Chapter Two
After peeling Karissa’s hands from his upper arm, Brett Robinson barely fought back the urge to massage his bicep. The woman had been clutching way too tightly. Brett had never seen her act so overtly possessive.
We’re not even really a couple, yet. Geez. And why? I brought back a couple of guys.
Brett had taken Karissa out on two dates, each of the last two Friday evenings. According to Tyler—the buddy Brett was there camping with—Tyler’s girlfriend, Tabatha, had known Karissa for a couple of years. Evidently, Karissa had seen Brett’s picture on Tabatha’s phone and had wanted to meet him.
Brett had found it flattering. Plus, after seeing Karissa’s picture, he’d thought she was pretty. While he’d been a little worried about her living up to her red hair’s stigma, until right then, Brett hadn’t noticed any overly fiery personality.
Maybe it’s because I turned down her offer to share a tent last night.
While Brett knew Tyler expected him to bed Karissa on their camping trip, he hadn’t decided if he wanted to take that step with her. He wasn’t ruled by his dick, after all. Considering Karissa had been friends with Tabatha for a couple of years, if Brett slept with her and it didn’t work out, it could not only mess up the girls’ friendship, but Brett’s own friendship with Tyler.
As often as Brett had heard the adage bros before hoes , he didn’t think that would fly in this case. Tyler loved Tabatha dearly. In fact, Brett knew his buddy had bought a ring and was planning to pop the question at some point this trip.
Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to invite Karissa camping. She’s gonna get ideas that I’m so not ready for.
Settling down and getting married wasn’t even a blip on Brett’s radar right then. He had one more year of college, and focusing on his studies took plenty of his time. Brett realized he probably shouldn’t have even agreed to that first date with Karissa.
Hindsight sucks.
Following Nedrick to his GMC ’s rear wheel, Brett watched the wiry Good Samaritan slide the jack under his vehicle’s frame. Then he fitted one of the sockets of the four-way tire iron onto a lug nut. With a wrench that made it look easy, Nedrick loosened the nut.
“Hey, when I asked to borrow your jack,” Brett began, touching the man’s shoulder to get his attention. When the man’s intense brown-eyed gaze lifted and pinned on him, Brett felt his mouth go dry. Not understanding the odd reaction, he quickly swallowed before finishing, “I didn’t mean for you to change it for me.”
Nedrick grinned widely, his eyes appearing to twinkle. “Happy to help, mate,” he responded and even winked. “I’m a mechanic. I’ll have this off swift, fast, and in a hurry for ya.” Then Nedrick gripped Brett’s calf and squeezed gently. “Why don’t ya pull out your spare?”
Brett jerked a nod, surprised to find the hairs on his shorts-clad leg lifting from the feel of Nedrick’s palm on him. Even the skin on his leg began to goose bump. “Uh, o-okay.” Confused by his body’s reaction, Brett pulled away to do just that.
As Brett reached into the rear cargo area of his vehicle, he tried to figure out what the hell was going on with him. He’d never had a reaction like that from a smile and touch from a guy. It was... odd.
More than a little, actually.
Deciding to dismiss it, since Brett didn’t understand it, he slid a cooler over to the right. He focused on easing the tire out of the well under the cargo area. Brett flexed his arms and grunted, dragging it forward.
“Can I help?”
Karissa’s perky voice came from Brett’s left, startling him. He felt the tire slip from the fingers of his left hand. The tire rotated, pulling from his right hand’s grip. The heavy object banged back into the well, pinning his fingers between it and the well’s metal side.
“Shit,” Brett hissed, yanking his hand free. Pain radiated through his pointer and index fingers. He gripped his right wrist with his left hand and peered at it. Seeing blood oozing from a gash in the tip of his index finger, Brett grimaced, closed his eyes, and blew out a breath. “Damn it,” he muttered, trying to ease his racing pulse.
Brett had never been good with the sight of blood, much to Tyler’s amusement. His buddy had teased him aplenty about it.
Good thing I don’t plan to go into the medical field.
“Oh, no!” Karissa whined, grabbing his left forearm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Hey, you okay?”
Brett heard Nedrick’s question, but he was too busy focusing on his breathing—and controlling the pulsing pain in his hand—to respond.
“Damn,” Nedrick murmured, gripping his wrist lightly. “Let me take a look.”
Feeling Nedrick’s strong fingers lift his arm, Brett released his own hold and just went with it. He felt his pulse slowing as the pain began to ease. Brett knew he would need to suck it up and clean the wound, but he needed another few seconds.
When Brett felt warm lips wrap around his bleeding digit, he snapped his eyes open. Shock rushed through him at the sight before him. Nedrick had stuck Brett’s finger into his mouth, and he stared at him with calm reassurance in his brown eyes.
