it’s for the better,” he replied, locking his eyes with hers.

  She swallowed hard. The way he was looking at her made her think the topic had changed, and now they were talking about what she was replaying in her mind. She looked down at her plate and took another bite of her chicken. If she just let it slide, she could pretend nothing was getting to her. They ate the rest of their supper in silence and she tried to prolong the quiet and the meal as long as she could.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, reaching for her plate so he could clean the dishes and put them away before they head out.

  She twirled around and faced him. “I’m ready to do whatever you want to do, as long as it doesn’t have anything to do with mountains and ropes.”

  “Are you really that scared?” he asked.

  She thought about denying it, but finally just nodded. “There’s something about suspending myself off of a mountainside that gets me worrying it’ll be the last thing I do on earth.” She laughed nervously. “Call me crazy.”

  He stepped behind her and reached out to hold her from behind. His hands took hers at her side. She looked down at their intertwined fingers, feeling the warmth of his chest on her back. Her breath hitched as she absentmindedly stared at the connection of their hands.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Tara,” he whispered. “You can trust me.”

  “You know I trust you,” she said slowly, then turned at the neck to look back at him. “But how are you going to save me when you are hanging from another rope?”

  “I would find a way,” he replied, smiling. “We’re going to be right next to each other and everything will be fine.” His thumb ran over her fingers and despite everything telling her to stand her ground, she lost all sense of objectivity.

  “I can’t believe I’m considering this,” she said, feeling her heart beating faster.

  Tara didn’t know how to feel. All she knew was they might get lost in another romantic moment.

  Kevin let go of one of her hands and raised the other so he could turn her to face him. He pulled her closer to him and tilted his head down. Their lips met. She let his kiss linger, unable to think clearly. His tongue caressed hers and soon she reciprocated, enjoying the feel of his arms around her waist and his tongue exploring her mouth. Slowly, he pulled away, but nuzzled her forehead with his.

  “What was that for?” she whispered, still feeling the sensation of his lips on hers.

  “I don’t know.” He hesitated. “I wanted to show you. You have nothing to worry about,” he replied, his eyes revealing he wanted to kiss her again. He moved in again, this time his arms wrapped around her body and she felt herself drifting to where time stopped. She moaned. She was aroused by the way her lips tingled against his. He slowly parted from her. “And that was because I wanted to kiss you.”

  His arms left her body and she stood there motionless. Her breathing was ragged and her mind was blown. This trip was getting off to a provocative start, and she couldn’t resist what was in store for them.

  ***

  Kevin looked on as the rappelling instructor secured Tara’s harnesses. He couldn’t believe she finally agreed to go. He thought for sure the adventure would be stricken from their weekend plans. He was petrified to try it himself, but after pushing this hard to get her to agree, he was left consoling her and keeping his own fear to himself. She looked at him, her face pale with fear. He moved to her as the worker walked away.

  “I’m terrified,” she admitted.

  He couldn’t tell her he was scared too.

  “You’ll be fine.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “When you feel scared, just look at me, okay?”

  She nodded and turned to the place where they were going to make their descent.

  “What if I start panicking?” she asked, hurriedly glancing back at him.

  “Look at me,” he said.

  He wanted to make everything better. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

  “They’re waiting for us,” he called out, pulling away.

  Their hands remained connected while they walked over to the two workers and got their instructions. Kevin had to calm down his own racing heart.

  “Do you understand?” the male worker was asking.

  He nodded, even though he didn’t remember much.

  “Just breathe,” he whispered to Tara.

  The message was also meant for his own inner fear. They turned around and she hesitated for a moment. She looked at Kevin for strength. He gave her a thumbs up and an encouraging smile. With the help of the rappelling instructors, they both stooped and let their legs hang off the side of the mountain. The workers position them and gave the all clear. The rappelling journey down the side of the mountain began.

  Kevin’s breathing was more ragged than before. He kept repeating in his mind, just breathe. Kevin had no doubt this vertical trip would be a few minutes of intense exhilaration, not just because they were rappelling, but also because they were doing it together.

  “How are you doing?” he asked, trying to sound calm.

  “I...I...I’m doing okay,” she stuttered.

  “Remember what I said,” he replied, hoping she didn’t hear his uncertainty.

  She didn’t respond to him as they continued their controlled descent down the side of the mountain.

  “Just focus,” he heard coming from beside him.

  “What’d you say?” he asked. His breathing was becoming more regular.

  “Nothing,” she mumbled.

  “We’re almost to the bottom,” he said, feeling relieved. One, two, three, four, he silently counted. It was breathtaking and he felt alive, and for a few moments he relaxed enough to look back and take in the view. It was a spectacular horizon. Kevin was almost sad it would soon be over. When he finally hit the ground, he felt a sense of achievement welling up inside of him. He sighed with relief and looked up at Tara, who was just a few feet above. The worker at the bottom helped to remove his harness and then he turned to where Tara was about to hit solid ground.

