Page 36 of Quarterback Sneak

Pulse beating fast, he blinked several times to regain his balance. The horizon returned to the horizontal and he allowed his shoulders to relax. He craned his neck to see how far he fallen. Less than fifteen feet, but apparently he’d rolled enough to wreak havoc on his equilibrium.

Ivy brushed debris off his clothes. “You’re lucky it was mostly grass and very little rocks.”

He straightened his crooked sunglasses and inspected a few small scratches crisscrossing his arms. None hurt too badly, or appeared deep. His shoulders and the back of his neck started to itch like crazy, however. He turned his back to her, praying he hadn’t sustained any deeper cuts that would require stitches. “Am I bleeding anywhere? My neck is on fire.”

“Thankfully, you’re not bleeding but I’m afraid you fell onto a patch of stinging nettles.” She pointed to a nearby plant, her brow furrowed with worry. “Whatever you do, don’t scratch.”

Great. Fucking great. Just what he needed miles away from civilization. It wasn’t the first time he’d been stung and given his love of hiking, it wouldn’t be the last. “You’ll need to wash my back with soap and water. I brought antihistamines and over-the-counter pain meds in the first aid kit, if you could grab them for me.”

“At least it’s harmless,” Ivy said, relief in every syllable. She retrieved the items from the pack that he requested and handed him the antihistamine along with his bottle of water.

While he drank, she applied the cool liquid to his skin. The weight of the biodegradable soap was both heaven and hell. The abused nerve endings were more sensitive than normal and the heightened sensation was almost too much to bear. He clenched his jaw, willing her to hurry up, but he said nothing, keen to stay mute instead of what he really wanted to do, scratch until the itch left him.

“Am I hurting you?” she asked, washing off the soap with the lukewarm bottled water. It proved a small respite but not as much as he’d like. Things like this rarely happened to him and it hurt more than his body. Stupid to be embarrassed but he was and it sucked.

“There, I’m done.”

“At least it wasn’t poison oak.” There was a silver lining to every playbook. He donned the button-up shirt and shoved his tank into the backpack, aching to get to the lake and submerge himself in the coolness.

“Remind me to add calamine lotion the next time we hike.” The second the heavy backpack settled onto his shoulder, the pain returned with a vengeance. The weight exasperated the offense to his skin and he pulled on every bit of reserve he possessed not to throw it on the ground. “Damn, now we really need to skinny dip. At least the cold water will numb the itch. Let’s get going.”

She cocked her head, chin raised in appraisal as she fell into step beside him. “You really scared me. I can’t believe the path gave out under your weight. You could have really been injured, and I—”

“—But I wasn’t. I’ll be okay, I promise.” Sam gritted his teeth and tried to sound positive. He stomped up the mountain side the same path he’d fallen down. Truth was, now that he’d begun to move, the effects from his fall made themselves known. Each step up the steep path proved excruciating to his entire body, but the itching overcame everything else.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather head home? We’re a long way from the car as it is,” Ivy said between panting breaths.

“I’d rather continue on than return. I’m not allergic so the rash will go away in a few hours tops.” Shit, he could barely do two miles up to the lake, let alone do another six back without some relief from this incessant itch. Lengthening his stride, he began to jog, desperate to get to the lake.

He felt a twinge of guilt that he was a few hundred yards in front of Ivy. The minute he saw the lake, he dropped the pack, tugged off his shirt, and removed his shorts. Driven by a need greater than his will, he jumped into the clear water. Coolness pervaded his every sense, cleansing his mind of the pain and torment the last ten minutes had brought. After a few seconds the numbness set in and blessed relief followed. Every muscle in his body relaxed as he came bobbing up to the surface.

“Better?” She sat perched on a rock at the pool’s edge removing her shoes and socks.

Other than being embarrassed as shit, yeah. “Much better. Sorry I left you to fend for yourself.”

“Not a problem. I would have done the same. How’s the water?”

A shiver of goose bumps skittered across his entire body. “Perfect and the antihistamine have started to kick in, so I’m a happy man.” Sam splayed his arms and floated, the sun warm on his chest while his irritated back remained in the icy water.

“I’m relieved. It can’t be pleasant.” Ivy dangled her foot in the water and bit her lip, the sensuous sight intriguing. “This place is beautiful. How did you find it?”

“I grew up a few miles from here. As a kid, I came here to escape from…things. I wanted to be a forest ranger in high school.” He’d found solace in the mountains, a sense of freedom that hadn’t existed at home. Every time Patrick came around he escaped here to sit amongst the blankets of wild flowers that grew along the slope. The lake backed up to some scruffy pines and he and Howler had camped up here for days, both trying to escape from their unpleasant experiences.

“You still can be a forest ranger.” Ivy stood, long limbs and golden skin, and stripped out of her clothes to reveal a skimpy pale pink bikini. “You can have multiple careers in a lifetime.”

“Perhaps not a forest ranger but I plan on riding out my career and make enough contacts to keep up my philanthropy.” The sight of her exposed body beckoned him forward. He planted his feet in the silt and waded out of the deeper water. Bracing his legs, he waited for a long moment, trying to gauge the state of his skin now that the water was no longer soothing him. The hot sun touched his back but the pain had faded to a dull throb, a good sign. “What about you? Is cooking the end all and be all for you? You have your own kitchen, a successful restaurant, and you’ve won 3Square. Most chefs will never realize that dream.”

Ivy entered the water and the liquid danced around her legs as she halted in mid-stride. The tick in her jaw returned, the lines around her mouth tightening. “Cooking will always be my life, and I’m damn good at it,” she said with a sharp tone that wasn’t there before.

“I know. I’ve eaten your food.” His question had set her off. Good, it wasn’t him but something at the restaurant that put her in a sour mood.

“I’m sorry. I’m being a bitch, I just….” She notched up her chin and stepped deeper into the water. “Never mind, it’s not important.”

“It is if it upsets you. Do you want to talk about it?” He put his hand out to her, palm up, careful not to push her too hard on the subject. She was a proud woman, independent and determined. The traits he loved about her also proved frustrating because they reflected his own.

She stared at his hand for a long moment and then shook her head. Settling her fingers onto his palm, she allowed him to pull her close. He slipped his arm around her waist, and tilted her chin.

“Really? Because I’m a good listener.”

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