Page 36 of Her Wild Coast Refuge

“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” I ask.

Lexie’s face lights up. “A surprise.”

For a split second, I imagine picking up where we left off by the lake. Quinn would slowly undress her, caressing and kissing her while I watched, until she begged him for release.

“Give us a hint,” Quinn says.

Our waitress arrives with the rolls and a ramekin of butter pats wrapped in gold foil.

“Nope.”

I break open a roll and pop a bite into my mouth. It’s buttery and melts on my tongue.

“We could torture you until you talk,” Quinn says.

Lexie gives us a steely gaze. “You think I’ll crack, huh? Don’t count on it.”

“Sounds like an invitation,” I say, then wish I’d held my tongue. This is as good as playing with fire.

Lexie’s face turns crimson.

Our waitress returns with a helper and swiftly delivers the hot plates heaped with food.

“Need anything else?” she asks while her helper rushes off with his empty tray.

The three of us look at each other.

Besides a private room?

“We’re good for now, thank you,” Quinn says.

To distract myself from the ideas swirling around in my brain, I dig into my ribs. The meat is tender, the smoky-sweet barbecue sauce the perfect complement.

“Did you grow up here?” I ask Lexie.

Lexie swallows a bite of chicken. “I moved here when I was seven after my parents died, but my brothers and I visited our grandparents at Soren Lake every summer, fishing and crabbing and picking berries for jam, stuff like that, so it felt like home.”

A detail snags in my brain. “Your grandparents live at the lake?”

“Yep. Though my granddad passed two years ago, so it’s just me and Grams now.”

“Do your brothers fish too?” Quinn asks.

“Evan doesn’t have the patience. Hunter only lived here for a year before he left for the navy, so it never really stuck. Cooper is more of a mountain person.”

“What about Jared?”

“He knows more about the outdoors and survival than anyone. I bet he could catch a fish with his bare hands. He takes Juniper fishing sometimes, but it’s just for fun.”

“Juniper?” Quinn asks.

“Their daughter. She’s five. But Tasha’s pregnant again. They’re so excited.”

Once before, Lexie mentioned Jared, Evan, and Tasha as “they”, but it’s the first time I’ve put it together that the three of them are afamily. I’m definitely intrigued. That it doesn’t seem to faze Lexie makes her even more delightful.

“They teach survival at that school they run?” Quinn asks.

“No. Eagle Ridge teaches outdoor skills, and leadership. Nobody’s getting left alone for a week with only a bag of dried peas and a rain poncho.”

---