by Anna Durand
Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
About the Author
Connect with Anna Durand
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Heidi
Today, I have returned to the scene of the crime, or rather, the scene of my worst humiliation. After making a complete fool of myself a few months ago, when I'd thrown myself at Ollie Jackson repeatedly, I let my friends convince me that coming back to Au Naturel Naturist Resort was a good idea. Face my fear, that was the mantra. Prove to the world I'd moved past my shame.
Easier said than done, as the saying went.
I was the girl who loved to have fun, who never let anyone or anything drag me down. But I did the dragging all on my own. Ollie and I had dated for, like, five minutes last year—then I dumped him so I could reconcile with my cheating ex. Later, I'd returned to Au Naturel and tried to win Ollie back, even though he'd been with Mara Severins by then. Had I really wanted Ollie? No, not really. I realized that on my last day at the resort. I hadn't wanted to admit I gave up a good man because I thought I didn't deserve him.
I stared out the window of the big, pink RV my friends and I always drove whenever we headed for the naturist resort. And yeah, naturist meant nudist. We always wore T-shirt dresses when we arrived at Au Naturel so we could whip them off the second we exited the RV.
But today, I wore cargo pants and a loose-fitting T-shirt.
My friend Shelby sat down beside me, wearing her standard concerned look—mouth tight, brows lowered, gaze targeted on the object of her cheering-up campaign.
That would be me. Heidi Mackenzie, the most upbeat member of the Kitten Brigade, had become the girl who needed cheering up. I didn't feel like I belonged in the Kitten Brigade anymore. The wonderful people at the naturist resort had given us that nickname because we were young and carefree, always ready to cut loose and have a good time. I didn't feel like doing any of that anymore.
So I ignored Shelby and kept staring out the window.
My friend poked my arm. "Time to start talking, Heidi. You've been Ms. Silent Treatment for the whole three-day trip to Oregon."
"You guys insisted I come along, so I came." I would've rather stayed home in Nebraska, doing my boring job and avoiding my parents.
Shelby poked me again. "But you've said, like, ten words since we left home. Come on, girl, this is our vacation."
I eyed her sideways. "We went to the resort a few months ago. This trip is strictly so you guys can convince me I need to get laid."
Yeah, they'd been saying that for a while now. Get back out there, get laid, get something. They weren't pushing me to have anonymous sex. They just wanted me to act like the girl I used to be. But I couldn't do that. No more silly, self-centered Heidi. I was a mature woman with a serious job, not a sorority slut.
"Heidi." Shelby almost whined my name.
I sighed. "I'm not trying to ruin you guys' vacation. But we are going back to the place where I made a total ass of myself. I'm having trouble getting excited about that."
"Sure, I understand. But things will get better."
"Uh-huh." I didn't see how that would happen anytime soon, but I wouldn't contradict her. She and the rest of our group needed to believe in happy endings. I'd stopped believing in those a long time ago.
Shelby threw her arms around me, squeezing hard. "I love you, Heidi."
"Yeah, I love you too."
My friend pulled away, giving me a sympathetic smile. Then she rejoined the rest of our group where they'd gathered at the front of the RV.
As the vehicle turned onto the gravel driveway that led to the resort, I dug a baseball cap out of my duffel bag and stuffed the hat onto my head. Sometimes I missed wearing girlie clothes, but I'd made a vow to become a mature adult. No more skimpy dresses. No more shrieking with joy at every little dumb thing. I was a grown-up now, not a goofy kid.
The closer we got to the resort, the more acid churned in my stomach.
And when we broke out of the woods into the large clearing around the resort buildings, I got so nauseous that saliva filled my mouth, a sure sign I was on the verge of vomiting. I took several slow, deep breaths until the nausea faded away.
You can do this. Breathe, girl.
I obeyed my own commands, and though I wasn't about to barf anymore, I still suffered from a creeping unease that made my skin itch.
Jane, who had driven the last leg of our journey, parked at the end of the driveway near the little house occupied by Eve and Val Silva, the owners of the resort. Eve and Val weren't the ones I dreaded seeing.
Through the RV's windshield, I spotted Ollie Jackson and his fiancée, Mara Severins.
Ugh. Why couldn't they have taken today off? Well, I'd have to see them eventually. Sure, Mara and I had become friends, kind of, and we talked on the phone and texted sometimes. But virtual friendship was nothing like the in-person kind.
Mara was such a sweetheart. She would never do the idiotic things I'd done.
Jane opened the door, and my friends tumbled out of the RV, grinning and laughing.
I heaved my butt off the seat and scuffled out of the vehicle. The sun seemed a lot brighter than it had a few minutes ago. I hunched my shoulders, letting my gaze wander over the people who had gathered to greet us. Eve and Val, of course, stood in front. Ollie and Mara waited just behind them, and Ollie had his arm around his fiancée. Behind them, on the big lawn, senior citizens played miniten in the nude. The game was based on tennis, but designed for and invented by naturists, aka nudists. Instead of tennis rackets, they had wedge-shaped boxes over their hands. Thugs were a bizarre addition to the sporting world, though not many people who weren't nudists knew about miniten.