  He could hear Tara’s shaky breath as she turned to him. Her hands were shaking and Kevin guessed it was from fear, and grasping so tightly to the rope. The harness was taken off and he couldn’t get to her fast enough. He put his arms around her and held her tightly. After several moments, he felt her begin to relax. Her arms opened up to him, wrapping around his body.

  “I’m so glad it’s over,” she replied, shivering against him.

  “I shouldn’t have made you do it,” he said, feeling apologetic.

  She released him and shook her head.

  “You didn’t hold a gun to my head. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.” She looked up to where they had come from. “I’m glad it’s over,
but I’m happy we did it together.”

  “You are?” he asked, not knowing if he should believe her.

  She smiled. “I am, but don’t get me wrong...I’m still relieved it’s over.”

  He laughed. He was relieved too. “Well, while we’re this close to the hiking trails, what do you say we go for a little jaunt?”

  She groaned. “After that experience on the mountain, I was thinking we could just go back to camp and start a fire.”

  “Are you wimping out on me, Tara Matthews?” he teased.

  She nodded. “I’m trying desperately to wimp out on you. Is it working?”

  He wrapped his arm around her as they walked to the trails.

  “Not really. You’ll need to try harder.” They headed onto one of the less traveled trails and disappeared into a forested area.

  ***

  He could barely keep up. Having to climb down a mountain to follow them made it worse. He was sweating the entire way down, unable to appreciate the adventure or the breathtaking view. All that mattered was keeping track of where they went, and finally making it to the bottom. When he touched down, he quickly got the harness off and looked around the area. He didn’t know where they were, but he did know they couldn’t have gotten far. He was sure of it.

  He walked around for a few minutes and then noticed the opening to the woods. He stepped onto the trail and quickly made his way. He understood their habits well enough to know where they would go. As he walked along the guided path, he spotted them up ahead. He slowed his pace and got behind a tree. He wanted to remain hidden. They stopped to look at some wildflowers growing around the area.

  He waited patiently, wishing he was closer and could hear what they had to say. He moved up a bit to be in earshot of the two, while still hanging back in the shadows so they wouldn’t discover his presence.

  “Look at this, Kevin,” Tara said as she kneeled down in front of a thick growth of flowers and caressed the petals between her hands.

  Her shirt hung low and he could see the curves of her breasts in the V-neck she wore.

  He groaned, staring at her from a distance.

  “I wonder what kind of plant that is,” Kevin said, kneeling down next to her. His hand went to the petals, brushing up against her arm.

  From his hidden perch, he noticed the couple’s interaction. He could have screamed at them for being so carefree.

  They stood up and headed back down the walkway. “Oh...look,” Tara said, pointing.

  His eyes strained to see went to where she was pointing. It was a large tent behind a growth of trees. They moved further down the path and as he started walking, he felt himself being thrown forward. He was tripping over a tree root in the ground. “Ouch!” he cried, falling to the ground. He looked up to see Tara wrapped in Kevin’s arms and both of them looking behind them. He was lucky the large tree ahead hid him from their sight. He did not want to be discovered.

  Chapter 7

  “What was that?” Tara whispered, falling into Kevin’s arms and glancing behind her. She heard something loud, and then the rustling of leaves. She swore it was a person’s voice, but there was no one around.

  “I’m sure it was just an owl...or the wind,” Kevin tried to reassure her.

  “I don’t know. It sounded so close,” she said, still feeling the pounding in her chest from her quickened heartbeat.

  “You watch too many horror movies,” he said, laughing. “It’s just in your imagination.”

  Tara nodded, glancing at him. She’d forgotten she was still in his arms. It was a safe haven. She felt protected. Her eyes went to his lips, but just briefly.

  “I...I’m sure you’re right,” she said, stammering.

  He let go of her slowly. “Come on, let’s continue on the trail,” he said, smiling. He turned around and nearly ran into two men.

  “Ahhhh...” she cried, backing away from them and hitting against Kevin’s body.

  The two men looked at one another and Tara had a brief vision of her and Kevin being murdered in the forest. She definitely had been watching too many movies. The first man turned to them.

  “Hi there. We didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, chuckling.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad they spoke English– by their tanned skin, she wasn’t sure if they might have been tourists. She looked at Kevin, careful to proceed.

  “Hello. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scream,” she replied softly.

  The other man nodded. “No worries.”

  The first man looked at them and spoke up again.

