Summer Nights

by Sanders, Jill

  He knew that of the three of them, Owen was the one who’d had the most time to look around. Dylan had been busy setting up the new inner tube slide and outdoor water activities.

  Liam had been too busy to do any searching either, since he’d been in charge of the woodshop. His brother had spent most of his time getting everything ready before the official opening day as well as helping out on a few last-minute improvements like the slides.

  They had finished setting up everything for the zip line. He’d learned the app system they used for scheduling tours. He and Liam had helped build the inner tube slide. It had taken some doing to go around a few trees, but in the end, they’d built almost one hundred feet of slide.

  He turned down another trail and dodged a low tree branch as his mind worked the puzzle of what his father would have wanted with the camp or the women who ran it. Dylan loved taking time to run in the mornings when he could, but since he’d had a meeting that morning, he was enjoying the early-afternoon run instead.

  Having these cutout paths to jog through the trees was a huge bonus. At his place, he normally settled for jogging on the asphalt pathway or some days even headed to the beach. Jogging on white sugar sand was a lot harder than it looked. His ankles and knees usually hurt after only a five-mile run.

  Since moving into the camp, he’d taken to running every day. The exercise was something he’d deemed necessary. Running was the first step in keeping the promise of fitness he’d made to his heavier self at the tender age of eleven. Most days he’d try to beat the heat of the day before he went to work.

  Suddenly, his mind homed in on Zoey and how she’d looked that morning during the meeting. He found it funny that a pair of khaki shorts and a T-shirt with a camp logo on it could be so appealing on a woman.

  It wasn’t as if he tended to gravitate to a type, but thinking about her, he realized she fit his ideal woman perfectly.

  Her long, toned legs were tan and looked sexier in her hiking boots than any heels he’d seen a woman wear. Normally, her long dark hair was braided or tied up in a messy bun at the top of her head, making him dream about burying his hands in it.

  It had been a while since he’d felt almost instant attraction for a woman, and knowing that this woman might hold clues as to his father’s disappearance had him rethinking his options. Still, maybe making a move was the way to get answers from her?

  He reached up with his forearm to swipe sweat out of his eyes and, while distracted, bumped right into a warm body as he turned a corner. Instincts had him reaching out and gripping shoulders before he toppled the woman over.

  “Oh!”

  He recognized Zoey’s voice before he actually saw her face.

  “Easy.” He chuckled and held on to her more tightly to steady her, surprised at the pleasure of her soft skin under his rough hands.

  Her hands ended up against his chest, sandwiched between their bodies. The fact that her shirt was as soaked as his told him that either she had been working out as well or she’d just taken a dip fully clothed. Feeling the coolness of her skin, he figured it was the latter.

  “Don’t you know you shouldn’t go swimming with all your clothes on?” he joked as he smiled down at her, not releasing his hold on her. Not yet.

  Her dark eyes narrowed as she glared up at him.

  “I didn’t . . .” She took a deep breath. “Sometimes having friends is too much work.” She glanced behind her.

  “Catfight?” he asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

  “No,” she almost gasped and turned her gaze back toward him. He could see there was humor in her eyes instead of anger toward her friend.

  “Friends can be . . . challenging,” he agreed as he grinned. “But the way you five interact, you’re more like family.” He thought about his brothers and how many times they had joked around, one of them ending up in the water against his will.

  It was then that he noticed she’d paused. She’d probably become aware that he was still holding her close, their chests pressed against one another. Of course, he towered over her by a few inches, putting her breasts just under his pecs. Still, the feeling of them against his skin did something to him.

  “You can let go of me,” she said softly.

  “I could,” he agreed with a smile. “But you’re cooling me off.” And heating him up, he thought.

  Again, her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He glanced around; they were on the back path, the one that led from the smaller swimming pool area toward the docks. He’d been heading down that way at the end of his run to jump into the cool water at the small beach.

  “Jogging,” he answered, trying to make his tone easy. The nagging voice in his head called for him to make a move so he could enjoy it and possibly get answers from her. When she looked up at him, she tilted her head with a look that told him that that wasn’t what she’d been asking. In reply, he smiled and pretended he didn’t understand that her question was about him and his brothers being at the camp in the first place.

  It was hard for him not to show everything to her in his expression, so instead he focused on his thoughts of desire for her. Letting his gaze heat as he watched her.

  Then she glanced down at his hands, and he knew that she wanted him to drop his hold. He released her slightly so that if she really wanted, she could easily step away from him. The fact that she didn’t move expanded his smile even more.

  “What are you doing here?” he retorted.

  She sighed. “You’re playing a game.” She finally took a step away, breaking their contact.

  “Am I?” he asked, running his gaze over her.

  She was dressed in bright-red shorts with a white T-shirt that had no doubt been fresh and dry earlier, but now, after she’d taken a dip in the water, the almost see-through material clung to her skin. The cream-colored bra she wore underneath did nothing to hide her peaked nipples.

  His body reacted instantly, and then it was he who took a step back.

