Page 112 of Tangled up in You

“I have no idea. I guess we’ll see.”

Throughout the afternoon they made good time and Jesse settle into a rhythm. She wasn’t talking much, but that didn’t bother Chris and he knew it didn’t bother Mark, either. It was rare the men engaged in small talk while hiking, preferring to save it for their breaks. Usually, the noises they made were regular shouts of, “Hey, bear!” to warn off any that might be nearby.

When they spotted the solar panel of the USGS station, it was still two hours before sunset.

Jesse laughed for the first time since they’d hit the trail that morning. “That’s it!”

“How did you select the sites to place your sensors?” Christopher asked.

“I collaborated with the USGS and Park Service to determine which existing sensors would work best. This way, we didn’t need extensive surveys and studies. My sensors work with the equipment already installed and won’t create additional impacts to wildlife or the land.”

When they reached the sensor she shimmied out of her pack, dug into the cases on the mules, and removed a sensor unit and its solar panel, tools, her tablet, and a ring of keys.

“Dr. Fornier-Thomas got these for me,” she said, holding up the keys.

“Guess it’d suck if you forgot them,” Mark commented.

She opened the control box. Thirty minutes later she had the sensor up and running and calibrated with her tablet. She added the small solar panel, then took several pictures and video with her tablet’s camera.

“That’s it?” Mark asked, but Christopher knew from the look on his guy’s face Mark was impressed.

“Yep!” She smirked. “I like to work smart, not hard. I received the plans for each existing unit so I could design mine to fit with no disruption and minimal installation.” She locked the unit and started stowing her tools. “And I can lighten my pack with each unit I install.” She removed some things from her backpack and put them in the empty case. “See?”

Mark slowly nodded. “Now I know why you were being so cocky,” he said with a teasing tone that made Christopher watch Jesse’s reaction to make sure she understood.

Apparently she did because she stuck her tongue out at him. “If I could make it through today, I knew my pack would get lighter.”

“I apologize for doubting you,” Mark said with a snarky flourish and bow.

Another laugh from her, and Christopher wondered if they could keep her laughing. “Accepted,” she said, returning his flourish and bow.

“Well, we still have daylight,” Christopher said. “Do we keep going, or stop here for the night?”

Mark pointed to the east. “There’s a good place to camp for the night not far that way. Flat, small spring for the stock and us, and sheltered from the wind. Let’s go there.”

MARK

Upon their arrival at the sensor it was like Jesse shifted into a different mode in a way he’d seen Christopher do during work.

It was sexy to watch, if he was honest.

Once they set up camp and tended to the mules, they settled in around a small camp stove to heat their dinners. He and Chris would share a tent, while she brought a tiny one-person tent that would have made Mark claustrophobic.

And Chris got her talking—about her work, and even about her personal life. Mark silently ate, listening, taking everything in while Chris worked his typical magic on her. He felt badly she’d lost her mom so young but it sounded like she had a great relationship with her step-mom and father.

It was an hour past full dark when she started yawning uncontrollably. They cleaned up, Chris helped Mark hang their foot and trash in a nearby tree, and by the time they finished that Jesse softly snored in her tent.

Chris grabbed the front of Mark’s jacket, pulled him in, and kissed him. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what?”

“For the full reboot.” Chris smiled. “I like her.”

“I do too, but don’t get your hopes up. We still have five sensors to install. There’s plenty of time for us to kill each other.”

The soft chuckle Chris made as he kissed Mark again before releasing him would have hardened Mark’s cock if he wasn’t already exhausted.

JESSE

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