Price
It’s late-afternoon by the time Summer and I get to the end of the logging road. There was paperwork to handle, and a long fucking meeting with the TV people, followed by me trying to calm Ted down when they said they were still preparing the preliminary paperwork on the offer.
It’s just a game. They want my name as much as Ted wants their money.
I could give a shit, except I want the camp to succeed.
I want it to be home for Hailey and securing this deal not only helps Ted keep his life savings, but puts enough zeros in my bank account that I know Hailey will be taken care of, no matter what.
Even with all that on my mind, it’s the way Summer’s fleshy thighs taunt me from the passenger seat that has me nearly running us off the side of the road. The way her tits jiggle and bounce with every bump are making this feel like the longest drive in history.
The road turns to a series of deep wash outs and I ease the Jeep forward as far as the road will take us, down shifting as I steer to the side on a patch of grass and dirt, the brakes whining as I bring us to a stop.
“We’re going to have to walk the rest of the way.” Marking the trail ahead is a pile of boulders, with an overgrown path just beyond leading to the north toward the cabin.
“Walk?” She turns in her seat, her brows pulled together as I squeeze my jaw, trying to fight off the smile as I wonder where in the hell you would buy a pair of floral embroidered hiking boots. “Into the woods?”
“Adventure camp.” I shrug. “You did read the job description when you applied, right?”
She nods, tension in her shoulders. “When you said we were going to check on a cabin, I didn’t realize I was going to end up a contestant on Survivor.” Her voice wavers between excitement and fear, then she turns with that dimple showing and adds, “Or, Naked and Afraid. I love that show.”
Jesus. Just hearing her say the word naked has my nuts tightening.
“You’ll be okay. City is way more dangerous than what’s out here. You have more survival skills than you give yourself credit for.” I pull at the door handle, swing my legs out the open door and hop down onto the uneven hard dirt ground.
We talked mainly about Hailey on the ride, both of us keeping things light as I did my best to not navigate the Jeep down the drop offs on either side of the barely passable road. But I need to man up here. She had my dick in her mouth last night. There are things that need discussing.
Stay strong, I remind myself, and grit my teeth.
“Yeah, we should talk,” I say, glancing up through the streaming streaks of muted light coming through the trees.
The sky is darkening like my mood. I’m unsure how to start a discussion about what happened and what can and can’t happen from here.
My heart and my head are at war, and in the middle are Hailey and Summer.
I grab my backpack out of the back of the jeep, her eyes popping wide when she sees my hunting rifle strapped to the bottom.
“Just in case,” I say, grabbing her smaller pack and easing it onto her shoulders, the creamy flesh of her neck calling for my teeth.
“Okay. Is that why you wanted me to come? So, we could…talk?” She adds a little eyebrow bob and an unsure swallow, that teasing look returning, making heat rake over my skin.
“That’s right.” I square my shoulders, reaching out to flick my green carabiner that’s clipped to her beltloop, my heart speeding knowing she’s wearing something of mine.
We exchange a look as I turn and step toward the path, easing her next to me with my hand on the small of her back just under her bite-sized pack I filled with a trail mix, bug spray and a couple canteens full of water.
Almost like I was planning a fucking picnic.
Mine is twice the size. I’m always prepared, so I’ve got more food, water, filtration tabs, blanket and first aid supplies. And my gun.
I shrug, feeling the weight of more than what I’m physically carrying right now. But as I’m well aware—as are the million subscribers to my channel—things can go wrong in a blink, and there’s more at stake now than just my hide.
As the brush closes behind us, a sheer wind cuts through the woods. Our feet crunch on the leaves and sticks as we move forward.
The trail is only wide enough for us to walk single file, and I shift to the front, feeling a loss at not having the privilege of keeping my eyes on her ass in those shorts. But I’ll always make sure where she goes is safe, so I go first.
I may be a thrill seeker and a danger addict, but I’m scared to death. I have to use my words to navigate a complicated situation where my heart is involved on both sides, and other parts of me are making their own demands.
But when it comes to Hailey. I made promises to myself about how her life would be. No distractions. No possible evil step-women in her life.
