Backstage Demands by Kristina King

pleasant.”
    “Oh.”
    I studied him while he ate. He was obviously well muscled in a hard, lean, way and younger than I first guessed. He was older than me but only by five or so years, not ten or fifteen like I had originally thought. His brown hair was slightly shaggy with natural curls brushing the nape of his neck but poorly cut and he likely hadn’t shaved in a few days. The yard around his cottage was tidy even if he had dirt under his nails and scruffy clothing.
    The more I studied him the more attractive I found him. He was handsome in a way Joel could never be, but then I didn’t think this man, whatever his name was, could ever be good looking in the way Joel was. I found they were both attractive and left it at that before I started asking myself which one I liked better. This man was a stranger, it was like staring at celebrities in magazines – they may be hot but even if they’re better looking than Joel I’ll never meet them, get to know them, or date them, so what was the harm in thinking they were hot?
    He stood up, breaking my chain of thought. “I have things to do around here, especially if we’re leaving in the morning. Don’t touch anything, don’t break anything, don’t make a mess of anything.”
    I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t a child but I held my tongue and nodded. He didn’t like company but had saved me anyways. I could at least be polite. He dumped water on the fire and walked away.
     
    We had rabbit for dinner. I’d never had rabbit before and watching the skinned animal on a spit over the fire almost had me swearing off of meat for life but when he handed me a plate the smell was so good that it made my stomach cramp in hunger and I ate every bite without complaint.
    “That was really good,” I said, staring at my empty plate. “Thank you.”
    He studied me for a moment. “You’re welcome.”
    “What’s your name?”
    “Ryker,” he said. “You can have the bed. I suggest you get some sleep. We’ll be walking a lot for the next day or so.”
    I didn’t know what else to say so I handed him my plate and went back inside. I didn’t feel tired but I crawled into his bed anyways. I hadn’t noticed when I first woke up but the blankets and pillowed had an unfamiliar smell. I didn’t smell my own bed at all and Joel’s bed smelled like his shampoo and his Burberry cologne. These smelled of fresh air and campfire smoke and something I could only describe as male. It was Ryker’s smell of course, and as unfamiliar as it was to me it was comforting and oddly sexy.
    I fell asleep amid thoughts of him coming in and crawling into bed with me.

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    When I woke up the sun was up but the sky was still that pale grey-blue of early morning. Ryker was already awake. There was food cooking on the open fire and he was splitting fire wood. His shirt was tossed over his stool and I could see just how well muscled his back was. I stood watching. My heart was suddenly racing and my mouth was dry. There was a tightness down low, right between my legs, and it was hard to breathe.
    He turned, saw me watching him, and I saw the corner of his mouth tug upwards into the first hint of a smile before he frowned. He buried the axe in the chopping block and came towards me. His chest glistened with sweat and I bit my lower lip. Here I was, stuck in the middle of the wilderness, with a sexy bush man, and all he wanted to do was get rid of me!
    “Good, you’re up,” he said. “Eat and we’ll get going.”
    “I know we’re headed upstream,” I said, “But how are we going to cross the river? We were camped on the other side. And how do you know how far away my camp is?”
    “Given how much water came out of your lungs and how long it took you to wake up I can guess how long you were in the water. And if we can’t find your camp we can find the highway. Now eat. Your shoes are there by the door, they’re dry.” He grabbed his shirt and disappeared into the