Chapter 53 Rough Bark
HART
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AGREEING TO INCLUDE them in the bucket list hadn’t meant jumping straight into their next unhinged misinterpretations.
But every single one of them is fucking ready to go. I’m ready for bed. Ready to pull Jade into my arms, and—
“Team up. Go find the weirdest stuff you can, within the campground and without stealing.” Josie flashes the flashlight at everyone. “The winner doesn’t have to do a presentation at the town meeting.”
At least the rules are simple.
“What page is this bucket list challenge?” I drop my bag of dirty clothes on a nearby lawn chair.
“Number twenty—” her voice trails off, looking at our book, ,but not to find the challenge, but rather to distract herself from not giving us a straight answer.
“Twenty what?” I ask, knowing damn well there’s nothing inside that book that could be deciphered as a scavenger hunt.
And I get the feeling, she knows that too.
“Twenty-three?” Is she asking me?
“I think twenty-seven,” Dean interjects.
“Or was it twenty-one?” Bronx throws in.
“It’s none of those.” At this rate, bed is sounding closer to a real option.
“Ready, set, go!” Josie sprints away, taking away my chances of hitting my tent early.
Not that it’s early.
“How the hell do they have this much fucking energy?” I growl. “They’ve been acting like a bunch of teenagers this whole week. How are they not exhausted?”
Jade slips her hand into mine with a grin. “You invited them to our bucket list.:
“This isn’t part of our bucket list.”
She shrugs. “But you can’t prove that. They can interpret any page however they like.”
“This is bullshit.”
She laughs. “Agreed, but this is your fault, and since we’re paired together, I think we could make this fun.”
Anything with her is fun. Even restless roaming at midnight.
Is it midnight?
Shit, I don’t know.
“Let’s go to the trail you followed me down the other morning. I’m sure we can find something weird there.”
“I hear you trying to make my following you in the early hours of morning sound creepy.”
“I am. And it does.”
I gather her in my arms. “But me following you down that trail was probably the best decision I’ve ever made.” I kiss her. “It was our turning point, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
I lean in, brushing my lips against hers in a soft and lingering kiss.
“I could get used to this.” Her voice is a little breathless, like our closeness takes her breath away.
What a fucking turn on.
“Good. I plan on keeping you around for a long time.” I tuck a strand of damp hair behind her ear.
Moments without her wearing her hat feel like this intimate time she only shares with me.
I fucking love it.
I fucking love her.
“I’m glad to hear that, because that means you have time to win this scavenger hunt.”
“I’m not happy about it,” I gowl.
Her laughter eases my frustration. “I don’t believe you. Come on.”
The hunt is on, and I’m half in it, holding her hand, as we head deeper into the campground, and further away from the campsites.
Her flashlight swings low, casting long, dancing shadows on the ground.
I feel her grip tighten between our laced fingers as we walk.
She’s excited and still going as strong as our siblings after our long day.
She’s incredible. This is less about the challenge for me and more about just being here, in the quiet of the night with her.
“I wonder what classifies as weird.” Her voice breaks the silence.
“I’m not sure. I guess it’s gotta be something that feels out of place, right? Not just a random pinecone.”
“Something like that?” Her light stops on a sock tangled at the base of a bush.
A plain, mismatched, slightly crumpled, and dirty abandoned sock.
She crouches down to inspect it. “It looks like it’s been here for a while.”
It looks stained, ripped at the toe, and disgusting.
She glances at me. “You pick it up.”
I shake my head. “Not a chance.” I stick my hands in the pockets of my jeans, and roll back on the heel of my boots.
She laughs low, standing up. “Yeah, I’m not touching it either.”
“Who knows how long that thing has been out here or what it’s been used for?”
She raises her eyebrows at me. “My guess would be a foot.”
I let out a sharp laugh, shaking my head. “You didn’t grow up watching American Pie with my brothers, did you?”
She shrugs, the gleam in her eye telling me she’s not that innocent.
“Maybe I need to catch you up on classics.”
“I’ve seen enough to have a pretty good idea of what happens to socks. You’ve officially ruined lonely single socks lost in the woods to me.”
“As it should be.”
She spots something and leans over to pick it up. Her shirt rides up slightly, revealing a sliver of bare skin.
My eyes catch the movement, and for a moment, I’m transfixed. My dick stirs awake like it isn’t nearly as tired as I am.
She straightens, turning to face me, and a bottle cap falls from her fingers, forgotten.
“This way.” She sprints through the narrow opening and disappears into the trail.
I follow, shaking my head. The trail is pitch-black and her flashlight beam is gone.
“Jade?”
It takes a second for my eyes to adjust somewhat, but I’m used to being outdoors in the dark. I hear her—the rustle of her boots on the ground, and her body brushing leaves.
“Cute, Jade.” I move more slowly now, listening more than looking.
Then I feel her arms snake around my waist, sliding under my shirt. Her hands are hot against my skin. Her breasts press against my back.
I suck in a sharp breath. “Damn—”
Her laugh is right against my back, smug. “Got you.” Fuck, her voice is damn sexy when it’s low and husky.
She doesn’t have me for long.
I spin, catching her wrists, and press her back against the rough bark of the closest tree.
Her breath hitches, her eyes wide in the dark, and all I can think is how good she feels in my hands.
“You think you can sneak up on me?” I lean in close.
She doesn’t answer.
She kisses me instead.
Hard.
The trail drops away. My hands slide to her waist, pulling her tight against me, her mouth opening under mine. Fuck, she tastes so damn good. Minty toothpaste and all her.
She fists my shirt, dragging me closer, and I groan against her mouth, the sound raw, and unguarded. My hand cups her jaw, tilting her face so I can take her deeper, tongues tangling, teeth catching.
