Page 20 of Wild for You
“You cansmell the water?” I mock him.
“Indeed, I’m well attuned to my senses.” He winks, and my stomach does a flip flop.Traitor.
“Your cheeks are looking a little flushed.” He pulls off his hat and slaps it on top of my head. “We need to keep that fair skin of yours from getting burned until we can find some coconuts to use as sunscreen.” He turns back around and makes another swipe with the machete.
“So, what made you decide to change your identity and become a wild man teaching the masses about nature? Did you watch a lot of Crocodile Dundee growing up or what?
He smirks. “Something like that. I actually started off doing the whole nine-to-five grind, but after a couple of years of living the same damn day over and over again, I just felt this calling for adventure.” He smiles over his shoulder. “Come up here and stay next to me. I don’t like not being able to see you.” He pulls me by the hand, and I obey.
“So, you just, what, bought a plane ticket and set out to find yourself?” I laugh. “That’s someEat Pray Loveshit if I’ve ever heard it.”
“Well, it didn’t happen exactly like that.” He nudges my shoulder. “I took a vacation to Tahiti and fell in love with the laid-back lifestyle. At first, all I wanted was to move to a foreign country and live a simple life. Then I started a vlog that rapidly gained popularity. Then it turned into a Youtube channel. Benjamin’s agency actually helped me come up with my alter ego, and I got my agent from Elliot’s company, Clutch. It’s all gravy from there.”
“Uh huh,” I say as he pulls my elbow, guiding me over a fallen tree limb, ever the gentleman. “And you’re happy with this? Living out of a suitcase, never knowing how much income you’ll have in a month, being dependent on sponsors to fund you?”
“It works for me at the moment. I’m single, unattached. There’s no reason for me to be tied down to anything or anyone. The world is my oyster, and I never feel more at home than I do in the wilderness with the dirt beneath my feet.”
My strap falls down my shoulder, and he brushes a gentle hand to straighten it. Our breathing is heavy, and we stop, gazing into each other’s eyes. Jack Manning’s eyes are the deepest green I’ve ever seen, with a gold rim around the middle. They look as if he was made from the forest, like it’s his natural habitat. He’s a wild man oozing testosterone and freedom. I shake my head and pull the cap down lower over my face. The last thing I need is for him to see just how much I’m affected by him. I don’t know if we’d have enough room on this island for the two of us,plushis giant ego.
“And what about you?” he continues the conversation. “When you were a little girl, growing up in …” He pauses.
“Atlanta,” I answer.
“Atlanta. Did you always want to move to the big city and work yourself to the bone day in and day out?”
I fall silent, thinking about the question. I know Jack has no idea what he’s talking about, nor do I want to offer more information than necessary. “When I was a little girl,” I swallow the lump in my throat, “I wanted to grow up to be the most powerful, successful woman I could be. I wanted to be so independent that I’d never have to depend on anyone for help ever again.” I cough to mask the emotion from my voice. “So, yes. I guess you can say that I did.”
“Well, then, how’s that working out for you?”
I stop and look into his forest eyes, sparking with whimsy and wonder. “What do you mean? I’m here to help you, aren’t I? I suppose I’m doing something right.”
“No, I mean, are you happy?” He lifts my chin so he can see my eyes under the bill of the hat. “When you lay down to sleep at night, are you fulfilled? Are you living your life by your own rules or for someone else?”
Biting my lip, I fight the tears that threaten. My throat’s gone so tight I can barely speak, so I do the only thing I can think of to do. I shove him away. “Yeah, I guess I am. There’s never anything a good fuck can’t fix. Let’s go, Mister Rogers, I’m thirsty, and I didn’t sign up for a therapy session.”
He gestures for me to go ahead. “By all means, lead the way.”
“Ok, but give me the machete.” I grin. If he wants to prove a point, then two can play at that game.
Reluctantly, he hands me the knife, with the blade facing away from me. “Do you know how to use this thing, or are you going to chop a finger off? Because I must warn you, I’m shit when it comes to stitches.”
I swipe the branches away, mimicking his gestures, and they fall away at our feet. When I glance back, I see his mouth agape, eyes as wide as saucers.
“Hold on a second. I need to adjust my boner.” He grunts. “Dear Lord, where’d you learn to use a knife like that? Do you frequently spend your free time swinging machetes, or have I misjudged you?”
“Something like that.” I wink, using his own words against him. “Now, come on. Let’s just get this over with.”
* * *
Before I know it,we’re standing in front of the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen. The cool mist hits my warm skin, and it feels so heavenly. We’re standing on a rocky peninsula about one hundred feet above the clear blue water. Jack and I are carrying everything we own on our backs since he hoped to make a new campsite near the fresh water. The peninsula is steep, and loose rocks and weeds lead down on each side. I look at my swollen ankles, covered with scratches from all the brush on the hike. “So, how exactly are we going to get down there?”
Before I can protest, Jack turns on the chest cam and makes some kind of wild animal call. It echoes from the trees, and every hair on my body stands on end.
“We jump!” I feel a firm hand on my back, but I shuffle to the side just in time as Jack launches himself off the waterfall, falling at least twenty feet into a pool of clear fresh water.
One gigantic splash later, I see his head pop up among a heap of bubbles, and I exhale a sigh of relief.
“Jump in. The water feels amazing!” he calls from the pool below, and I wince. Yeah, that’s not happening.
