Page 76 of Following Their Heart

He turns and shoots over his shoulder, “I said, you got a beef with me?” He swings his machete at a Doug Fir to cut a low-hanging bough. It’s easy for him, like drawing a knife through butter, a combination of the strength in his sinewy muscles and the fact he keeps that weapon of his razor sharp. It should be me blazing the trail through the thick, old-growth forest. I’m stronger. But Rev insists on taking the lead.

I pull a face. “What do you mean?” I hope he didn’t notice me staring at his ass. Or his arm and shoulder as he clears our path. His well-worn Eagles T-shirt shows every dip and curve of his deltoids. Again, I’m cursing his pack for obscuring his musculature.

“I mean,” he says like I’m a dumbass and he’s explaining something basic to me. He plants his feet and faces me, hike forgotten. “You’ve been giving me shit ever since we figured out Jud’s gone. You got a problem with me being in charge?”

Oh. That.

“You think you can do better?” he asks, heavy on the attitude.

He looks good surrounded by evergreens, with his hair tied back, sweat covering his slightly-creased forehead, and wild eyes blazing. It takes me a second to get over his appearance and process his words.

“No,” I answer honestly. I wouldn’t want the job of leading this group for anything.

“Don’t have a lot to say, now that we’re one-on-one, huh?” Damn. He’s really pissed at me. I guess I can understand that. I’ve been fussing at him over the calls he’s making. “Prefer getting on my ass in front of everyone?”

And now I’m picturing my hands reaching for the hard globes of his naked ass. While everyone watches.

Christ.

All my adult life, I’ve appreciated beautiful bodies. Women’s bodies, mostly, but I’ve never had a problem admiring a man’s form.Justadmiring. I’ve never considered myself bi, never had the urge to be with a man the way I love being with women. Not even in prison. Although, I have to admit to myself that if I hadn’t been married while I was inside, I might have been tempted a time or two.

Now, all of a sudden, after two years of not feeling anything for any of the guys here, I can’t get enough of staring at Scrap and Rev. I’m getting the happy shivers when Scrap touches me. I’m wondering how it would feel to be on the receiving end of a kiss like the one Rev gave Scrap when we were all together. I’m fantasizing about Rev giving Scrap orders, wondering if Scrap is a good boy for the Reverend, like I’m a good boy for my petal.

I think I might be bi.

Maybe I should be upset about it, but I’m not. If anything, I’m curious. I mean, Rev and Scrap have a thing separate from what they each have with Cora. Who’s to say I couldn’t be part of that thing? Or would that cause problems for them? Or for Cora?

“Hello. Earth to Brawn.” Rev is snapping in front of my face.

I swat his hand away, annoyed and contrite. “Sorry. Just—lost my train of thought.”

He studies me with those observant eyes of his, and I fight the urge to shift on my feet. His gaze dips down, and I know he can’t miss the log of man meat in my pants.

“What were you saying?” I ask, trying to be cool.

He cracks a crooked smile. “Distracted, son?”

My stomach clenches at being calledson. The feeling is not unpleasant.

Rev lets loose a rolling chuckle, and I know I’m caught. Heknows.

Maybe this should embarrass me, but it doesn’t. I’ve never been shy about my natural urges, and I’m not about to start now. If I’m bi all of a sudden, I guess that’s what I am. It’s not a big deal. It’s just one more aspect of me. The only thing worrying me is how this new discovery will be received by the others, especially Cora.

“Never mind,” Rev says, still grinning. “Let’s get to that downed chopper.” He tightens the straps of his pack and takes off into the thick growth again, machete raised. This time, I can see every inch of his ass, and it’s a damn nice view.

When we arrive at the coordinates Scrap gave us, my hardon goes away. There’s nothing sexy about the twisted, charred mass of metal with a blackened body hanging out the shattered windshield.

“Got those fuckers,” Rev says with a fist pump. He drops his pack and moves in to get a closer look. “Let’s see what we got here.”

I drop my pack, too, and I pull on my favorite pair of work gloves. Rev’s gloving up closer to the chopper, and he’s doing this maniacal laughter thing that would seem evil if I didn’t know he was one of the good guys. I’m not as comfortable getting close to corpses, but I share his enthusiasm at downing the chopper. Every dead enemy is one less we have to deal with to get Jud back.

Gazing up, Rev points at the canopy. “Look at that. Those trunks are sheered off.”

I follow his gaze and see jagged spikes at the tops of the trees to our left.

“From the looks of it,” Rev says, “the chopper came down from that direction.” He shifts his pointing to the crash. “Hit that pine, and buckled it so it fell on the wreck.”

The entire top of the chopper is caved in beneath a heavy pine. The weight of the tree broke off the runners, and the blades are twisted and bent like they were made of tinfoil.

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