  “Your shirt is see-through.” He didn’t know why he’d said it, other than the fact that his brain had stopped working since all the blood had fled it for lower ground.

  She glanced down and then quickly crossed her arms over her chest. “God, I’m going to kill her,” she moaned.

  “Who?” he asked, still not in control.

  “Hannah,” she said between clenched teeth.

  “Hannah? What did she do?” he asked, his eyes still locked to the spot where her arms covered her nipples.

  “She pushed me off the dock and right in the water,” she answered. She must have been talking, but his mind was too focused on that wet shirt and the toned skin underneath to hear a word. When her hand jerked up to less than an inch from his nose, and she snapped her fingers, he jerked back into the present.

  “Huh?” he asked, shaking his head.

  “Men!” Zoey exclaimed. “A pair of tits will turn them into Neanderthals.” She spun on her heel and disappeared down the path quickly.

  “Hey!” he called after her. “I resemble that remark.” He smiled when he heard her chuckle echo back through the trees.

  Suddenly in a great mood, he made his way down to the soft sand of the private beach, toed off his running shoes and socks, then dove headfirst into the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico and let his body cool down.

  He’d been on the swim team in high school, so as he cut through the water, he focused his mind on his form, trying to clear Zoey’s sexy body from his brain and loins.

  When he turned back and hit the beach again, Owen was sitting next to his shoes.

  “Hey.” He climbed out and shook the water from his short hair. His mind now clear from the swim, he knew he had to make a move on Zoey one way or another to get answers from her. His first thoughts were to grow closer to her—befriend her in hopes of gaining her trust—but part of him desired to make a different move. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d be taking one for the team. He’d been thinking ab
out her since the first moment he’d seen her standing on the steps out front. Now all he had to do was convince his brothers of the move.

  “Hey.” Owen’s arms were crossed over his knees. He looked like he’d been sitting there awhile, as he’d removed his shoes already.

  “What’s up?” Dylan asked as he sat beside his older brother.

  “We’ve been here almost a month and haven’t found anything out about Dad or the money yet.”

  “So?” he asked. “Did you think we’d just come in here, walk up to Elle Saunders, ask her if she was Dad’s mistress, and force her to confess to swindling our dad out of money?”

  Owen sighed. “No, of course not. But”—he glanced around—“something’s got to give. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this place is pretty great, but not a million dollars’ worth of great. Where did the money go? Did they spend it on fixing it up? Do they even have it? Or does Dad have it still? Where is Dad?” His brother ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

  Dylan glanced around again and shrugged. “I can’t see that it took that much cash to fix this place up. I mean, the cabins are cool, but from the pictures online of how the place used to look, I’d say less than a hundred thousand tops to overhaul the entire place. There’s the staff, but most of them are part time or have donated their time, like the local vet and doctor.”

  “Yeah.” Owen nodded. “Those were my figures too.”

  Dylan rested his arms on his knees. “So, what does the board expect us to do?” he asked.

  “Well, until we figure this out, or until we find Dad . . . or he comes out of hiding, since he’s done one of his disappearing acts again”—he shrugged—“I’m not sure what the board expects from us, other than we secure the finances they were hoping for. I think they’ve already decided to replace Dad.”

  “He’s probably here.” Dylan glanced around. “I mean, if he and Elle are—”

  Just then they heard a noise behind them and turned to see Liam approaching from the path.

  Their youngest brother settled beside Owen. Liam’s hair was longer than Dylan’s and Owen’s at the moment. But the three of them could have easily passed as triplets.

  “We were just talking about Dad. Do you think he’s on the grounds?” Owen asked.

  “No.” Liam shook his head. “I’ve been all over this place—unless he’s living in our old place across the lake.” He nodded behind them. “I doubt he’s around that place; it’s probably been bought and sold a few times since we lived there.”

  There was only one private house within view of River Camp. The massive mansion sat across the bay’s waters. Its white, gleaming windows were familiar to the brothers. They had lived in the mansion for a few years when they had been kids. It was one of the reasons they believed their father had returned and was staying around the camp somewhere.

  River Camp sat directly in the middle of an inlet, flanked by the Gulf of Mexico on one side and Pelican Bay on the other. The camp had access to both waterfronts. The bay side held the boathouse and all the watercraft, including sailboats and docks and now the new waterslides. The gulf side held the private beach, filled with white sugar sand and chairs and umbrellas that could be set up once guests arrived. Now, however, the beach sat empty except for the brothers.

  “I can look into who owns the place now and see if it’s empty,” Owen suggested.

  “I don’t think . . .” Liam started but then shook his head.

  “What?” Owen asked.

  “It’s just . . .” Liam glanced between them. “I don’t think Elle is Dad’s mistress.”

  “What makes you think that?” Dylan asked.

  “You tasked me with getting close to her,” Liam said. “The way she acts; it’s just . . . she doesn’t seem like the kind of woman . . .” His brother looked frustrated, then sighed. “Just call it a hunch.”

  Owen interrupted him. “If she’s behind Dad handing over close to a million for this place, then she’s the kind of woman who can play men. She could even play you, baby brother. Maybe I should—”

  “No,” Liam answered quickly. “I can handle her.”

