Free Hopeless For You by Hayden Hill Page B

wolves and bears."
    I vaguely recalled the section he was talking about, which offered the same type of warning I'd read in those little pamphlets they handed out at national parks like The Smoky Mountains about black bears and whatnot. I always ignored those pamphlets because I knew I'd probably never see a bear if I didn't stray from the trails. But I was in a different country now, far from any trail, and very likely outnumbered by those very same bears.
    "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking." I went to the Jeep and dug into my pack.
    "What are you doing?"
    "Getting some protection." I was waiting for Kade to crack some joke about condoms or something but he kept quiet. What he said about wolves and bears gave me the excuse I was looking for, though, and I pulled out the bear spray along with my jacket. I slid the jacket on and shoved the spray into my pocket. I gave Kade a smug smile.
    His eyebrows drew together. "Look, I've been an asshole to you so I can understand why you don't want to be alone with me. And I'm sorry for that. I'll try to act more professional here on out. If you'd prefer, Gina can come with me and you can go with Blaine."
    "I'll be fine." I patted the bear spray in my pocket. "Got protection now."
    Gina spoke up. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" She sounded genuinely concerned.
    I nodded. "Go." I knew how badly she wanted a chance to be alone with Blaine. Who was I to deny her?
    Gina gave me a hug and then she looked at Kade. "You take care of her now, you hear?"
    He gave her a curt nod and then Gina hurried after Blaine.
    I fell in beside Kade and widened my strides to keep up with him. I easily kept pace —I'd been an active hiker and camper for most of my life. Gina, who was almost as tall as Kade, often hiked along with me and I always kept up with her .
    But it wasn't keeping up that I worried about but rather the sense of destiny I felt. Going into these woods with a man I hardly knew, a man who could both frighten me and turn me on with the same look. I found it hard to shake the feeling that I'd either die out here or discover everything that was missing in my life.
    Probably the former, given that every time Kade opened his mouth, he let out his inner jerk.
    We stuck close to the bank, keeping away from the floodwater debris that crowded the shore. The silence between us was surprisingly companionable for the first few minutes but then it started to itch like a prickly sweater. I kept my hand near the bear spray, trying to figure out how to break the silence, though not completely sure I wanted to.
    Kade spoke first. "So what now? We play twenty questions and get to know each other?" His voice sounded strange, like he was forcing himself to be upbeat and I couldn't help a small laugh.
    Seeing his shoulders slump, I instantly regretted the outburst. He was trying to be social. I might as well try, too.
    "Twenty questions sounds fun actually. How's that work again? We take turns asking each other a question? Or do we ask them all in a row?"
    "You've never played twenty questions before?" His voice took on a mock tsk-tsk tone. "Ash Ash Ash. What are we going to do with you?"
    "Sure I've played. It's just been a while and I don't remember the exact rules." Was he going to be an asshole about this, too?
    "Okay, okay." He must have sensed the tension in my voice. "You got it right the first time. We take turns. One question at a time. You ask first."
    "Uh...what's with the tattoos?"
    He glanced at the designs that covered his arms. "What about them? I mean, it would take all day to tell you about each of them." He rubbed a hand over the falcon tattoo at his neck almost self-consciously.
    "So they all have meaning?" I was a little surprised —it looked like a hodgepodge collection to me, like he'd just gone to the parlor on different days and asked the tattooist to ink whatever. Roses, snake heads, hearts. There didn't seem any pattern to the art. But it was art. I wouldn't deny