My boot makes a squishing sound as I look down and ahead to see where the recent rain has left a muddy wash. I reach behind me. “Watch your step there, the ground is soft. Give me your hand.”
She slips her tiny hand into my massive one without question or hesitation, and warmth shoots up my arm. Once I lead her through the muck, I step ahead again, the tension in my center more than just about her safety.
“So, what do you need to talk to me about?” She breaks through the uneasy silence. Her voice chipper and optimistic, making me feel more like a complete ass for what I need to say.
“What happened with us.”
“Oh?” Her voice rises, and thoughts of slipping my tongue through her folds and up to that tight little asshole assault me from all sides. “Is there an us?”
“No.” The word comes out as a kind of guttural sound, and I clear my throat, trying to remember what I need to say and why I need to say it. “I mean, I want that, but things are complicated.”
“Because you have a daughter.”
I swallow the rock lodged in my throat, the breeze rustling the leaves overhead like a warning for me to tread lightly, but I don’t know how. “No, not just that.”
Her smile makes me feel like I’m walking through broken glass, then she adds, “Hailey us a jewel. You’re doing a great job raising her. She’s amazing.”
Fuck, please don’t make this harder. “She likes you too. But—”
Before I finish, she’s stomping by me, tossing me an excited look and rushing ahead.
I follow her with my eyes, the view of her stalling my heartbeat for a moment as the trailhead opens, and the cabin comes into view in a small clearing.
“Oh, wow! Like Goldilocks and the three bears.” She skip-runs ahead of me, then squeals as the sky opens up, rain starting to pelt her as she runs. I curse under my breath as I sprint to catch up. “Come on, I’ll race you!”
“No. Summer, wait, you have no idea what’s…” I growl as I adjust my pack. She’s got short little legs, but they are churning, and she’s way more nimble than my oafish size allows. “Wait!”
With the place sitting empty, it could have new residents. Ones that would find her an easy target.
She laughs as I stumble, swearing and righting myself on a thick pine tree. Then she turns, running backwards, lowering her voice to a rough grumble. “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?”
Rain soaks me through, and Summer as well, her green t-shirt clinging to her every curve as the cold shower barely dampens the heat rising from my skin.
The field around the structure is overgrown. There could be snakes, hidden potholes just waiting to break her ankle, ticks and stagnant water carrying disease…
She’s plowing forward, so I need to catch up. I drop my pack to the ground by another huge boulder and force my legs to go faster. I’m on her as she reaches the front door, and she slaps her palms against it.
“I win!” She huffs breathlessly, spinning around to light me up with a killer smile and that heart-stopping dimple.
“Don’t.” I reach forward, snatching her wrist and tugging her off balance toward me as the rain soaks us both. “You need to listen.”
My rough manner does nothing to dampen her playful mood. She could put a shine on the dullest day.
“Spoilsport.” She shrugs, blowing the water from her lips, flattening herself back against the door where a slight overhang offers some shelter.
Her exposed skin sparkles even through the rain, another reminder of how different our lives are.
I didn’t even know that glitter body lotion existed, and manicures don’t last long in the wilderness. “I was fine. There’s no one here.”
I fish the key out of my pocket, swinging the padlock upward and slipping the key into the slot. It clicks open as I tug, the metal clinking as I pull it from the metal loop and swing open the latch. “I’m going in first. How often have you been to a deserted cabin the woods?”
“Uhhh, never,” she answers with a nonchalant smirk.
“Just, there’s danger where you don’t expect it. And you don’t even know to expect it.” The hard edge in my voice masks my own fear that something could hurt her. Take her away from me. “Come. Inside. Now.”
“Okay, big brother. You’re the boss, take me inside.” She quirks a brow and her cheeks turn pink against the cooling rain.
“Summer...” My resolve is being tested. “It’s Hailey and the camp and...” I’m at a loss. I have no idea how to explain the turmoil inside me. “No fraternization. Remember?”
She cocks a brow. “You got all your fraternization out of your system last night?”
It sounds ridiculous even to me. What I want to tell her is the first time I saw her, I wanted to marry her. I never in my life thought of having a wife, but when she’s around, nothing make sense and at the same time, everything feels right.
I kick open the door as a roll of thunder rumbles and a flash of lightning punches through the sky.