Ben
I t was a gorgeous day to be outdoors and on the archery range, an open green space surrounded by a group of massive ponderosas, which caught the occasional stray arrow in their thick red bark. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and a light breeze carried the scent of pine and summer.
Camp was in full swing. The session one campers had arrived. Nothing had changed with the cabin arrangements—Parker hadn't wanted to—so Sutton Holm still was my co-counselor. And he was driving me insane. I forced myself to ignore him as I took the kids through the basic archery safety talk. Last year, Parker had been my co-counselor, and he'd taken care of all the talking, but Sutton had been the class clown during the counselor training sessions, and I didn't trust him to do it right.
Apparently, all I needed to manage my fear of public speaking was a competing anxiety about Sutton fucking things up. I knew the material better than anyone. After all, I'd become obsessed with memorizing all the camp safety guides when I was ten.
Okay, mostly because of that. But also, I'd heard other people give these talks dozens of times. I carefully laid out all the archery equipment on the table in front of me, then raised my eyes to the twelve eager, hyperactive boys. Boys who we were about to hand weapons to.
When I was 13, I'd tried to talk Walt into replacing the archery range with a safer activity, like throwing frisbees. That request had spawned a lot of jokes from my stepbrother, and had been the inspiration for the camp's extensive disc golf course. But sadly, we still had archery.
"Alright, kids, what's the first rule of archery?" I didn't wait for their answer. "We never point our weapons at our friends! I'm going to take you through the safety gear one by one."
As expected, that earned me a groan of dismay from the boys.
"This is the waiting line. This is the shooting line. We do not walk in front of the shooting line unless everyone is finished, and we need to retrieve our arrows. No one, under any circumstances, should be behind or near the targets at any other time, and no one should have their arrow in their bow unless they're at the shooting line." I turned and showed them through the equipment. "This is an arm guard. It protects you from the most common injuries, which happen when the bow string scrapes along your wrist. Let me know if you need help putting yours on." I turned to Sutton, who had already picked up a bow and was messing with it. "Do you need a hand with your arm guard, Sutton?"
"Oh, come on ji, lighten up," he said, posing with the bow like he thought he was Robin Hood.
"ji?"
"That's your name, right? jamín?" He said it with the proper Spanish accent, which was sexy in his deep voice. And very annoying.
"Safety is important. I don't need a hospital visit today." I grabbed his wrist and tugged him towards me, strapping the plastic guard over the thick muscles, which definitely did not send a frisson of awareness straight to my dick. I was barely conscious of how hot his skin felt, or how firm his arms were.
I didn't notice any of it, really.
"Yes, sir," he murmured, and I glanced up, meeting his eyes, getting lost for a second in the vivid, beautiful green color. Shaking myself, I finished fastening the Velcro straps and stepped back and picked up a bow, showing the kids how to notch an arrow, and reiterating my points about the shooting line and safety.
"Only put pressure on the string when you're facing the targets. When you're ready to fire, and it's your turn, you stand like this." I showed them the proper pose. "Pull the string back to your ear, looking down the length of the arrow towards the target," I instructed, trying to maintain my composure as Sutton sauntered over with that infuriating smirk plastered across his face.
"I bet I could show you a thing or two about handling a bow," Sutton teased, flexing his muscular arms as he picked up a bow and effortlessly drew back the string.
"That is not how you hold it," I muttered.
He burst out laughing, then glanced at my stance and adjusted his own. He grabbed an arrow and pulled the bowstring back, following my instructions to the tee as he lined up for a shot.
"Don't be so sure that being a rugby player also makes you an expert archer," I snapped, rolling my eyes.
"Hey, you never know," Sutton replied, releasing the arrow with a flourish. It hit the target on the edge of the first gold ring, eliciting cheers from the campers. "Ten points! See? Natural talent."
"Congratulations, you got lucky with one shot," I muttered under my breath, turning my attention back to the campers. I tried to ignore Sutton's presence, but it was impossible—every time I looked up, there he was, grinning and laughing with the kids like he was born to do this.
