Chapter Ten
As Nedrick drove his Jeep toward the campground, Brett still didn’t know what to make of the other man’s announcement. The man wasn’t shy around him, seemingly happy to parade nude in front of him after the shower. He’d even remained naked as he picked out clothes for both of them.
No, definitely not shy... at all.
Brett figured that if he was honest with himself, which he always tried to be, the man had nothing to be ashamed of. That was for sure. His frame might be leaner than Brett’s own, but it was all muscle.
The man even had a six-pack, which Brett had never been able to achieve. Ever since breaking his leg playing football his senior year of high school, causing him to put on a little weight due to inactivity as he healed, he’d never gotten in that great a shape again. Of course, it wasn’t as if Brett had tried to do any sports in college. He’d never seen the point of sparing the time. Instead, just as Brett had admitted to Nedrick when he’d asked, he enjoyed hitting the gym to destress.
Fortunately, Nedrick had had a pair of too-large sweatpants from when he’d had to have bandages on his hip and thigh, and he’d needed more room. They fit Brett comfortably, as did the t-shirt the other man had given him. Evidently, Nedrick had ordered it online and the size chart was off, so it’d been a bit large on him.
And the man was shot by poachers.
Brett couldn’t believe the nonchalant way Nedrick had shared the tale.
Crazy.
While Brett was tempted to ask for more details, he held back. Nedrick had told him that he would share more when they got to know each other better. Just how much better did Nedrick expect them to know each other?
The man already mapped every inch of my body and had my dick in his mouth.
Just thinking about Nedrick’s hands on him, the way he’d kneaded his muscles, combined with the hot pressure of his mouth on his cock, caused Brett’s blood to heat and flow south. He couldn’t remember ever blowing so fast. Brett figured it had something to do with how keyed up he’d been from the other man washing him.
That had been one sensual shower.
Huh. Does the hand job and blowjob make Ned my lover?
Naw. We were just a coupla guys scratching an itch.
Maybe a vacation fling. Right?
He probably does this with campers all the time.
Brett grimaced at his thoughts, barely registering the trees out the Jeep ’s window. He didn’t know why that thought made him want to growl... or hurl. While Brett hadn’t been considering finding a relationship until after college, the idea of Nedrick being with a whole bunch of random campers definitely caused a case of the green-eyed monster.
Shit. That can’t be good.
“Hey.” Nedrick’s soothing tenor filled the cabin. “What are you thinking about so hard over there?” He moved his hand from the gear-shift for a second to squeeze Brett’s thigh. “Everything okay?”
No. No, everything definitely wasn’t okay.
“Yeah, yeah,” Brett replied instead. He could think about his spiraling thoughts later... much later. After all, they were pulling into the campground. “Just spacing a little.” That wasn’t too much of a lie. “Probably from the meds or fatigue from the stress and pain of the day.”
“You’re in pain?” Nedrick asked quickly, glancing at him with concern. “I think it’s a little early for another pain pill. Maybe you’ll feel better once you can relax at the camp.”
“Yeah.” Brett nodded, happy for the out. “That sounds great.”
Nedrick glanced at him again with a narrow-eyed gaze that Brett didn’t know how to interpret. “Almost there,” he said, turning into their camp slot’s loop. “Huh.”
Brett almost said the same thing. He spotted his Envoy ahead, but Tabatha’s Ford was nowhere in sight. Neither was Preall’s SUV, which should’ve been parked by the next campsite.
“I wonder where they—oh.” Brett gaped for a second before snapping his mouth shut. “What the hell?”
As Nedrick parked where Tabatha’s car had been, Brett took in their campsite. Clothing was strewn around the area, and the campfire smoldered from some article that had been tossed too close. His single-person tent had been tossed on its side, and the corner of the one that Karissa had been using had caved in.
“Could it have been a bear?” Brett mused as he eased from the Jeep , keeping his arm tucked close. “But we didn’t leave the cooler here.”
Brett had made a point of locking it in his Envoy each time it wasn’t in use.
Nedrick inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes. “No, not a bear.”
“How do you know?” Brett asked as he fell into step beside Nedrick.
“Uh, no empty food wrappers anywhere,” Nedrick pointed out. Frowning, he added, “And didn’t you keep everything in your car with the cooler?”
“Oh, yeah.” Brett nodded. “Right.”
Just then, Brett spotted Tabatha and Tyler coming from round their tent. They both carried an armful of rumpled clothes. While Tyler sported a stormy expression, Tabatha appeared worried.
“Hey, guys,” Brett greeted, raising his good hand. Looking around in confusion, he asked, “What happened?”
“Karissa happened,” Tyler snarled, curling his lip. “Bitch went crazy after Preall received the text from Ned about you going to his place for a shower.”
“Don’t call her that, honey,” Tabatha scolded softly with a sigh.
Tyler frowned, dumping the clothes on a camp chair that already had a stack on it. “Well, what do you want me to call her?” he grumbled. “A jealous homophobic psycho?”
