Jacked (Men on a Mission Book 2) Read online

  “No? I guess I was wrong about you.” He leans back, links his hands behind his head and grins at me. “I figured you must be the adventurous type, to come up here all alone.”

  “Oh, first you called my picture ugly, now you’re calling me a chicken, huh?” I tease him back.

  Jack chuckles. The way he’s sitting…legs spread, arms behind his head, showing off those muscles.

  Jesus. My resolve to keep myself-to-myself up here is fading like smoke in a windstorm.

  I fill the mug halfway with the water from the tap and sniff it suspiciously. “It smells fine.”

  “Smells can be deceiving,” he says, that mischievous look in his eye. “I’ve had well-water so full of sulfur that it smelled like an outhouse coming out of the pipe. But it was fine to drink. Go ahead, though, try it. It’s as good a way as any to find out.”

  “I can’t believe how fast this went downhill,” I joke. “Formalities are over, apparently. I guess it’s time to tease the city slicker.” Not that I mind. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  He laughs. “You could get a case of the trots, maybe. But maybe not. Some people can drink well water, or lake water, even, and not get sick. The groundwater here isn’t polluted with e-coli or industrial waste. Maybe just a few amoeba.”

  I hold the mug out towards him. “I will if you will.”

  “Oh, really? You do have nerve.” But then he waves a hand, smiling. “Nah, I’m just kidding. There’s bottled water in the fridge if you’re thirsty.”

  “Oh, now who’s chicken? Big guy like you, afraid of a tiny amoeba?” I step closer and offer the mug to him. “I will if you will,” I say again, in a sing-song voice. Then I give him my best smile.

  He narrows his eyes jokingly, staring at me, then the mug.

  After a second, he takes it from my hand and downs it in one gulp.

  Oh, shit.

  “Your turn,” he says, smile widening. “Half a mug, same as me.”

  Back at the sink, I fill the mug halfway again. “What have I got myself into? I can’t believe we’re playing water roulette,” I mutter.

  “Hey, it’s cool if you’re scared,” he says. “Don’t think you gotta…”

  Before he can finish, I down the tepid water in one gulp too.

  “Ahhh,” I say, smacking my lips. “Tasty!”

  Chuckling, he says, “The truth is, the water really is fine. I don’t drink it, but that’s only because I like my drinking water colder than comes from that well. I do shower and brush my teeth with it though.”

  “You have a hot water tank here too?”

  “Yes ma’am. Perk of the job.”

  “Nice,” I say, sitting back down on the chair.

  “Sure is. Hey, you know, it’s good that you’re not too much of a princess-type,” he says. “You might have a harder time out here if you were.”

  “Who, me? Naw! I’m tough as n….oh!”

  I pause, frowning, let out a groan, and put my hand on my belly. “Geez, yee-uck. Maybe…maybe my stomach doesn’t like that water very much.” I make a face. “How long would it take to make a person sick?”

  “Longer than that. I don’t know, maybe twenty minutes at least.”

  “You sure?” I take a couple of deep breaths. “Jack, seriously…? I don’t feel so well.”

  “Get outta town,” he says, but he sits up straight now, his expression serious.

  “No, I….ow!” I double over, making gagging noises.

  Silence.

  Then, “Molly? Don’t fuck around, okay?”

  “Uhh…uhhh…ugh,” I groan, wrapping both arms around my waist.

  “Ah, shit.” He stands up and puts his hands on my shoulders, bending to try to look at my face. “Are you playing?”

  “Blech,” I reply, gagging.

  “Shit!” He puts his hand under my chin, trying to lift my face. “Come on, better get to the bathroom. You’re gonna have to make yourself throw up.”

  “No, nooo,” I moan, pushing his hand away. “I hate throwing up!”

  “Well, you’re gonna have to! Come on, stand up now.”

  He puts both hands on my hips and hoists me onto my feet. One of his arms goes around my waist, and I grasp that hand with mine. He grasps it back firmly.

  “That’s it, come on,” he encourages, urging me towards the bathroom.

  I can’t hold it back any longer.