No miniten for me. I used to love the game, but I wouldn't play it anymore because Mature Heidi did not jump around with a wooden box on her hand.
My friends whipped off their T-shirt dresses and flung them high into the air, whooping with joy.
Part of me still wanted to join them, to be like them, but I couldn't. Revamping my life meant revamping myself too.
So I hid out near the front bumper of the RV and watched them.
While Eve, Val, and Ollie greeted the Kitten Brigade, Mara walked up to me.
"There you are," she said. "I'm glad you came, Heidi. Welcome back to Au Naturel Naturist Resort."
"Uh, hi." I shoved my hands in the pockets of my cargo pants. "It's nice to see you again, Mara."
"Don't be nervous. We're friends, and all that stuff that happened months ago d
oesn't matter anymore."
"You honestly are the nicest person on earth. I can see why Ollie loves you."
Mara moved closer, smiling a little. "I get that you're embarrassed about what happened last time you were here, but everything's different now. Think of this as a new beginning."
"I want it to be a fresh start, but crawling back to the scene of the crime doesn't feel like a new beginning."
Mara's smile grew bigger. "But it is, Heidi. Au Naturel is your home away from home, and we're all so happy you're with us again."
She pulled me into a firm hug.
When she let go of me, I tried to smile but only managed to kind of sneer or something. I didn't mean to, but my lips just wouldn't form a real smile.
Mara patted my arm and left.
Eve and Val were helping my friends carry their tents and bags to the camping area on the other side of the clearing. I'd arranged to stay in the guest house, which had disappointed the Kittens. They didn't understand my new outlook on life, but they accepted my decision.
Mara joined Ollie where he was chatting with his best friend, Damian Petrescu. Or, as Damian called himself, the Ludar prince. He claimed to have gypsy ancestry or something, but he was just another arrogant man who thought he was God's gift to women. He hadn't tried to give me that gift yet, but if he made a move, I'd have to disappoint him. My new outlook came with a new dictate—no dating, no sex, nothing but self-reflection until I'd gotten my head screwed on straight again. Men, especially hot ones, had no place in my life right now.
And yeah, Damian Petrescu was hot.
I let my gaze travel up and down his body, taking in his gypsy-chic outfit—black jeans, a long-sleeve black shirt with the top three buttons unhooked, and big black boots with bronze clasps. A necklace that looked like intricately braided rope hung around his neck, and a chunky silver ring glistened on his right hand. Damian hadn't been dressed like that the last time he'd been at the resort, but Mara and Ollie had told me Damian quit his job and joined the team at Au Naturel as concierge and resident gypsy. He did palm readings or whatever and had a "gypsy wagon" parked behind the guest house. That was his home base for peddling hooey to tourists.
But damn, that man was fantastic eye candy. Val Silva had the most ripped body I'd ever seen, while Ollie had a more normal type of muscular physique. Damian was somewhere in the middle. He boasted muscles, a fact I knew because I'd seen him naked. Ollie's best friend had dived right into the naturist lifestyle on his first visit to the resort a few months ago. And okay, maybe I'd loved admiring his sexy bod. With that olive skin and dark hair, he looked every bit the gypsy prince. He'd let his hair grow out some since the last time I'd seen him, so now wild curls framed his masculine face.
I did not have the hots for Damian Petrescu. He was man candy, for sure, but also a player. I couldn't verify that assessment with facts, but I sensed it. Having hooked up with one too many players, I'd developed a sixth sense for detecting them.
Tearing my gaze away from Damian, I retrieved my duffel bag from the RV and headed into the guest house. Once I got inside the building, I froze at the bottom of the stairs. My room was on the second floor, but suddenly, I couldn't make my feet budge another inch. A fresh start? How would I get that when I'd come back to the place where I'd always behaved like a foolish flirt? I tipped my head back, staring up at nothing. Maybe coming here had been a huge mistake.
I should go home. Catch the next flight out.
Had seeing Damian again triggered this sudden anxiety? No, of course not. I was not afraid I might succumb to his charms and revert to my old ways. That was just dumb.
"Hey. Remember me?"
I startled, swerving my gaze to the man who'd sneaked up behind me. "Oh, it's you. Damian, right? You're Ollie's friend."
Why was I acting like I barely remembered his name? So he wouldn't get the wrong idea and decide I might be his next target, that's why.
"Yeah, but I don't think we were ever properly introduced." Damian held out his hand. "Damian Petrescu, proud Rom and descendant of the Ludar line."
I shook his hand cautiously. "Right. I remember now. You're the guy who loves to put on gypsy airs. I'm Heidi Mackenzie." I raked my gaze over his entire body, and my tongue darted out to moisten my bottom lip. Not because I was attracted to him. No way. "Why are you dressed like Dracula's low-rent cousin?"
"Women love the way I dress." He smirked. "You do, that's for sure. I can tell by the way your pupils dilated when you saw me and the way you licked your lips."
