Dream Wedding(50)
Jeff sauntered over to the table. The two men spoke. Chloe watched Arizona. When he smiled, her lips curved up. His hands moved as he talked, and she remembered those same hands on her body. She was glad she was with him. She wanted to talk with him, hear his stories, be close.
The realization hit her with all the subtlety of lightning splitting a tree in two. She felt just as ripped apart inside. The reason she felt so confused and unsettled wasn’t because Arizona was so appealing, or because the circumstances were new. It was because she’d fallen for him. She, a woman who constantly resisted getting involved, had fallen for a man who specialized in leaving everyone else behind.
* * *
A RUMBLE OF a distant engine cut through the silence of the afternoon. Arizona glanced at his watch. Two-thirty. Right on time. Jeff shook his hand.
“Let me know what you find,” he said, pointing to the acrylic box. “Good luck this summer.”
“You, too,” Arizona said, then watched his friend head back to the main part of the dig.
“What’s that noise?” Chloe asked. She rose to her feet and stared up at the sky. “A helicopter?”
“It’s our ride home,” Arizona told her. “The lecture series starts the day after tomorrow. There isn’t time to hike out. We should be at the airport in about forty minutes. We’re on the five o’clock flight to Sacramento. You’ll be home by bedtime.”
The noise got louder.
“We could have used a helicopter to get here?” Chloe asked.
“Sure. What did you think that circle was for?” He pointed to the huge white spot on the dirt. “It’s the landing pad.”
“I see.” She turned to him. “So why exactly did we hike in here? I mean, what was the point?”
There was something stiff about her posture. Her face was unreadable.
“Are you angry?” he asked. She didn’t answer. He scrambled to explain. “I thought it would be fun.”
“For you,” she said curtly.
“For both of us. The weather promised to be excellent, it’s a pretty easy hike. I wanted to spend time with you. I thought you wanted the same.”
He could feel the shifting emotional ground underfoot and struggled to stay upright. It was clear that he’d done something wrong, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what.
“Which part was more enjoyable?” she asked. “Was it watching me try to be a good sport my first time camping out, or did you like getting it on better?”
“Chloe, no. It wasn’t like that. I enjoy spending time with you. I thought you felt the same. With our schedules, we haven’t been able to be together as much as I would have liked. I thought this was a good way to make that happen. I wasn’t trying to trick you into anything. I didn’t force you last night.”
Her expression softened slightly and he saw the pain in her eyes. How in God’s name had he hurt her? He took a step toward her. She held up a hand to stop him.
“Don’t sweat it, Arizona. You’re a hundred percent right. You didn’t force me. I practically begged for it.”
“Chloe, don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Her dark eyes spit fire. “Don’t tell the truth? So I assume you had a radio with you the whole time? You could have called in the helicopter if something had gone wrong.”
“Sure. If we’d had an accident.”
“Or if I hadn’t been good enough in bed.”
With that she swung on her backpack and walked away. He collected his belongings and ran after her. The helicopter was on the ground, making it difficult to talk. He grabbed her arm and forced her to stop and face him.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “How did we get here?”
“I don’t like being made a fool of. You tricked me.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the helicopter, but I’m not sorry about what happened. I don’t think you are either.” She flinched, but he kept on talking. “Don’t make me out to be the bad guy. What we shared out there wasn’t just sex and you know it. It was very special. I’m not going to regret that. I’ll admit I didn’t make you any promises. I don’t do commitments, but if I remember correctly, they’re not your style either. So why are you so upset?”
Her gaze was steady. Strands of red curls fluttered around her face. “I don’t like being the entertainment.”
His temper flared. “It was never like that and you damn well know it.” He ground his teeth together. “Fine. Let’s play it your way. I brought you along to have my way with you. It was great. Thanks, babe. Now can we go home?”