Free Give Me Fever by Niobia Bryant Page B

wipes as well until they hiked farther along the trail toward the state campground where the showers were located. She couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t ready to slip into her tub, sip some white sangria, and just zone out.
    Bzzzzzzzzz.
    Jade stuck the folded Ziploc into her backpack to dispose of later and picked up her silver cell phone. She flipped it open. A picture of Darren rock climbing flashed on the screen. She answered the call. “Hey, partner,” she greeted him.
    “Hey, beautiful,” he replied. “How’s the trip going?”
    “It’s going great,” she told him, pressing her phone between her shoulder and ear to quickly finish dressing in jeans and another long-sleeved fitted tee. “Weather’s nice. Trail is clear. Fish are biting. No worries.”
    “No injuries?” he asked.
    Jade unzipped her tent and her eyes fell directly on Kaeden slowly walking from his tent to the picnic table. “Not yet,” she said, saying a silent thanks to the Great One above as she eyed Kaeden wince as he sat down on the wooden bench. “How’s your trip?”
    “Everything is cool here too.”
    “Good,” she told him, switching the cell phone to her other hand.
    “I miss you.”
    Jade paused at his sudden words. “Awwww. Thanks,” she said, deliberately trying to keep the mood light.
    “I know you like to chill out after a tour, but I really want to see you Sunday night,” he said.
    Jade opened her mouth to decline.
    “We could just hang out at your place and watch a movie,” he said quickly, as if he knew her refusal was coming.
    Jade knew that once she agreed to starting a relationship with Darren, it meant opening some of her life up to him. Spending time. Going on dates. Compromising when there were things she wasn’t inclined to do…
    “Uh-hmmm. Okay,” she agreed reluctantly.
    “Good.”
    “I better get going, Darren,” she said. “I’ll call you Sunday night when I get in.”
    “Okay, be safe, baby.”
    Jade massaged her eyebrows at the tension building there. “Okay, you too, Darren. Bye.”
    She snapped the phone closed. When her awareness of Kaeden was weirding her out, Jade had considered giving Darren a little bit of her sweetness. Thank God, I didn’t. She wasn’t ready for that yet. Intimacy was huge. It was not a step that she took lightly.
    Her eyes fell on Kaeden again and it was hard not to notice that he was feeling some terrible muscle ache. Sleeping on the ground is tearing Mr. White Collar up , Jade thought with a shake of her head.
    She thanked God for clarity because there was no way a man like Kaeden Strong could ever be her type.
     
    Kaeden felt like he’d slept on a cement slab. Wincing, he felt sharp muscle spasms radiate from his shoulders to the top of his square buttocks as he sat down on the picnic bench. “Just one more night. One more night,” he promised himself as he reached up to massage his shoulder.
    “I’m going to start charging you.”
    Kaeden looked over his shoulder at Jade standing beside him holding out a small lotion bottle. “Don’t tell me. This is another one of your grandfather’s home remedies?”
    Jade nodded as she sat the bottle on the table. “Better than IcyHot and a bottle of Aleve combined.”
    Kaeden picked the bottle up. “Any instructions?” he asked, with humor in his deep voice.
    “Just rub it on where it hurts, Kaeden,” she drawled dryly.
    He laughed. “Thanks, Jade.”
    She gave him a genuine smile. “You’re welcome,” she said before walking away.
    “Listen, I think I’m going to cut out of the fishing today,” he announced, rising to his feet.
    Kael paused in adding weights to his fishing line to look over at him. “You sure, son?” he asked.
    Kaeden nodded. “I’m positive.”
    Not even the opportunity to be around Jade all day was going to make him sit by the bank all day waiting on a fish to bite a hook. I’m not getting anywhere with Jade anyway.
    Jade frowned. “What are you going to do all day?” she