"My lips are dry, and it's kind of dark in here. It makes everybody's pupils get bigger."
"Have dinner with me."
I blinked slowly, my brows hiking up. "Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said. Have dinner with me. I give awesome dating."
Oh yeah, this was exactly how I expected Damian to behave. Player alert. "Yeah, I'm sure you think you're awesome at everything to do with women. But I'm not interested."
He leaned against the bottom post on the staircase, cocking his hip. "I bet you'll change your mind after a date with me. What have you got to lose? I'll buy you a nice meal, we'll have some laughs, and then you can decide how badly you want to get me naked."
"Oh please. Does that kind of talk really work for you?"
"Usually." He slanted toward me and lowered his voice. "I can give you the best time of your life, and I'll even talk dirty if you beg me for it." He grinned. "Actually, you won't have to beg. I love whispering filthy things into a woman's ear."
"I'm not into that." It was a lie, but sometimes a woman had to deceive a man to protect herself. I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not interested in dating or sex at all."
"Come on, you must be joking. Aren't you the girl who loves to be naked and loves to suck every ounce of marrow out of life?"
Hearing him say the word suck sent a hot shiver through me. But that did not mean I wanted to sleep with him. Even if I did want that, I would not do it. "I'm not a silly, wild girl anymore. I've changed, for the better."
"Don't you miss having a good time?" he asked. "I guarantee I can make you feel good."
Oh God, that sounded amazing. Even before I made my celibacy vow, I'd gone without sex for months. A steamy, meaningless fling sounded perfect.
No, it did not. Focus, Heidi.
"I'm not having sex with you," I said.
"We can start with a date, then."
I shook my head, trying to frown but not quite succeeding. "You really are persistent, aren't you? Maybe I'm not being clear enough. I'm done with men, at least for a while."
"Have you defected to the other side?"
"What?" For a second, I had no idea what he meant. Then it hit me. I shook my head again, almost smiling. "Oh, I get it. I'm not a lesbian. I'm taking a break from dating, that's all."
"Hmm." Damian inched closer. "We can start with getting it on, and upgrade to dinner once you're over this no-dating thing."
"Do you have concrete for brains?" I made exaggerated lip movements to match my exaggerated enunciation when I informed him, "I am celibate. No sex. No dating. No men, except for platonic friends. Get it?"
"I can read lips, you know. You could've just mouthed all that, and I would've understood."
"You're so pigheaded, I figured you needed extra emphasis."
"How about a kiss?"
"No, Damian." Jeez, why was he so determined to get in my pants? I wore baggy clothes so men wouldn't pay attention to me. That tactic had worked out so well, hadn't it? "We can be friends—platonic, which means no sex, no kissing, no fondling—but that's it."
He sighed with no small measure of sarcasm. "Have it your way."
"Thank you."
"We'll be friends, until you drag me into the woods and ravage me."
I couldn't help it. I smiled. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you?"
"Oh yeah. I always am."
He kissed my hand and walked awa
y.
That man was trouble with a capital T, two exclamation points, and a double underline.
Chapter Two
Damian
I loved my job. Working at Au Naturel Naturist Resort was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and I had my best friend to thank for it. Ollie had convinced me to quit my old job, since I was bored out of my ever-loving mind there, and join him here. He'd been pestering me about it for almost a year, ever since he quit his tech job to move to Oregon. I kept saying no. I mean, a nudist resort? How could I ever concentrate with all those hot, naked girls prancing around? Then I came here for a visit and suddenly understood.
Not that many hot girls on the premises. Well, except when the Kitten Brigade was here. I'd met those girls twice so far, including today, but most of our guests were families or senior citizens.
So yeah, no hordes of nubile hotties to distract me.
Too bad, but also good. I loved women, but this was my job now, not a sexy vacay at an adults-only nudist resort in the Caribbean. But today, my focus had been shattered by the arrival of one woman—Heidi Mackenzie.
She was the sexiest woman on earth, even in cargo pants and a baggy T-shirt with a baseball cap covering all that lush blonde hair. I'd seen her naked, but I had never so much as shaken her hand. We got introduced on my first trip to the resort a few months ago when I showed up for a surprise visit so I could hang with my best friend. Turned out Heidi was Ollie's ex, though they dated for such a short time they barely had a chance to blink before it was over. She still had a thing for him and tried to seduce him away from Mara. It didn't work. Heidi felt humiliated and sneaked out with her tail between her legs.
I would've loved to get between her legs, but no way in hell did I want to become the rebound guy. That sucked, a fact I knew from experience.
While Heidi's girlfriends disrobed and got the party started, I snagged Ollie and Mara so I could get more info about the hottest member of the Kitten Brigade. I already knew they'd been given that nickname because those girls loved to have fun and flirt with any eligible male on the premises. They didn't do anything raunchy—a damn shame, I said—but they did spice up the place.
My polite inquiries about Heidi resulted in Ollie informing me that I should "leave her alone" and "give Heidi some space." Ollie had also told me Heidi needed all the friends she could get.
