Page 19 of One Reckless Summer

I answer in my usual baseline irritated tone. “What?”

He chuckles, knowing me well enough to realize my surly demeanor is nothing personal. “Good to hear your voice too, dick. How are things going?”

I turn the volume back on and my balls seize up as Summer stumbles over her own made-up tongue twister. Six suckers sucking syrup surely sucks. Her laugh doesn’t help. I’d like to hear that laugh while she’s sucking my syrup.

“Fine. What do you need?”

“Look, I know you’ve got Hailey there and a million and one things to do… but the Adventure Network guy wants us to do a hike up the north logging road to the original camp cabin with some of the staff tomorrow, but no one’s been up there for about a month. Need to be sure it’s still standing and get it cleaned up a little. Never know if a bear’s been for a visit or who knows what. Can you get up there and make sure it’s ready while I manage the staff training here? You’re more the handle-the-shit-in-the-woods guy and I’m the handle-the-paperwork-and-the-humans guy.”

“I do not disagree with that,” I mutter, trying to catch my breath.

All other thought is dampened by Summer slowly pronouncing the word ‘suck’ over and over, sounding it out slowly like she’s been sent here by Satan to torture me.

Or tempt me.

“Great,” Ted says over the sound of voices in the background. “Wiley and I will take care of Hailey.”

“Fine. I’ll check it out.”

“You can go most of the way in your Jeep, the road is rougher now though, but you’ll make it. The last few hundred yards you’ll be on foot.”

Yeah, and I won’t be alone.

Chapter Seven

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.

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