  Still holding his hand, I whirl around, yelling out, “Gotcha!” Giggling gleefully, with my free hand I push my hair out of my eyes and laugh up at him.

  “Ohh, you wise-ass,” he laughs, shoulders slumping.

  “That’s for that remark about my driver’s license photo!” Still laughing, I try to let go of his hand…but he doesn’t let go of mine.

  That smile…but now, it’s fading into an intense, almost hungry look, and his eyes…his eyes…oh, the heat.

  Oh...my gosh.

  He pulls me towards him.

  With his free hand, he takes me around the waist, firmly, and looks down at me under heavy lids.

  “You….you’re something, aren’t you, Molly Malone,” he murmurs.

  “I…heh. I could say the same thing about you, Lumber Jack,” I reply, smiling a little.

  “Oh ha ha, that’s original,” he murmurs, looking down at me with those eyes half-closed and those lips, half-smiling. “Never heard that one before.”

  We both feel it, there’s no denying it.

  How many times do you meet someone and just like that…boom…you know?

  I put my free hand on his waist, then run it upwards, feeling the hard muscle under his shirt. My gaze travels down to his chest, before going back up and coming to rest on his lips.

  “What the hell are you doing to me,” he whispers.

  Then he lowers his head and…

  At that moment, the sound of the revving from the engine in the camp below suddenly increases…climbing and climbing to an ear-splitting pitch.

  Straightening, he looks at me with widening eyes as the revving sound strains to a breaking point.

  Then:

  Skrreeee….craaackkk….crrraaaaccckkk…..grooooaaannnnn……crash!!!

  Chapter Five

  Jack

  “What the fuck…?” A few more loud creaks and groans sound as I pull Molly closer reflexively, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

  “It sounded like that machine knocked a building down or something,” she says, her own arms gripping my waist tightly.

  “You stay here,” I tell her, “I gotta go check it out!”

  I run out the door and jump down the steps. Molly follows, running towards the truck with me.

  “Stay here, Molly. You’re not supposed to be on site!”

  “I know, I just want to see if I can see anything from the top of the road here.”

  “Alright. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  You can count on that, sweetheart.

  Firing up the truck, I crank the wheel hard and peel down the dirt road to the main camp. As soon as I pull around the corner of the mess building, I see it.

  Norm, the mechanic, is sitting in the seat of the skidder, looking sheepish.

  The blade on the business end rests against the splintered stump of mid-sized spruce tree.

  I jump out of the truck to see where the trunk landed…and oh…crap.

  The two bunkies, small cabins for overflow crew, are gone, completely destroyed and hidden under the trunk and branches of the fallen tree.

  Sven and Calvin are standing outside.

  “There’s no one else here yet, right?” I ask.

  “Right,” Calvin says. “We’re all accounted for.”

  “Cool. So, just another not-too-bad day on the job, then.”

  “You got that right. It takes a lot more than a couple bashed bunkies to ruin my day,” says Cal, speaking like the seasoned forester that he is.

  We all look over at Norm.

  He looks back at us and tips his hard
hat. “Whoops,” he says, then grins.

  We all laugh.

  Cal and I walk over to him to find out what happened.

  “Gear slipped, seems like, and I lost control of her,” Norm tells us.

  “Good thing there was a fucking tree there to stop ‘er, huh Norm,” I say.

  More laughter.

  Cal scratches his head, squinting at the mess. “Anyone know any loggers by chance? We’re gonna need help getting this shit cleaned up.”

  Forestry humor, always an important component to our day.

  “Well, corporate’s gonna be pissed,” I say. “But we’ll get plenty of board-feet out of that tree. Some of it can go towards re-building the bunkies. Norm, can you fix up this hunk of junk?”

  “Hey, don’t call her that.” He pats the wheel of the skidder. “She’s sensitive. We’ll get on it when the crew gets here Monday.”

  “Vell, I ko beck to kitchen,” Sven says. “Vhen you gonna et brekfess, Jeck? I’m kippin it varm for you and Miss Molly.”

  “Thanks, Sven.”

  Calvin and Norm follow me into the mess hall and we all grab another coffee. We spend the next few minutes talking over the best way to go about clearing the debris out and getting the ball rolling on rebuilding the destroyed cabins.