I picked up an arrow of my own and pictured Sutton's smug face at the center of the target. Then, I pictured his thickly muscled ass instead, smiling at the thought. Not that I was into picturing his ass getting penetrated. It was pure revenge, that was all.
With a smirk, I released the bowstring, and my arrow hit the target dead center with a satisfying thud.
"Nice shot, !" Sutton called. "I never knew archery was so…" His eyes darted down over my body, and a subtle smirk quirked up the left side of his mouth.
"Focus on your own campers." I closed my eyes for a beat, then reached for another arrow, quickly putting it into the target next to the first.
"Alright, alright," he said, chuckling as he turned to help one of the younger kids with their bow.
"Hey, ?" a freckle-faced boy named Jeremy asked as he struggled to pull back his bowstring. "Why do you and Sutton keep fighting?"
"Because Sutton's an ass," I muttered under my breath before turning to Jeremy with a forced smile. "We just… have different ways of doing things, that's all."
"Uh-huh," the kid said skeptically. "You two argue like my parents."
Rowan, the kid standing next to him, giggled. " and Sutton, the old married couple."
I grimaced at the comparison. "Definitely not a couple. Now, let's keep the bow aimed down the range, not at our friends."
Working with Sutton was getting on my last nerve, and I'd been alone with him way too much. Parker and Ravi had taken their campers on a backpacking trip, leaving me alone to deal with the obnoxious antics of my cocky co-counselor. Turning, I watched Sutton, begrudgingly fascinated by how effortlessly he interacted with the campers. He had them all laughing as he told some ridiculous story, his hands animated as he recounted the tale. As annoying as Sutton was, even I had to admit that he had a natural charm when it came to the kids.
I turned back to my own campers. "Anyone else?" I asked, holding up an arrow. "Toby, you haven't gone."
Toby glanced at the kid next to him, whose name was Cole, his cheeks turning pink. "I think I hurt my arm."
"Do you need to go to the nurse?"
He shook his head. "No, I think I'll just… rest it."
There was something about that kid that brought back my own childhood, and I instantly let it drop, wondering if he was feeling anxious. I knew the pressure of performing a new sport in front of a bunch of guys you barely knew. I'd been there myself, countless times.
Sutton clapped his hands together, startling me out of my thoughts. "Okay, guys. It's almost time for afternoon bell! That's enough for today." As he spoke, the bell started to ring, and he grinned. "Put your bows away in the rack, then go enjoy your free time before dinner." He continued to rattle off instructions as the campers dispersed, leaving me alone with my cocky co-counselor and my thoughts. I glanced over at Sutton, who was busy straightening up the archery equipment. His broad back turned to me.
My stepbrother walked up, waving at me as he approached, coming to stand next to me, and I tried to pretend I hadn't been watching Sutton. "How are things with the new guy?"
"Fine," I muttered, trying not to sound too annoyed. "I wish he wasn't so…"
"Charming?" Matt offered, raising an eyebrow. "Good with kids?"
"Infuriating!" I corrected him, crossing my arms. "He's always making these stupid jokes, and he's so damn cocky. I don't know why Parker wanted him to stay in our cabin."
"He had his reasons." Matt chuckled, patting me on the shoulder. "Give him time. He's trying to fit in."
"Seriously, Matt. Being a cocky asshole is not how you fit in." Not that I knew much about fitting in.
", trust me, there is more to Sutton than meets the eye. Give him a chance."
"Fine," I huffed. "But why did you schedule Ravi and Parker on that backpacking trip first? You left me alone with Sutton."
"Ravi asked for it. He wanted to give Parker some space from Sutton. Don't mention it to Parker, though. Ravi didn't want Parker to know he was meddling."
"Really?" I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. I didn't know Ravi very well yet, but he seemed like a good guy. Unlike my damn co-counselor.
