Page 50 of Wild for You
Christ, he’s just holding my hand. What’s going to happen when he touches me for real? I’ll combust because no one deserves this kind of happiness. Certainly not a girl like me.
“So, where do we begin? I hope you called and made reservations? I’d hate for us to put in all this effort just to be turned away at the door,” I tease.
“It’s your lucky day. I know a secret place. The food’s subpar, but I promise the view makes up for it.” He squeezes my palm, reminding me that we’ve not let go of our hands. Yep, that’s another first for me. Holding hands isn’t something I normally do, but I clench my small hand around his rough, calloused one and allow him to lead me away.
I think I like this version of myself. Who knew?
I allow Jack to lead me through the overgrown trees, and I notice a trail that wasn’t there before. He must’ve prepared it ahead of time, cutting a clean path, so we’re not being smacked in the face by the dense vegetation.
We’re walking up a small incline. It’s so subtle I probably wouldn’t notice, but my thighs begin to burn after only a mile or so. It’s such a familiar pain now, and I don’t totally hate it.
I smile, thinking of Elliot and all our runs through Millennium Park back home. It’s a similar feeling, giving me comfort mixed with a twinge of sadness. I miss my friends so much, but I can’t think like that right now. I want to be present where my feet are, and that’s here on this island in paradise with the wild man I never knew I needed.
“You ok back there?” Jack calls over his shoulder. We’re walking step in step, he’s slightly in front of me, but I’m close on his tail, allowing him to lead but also not letting his hand loose from my grip.
“I’m perfect.” I exhale a sigh and breathe in the fresh air around us.
“Good. We’re getting closer.” He comes to a stop, glancing up at the steep rocky terrain in front of us. “We’ll have to climb the rest of the way to get there.” He turns to face me. “I can carry you on my back if you’re tired—”
“I can do it,” I interrupt him. “You don’t have to baby me, Jack.” I flex my emaciated bicep. “I fought off a shark, remember?”
Jack’s throaty laugh sends a soothing vibration through me. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. In any case, I’ll let you go ahead of me—you know, so I can check out your ass. It’s totally not because I want to make sure you don’t fall.”
I step up the rock and stretch my arms, grabbing the first protruding stone and lifting my leg to push my weight up the mountainside.
Stretch, reach, push, pull.I’m finally getting the flow of this. My muscles are screaming for me to stop, but I know the top is so close. I squeeze my eyes shut and refocus my breathing. I can do this.
“Just say the word if you need a break,” Jack’s calm breathy voice calls from behind me. “It’s only a little ways farther.” I feel the heat of his hand on my ass cheek as he gives me the little boost I need to reach the next stone.
After what seems like an eternity of rock climbing—something I swore I’d never do when Maggie suggested we try it back in college—I finally reach the edge. I place my hands on the flat surface and pull myself up to sit on the edge, and nothing could’ve prepared me for this view.
Poor Jack’s on his own now since I’m way too preoccupied to offer any help.
I gasp as my eyes roam over the quaint scene before me.
Jack’s laid a bed of palm leaves along the ground and has somehow managed to build torches that form a semi-circle behind us. There’s a small campfire in the middle and two coconut cups decorated with various leaves and berries—the only thing missing is the paper umbrella.
He’s woven a small basket covered in one of his t-shirts, where I presume he’s storing our dinner.
“Well, what do you think?” I jump when I feel his voice on the back of my neck. I was so distracted with the setup that I almost forgot about my date.
“When? When did you have time to do all this?” I think back to the two-hour window it took me to get ready and try to imagine Jack making this happen while I combed my hair and applied mascara.
He scratches his head and shrugs. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a while. I wanted it to be perfect before I showed you.” He saunters toward me, bringing my hand up to his soft lips, and plants a gentle kiss on my hand. “Do you like it?”
“I love it, Jack. It’s perfect.” The beginning of tears burns behind my eyes, and a knot forms in my throat. “You’re perfect.”
“I made you something.” He rushes to his homemade picnic basket and rummages through it until he finds what he’s looking for.
“You got me a gift?”
“It’s just a little something, don’t get too excited. I’m no jeweler, but when I found this shark tooth, I knew it was meant for you.”
He wraps a small twine bracelet around my wrist and ties it. When I turn my arm over, I see a large, sharp shark tooth in the center. He made me a charm bracelet.
“I love it!” I blurt out. The tooth is so large it takes up the entirety of my wrist, and I feel so powerful wearing it.
“It’s not from a nurse shark, like the one we saw, but it reminded me of how strong and tenacious you are. I wanted you to have it, so you always remember what you’ve overcome, what you’re capable of.”