The heat of Nedrick’s mouth, coupled with the feel of the guy’s soft tongue gently lapping at his fingertip, shot a strange bolt of warmth straight to his gut. He felt his stomach clench, and he sucked in a sharp gasp.
Brett stared at Nedrick for a heartbeat, two, before gathering his scattered wits about him. “What the—” he began, tugging lightly, but Nedrick didn’t release him.
Instead, Nedrick winked and smiled around Brett’s finger while sliding his tongue over the tip of his digit again. The move caused the fluttering in his belly to morph into something hotter, which traveled south. To Brett’s surprise, he felt his prick begin to chub up.
Karissa whining, “Ewww, that’s disgusting,” yanked Brett out of his shocked stupor.
Brett jerked his hand away from Nedrick with more force, and the other man released him with a grin and a shrug. The man cut his attention to Karissa and claimed, “When I get a cut, and my finger’s hurting, the first thing I do is stick it in my mouth. Don’t you?”
“W-Well—” Karissa blustered, her cheeks darkening a bit.
Nedrick continued, obviously not interested in her answer, turning his attention back to Brett. “And with how pale you suddenly got and started some deep breathing exercises, along with the way you gripped your wrist...” His lips curved into a smile that appeared understanding. “I figured you weren’t going to do it yourself, so I decided to help you out.” Reaching out, Nedrick rested his hand on Brett’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “Not so good with blood, mate?”
Clearing his throat, Brett shook his head. “Not so much.” He took a chance and peered at his hand since the throbbing had ebbed drastically. “Huh.” To his surprise, the gash didn’t look nearly as bad as he’d originally thought, and the bleeding had already stopped. “Well, that’s—”
Before Brett could finish with strange , Nedrick squeezed his shoulder once more and asked, “Feeling better now?”
“Yeah, actually, I—”
“Well, I still think it’s disgusting,” Karissa cut in, reasserting herself into the conversation. She gave his forearm a little squeeze, reminding Brett that she continued to clutch him. “Are you going to be okay to hike?”
“Yeah, of course,” Brett replied, frowning when he watched Nedrick turn and grab the tire. “My hand’ll be just fine.”
“Oh, good.” Karissa beamed at him as if he’d just given her the best news ever. Peering at him from beneath her lashes, she whispered in a sultry tone, “Because I can’t wait to enjoy some nature with you.”
The loud sound of the tire slamming on asphalt drew both their attention. Out of the corner of his eye, Brett noticed Karissa’s narrowed eyes and annoyed expression. He began to think she saw Nedrick as competition, but he couldn’t understand why that would be.
Brett watched as Nedrick flashed a smile his way before wheeling the tire around the side of his Envoy . “Where are you planning to hike?” he asked, glancing back at him. “I’ve been all over these mountains. Is there some sight you’d like to see?” Lifting the tire into place—the flat one was already off to the side—Nedrick made it look easy, and he kept talking. “Waterfalls? Meadows? Wildlife? Expansive views? We got’em all here.”
Realizing he was letting Nedrick change his tire and he wasn’t even helping, Brett pulled from Karissa’s clingy grip. “Uh, well, we’ll be here through all next week, so we’re hoping to enjoy all that,” he admitted. Grabbing a lug nut from the ground, he offered it to Nedrick when he began looking. “So, yeah. Any advice on trails would be great.”
Nedrick took the nut slowly, sliding his thumb over Brett’s in the process in a move that felt surprisingly like a caress. “I’ll do you one better, mate,” Nedrick told him with a warm smile. “I’ll show you all that and more.”
Did that sound suggestive?
Naw, that can’t be right.
“We have a map of the trails,” Karissa claimed, teasing her fingers through Brett’s hair. Her touch caused a shiver to work down his back, and the hairs on his neck stood on end, and not in a pleasant way. “So I think we can find our own way, thanks.”
Nedrick flicked his gaze up to where Karissa threaded her fingers through Brett’s hair before refocusing on Brett’s face. His eyes appeared to twitch for just an instant. Then he shrugged, took another lug nut from Brett, and focused on fitting it to the tire.
“Well, the offer stands,” Nedrick stated.
“Ned, what are you doing here?”
Brett turned and stood, spotting Preall McCollins approaching. The large, blond-haired man held the hand of his fiancée—Trina Truollo. He’d met Trina his freshman year in college when they’d shared a couple of classes, and she’d introduced them. Brett had been surprised at the apparent age gap between her and her boyfriend —who looked to be in his thirties while Trina was only eighteen at the time—but it hadn’t taken him long to realize they were a solid couple. Trina was also the reason they’d chosen to camp in the mountains near Stone Ridge. She’d raved about the area, which was where she’d met Preall and had been encouraging them for the last couple of years to come check it out.
“Hey, Preall,” Nedrick greeted with a grin, rising to his feet. He reached over and clasped Preall’s hand, and they shared a quick, one-armed bro-hug. Stepping back and releasing him, Nedrick indicated Brett. “Just changin’ the tire of my new mate, Brett, here.”
