Page 16 of Roughing It

Shaking my head and forcing that last image out of my mind, I crane my head. “Did you call me a bear of a man?”

“Yes! I mean, look at you all massive, with that sexy dark beard.” She gestures at me before her mouth drops open. “I didn’t mean sexy. I mean scruffy. Your scruffy beard. Like a shaggy bear.”

“Scruffy. Whatever you say, Princess.”

“Do. Not. Call. Me. Princess.”

“Spoiled? Diva? City Mouse? Pick your poison.”

Another flash of anger has her tight little body tensing. “You can call me Blakely. Ms. Bradshaw, if you’re lucky.”

My lip tugs up in one corner. Fuck if that isn’t sexy.

She smiles at her own joke before it falls. “Myfriendscall me BB. But most, with the exception of Kirk, don’t like me, so I guess BB would fit for you, too.”

I frown at her, pondering her words. “I don’t dislike you.”

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it.” Her muttered words are barely audible.

Dammit. Rubbing my hand down my face, I swing my legs out of the Jeep and jerk one of her bags off the ground. “Come on. I’ll load this one, then help you with the other.”

She blinks once. Twice. “You’re breaking your rule?”

“Guess I’m in a giving mood.”

Blakely squeals and jumps to hug me, knocking the suitcase from my grasp when her arms wrap around me, and her legs come off the ground, trusting I’ll catch her.

“Thank you! I swear, I only brought the essentials. If you follow me, you’d know I started with four bags this size before we left Austin. I pared it down to these two.”

She says it with so much pride, like she deserves a goddamn gold star for bringing fifty pounds of crap instead of a hundred.

And damn if I don’t want to give her one.

Her chest presses against mine, and the sweet scent of her hair tickles my nose. She smells like summer. As if realizing where she is, she stiffens and wriggles out of my grasp.

Clearing her throat, she says, “Now that we’ve settled bag-gate, care to do a quick live with me?” She snags her phone and waves it at me.

“Hard pass, Princess.”

“I told you not to call me that. It’s a super short check-in. It doesn’t have to be live; we can do a recording, and I’ll upload it while you drive.”

Before I can turn her down again, the camera is on, and her entire disposition changes. She’s back to using that fake affectation when she speaks, her smile tugging at her lips but failing to meet her eyes.

“Hey, BBs! I finally made it to Trail Creek, New Mexico. You won’t believe how quaint and quiet it is. When you book your trip here, whether for winter snow fun or summer swimming, make sure you check out The Bee and The Bean; the coffee and bakery items are amazing.”

I watch in disbelief as she stretches the wordamazinginto an orgasmic sound.

“Um, also, I met my guide, the capable and climbable Hudson Brooks of Peak Adventures.” She gives the camera a conspiratorial wink and playfully tugs at my arm. When I scowl, a quick flash of annoyance flickers across her face.

Pouting into the lens with a dramatic whisper, she says, “He’s a little camera shy, BBs, but I promise you, he’s a snack! Scratch that; he’s the whole meal.”

The overwhelming urge to grab her and shake her until the camera falls to the ground is a powerful temptation I’m hard-pressed to resist. I can picture it. Her pink lips parting to tell me off before my tongue slips between them and explores her mouth. The sweet taste of her filling my senses. Her lush body pressed against mine, my hands gliding up her legs, cupping her rounded ass…

I shake my head, clearing out the vivid images. Focus on the annoyance, not the breathtaking beauty.

She gives one more giggle and signs off. Once the camera is out of sight, Blakely rotates her shoulders and cracks her neck, then spins toward me. The twin pink spots high on her cheeks hint at her anger. The words out of her mouth confirm it.

“You couldn’t even wave? What is wrong with you, Hudson? Kirk explained how this works. Part of the arrangement is you being on camera!”

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