Seeing Tabatha’s brows furrow and her cheeks darken, Brett lifted his right hand in placation. “Hey, whoa. Whoa. Let’s not say anything any of us will regret.” He winced and thrust his hand through his nearly dry hair. “Besides, it’s probably my fault anyway. I didn’t mean to lead her on by asking her to come. I mean, we’d only been on two dates. We weren’t ever really a couple, but I guess it’s good I found out early about, uh... some of her less desirable tendencies.”
Shaking her head, looking sad, Tabatha admitted, “I had absolutely no idea she had such strong opinions about homosexuals.” After putting her armful of clothes onto another chair, she began sorting and folding the items. “I mean, she never said anything one way or the other.” Tabatha paused, folding a pair of Tyler’s shorts. Cocking her head, she mused, “Although, now that I think about it, she always had some other plans any time I asked her to meet up with Charlie and Matt.”
“Who are they?” Nedrick asked curiously before crossing to a chair that was on its side. He picked it up and carried it to Brett. “Have a seat, handsome. Rest.”
Grateful, Brett settled in the comfortable camp chair while he listened to Tabatha share, “Charlie and Matt are going into their senior year at our college, same as us. They’ve been a couple since high school. Really nice guys.” Her smile turned wistful. “So sweet to see together. They just got engaged and plan to marry after they graduate.”
Nedrick nodded. “Well, I’m not folding your clothes, but I’ll take a look at these tents.” Heading toward the dented two-person one first, he asked, “So, Karissa ended up a little angry after I sent that text to Preall, and she did all this?”
Brett wished he could help, but he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Instead, he sat there and watched through slitted eyelids as the others cleaned up camp and listened as Tabatha explained. It seemed Tyler kept his jaw clenched, and Brett could see his best friend biting his tongue each time he wanted to interject something not-so-nice.
“Yeah, after reading the text to us, Preall decided he had time for him and Trina to go to the store for more ice and food to grill before you came back,” Tabatha shared. Grimacing, she glanced between Brett and Nedrick before quickly shoving a pair of lacy underwear into her bag. “Um, once they left, Karissa started shouting about how she didn’t come up here to spend her time with a bunch of, uh, gay guys.” Her cheeks darkened as she shook her head. “Anyway, she got up in Tyler’s face, asking him if you were gay or if you were a real man.”
Grimacing, Brett cracked an eyelid and peered at his friend. “Bet you didn’t like that,” he muttered, seeing the dark look that crossed his best friend’s face.
Yeah, Tyler would have been pissed. Still seems to be.
“Anyway, long story short, when Tyler said it wasn’t his fault you decided you weren’t interested, Karissa turned on me and began screaming about me setting her up with a fag”—Tabatha lifted her hand in placation—”her words, excuse me.”
Nedrick scoffed. “I understand.”
“Tyler obviously came to my defense.” Tabatha smiled warmly at her man. “Telling her to back off.”
Scoffing, Tyler grumbled, “Her yelling at me is one thing. No one goes after you, baby.” After tossing a pair of his shorts into a bag, he reached over and squeezed Tabatha’s hand.
“So, Karissa started grabbing our bags and flinging our stuff everywhere.” Tabatha rolled her eyes and shook her head. “We stopped her before she could go through your stuff, Brett, and that’s why ours is everywhere.”
“Damn, I’m sorry about that,” Brett muttered, shaking his head. “I’m just not interested in her.”
“We get it, man.” Tyler smirked as he glanced Nedrick’s way where he was busy putting the two-person tent to rights. “Your interest has ended up... elsewhere.”
Nedrick turned and gave Brett a heated look, and he felt warmth start to creep up his neck.
Right. Elsewhere.
“Anyway, after she went after the tents, I gave her my car keys and told her to go home.” Tabatha shrugged. “That I’d have Bethany pick up my car from her. She grabbed her bag, roared out of here, and now”—she sighed deeply—”now I’m hoping my vehicle is in one piece when I get home.”
“Both Bethany and William will be waiting for her,” Tyler assured her. “Even if Karissa has a mind to do something to your Focus once she’s safely home, they won’t let her.”
Tabatha’s smile held obvious relief as she peered at Tyler. His friend reeled in his woman and planted one on her.
Brett allowed his eyelids to slide shut again.
Damn. I’m tired.
He’d just about drifted off to sleep in his chair when he heard Preall’s surprised voice say, “Damn. What happened here, guys? And where’s Karissa?”
Brett fell asleep to Tabatha sharing the story all over again.
*
“Brett, baby.”
Brett felt a hand cradle his jaw and scratch his scalp lightly, drawing him slowly from sleep.
“Come on, my mate,” Nedrick murmured into his ear. “You need to eat a little something so you can take your evening pills. Then you can go to your tent and sleep.”
