Page 34 of Wild for You
I give her space for a moment before pulling her into my arms, where I apologize profusely. Promising never to put her in harm’s way again. I’m learning there’s more to Gwen than meets the eye, and I decide to make it my mission to learn everything there is to know about this amazing woman.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Gwen
I feellike such a fool for trusting him. Of course, he made me feel like an idiot … again. Falling and crashing into that cold water reminded me so much of one of the worst days of my life. It’s why I hate swimming, and it was the first time I lost trust in the people who were supposed to care about me the most.
But Jack didn’t know that. How could he?
I wipe the traitorous tears from my eyes and inhale a deep breath in and out, grounding myself. Though it’s not exactly as safe of a moment as I’m used to, at least there’s solid ground underneath me.
I know Jack would never hurt me on purpose, and what he did was innocent, well, mostly. He thought I was a better swimmer, and under any other circumstances, I am. But something about the falling, being pushed, and the shrill splash of the water sent me back in time. I was ten years old all over again, and all the fear I felt that day bubbled up to the surface.
“Gwen, I really am sorry.” Jack places a gentle hand on my shoulder, and I reflexively flinch. He stops dead in his tracks and squats down to face me. “I know I fucked up, but shit. Did you think I was going tohityou?”
“Of course not.” I shake my head and stand up, adjusting my bikini that’s all kinds of twisted. To Jack’s credit, he doesn’t even sneak a peek. “I think the water just knocked the wind out of me, and I was stunned. I’m totally fine.”
Jack clicks his tongue, studying me, but he doesn’t press the subject. “Well, I guess we better get to fishing then, huh?” He passes me his small rod and shows me how and where to cast. Explaining how the fish pool in the tidepools.
“Here,” he passes me the bait and rod. “I want to see you do it on your own.”
To my surprise, he removes the camera from my chest strap—which has been continuously rolling the entire time—and carefully frames me in the shot. “Sorry, Dubbies. This one’ll be a close-up. I can’t have you feasting your eyes on Gwenny’s goodies, now can I? You know I’m a jealous bastard.”
My cheeks heat at his admission, but I’m brought back to the moment when he shoves the small flopping fish into my hand along with the reel. “Have a go of it. I hope your fishing is a hell of a lot better than your doggy paddle.”
I can’t help but laugh, his teasing blotting out the flashback fighting its way to the forefront of my mind. Jack has a way of doing that, totally encompassing everything and everyone around him. It’s like he owns every room he’s in—or island, in this case. Right now, I’m grateful for his big, cockypersonality.
“Eww!” The slimy fish flops in my palm, and I grit my teeth, wanting to get this right. To prove to myself that I can do this, even though it goes against all of m instincts.
I go to jab it in the center and remember his prior instruction just as he says, “Right through the eyeball.”
“I know!” I sneer, shoving the small hook right through the poor fish’s eyeball, so he’ll wiggle away, and hope some other bigger fish will take a bite at him. I reach back, and with a gentle flick of my wrist, I cast the reel right into the tidepool. The water is so clear I can see several medium-sized fish swimming around, and I hold my breath and wait. As I wait, Jack reels in several fish and collects a few more oysters, and I get more and more frustrated. I see the fish swimming by my line and pausing, but none bite. Finally, one stops, and I feel it.
Tug. Tug. Tug.
My heart races. “Jack! I got a bite!” I squeal.
“That’s it, babe!” He moves to my side, talking me through it. “Now, slowly reel it in just as we practiced.”
The fish tugs and fights and pulls, and I find myself stepping closer to the edge of the rock to give it a little slack. “I think it’s a big one!”
Jack zooms the camera in as I begin to reel in my catch, and he hoots with delight when it finally comes into focus. “Babe! You caught a fish! On a noodle rod!” Bending down to grab the line, he takes the basket and uses it as a make-shift net, so the line doesn’t snap.
When he pulls the basket up, he’s wearing the biggest grin, and my heart swells with pride. It’s a small thing, but I can’t help the tightening in my throat as I watch him look at me like that. Like he’s proud of me.
He unhooks the fish with some pliers and shows me how to hold it by the mouth. “Here, hold it like this, and don’t fucking move. I want to get a shot of you with your first catch, but that goddamn bikini …” He shakes his head, and I don’t know if it’s in annoyance at my non-existent swimwear. “You know, Gwen, I think you’ll be just fine after all. We’re going to work on swimming lessons, though.”
“What do you mean I’ll be just fine?”
Jack hands me the basket of our fish and the rest of the oysters and lifts me into a cradle as he maneuvers up the rocky cliff that he pushed me off several hours earlier.
“What are you doing? Let me down!” I kick and squirm, but it’s no use. He only tightens his grip on my thigh.
“I think I’ve caused you enough pain for one day. Look at your feet.”
I glance down and notice my bleeding feet. I’d hardly felt it before he pointed it out, probably from the adrenaline of being pushed off the side of a mountain and catching my very first fish.
“I’ll carry you until we get back to the sandy ground. You just hold on to our dinner, ok?”