She presses against me, her chest heaving into mine, and it’s messy and reckless and so fucking perfect I almost forget we’re standing in the middle of a trail and why we should stop.
I press her harder into the tree, my mouth trailing to her jaw, her neck, needing more, needing everything, and when she gasps against me, it’s all I can do not to lose myself completely.
Because this isn’t just a kiss, it’s every
“what-if” and “almost” we’ve ever left hanging, crashing down into the now. And it feels like I’ve been waiting years to breathe her in like this.
Then a rustle in the bushes startles us, and we pull apart. I expect to see one of my brothers, but it’s a damn rabbit, darting past with a flash of white fur.
Jade laughs, and I join her.
“Stop distracting me.” I take her hand. “We’re on a mission, and that could’ve been one of our siblings.”
Or worse, fucking Bronx.
We continue on the hunt. The hunt that’s going to leave me with a raging erection and blue balls.
But when it comes down to it, neither of us can focus. The night is too perfect. The list becomes a distant thing we’re participating in.
We make our way to the grassy hill, holding hands. She leans into my arm as we walk toward the pond.
“We’re totally gonna lose this scavenger hunt, aren’t we?” I step over another root, pointing it out to her.
“Yup. Probably. But I don’t mind.” Her fingers tighten between mine, so perfect.
We stop at the pond. It’s barely visible except for a few small ripples in the dark water, and what appears to be silhouettes of people.
“Look.” I point to the dock at the edge of the water.
It’s a struggle to see the figures clearly, but the closer we get, the more precise the four figures moving from the main dock to the canoe docks become.
“Are they unhooking canoes?” Jade lets go of my hand. “And intending to go on the water at this time of night?”
“I suspect that’s exactly what they’re doing.”
“Are they our people?”
“I suspect they are.”
“And I suspect it’s Josie.” Jade breaks into a run.
And I suspect Bronx. We run to the end of the dock and find Celi and Daisy are with the two of them.
Jade stops at the side of the dock. “What the hell are you guys doing?” She hisses it low, like someone might be close by listening.
The beam on her flashlight hits all the culprits red-handed. On one canoe dock, Bronx and Daisy drop a canoe in the water with a splash.
“We’re getting the weirdest thing.” Bronx climbs into the canoe, and it wobbles like it’s on the edge of flipping over.
"No one’s going on the water after dark,” Jade snaps, only to be ignored.
“The dock in the middle of the pond has a giant inflatable swan wearing sunglasses.” With a paddle in one hand, Daisy takes Bronx’s hand and carefully climbs into his canoe. “Can’t beat that for the winning prize.”
“Breathing tomorrow is worth more than that prize,” Jade says. “You know, not drowning and all. Where are your life jackets?”
“Probably in the locked cabins.” Bronx’s paddle hits the water in near silence. “Besides, this a sacrifice worth taking. Not forced to give feedback to the town on this disaster of a sponsorship.” He says it as if he’s actually partaking in feedback.
I guarantee he’d be busy whatever day happened to fall on presentation day. He loves this rush.
“He’s right.” Daisy lowers herself to the seat. “The mayor is going to rip each of us apart after that slushie disaster.”
“I doubt you plan on showing up to the town meeting,” Jade scoffs. “Your stays in Rocky Ridge Creek are brief and far between.”
“Ouch. That hurts.” Daisy touches her chest before dipping her paddle in the water.
“This is a bad idea.” Jade swings the flashlight to the second canoe dock across from them, where Celi and Josie are still unhooking the canoe.
“Put that away,” Josie hisses, blocking the light with her hand. “On three.”
She counts down, then they flip the canoe, the splash echoing across the pond. Josie almost tips it over when she jumps in.
Bronx laughs. “Careful there, kid.”
“You shut up.” She twists to point at him and the action nearly topples her over.
“Oh my god, you’re gonna all drown.”
“Calm down, Mommy,” Josie says to Jade, rebalancing, before taking a paddle from Celi. “Hurry up. Get in,” Josie hisses at Celi. “We’re not going to lose to these two.”
“I think you are.” Each stroke of Bronx’s paddle slaps harder against the surface.
Celi hands Josie her oar so she can climb into the canoe.
“Paddling canoes in the water after dark is against the campground’s rules and none of your are going out there.” Jade climbs down the ladder onto the canoe dock and points at her sister. “Don’t you dare, Josie.”
Josie pushes off the dock, and Celi falls into her seat. “High risk, high reward.”
Thank god these aren’t my brothers.
“Get out.” Jade grabs the line still half-tied to the dock.
“Let it go, Jade.” Josie yanks the rope out of Jade’s hand, nearly pulling her in. “We don’t have time for this. We’re already behind them.”
“That’s because you’re going to lose.” Bronx’s voice ripples over the water.
“Or drown,” Jade hisses.
“Don’t be chickens!” Bronx shouts. “There’s a canoe there. Race us, forest fuckbuddies.”
Aw, shit, did he see us making out? It wouldn’t surprise me.
Their canoes drift away into the dark water, and the faint stroke of paddles hit the surface behind them.
Jade turns to me with a scowl. “They’re gonna drown.”
“I feel like we’ve all done worse,” I say, watching the pond ripple as their canoes get closer to each other. “And they’re gonna win.”
Her eyes widen, and her head snaps to where Celi and Josie have blocked Bronx and Daisy’s path, and have started a sword battle with their oars.
We both look down at the last canoe, still tied up. It sits there like it’s waiting for us.
“They’re going to win, and we’re going to be stuck giving the presentation.”
“We can’t let them win.” I hear the spark of mischief in her voice.
I clutch the sides of the ladder. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Grab the paddles.” She turns to start untying the rope.
“We’re going to get banned from this place.” I grab the paddles.
“High risk, high reward.” She grabs the canoe by the middle and drops it in the water.
And just like that, we’re racing.