His eyes narrowed. Unless…that was why she was here. Maybe Miranda had volunteered to tempt him, bait for a very sexy trap.
She didn’t seem like the type to sign up for a weeklong outdoor excursion, he thought, looking over at her smiling, too-cheerful face. Maybe Colt and Grant had set her up to be in his group. Colt had been awfully chummy with her back during the introductions. He remembered seeing the two of them in a conversation, and Miranda had laughed. The sound had scraped on his already ragged nerves, and he’d barked Colt’s name to drag him away from her. When Colt had come back, he’d teased Dane. Now it’s gonna be extra-hard for you to keep this soldier at ease, he’d said, and patted the front of Dane’s pants. He’d tried to deck the guy in response. Still regretted missing.
Maybe she was in on this with Colt. Grant, too. Maybe they’d pulled out the sexiest girl in Bluebonnet and had hired her to come to the training class to test his willpower. Maybe they didn’t trust him to keep his dick in his pants like they said they did. That certainly made more sense than anything else he could think up.
And it pissed him off.
Dane watched Miranda smile at the other men, her hand playing with the high neckline of her T-shirt. He frowned. She wasn’t exactly dressed like a seductress. For one, her shirt was modest to the point of puritanical. For two, she didn’t wear a bit of makeup, and her hair was simple—long, straight, and smooth. Not that she needed makeup to look good—her fresh skin and pretty brown eyes had smiled at him in a way that reminded him he hadn’t had sex with a woman in a very long time.
Well then, if Miranda was a plant to test his willpower, it was one test that Dane intended to ace. They’d kissed, but that had been a mistake. He wouldn’t let it happen again. Time to get down to business.
Miranda toyed with the collar of her shirt, a nervous habit from years past. At her side, Pete smiled at her in a way that seemed a little too friendly. He kept looking over at her and grinning, and she gave him a faint smile back because what else was she supposed to do? Ignore him? She wondered, briefly, if he had seen the waterfall of lingerie that had cascaded out of her pack when Dane turned it over, and she cringed. It’d be even worse if he’d seen her come on to their instructor and kissed him.
That would make this week really, really awkward.
“So have you ever been camping before?” Pete asked her as Dane moved back toward the group. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect to see a pretty girl here on the team, but it’s a welcome surprise.”
Keeping the polite smile on her face, Miranda turned back to Dane, trying not to show her irritation. “I don’t see why it’s so unbelievable that a woman wants to go on a survival trip. I was in Girl Scouts. They do camping, though not quite like this.”
He chuckled at her in a condescending way. “Well, get ready for the ride of your life.”
She glanced over at Pete. “Why? Have you done one of these trips before?”
Pete flushed a little. “Oh. Uh, no. I’ve just heard that it’s going to be a crazy week, that’s all.”
He seemed so very uncomfortable at being put on the spot that she gave him another smile to make him feel better. So far Pete seemed to be a lot worse with people than she was.
In the distance, the blue team began to hike into the woods, angling away from the enormous wooden cabin that served as the lodge and headquarters. Dane turned back to his team, clapped his hands together once, and rocked on his heels. “Are we ready to begin?”
She noticed he didn’t look over at her. Instead, he made eye contact with every man on their small team and then swung away before his gaze could reach hers. Miranda bristled at that, twisting the red bandana around her wrist. Plenty of time to win him over. Lots and lots of time to seduce him. She just needed to be patient.
“I have a few rules before we move into the woods,” Dane began. His hands moved to his hips and he stood before them, legs apart and arms akimbo, larger than life. “For starters, this is not going to be an easy trip. We’re going to be doing a lot of hiking. Some swimming. We’re going to learn how to make traps and tie knots. We’re going to fish for our dinner and forage what we can’t find in the streams. We’re going to learn to build shelters and how to start and maintain a fire. It’s going to be very cold at night and very warm in the daytime. You’re going to sweat. You’re going to get dirty. And if you’re a little too fancy-pants for this sort of thing, it’s best that you leave now.”
Miranda watched Dane curiously. Did he…did he just blush when he said the word fancy-pants? His gaze slid over to her, and then back away again, and she felt a surge of triumph.
He was thinking about her panties. She let a smile curve her mouth. Well, now.
“Most of all, we’re going to learn what it’s like to work as a team.” He turned to them and started to pass out PowerBars.
Three were handed to Miranda, and she stared down at them, then at the canteen that was handed to her. It didn’t look like much water.
“Those are all of the supplies you’re going to have this week,” Dane announced. “The first day’s meal and drinks are on me. The rest is up to you.”
One person groaned. It might have been Pete.
To Dane’s credit, he ignored it and continued speaking. “We’re going to assign partners for this week, and sometimes you and your buddy will pair up for challenges. Are you with me?” At their nods, he gestured. “Now, each of you pick a buddy and let’s get going.”
Pete turned and gave Miranda a hopeful look.
Well, why not. Miranda gave him a thumbs-up and an awkward smile in return. He looked the least woods-capable, and she could always hope he would bail early, leaving her with no choice but to buddy up with Dane.
“All right,” Dane said when they were standing next to their partners. He pointed at the two older men that had teamed up. “George and Jamie will walk at the front of the line. We’re going to do this single file, since it makes things easiest. Next will be Steve and Will.” He gestured at the other male-male team, and then finally at her and Pete. “Pete and Miranda can take up the rear. Miranda, you in front of Pete, since that’s safest. Call out if you two start to get left behind.”
“I know how to walk,” she said in a bristling tone, offended. God, the man really was a jerk. “Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean that I’m incompetent.”