  “What about you?” Owen turned toward him.

  “I’m getting closer to Zoey.” Dylan smiled. “If she’s hiding anything, I’ll figure it out soon enough. How are you doing with Hannah?”

  Owen frowned, and Dylan was reminded of the moment his brother had informed him that their family’s company might be in real trouble. That their father had pulled out a lot of cash and had possibly invested his personal capital into a stranger’s summer camp instead of his own family business.

  “They aren’t what we expected, but the fact remains: Dad might have invested in this place instead of Paradise Investments. A business he’s run for over forty years,” he reminded them. “The reason rests with one of the five women running the place. And seeing Elle Saunders’s name in Dad’s calendar was our first clue.”

  “Yeah, I’m on it.” Liam nodded.

  They had drawn straws as to who would get close to her. Since Owen liked to control everything, it had been the only fair way for Dylan and Liam to assert some authority over the situation. Liam had drawn the short straw.

  Liam’s only job was to get close to Elle, while both Owen and Dylan had two others. Dylan had chosen the sisters, Zoey and Scarlett, since he had felt an instant attraction to Zoey that first day. Owen had gotten tasked with Hannah and Aubrey.

  So far, Dylan hadn’t had a chance to say two words to Zoey’s younger sister. The woman hadn’t been around a lot. When he’d asked after her on the first day they’d arrived at the camp, Zoey had told him that she was out of town, dealing with a family issue.

  “We have less than three days before guests start flooding in here—let’s do everything we can to get some answers before then.” Owen stood up and dusted the sand from his shorts.

  Dylan stood, followed by Liam.

  “So, we continue with our plan?” Dylan said softly. His two brothers looked at one another, then nodded. They didn’t say anything else as they all took separate paths in different directions.

  Dylan made his way slowly up the path toward the main building so he could change into some dry clothes.

  He counted himself lucky when he came to the path intersection and noticed Scarlett walking toward the barn. He jogged toward her with a greeting and noticed that her steps faltered.

  “Uh, hi.” She met him with a slight frown.

  “So you were out dealing with a family issue?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It’s all handled.” She turned to go.

  “Heading out for a ride?” He gestured at her boots and riding attire. The tan jodhpurs looked worn, as did her black riding boots. He could tell that she spent a lot of time on the back of a horse.

  “Yes, did you enjoy your swim?”

  He’d removed his shirt and had it bunched in his hands, but his shorts still dripped even now.

  “Yes. I ran into your sister earlier,” he said.

  Here Scarlett relaxed slightly. “It appeared she had a swim as well.” She giggled and bit her bottom lip as if to stop the sound from escaping.

  He smiled. “From the sounds of it, it wasn’t voluntary like mine.”

  “No.” She chuckled. “Hannah and she have this . . . thing.”

  “Oh?” he said, curious.

  She took a deep breath. “It was our second year here, and Hannah accidentally”—Scarlett air quoted—“nudged Zoey into the lake when she was fully clothed.”

  He thought he knew where she was heading with this. “So what? She nudged her back a few times?”

  Scarlett smiled, and for the first time, he could see the resemblance. “Yes, and they’ve been nudging each other ever since. They usually sneak up on one another. It’s almost as if they’re still only thirteen.” She chuckled.

  He echoed her laugh. “Siblings.” He shook his head. “Age doesn’t matter. When you get around one another, it’s like you’re ten all over
again.”

  Scarlett tilted her head. “Are you and your brothers the same?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “We have our own . . . quirks.”

  She glanced down at her watch. “I’m supposed to meet her down at the barn.”

  “I won’t keep you.” He turned to go.

  “Dylan?” she said, causing him to glance back. The humor that had been in her eyes a moment ago was gone, replaced by something deeper. “Don’t mess with my sister.” The look in her eyes told him clearly that even though she was for the most part timid, she still had claws.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he answered and turned to go.

  The rest of the evening, Scarlett’s words played over and over in his head. It was strange; he’d only bumped into Zoey a few times since they’d been hired on. Each time, however, he had felt the growing attraction between them. Hell, everyone standing within shouting distance could feel it. The air had almost crackled around them that first day he’d been at the camp and had run into her at the docks. She’d just come back from a sail on the small sailboat.

  He had watched the small white sail coming closer to the dock, where he’d been trying to get into the boathouse to look around.

  He’d been lucky that he’d seen the boat in the reflection of the glass and had turned around in time to see her dock.

  Walking over, he grabbed up her line and tossed the knot over the dock cleat.

  “Nice day for a sail.” He watched her tie off the rest of the lines.

  “Yes, it is,” she called back.

  “Need help?” he asked, then held in a chuckle after her eyes traveled over him like she knew what he had been up to.

  “No, I’m done.” She moved to jump onto the dock, and he reached out quickly to help her. When she bumped into him, he almost toppled over.

  “Easy,” he murmured and made sure they wouldn’t end up in the water together. He didn’t expect the electrical shock just touching her skin caused, or the fire that spread in his blood as he held her.