But her voice trembled and the words wouldn’t come out. I’m not scared of you, she wanted to say. But it was like her body refused to obey as long as he kept staring at her.
His mouth thinned into an unhappy line, and she watched that fascinating lip ring move with it.
The back door banged and Elise heard steps in the kitchen. “Hey, Elise,” Brenna sing-songed out from the other room. “You want breakfast or something? I can whip up a mean Pop-Tart.”
Elise stared at the man, then back at the kitchen door. She should call out to Brenna. But her throat wasn’t working. It was knotted with tension, the presence of the beautiful stranger making her tongue-tied and stupid. She cleared her throat and tried again, her mouth working for a minute. And another garbled squeak came out, and she flushed.
Dear Lord. He would think she was so incredibly stupid. Her head hung forward and she let the hair cover her face, ashamed.
The man watched her, fascinated by her movements. She wanted to crawl under the blanket and hide until he left.
“Elise?” Brenna called, and then stepped through the swinging door that blocked the way to the kitchen. Brenna paused at the sight of Elise and Rome standing over the couch. She blinked at both of them in surprise, her purple bangs flat and hanging over her eyes, dressed in a pair of Grant’s boxers and an old T-shirt. “Oh, hi. I didn’t realize we had company.”
He gave one last look at Elise and then moved toward Brenna, extending his hand for her to shake. “My name is Rome. I’ve come to apply for the wilderness survival instructor job.”
“Oh!” Brenna looked pleased. “You’re our first applicant, then. And my. Look at you. Just delicious.” She glanced over at Elise and gave her a knowing wink. “I bet you tried to climb this one like a tree, huh?”
Oh God. Elise’s cheeks burned with humiliation and she ducked her head, averting her eyes as Rome turned back around to look at her. Truth was, she did kind of want to climb him like a tree, but he’d never look twice at a girl like her. He was gorgeous enough to get anyone.
Rome cleared his throat. “Here’s my résumé. I’d love to answer any questions you might have.” He sounded amused, and Elise wondered if it was because of Brenna’s vibrant personality or something else. She peeked up at him and was relieved to see his back turned to her. It allowed her to study him without embarrassment, admiring the wide spread of his shoulders and the tattoo across the back of his neck.
He was like no one she knew. Elise’s circle of friends was very small and conservative. But she found him fascinating. Completely and utterly transfixing. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Brenna moved to the far side of her desk, gesturing for Rome to sit down on the opposite side. He did, and Brenna cleared off a stack of papers, shoving them to one side and then wrinkling her nose at Rome’s résumé. “Blah, blah, blah. I hate these things.” She put it down and smiled at him. “So you know how to survive in the wilderness?”
Rome nodded. “I’ve taken several classes and read many books on the subject.”
“Great! Sounds like you’re qualified to me. Can I feel your muscles?”
“Can you . . . huh?” Rome’s eyebrows furrowed. “My muscles?”
“Just to check them.”
“I . . . guess?”
She leaned forward, and gave one arm a squeeze, then shivered as if with delight. “That’s really firm. Come feel, Elise.”
“I . . . I’m okay,” Elise breathed, the words so quiet they were barely audible.
“Party pooper.” Brenna sat back and put her chin on her hands, studying Rome. “So where are you from, Rome?”
He hesitated a moment before answering. “Nowhere in particular. I tend to wander. I’m not much one for putting down roots.”
Brenna seemed unbothered by his hesitation. “Me, too. Are you good with people?”
“I like to think so. Please don’t let my tattoos frighten you off. I’m a very hard worker and a quick learner.”
She waved a hand idly at him, dismissing his concerns. “You’re talking to a tattooed woman with purple bangs. I’m not holding anything against you.”
From her viewpoint, Elise could see the edges of his smile, could see his shoulders relax. She felt a pang of jealousy. He liked Brenna and felt comfortable in front of her. She wished it was her.
Brenna continued, pulling out a Post-it note and a pencil and scribbling something down. “We work odd hours and there’s a lot of overnight campouts. Sometimes the guys go into the woods for almost a week at a time. That going to be a problem for you?”
“No, ma’am. I don’t have family here. It’s just me, and I don’t mind long hours. I just need work. It’s hard to find a job in a small town when you look like I do.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re qualified, right?”
He said nothing.
“I’m afraid we don’t pay much starting out. We’re a newer business and still getting our feet off the ground. In addition to training exercises, we’re opening up a paintball course on a section of the land and you’ll be responsible for helping Pop run that.”
“Pop?”
“Pop is Colt’s dad. Colt’s one of the other guys who works here. Pop’s kind of our handyman and fix-it guy. Which reminds me.” She tapped her pencil on the corner of her mouth and leaned over to look at Elise. “Could you do me a favor?”
Elise sat straighter, clutching the blanket to her pajamas. But she managed a brief nod.
“Super. Could you go flush a tampon down the toilet?”
“Um,” Elise said quietly, a bit confused.
“Pardon me,” Rome said politely. “But I think that will clog the toilet.”
“I know. That’s my point. I figure we’ll give it an hour and then we’ll call Pop in to take a look at it.”
Rome stared at Brenna.
She reached out and patted one of his tattooed hands. “We like for Pop to feel needed. Now, let me tell you about the job salary. Like I said, we’re a startup so don’t think we’ll be showering you with crazy money. We do, however, have cabins on site that all employees live in, so room and board is considered to be part of the salary. It’s a nice perk.”
As Brenna continued to chatter on, Elise slowly got up and crossed the room, moving down the hall to the bathroom. It was an odd request, but she’d been asked, so she’d do it. She felt a prickle on the back of her neck, as if she were being watched, and wondered if Rome was looking at her. God, she was in her frumpy flannel pajamas and she was sure her hair was a mess.