While Preall nodded slowly, the corners of his lips quirking just a smidge, Brett noticed that Trina’s eyes widened quite a bit. She even looked up at Preall, who met her gaze with a smile. Then the big man lifted their twined hands and pecked a kiss to the back of hers before returning his attention to Nedrick.
“Well, that’s awful nice of you, Ned,” Preall stated, glancing at the tire. “You’ll have to join us hiking while our friends are up here.”
“I’d enjoy that,” Nedrick replied with a grin. “You know I always enjoy hiking.” Then he glanced toward his buddy, Rierdon, and added, “And I was actually here to check out Rierdon’s truck. It broke down.”
Preall smiled at Rierdon. “Hey, man.” After offering Rierdon the same greeting as Nedrick, he grimaced and said, “Sorry to hear about your truck.”
Rierdon’s smile appeared wry. “It’s fixable.”
With a nod, Preall returned his attention to Nedrick, who’d returned to changing out the tire. He’d lowered the jack and picked up the four-way wrench once more. After giving each lug a couple more twists, Nedrick picked up his jack and straightened.
Nedrick tucked the jack under his left arm, holding the iron in that same hand. “I’ll see you again before too long, Brett,” he claimed, holding out his hand to him.
Not wanting to appear rude and wondering about the undercurrents that were passing between these guys, Brett took Nedrick’s hand. “Sure.” He felt the other man squeeze lightly while rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand twice before releasing him.
Then Nedrick nodded at Karissa and the others, saying, “Nice to meet y’all,” before patting Rierdon on the shoulder. “Come on, Rier,” he urged, heading toward his Jeep . “Let’s go get that dolly and get your truck to the shop.”
Rierdon opened his mouth before snapping it shut just as quickly and following Nedrick to his vehicle. After the guy had put away his tools, he climbed behind the wheel, and Rierdon joined him in the passenger seat. He fired up the engine.
“I’ll keep you posted on where we’ll be,” Preall told him with a wave. “Trina and I’ll set up camp, then decide.” He pointed at the campsite right next to where Brett and the others were.
“Thanks, Pre,” Nedrick called before heading away.
Brett watched Nedrick drive away and found he actually looked forward to seeing him again. For some reason, he enjoyed the friendly mechanic’s presence. The guy could make a great friend.
His attention was quickly averted by Karissa once more as she demanded scathingly, “Why are you going to invite him, Preall?” She scowled at him while resting her hands on her hips. “It’s so damn obvious that he’s after Brett. He’s trying to poach my guy.”
“Wait, what?” Brett looked from Karissa to Preall, sure that his friend would deny that. “He was just being nice.”
Preall scoffed as he released Trina’s hand in order to wrap his arm around her waist. “Well, I can tell you that Ned would have changed your tire without being interested in you. That’s just the kind of stand-up guy he is.” Then he smirked at Brett as he indicated Karissa. “But Karissa’s right. He is interested in you.” With a laugh, Preall winked. “How could you not notice his flirting?”
“Yeah?” Karissa snapped, turning to frown at Brett. “How come you didn’t notice and set him straight?” She stepped close and pressed her breasts to his side as she gripped his arm again. “You’re with me, and you’re not interested.”
Confusion flooded him even as he fought his desire to extricate himself from Karissa’s clinginess.
Before Brett had a chance to dig up a response, Tyler barked a laugh. “Hell, Brett wouldn’t notice a guy bein’ interested if he walked up to him and dropped to his knees.” He rolled his eyes as he grinned widely at him. “Sorry, buddy, but it’s true.” With a shrug, Tyler added, “I’ve seen you get hit on in bars by guys, and you’ve been completely oblivious to it.”
“Really?” Brett had no idea what Tyler was talking about. “Huh.”
Brett had never really thought about being with a guy before. He didn’t have a problem with it, per se, but it was always so easy for him to pick up women. Even when Brett had noticed that a guy was attractive, he’d never seen a reason to try to go that route.
“Well, Brett isn’t a fag,” Karissa stated derisively with an eye-roll. She lifted her chin and smiled. “So he’s out of luck.”
“Watch your mouth,” Trina snapped, frowning at the other woman. “My brother’s gay, and I don’t like that term.”
“Whatever,” Karissa muttered with another eye-roll.
Preall eyed Brett, and he wondered what the older man was looking for. “Well, let me and Trina set up camp. Then we’ll take a look at the map and decide where to go.” Sliding his arm back around Trina’s waist, he turned and headed toward their campsite.
As Brett allowed Karissa to urge him toward their own space, he wondered what the others had obviously seen that he’d completely missed.
And why do I care if Nedrick’s interested? That doesn’t really matter to me.
Does it?