Page 26 of Break: Vol. 2

"Jamie, we're here," Darren said gently.

I grumbled and yawned, stretching my arms up. "Sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't realize I was still tired."

"Yeah, might've been because of some late night activities you were involved in last night," he teased.

I blushed and shoved at his chest, marching past him down the center aisle and descending the steps off the bus. Darren chuckled right behind me and as soon as we were on solid ground, he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back into a chest to back hug. "I was just teasing, sweetheart," he said, pressing a chaste kiss to my temple. "I won't do it anymore if it embarrasses you."

I turned completely in his arms, keeping my narrowed gaze on his. Then I leaned up on my toes and slammed my mouth over his. I sucked his lip between my teeth and bit down, stealing a moan from his chest, before yanking myself away and breaking his hold on me. I stomped off, leaving him panting and feeling stronger for it. Of course, when I got to where we'd be climbing into the trees of the Cannadee Island forest, I chanced a quick peek over my shoulder and saw the way his fierce gaze was locked on me. Maybe teasing hadn't been the right course of action, but it was too late to take it back, I supposed.

"Alright," Beni called, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Let's go ahead and head on over to the practice line, shall we?"

My head tilted back and I stared up into the treetops, where a large, long, and thankfully, sturdy looking platform had been built. Beni led the charge, directing us all to trail behind him as we made our way over to what amounted to a wooden building where each of us got fitted into our full body harnesses. I laughed as Taylor snuck a slap to Darren's ass.

After that, we were led over to a relatively short—only about a football field length—zipline for practice. Beni stood before our group, reciting all of the safety procedures. "You'll want to tuck in any extra fabric, remove dangling jewelry. Listen to your guides and most importantly, have fun!"

Cody leaned down next to me. "Do you have a camera?" he asked.

"I brought my phone," I offered, pulling it from my pocket and handing it over.

He smiled and took it from me. "Let's get a picture." I grinned at his boyish excitement and followed him as he headed up to Beni while the rest of the group began to line up for their practice runs. "Hey, would you mind taking a picture of me and my girlfriend and my friends?" Cody asked.

My grin morphed into a smile at the word girlfriend. Beni smiled brightly at us. "Of course, I'd be happy to!" He took the phone, which Cody had already prepared on camera mode, from Cody’s fingers. "Why don't we all line up?" he asked as the guys and I got into position.

I settled in with one arm around Cody and the other around Taylor as Dex and Darren squeezed in on either side and then behind me for a second round of pictures. My heart was full, overjoyed.

"Alright, let's go, sweetheart," Darren said, snapping his hand against my ass as Beni handed my phone back. Unfortunately, I couldn't feel the sting of his handprint around the damn harness, but I did reach over and pinch him in retaliation anyway. We headed for the end of the little platform we stood on and let our guides hook us up alongside each other.

"Ready, set, go!" they called, releasing us.

I squealed as air rushed by me, whipping my hair behind my back. I came to a sharp stop, giggling my head off and red-faced as I was unhooked.

"That was awesome!" Darren said, lifting me up and twirling me around.

"Yeah! Let's go on the big one!" I replied excitedly.

Half an hour later, we were jogging towards it, our group one of the loudest and rowdiest thanks to the shenanigans of Darren and Taylor. I laughed and dodged them as they tried to pull me between them as we ascended further up into the trees. As we were getting hooked up once more, someone snapped a few photos and I jerked my head up, catching Cody's sneaky look. He may have looked guilty, but that didn't stop him from snapping a few more pictures as the guides released our hooks and we went flying through the trees. I laughed, tilting my head up and back as the warm air rushed over my cheeks.

Chapter 13

Iyawned as Darren carted me towards the docks. Behind us, the sun was beginning to set. My muscles were sore, but my soul was full.

"I'm hungry," Cody said.

"Starving," Taylor whined in agreement.

"Let's go grab something to eat at Cordelia's," Dex suggested. "Just the five of us." Several agreements followed as we headed back to the cruise ship. I yawned once more, resting my head in the crook of Darren's neck. Just before I closed my eyes, though, I thought I saw a familiar figure nearby, watching us.

I didn't say anything, didn't alert the others, I just hoped that Stephan was looking for Dex. I figured if he wanted to talk to him, he would probably show up sooner or later or call him. I was having too much fun, relishing in my adventures with my guys—never wanting the day to end.

Darren carried me through the cruise ship as we headed back to our suite. He dropped me back to my feet just inside the door before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "Wear something with a skirt tonight," he said.

I shrugged, pulling away. "I'll think about it," I teased with a quick grin.

His eyes sharpened, but I was already heading for the master bedroom. I stripped out of my clothes as I entered the room, tossing my shorts and t-shirt away as I went in search of my sundresses. I grabbed one with a strip of twisted flowers down the side, interrupting the bright, cheery yellow of the rest of the dress. Dex entered the room as I was combing through the tangles in my hair left behind by our daytime activities. He watched me as I started braiding my hair, only to unweave the strands and start over. By the third attempt at a braid, I had given up. I yanked my hair up into a ponytail at the back of my head, grabbed my flats, and whirled to meet his stare directly.

"Take a picture," I said with a smile, "it'll definitely last longer."

"I am taking pictures," he said, his lips quirking up on one side. "I'm memorizing every detail of this for years to come."

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