The Ruthless CEO's Revenge Wife
Chapter 44: You stink... Logan Kingsley!

Chapter 44: You stink... Logan Kingsley!

A beat passed. Logan, still standing facing the opposite but his ears betrayed his steel mind. Hearing every movement of hers.

"I got us some water and food for today, by the way. When you’re done... uh... purifying your sins or whatever... I’ll be over there. Not looking."

Jean groaned, dunking herself underwater one last time. "This better not be the start of another fight."

"Oh no," Logan muttered to himself as he walked back toward the trees, rubbing his shoulder. "But it might be the start of a slow step into madness."

A woodpecker suddenly sat on his head and pecked on the back making him move. He waved it off but the bird was stubborn. And in an attempt to do that, he slipped facing the river.

"I said don’t look! Turn around. Face the tree!" Jean demanded, her voice sharp as a whip. Again!

Logan groaned but obeyed instantly, trudging over to the nearest thick tree trunk. He placed both hands on it like he was about to be arrested.

"I’m facing the tree, alright?" he called out, loudly enough for her to hear over the water. "This tree and I are bonding right now. He’s telling me about all his bark problems."

"Not funny," she snapped.

"I wasn’t trying to be."

There was a long pause, filled only by the sound of soft water splashes and occasional rustling. Logan didn’t move, even when an ant crawled onto his hand. He grimaced but didn’t flinch.

"Okay. I’m out," Jean finally said behind him, a little breathless. "And if you so much as peek, I will throw something sharper than a rock."

Logan kept his face pressed to the tree bark. "I value my life. I didn’t peek before, I’m not peeking now."

"Good. Because if you ever accidentally see anything again, I’ll be the last person you ever lay eyes on."

Logan couldn’t help the smirk curling on his lips. "Fair enough. Just for the record though... it wasn’t exactly unpleasant."

WHACK!

Another rock hit him square on the back.

"OW! Seriously?!"

"Shut up, Logan!"

He sighed dramatically, shaking his head.

Women. Forest. Nudity. Threats of death. Just another day in paradise.

Jean stormed out of the stream, wearing her damp dress into place... though clearly, they weren’t doing much of a job hiding anything. Her wet hair clung to her face as she marched straight toward Logan like a thundercloud in motion.

Without warning... SMACK!

"Ow!" Logan stumbled back as her palm hit his shoulder, then his chest, then his shoulder again.

"What the hell is your problem?! You said you wouldn’t look!"

"Jean..."

Smack!

"I told you! No peeking!"

"Woman, are you trying to bruise me into submission?" Logan grunted, catching her wrist mid-swing. "Okay, okay! That’s enough..."

She struggled against his hold, her hair dripping onto both of them, and he instinctively pulled her closer to calm her down.

Big mistake.

His gaze briefly dipped... very briefly... down her soaked shirt. His brain stuttered like a crashed computer. Water. Fabric. Skin. All visible. A line of logic even cavemen could follow.

Jean noticed immediately.

"Eyes. Up. Logan."

His gaze snapped to hers like a soldier at attention. "I...! I wasn’t...I mean, I didn’t mean to...You know what, I’m just going to say this before I die..."

She raised an eyebrow, ready to smack again.

"I heard you scream, Jean," he said sincerely, still holding her wrist. "That’s the only reason I came running. I thought something happened. I dropped everything I was carrying and sprinted through the woods like a maniac."

Her fierce expression wavered, just slightly.

Logan added, "I didn’t even want to see anything. My life flashed before my eyes the moment I caught a glimpse. Your rock-throwing arm is a lethal weapon, by the way."

Jean narrowed her eyes, but the fire in them dimmed. "You’re still an idiot."

Logan nodded solemnly. "Certified. But an idiot who cares."

That caught her off guard.

She blinked, then snatched her wrist from his hold. "Next time, knock before entering the woods."

He grinned. "Should I bring a door and everything?"

Another rock flew past his head.

He yelped and ducked. "I said certified, not suicidal!"

Jean wrung the water out of her dress, the damp fabric still sticking to her skin as they walked back toward the trail. She glanced sideways at Logan and wrinkled her nose.

"Okay. It’s official. You stink, Kingsley."

Logan scoffed. "Excuse me?"

"I’m serious. You’re violating multiple hygiene codes of survival. The bugs are probably filing complaints."

"Very funny."

"Take a dip. Right now."

"I don’t need to." he stated, then paused, sniffing the inside of his shirt.

Silence.

Jean raised a brow, arms crossed.

Logan looked personally offended by his own scent. "Damn. That’s... that’s bad."

"Told you." She smirked. "Take a good time washing that stink off, Kingsley! I’ll go get some supplies for the night."

Before Logan could argue further, Jean was already heading off into the woods, her wet hair swaying with each step. He watched her go, then turned toward the stream and began peeling off his clothes.

Alone now, Logan stepped into the cool river, groaning as the water swallowed him up. It was cold, but refreshing... he hadn’t realized just how sticky and hot he’d felt until now. As he submerged, his thoughts inevitably strayed back to earlier.

Jean in the water.

The way her bare shoulders glistened in the sunlight, how her body curved under the gentle surface of the stream.

Logan dunked himself fully to snap out of it. When he came up, water dripping down his face, he sighed and let himself relax into the river’s embrace.

Get it together, Kingsley. You’re stranded with her, not on a fantasy vacation.

Still, the ache in his gut... the one that had sparked the moment he saw her in that water... wasn’t going away so easily.

He let out a breath and closed his eyes, releasing some of that tension the only way he could, hidden under the current, pretending it was just about stress relief.

_______________________________

Jean pushed through the underbrush, dragging a rough bundle behind her. "Kingsley, you better not be floating dead in there. I swear I’m not dragging your naked body back."

From the water, Logan’s voice came out a little too high-pitched. "Still alive! Very much alive. Don’t come closer!"

Jean raised an eyebrow, dropping the bundle near the bank. "Relax. I’ve already seen your tragic face. Nothing left to traumatize me."

She kicked the bundle closer with her foot. "I skinned the boar. Figured we could make something out of it. Maybe a mat. Or a loincloth... you know, something to preserve the last shreds of your dignity."

Under the water, Logan groaned. "Do you have to say it like that?"

"You stink, Logan. It’s a public health hazard."

He lifted his shirt to his nose, sniffed... and immediately gagged. "Okay, noted. Just... leave me alone to mourn my hygiene in peace."

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