  Then they watch me as I load up a shallow warming dish with scrambled eggs, toast, sausages and pancakes. I put two plates, napkins and some silverware on top of that, then put the lid on.

  “You hogging that girl to yourself up in your cabin?” Cal teases. “Wore her out so bad already she needs a feed, eh?”

  Norm snickers. “I heard she’s a hottie.”

  “Yes I am hogging her, and yes she is a hottie,” I say. “And you boys better watch what you say about her, alright?”

  “Ahh, you like her! I knew it. We’re just yankin’ your chain,” Cal says. “You hear from corporate about her yet?”

  “Yes. Turns out, HQ knew about her, they just didn’t get the paperwork done. We’re waiting for that now.”

  “Nothing like a new love to get over an old one,” Norm adds. “Bonnie was no good for you, Jack. We all knew it.”

  “Bonnie’s the last thing on my mind.” Well, she is now. But it’s true that it took a long time to come to terms with leaving her, even after I saw her for who she really was.

  “Hell yeah. We saw how you and that new girl were looking at each other,” Cal says. “I say, good! Great, actually. I hope she gives you something else to think about. When a man’s been through the wringer like you have, he needs a good woman by his side.”

  “Fucking right,” Norm says. “You’re better off without Bonnie. I’ve never heard of a woman who won’t stand by her man when he’s bereaved. That’s one selfish fucking bitch.”

  “Yeah.”

  I turn to leave, thinking only about getting back to Molly. She must be as hungry as I am by now.

  “Uh, Jack?”

  “Yes, Cal?”

  “Where’s she gonna sleep now?”

  Oh shit. That’s right. Sleeping accommodations consist of those now-pulverized bunkies, or the bunkhouse. Sven and Travis bunk in the mess hall, and of course, there’s my cabin.

  “Not in a tent, I’d wager,” Norm says.

  I turn to face them both. “Nope. She can sleep in my place. She’ll have more privacy there than in one of those bunkies anyway.’”

  Sven, coming up behind me, says, “You no slip in tent.” He wipes his hands on his apron. “You bunk vit me, Jeck. Travis no come.”

  “Oh, that reminds me. I found out that Travis is still coming. He’ll need to bunk with you. Thanks anyway Sven.”

  “Sure, sure.”

  “Corporate won’t like her bunking with you, Jack,” Calvin reminds me.

  “I know. But I don’t give a fuck. What are they gonna do? Fire me?”

  “Nah,” he agrees. “Her, maybe.”

  “I don’t think so,” I say, “because they’re not gonna find out.”

  “They won’t hear anything from us,” Norm says. “Right guys?”

  “My lips are sealed,” adds Cal. “And I’ll seal the lips of anyone who thinks different myself.”

  We all look at Sven.

  “Vhat? I know nudding,” Sven says.

  “It’ll take a few weeks to get those bunkies re-built.” I pause. “By then, she won’t wanna sleep anywhere else.”

  “Oh, it’s like that already, is it?” Cal teases.

  “It’s gonna be,” I say, and head back out the door.

  * * *

  Back at the cabin, Molly’s waiting impatiently on the deck. “What happened? Is everyone okay? Mmmm, is that food? I’m starving!”

  God she’s adorable.

  I tell her what happened as we go inside and set the food on the table. “Now, the thing is,” I explain, as I open up the warming dish, “unfortunately, one of those bunkies was supposed to be yours.”

  “I was gonna get my own bunkie?”

  “Well you don’t want to sleep with the crew in the bunkhouse, do you?”

  “No. What am I gonna do now?” I see that her eyes dart to the room with the bunkbeds behind us, but I pretend not to notice.

  “I thought I’d rig you up something in one of the trees,” I say, keeping a straight face. “With enough springy boughs, and a sleeping bag, you’ll be snug as a bug.”

  “Ohh, right,” she says. “Seriously, though.” She spears a sausage with her fork and bites half of it off.

  “Ouch,” I say, laughing.

  She widens her eyes at me, then chews voraciously, snorting air through her nose as she tries to laugh while keeping her mouth closed.