  “What my brother means is...we come in peace.” He shook his head, chuckling. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

  Tara snickered, looking at Kevin. She was slightly relieved. There wasn’t any reason to believe these men were anything but innocent campers, just like they were.

  “My name is Bruce and my brother here is Brian. We’re scouts, and often give tours and help people navigate the trails in the state park.” He paused, looking at the two. “We heard you from around the trail, so we weren’t sure if you needed help. Everything alright?”

  “We thought we heard something coming from over there,” Kevin answered, pointing to a more heavily wooded area. “I thought it must have been the wind.”

  “Or an owl,” Tara added with a laugh.

  “Hey...it could have been,” Kevin said defensively.

  The two brothers smiled.

  “Are you staying in camp?” Brian asked.

  They both nodded.

  “Just heading back,” Kevin replied.

  The twins looked at each other and nodded, seeming to read each other’s minds.

  “Well, we’ve set up camp around this next bend. If you’d like, stop by and have something to drink, or grab a bite if you’re hungry. We live near Columbia River, on the Chinook reservation about 25 miles away. We’ll be here camping here all weekend.”

  Tara looked through the trees behind them and her eyes fell on the expansive tent. “Are you that tent over there?” she asked.

  “Yep, we sure are,” Bruce replied.

  “What do you think, Kevin?” she asked.

  “Sure. I drank all my water before we did the rappelling. We can have a drink before we head back to camp,” he answered, then looked at the brothers. “Thanks for offering.”

  The four of them headed toward the tent. Tara relaxed. She found the scout brothers familiar and friendly. They reminded her of some friends they had made while at college in Alaska. Bruce lifted the tent opening and they all followed him inside. It was a large tent, probably large enough to hold ten people comfortably.

  “Have a seat,” Brian offered, pointing them to two folding canvas chairs.

  They sat down as Bruce pulled two bottles of water from a cooler.

  “I feel like we’ve known them forever. Is that strange?” Kevin whispered to Tara.

  She shook her head. She felt the same.

  ***

  Kevin was mesmerized by their stories. He could have sat there and listened to them for hours. He noticed Tara also appeared captivated. He wondered, but didn’t want to ask why the two were single. Yet, the answer was offered up to them.

  “We just never found that one special person,” Brian said, shrugging. “Or rather, two special people. Over the years we got over it.” He took a drink of water. “So, we have been talking all night. What’s your story? Engaged? Married? Dating?” he asked, sitting and watching them attentively.

  He turned to Tara. She was beet red. She was undoubtedly uncomfortable with the question of their relationship status. The truth was, every time they kissed, Kevin felt more emotionally involved. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that in her eyes, they were probably just friends. He decided to let her off easily.

  “We’re not a couple,” he replied, seeing the shock on Bruce and Brian’s faces. “Just really good friends,” he concluded.

  “Could have fooled us,” Brian said, laughing and taking a drink.r />
  Kevin wasn’t fazed. It was another person assuming something was going on between them and he just wished Tara would see it, too.

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” he said, chuckling. He looked at Tara and she was still red in the face.

  “Okay gents. We’ve taken up too much of your time,” Kevin said, standing up from the chair and gesturing to Tara, who followed. “Thank you for the drink.”

  They shook hands with one another.

  “Anytime,” Bruce replied. “If you are ever up this way over the weekend, stop by and see us.”

  “We will,” Tara said, finally regaining her voice.

  The two stepped out of the tent and waved goodbye to the brothers. They started their trek back to the campground, walking in silence for some time. Kevin wondered what she was thinking about, but hesitated to ask. She didn’t seem ready or open to the idea of being more than friends. He decided he’d hold off on raising any questions during this trip. When their camp came into view, Kevin was relieved to have made it back after their rappelling adventure. It was almost dark and he looked forward to starting a campfire so they could warm up and have dinner. It was one day he did not want to end.

  “Want to sit by the fire to warm up when it’s ready?” he asked, hoping she would want to be around him for longer.

  “I’d like that,” she said, smiling. “I’m really not tired. You’re warming up some of the chicken you made earlier, right?”

  “Yes,” he answered, and started toward the set of double-sealed containers they used to store food and other leftovers at camp.

  “Good. I’m starved,” she replied. “And I can use some of the time to quiz you on those index cards you prepared. This is supposed to be a study weekend, remember? No more fun and games for you, Kev.”

  He was reeling with enthusiasm. They headed over to the fire pit, where he put some logs in the middle and added some kindling. He lit the kindling with matches and waited for the flame to catch. It didn’t take long to have a small fire going. He placed the small grilling rack over one side of the growing fire, and placed the leftover chicken on it. As he stood up, he noticed Tara looking at him. She had the warmest smile on her face. He walked over and sat in the chair next to her as she turned back toward the fire.