Page 6 of Crossroads of Betrayal
She jerked out of his grasp. “Go. To. Bed.”
He laughed and reached up until his lips pressed against her cheek.
Outrage exploded inside her. She reached back her hand, but before she could deliver the blow, a flash of movement shot forward and Zeke edged her behind him. He fisted Darrin’s long-sleeved thermal shirt in his hands and pulled him to his feet. “Leave her alone, man.”
A mixture of gratitude and irritation pressed against Grace’s chest. She could handle herself, but all the emotion weighing down on her made it way too nice having Zeke charging in to keep this guy off her.
Darrin threw his hands up as if in surrender “Dude, back off. We’re just having a little fun. Have been all week, haven’t we?” He winked in her direction.
Zeke maneuvered himself so she was no longer in Darrin’s eyeline. “Harassing a woman after she’s told you no isn’t having fun. For anyone. Now stay the hell away from her.”
Tense silence crackled louder than the fire, and the feel of a dozen pair of eyes made the back of Grace’s neck itch.
“Boys, boys, boys,” Tessa called, weaving around the group to stand beside Zeke. She smoothed a palm over his shoulder and eased him back a step. “It’s been a long day and we all need to calm down. Let’s take a walk. Cool off a little.”
“Yeah, man. Walk away and mind your business,” Darrin said.
Finally finding her voice, Grace cleared her throat and drew everyone’s attention her way. “We leave at sunrise and will head back to the retreat.”
A few startled protests rose with the billowing smoke, but she didn’t wait around to answer anyone’s queries. This was too much, and if nothing else, she knew her limits. All she wanted was to close herself off in her tent, allow a few tears, and go to bed so she could rush home early and wash the stink of this trip off her. Hell, maybe she’d take some personal days and stay away from the retreat until Zeke left.
At the thought of her ex, she sought him out as she stomped to her shelter. Tessa had moved her hand to the small of his back and led him away from the group, toward the same clearing where Zeke had been earlier. Jealousy burned brighter than the stars.
As if sensing her, Zeke glanced over his shoulder and their eyes met. Time stood still, and more than anything, she wished she could forget everything that had brought her to this point.
Everything that kept her away from making her dream a reality.
Tessa laughed, regaining Zeke’s attention, and Grace snapped from her moment of wishful thinking.
She should have canceled the trip the second she saw Zeke jogging toward her. His sudden appearance brought up a lot of unanswered questions, but one thing was certain.
This camping trip was doomed from the start.
* * *
The soundof rustling tents and whispered comments roused Zeke from a restless sleep. He turned onto his back and stretched out his body as best he could in the cramped space. His muscles ached and injured shoulder throbbed. Not what he’d expected the morning after booking a stay at a retreat geared for healing. Hell, he hadn’t felt this rough in ages.
Yawning, he rubbed his eyes. The lack of sleep didn’t help. After prying himself from the persistent Tessa, he’d laid in his sleeping bag, tossing and turning for hours. No matter how exhausted his body was, his mind refused to rest. Refused to give up and stop thinking about how close Grace was.
In a moment of weakness, he’d almost stormed from his tent in the middle of the night with the intention of gathering her in his arms so he could feel her pressed against him just one more time.
Thank God he hadn’t. No doubt she had a gun with her, and she’d have been right to use it on him if he’d behaved so poorly. Then he’d have been no better than Darrin.
Darrin.
Anger shoved away all his fatigue. He should have punched the bastard last night, but that wouldn’t have solved anything. Not to mention his bad shoulder would have made his punch too weak to do much. At least Grace had canceled the rest of the excursion. Zeke would have to make sure to keep out of Darrin’s way for the rest of his stay, or the next time Darrin pissed him off there might be a different outcome.
More rustling of fabric and louder voices penetrated the fabric walls, urging him to get moving. Sunlight would break soon. He needed to pack everything up before Grace took off down the mountain. His skills in the forest were fine, but nowhere as good as hers. Being left behind with bears and the increasingly cold weather wasn’t something he wanted to risk.
He quickly got dressed then unzipped his tent. The morning air nipped at his nose but worked almost as well as coffee at waking him up. A couple of tents were already torn down, their owners enjoying an early breakfast by the fire. Darrin and Joan both fumbled around their structures, and Grace was busy making sure they’d leave the site exactly the way they’d found it.
Forcing himself to ignore her, he deconstructed his tent and got everything packed and ready. He grabbed another chunk of jerky to get himself through a few hours, then sat and waited for everyone else to finish their tasks.
Joan walked over to him, frowning. “Do you know where Tessa is? When I went to sleep, she was still talking with you after that blowup with Darrin. She never came into the tent last night. I figured she stayed with you.”
The comment caused the dried meat to lodge in his throat. He coughed to clear his windpipe. “Definitely didn’t stay with me. I haven’t seen her.”
Her frown deepened, and she pivoted toward the group. “Then where is she?”