  How can a woman look so cute while acting like such a goof? I can’t help but laugh.

  “Not into tree-sleeping, eh? Alright, you can take the cab of one of the big machines. You can sleep sitting upright, can’t you?”

  “Nuh uh,” she says, around her mouthful of food.

  “Sheesh. Fussy, aren’tcha? Okay, how about the cab of my truck? You should be able to stretch out just fine in there, Shawty.”

  She lets out a strangled sound, sits up straight and slaps herself on the chest. She finishes chewing her mouthful, swallows hard, and says, “Stop making me laugh while I’m eating.”

  What is it with this girl? Everything about her just makes me happy.

  Giddy, almost. I can’t remember the last time I felt this way.

  If ever.

  I finish chewing my own mouthful. “There’s only one place and I see you eyeing it behind me. Yes, you’ll bunk in here with me.”

  “Yay!” A tiny piece of egg flies out of her mouth. “Oh my God,” she says, “That’s gross! I’m sorry.” Her face reddening, she looks so contrite, it makes my heart squeeze.

  “Yeah you’re gross,” I tease her. “Just a gross girl. So gross, that I can’t wait to finish that kiss we started.” I grin at her, and take another forkful of food. She smiles back, chewing, and after a second I see a gleam come into her eyes.

  “Jack, are you my boss?”

  I wipe my mouth. “I’m the boss, so yes. I’m your boss, too. Are you worried I’m about to take advantage of my position?”

  “Worried? No. Hoping, yes. I think it’s kind of hot.” She gives me an impish grin.

  Damn. She’s making my cock twitch in my pants again, just like it has been all morning.

  Oh yeah, this girl really is something.

  “That doesn’t mean I’m gonna take any shit, though,” she continues. “You should probably know that right off the bat.”

  “Oh, I can already see that. Most people have no problem marching to a another man’s drum so long as he’s paying the bills. Not you though, or you wouldn’t be here.”

  “That’s right. I have other plans.”

  I nod. But I’m thinking: Those plans are going to change. You just don’t know it yet.

  “But look,” I say. “Nothing’s gonna happen between us until the season is over. If you d
on’t want it to. Hell, this is the calm before the storm. When the crew arrives Monday, we’ll be so busy we’ll be lucky to remember our names, much less have a lot of energy for shenanigans.”

  “Oh, crap.” she says, regarding me seriously. “Yes I suppose that’s true.”

  “Your hours will be as long as mine. Longer, since you’ll have to be up before dawn and do clean up and prep after dinner, every day.”

  “Oh. I…yeah. Makes sense. But how can people work twelve hour days without a break?”

  “There’s no designated break times, like they have in offices. We take breaks as needed throughout the day, according to the work flow. That’s it. And the crew doesn’t work in the rain. You’ll still have to work in the kitchen on those days though. But you can take a break whenever you want to as well. When possible. And remember, we get a long weekend off every fourth week.”

  “Thank God. But…what will the crew think about this…” she gestures at me and herself, “me and you? Won’t it cause problems for us if corporate finds out?”

  “The crew will be jealous that I saw you first.”

  She smiles.

  “But no, they’ll mind their business. People only care about their own problems. They’re just here to work, from sunup to sundown. There’s no time or energy for gossip. But corporate won’t like it because...I’ll give you one guess why.”

  “Liability,” she says, immediately.

  “Right. They’re not going to fire me, though. And as far as corporate is concerned, you were hired by Goldstein himself. You really think they’re gonna try to fire you?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “Listen. The main crew, Cal, Sven and Norm already know that I’ve, uh, taken a shine to you,” I smile, “and they’ll guard our secret.”

  “You told them already?”

  “Calvin and Sven aren’t blind, they were there when we met. They already informed me that they could see we liked each other.”

  “It was that obvious?”

  “Yes. We’ve worked together on many sites, not just this one. They…they know my history, what I’ve been through. They’re like my brothers-in-arms, no matter what. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She gives me a brilliant smile.

  We finish up eating. Molly takes the dishes to the sink and rinses them. “We need to get some dish soap and a dish drain in here so I can do this properly,” she notes.