Blinking open his eyelids, Brett met Nedrick’s warm smile. “Hey,” he muttered groggily. Seeing the evening shadows stretching across the area, Brett asked, “How long have I been out?”
“About two and a half hours now.” Nedrick massaged his nape lightly as he placed a paper plate on his lap. “It’s just a cheeseburger with mayo and ketchup. Tyler says you’re not a fan of mustard. Plain, I know, but it’ll be easy for you to hold with one hand.” Drawing away, Nedrick pointed to the right cup holder. “Get eating. Your water is there. I already cracked the seal so it’ll be easy for you to take off the lid. I’ll be right back with your meds.”
“Thanks, man,” Brett murmured, carefully picking up his burger.
Even without any extras, the burger tasted fantastic. It didn’t take him long to wolf it down. He hadn’t even realized he’d been so hungry, but then it occurred to him that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Do you want a second one?” Nedrick asked, holding out his pills.
Brett thought about it as he took a swig of water and swallowed the meds. Then a deep yawn overtook him, and he shook his head. “Naw, I think I’m gonna go conk out.” He looked toward where his single-person tent had been and frowned. It wasn’t there.
“Sorry, Brett.” Nedrick grimaced from where he sat beside him, having obviously followed his gaze. “The ridgeline pole was broken. I suppose I could have used duct tape, but since Karissa was no longer here, I figured you wouldn’t mind just using the other one.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Brett nodded. “That’s fine.”
Brett didn’t have the energy to be pissed that Karissa had destroyed his property. Although, he probably would be once he was feeling better. It was a shit thing to do—throwing a tantrum like a two-year-old.
On instinct, Brett moved both hands to the armrests in preparation to rise.
“Whoa, nope.” Nedrick gripped Brett’s right upper arm, staying his action, while sliding his left arm behind his shoulders. “No pressure on that limb now.”
“Damn. Yeah,” Brett agreed.
Brett allowed Nedrick to help him out of the chair. The other man followed him across the campsite to the tent and unzipped it for him, holding the flap open. Climbing inside, Brett did his best to ignore the small smiles on his friends’ faces as they watched.
“Can I return these sweats to you tomorrow?” Brett asked as he eased to a sitting position on the sleeping bag, realizing he was still wearing Nedrick’s clothes.
“Whenever’s fine, Brett.” Kneeling, Nedrick leaned partway into the tent. He pecked a kiss to Brett’s lips before holding his gaze and asking, “Do you need help getting in the sleeping bag or anything?”
“Uh, no.” Brett licked his lips, and Nedrick followed the action. Feeling a little off-kilter, he whispered, “Um, night.”
Nedrick snapped his attention back to Brett’s eyes and smiled. “Night, Brett.” Then he eased back out of the tent and zipped it up.
Lying back, listening to his friends murmuring on the other side of the tent wall as he waited for sleep to once again take him, Brett wondered what it would be like to have someone who cared so much around all the time.
*
“No, really,” Brett encouraged, smiling at Tyler the following morning. “Don’t worry about me.” Indicating the tent, he told him, “I’m just gonna crawl back in there and doze all morning.” With Tabatha on the other side of their tent brushing her teeth, Brett lowered his voice and told Tyler, “Why don’t you take my Envoy and go to that place you were talking about? The one with the waterfall?” He lifted his brows meaningfully. “And have that nice time with your girl.”
Tyler grinned. “Yeah. Okay.” He patted Brett on his upper arm. “Thanks. I’ll text you when I know when we’ll be back.”
“Don’t even worry about it.” Lifting his casted arm, Brett claimed, “Cast or not, I’m a big boy. I’ll be fine.”
With a snort, Tyler took his keys and grinned. “See you later.”
After they’d left, Brett made sure the fire was banked before he climbed right back into his tent.
Healing sure does take it out of a body.
Brett had just laid back down again when he heard footsteps and spotted a shadow moving outside his tent. At first, he thought it was Preall, but then he remembered that he and Trina had already left.
God, hopefully, Karissa didn’t come back.
To Brett’s relief, he heard Nedrick softly call, “Brett? You awake?”
“Yeah.”
The zipper opened, and Nedrick smiled at him. “Mornin’. Preall told me you were here alone.” He slipped into the tent and closed it up behind him.
“Uh, yeah.” Brett eyed Nedrick as he rolled out the sleeping bag he’d brought with him. He would forever blame his inane question on his meds. “What are you doing?”
Nedrick grinned and winked. “Relaxing with you.”
Brett could just watch, dumbfounded, as Nedrick laid back, stuffed a jacket under his head, and pulled out an electronic device.
“Ned?” Brett was trying to process what the hell was going on.
Flashing a smile his way, Nedrick reached over and squeezed his right wrist. “Relax and get some rest, my mate,” he encouraged. “I’ll be here if you need anything.”
Then Nedrick pulled up a book on his tablet and started reading.
Uhhhh... okay.
With his eyelids once again heavy, Brett decided to just go with it.