"Exactly," Matt agreed. "So while Ravi cheers Parker up, do you think you can cut Sutton some slack? Maybe distract him from whatever he intended to do with Parker."
"Alright, alright." I sighed. "Ravi seems nice. I wish I had someone as great as him for a co-counselor."
"Maybe you do," Matt said, tilting his head towards Sutton, who was across the range, tugging arrows out of the targets.
"Not Sutton," I huffed, rolling my eyes.
Sutton finally glanced our way. "Oh, hey, Matt."
Matt nodded. "Sutton. I'm going to steal my brother for a minute. Thanks for your hard work."
Sutton grinned, his smile strikingly beautiful. "No problem. , can you check on the campers while I finish up here?"
"Sure."
I turned away, leading Matt back through camp, watching as my stepbrother interacted easily with campers and counselors alike. The campers were goofing off in the grassy field in front of the cabins when I found them—nothing too bad for middle school-aged boys, really. I did a count to make sure they were all accounted for, then let them play for a little while, reading more of my book before I herded them all to the bathroom to wash their hands for dinner.
When the dinner bell rang and I lined the kids up to walk to the lodge, only ten of our twelve campers were there. And Sutton had never returned. Had he gotten lost? I left the kids in line for dinner and jogged back down to the cabin, then the archery range, my anger building, until I skidded around the corner and found Sutton standing, hands on his hips. Toby, who had refused to try archery, was there, holding a bow. His friend Cole stood watching them.
"Like this," Sutton said, his muscular arm guiding the camper's hand to steady the bow. "And… release." Something about that scene tugged at my heartstrings, making me wonder if maybe Matt was right.
"Wow! I hit it!" the kid exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.
"Great shot!" Sutton praised him, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. He glanced towards me, then at his watch. "And crap, from 's expression, I can tell we're late for dinner. Run to the dining hall."
"Can we try again tomorrow?" Toby asked, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Yeah," his friend said. "We want to blow the other guys away the next time we have archery."
"Of course," Sutton replied, giving him a thumbs up. "I'll be here to help you out."
"Thanks!" Toby dropped his bow and he and Cole sprinted off with another quick thanks to Sutton.
I stepped forward. "Why are you still here?"
Sutton unwrapped the straps on his arm guard, tossing it in the bin, then put the bow Toby had been using away. "I saw you talking to Toby and talked to him a little more when I ran into him down by the cabin. Turns out he and Cole were embarrassed to try archery for the first time in front of the other guys. So I brought him back here and gave them a quick private lesson."
"Oh."
He held up his hands. "And before you come at me, I remembered all of your safety lecture. Look, I'm even wearing a wrist guard."
"You…" I was at a loss for words.
"I know, it probably breaks some other rule I hadn't thought about, but it seemed worth it to make the kids smile." Sutton shrugged as he locked up the cabinet with the arrows in it and pocketed the key. He studied me for a moment. "Well, if you're not going to grace me with one of your stern lectures, how about we head to dinner?"
He nodded his head towards the dining hall and started walking, and I followed him down the path. Even following him irritated me. But it wasn't like I was chasing him. We were simply headed in the same direction.
"I didn't chase Parker here," Sutton said after a few minutes of silence. "You should know that. I may be an asshole, but I'm not the kind of asshole who'd take a summer job just to fuck with a guy."
"Why are you here, then?"
"I signed up before…" He swallowed and shoved his hands in his pockets, kicking the ground.
"Before what? Can you even say it?"
"You know what happened. Parker wanted a real relationship, wanted me to be out, and I couldn't…" He cleared his throat. "So anyway, my fun plan to surprise Parker at camp took a bit of a dark turn."
"Why didn't you back out of the job once you guys broke up?"
He glanced at me. "I spent weeks convincing my father that this camp would be an amazing experience. What was I supposed to do? Tell him I couldn't go anymore because it would crush my heart to see my ex-boyfriend hitting it off with someone else?"
"That would be a possibility."
He blew out a breath and shot a sad smile at me. "Clearly, you've never met my father."