After a few more tunes, led by Rusty, the bonfire is over. Luckily, I didn’t pull the short straw and have to clean up. I head back to camp to put my girls to bed. Jay strolls up beside me. His boys trail behind, whispering, as the girls walk ahead.
“I didn’t see you at the lake during free-time.”
“Were you looking for me?” I flirt.
“I might have encouraged Justin to ask Raine where Sarah was this afternoon.”
“You exploited the feelings of a fourteen-year-old boy for your own personal gain?”
“I did, and I’d do it again.” There is no shame in his game.
I love it. I also love that he is hurt I didn’t go to the lake during free-time. We stop at the fork in the path. His cabin is to the right, and I’m on the left.
“Since you have better ways to spend your free time, what do you say to coffee on the dock in the morning?”
I blush, remembering his advice to Justin.
I look at my watch and calculate the hours. “I guess I can fit you in.”
“Jay, come on,” Curtis yells.
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“Nobody has ever accused me of being easy.”
He raises a sexy eyebrow. “Goodnight, Abbi.” He runs to catch up to his boys. I continue watching him until he disappears into the darkness.
Raine drapes an arm over my shoulders. “You are so having sex with him.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Do you actually have a plan?” She knows me too well.
“I plan everything. I’m a Virgo.”
Chapter Six
I stop at Raine’s cabin for lip gloss and a pep talk. Seducing men isn’t on my resume. I’ve allowed boys to steal a few kisses and do some minor explorative touching. What I’m planning for Jay is next level. My snarky, somewhat prudish demeanor doesn’t exactly say come and get me.
“Perfect!” She plucks a tube of lip gloss from her collection. “This one says, ‘I’m a good girl, but I like to be naughty.’”
“It does?” I examine the soft shade of pink before applying it to my lips.
“Trust me, he’ll love it.” She fluffs my ponytail.
“You’re not mad about this?”
“No mere mortal could ever come between us, Abs. You’re my girl. If I can’t have Jay, then I’m glad you can.”
Yesterday, she was petty and competitive. Why the sudden change of heart?
“Go get him, girl.”
Jay is sitting on the end of the dock when I arrive. Steam rises from the coffee mugs beside him.
“Morning.” I steady my breathing. The dock sways softly beneath us. I blame that for my shaky hands.
He turns, squinting into the sun. “Good morning.”
I sit beside him and pick up a mug. Both coffees are light and creamy. I take a sip; it’s perfect. “How did you know how I like my coffee?”
“I asked.” He’s asked a lot of questions about me. First to Raine, now to the kitchen staff. “This is amazing.” He stares across the lake. “Thanks for sharing it with me.”
“It was here before me, and it’ll be here when I’m gone.”
“How long have you been coming to Camp Tuluka?”
“Since I was eight.”
“And you’ve come here every summer since?”
“Yep.”
“I can’t imagine having something that stable in my life.”
“It’s just camp.”
“I mean, knowing where you’ll be every summer, banking on it. I never had that as a kid.”
His bare feet dangle above the water, his hands grip the mug. Even in a relaxed state, his tanned, tattooed arms are defined. His build, the way he carries himself, isn’t that different from Ozzy.
Ozzy was the quintessential boy next door who grew up to be the hot boy next store. Literally. He was my neighbor. Every girl in El Dorado County was in love with him. Nobody more than Raine. He was always looking for more. More than Meyers, more than the world we grew up in. His parents allowed him to leave town two weeks ago to find it. Being male has its advantages.
“Other than visiting my grandparents in the city, we never leave Meyers. Not even for family vacations.”
“Don’t take your stability for granted.” Jay places his empty mug between us.
“I guess the grass is always greener.”
“In my case it was sand,” Jay corrects. “My dad was—is—a surfer. I appreciate the life he gave me, but it wasn’t always beautiful sunsets and perfect waves.”
“Where is he now?”
He shrugs. “He follows the waves. He’ll be back in California for fall surfing at Mavericks though. He never misses a season.”
“Where did you go to school?”
“Everywhere and nowhere. We didn’t always live in places with an established school system. Dad bought me books and taught me to read between wave sets. He used to say the world was my school. When I was thirteen, my grandmother got sick so we moved to Oregon. I woke up one morning, and he was gone. He left a note saying he had a wave to catch.”
His dad sounds like a bum. I wonder where his mother is. Since he didn’t mention her, it can’t be good.
“How often do you see him?”
“A few times a year. Sometimes we meet at our favorite surf spots. Before I got this gig, I was with him in Maui.”
“You left Maui to come here?” I ask in disbelief.
“It’s just a place.”
“It’s Maui.”
“This lake is as beautiful as any beach in Hawaii.” He says Hawai’i like a native. It’s sexy as hell.
“I’ll have to take your word for it. This is all I know.”
“For now. You have a lifetime of experience ahead of you.”
“Yeah, everyone keeps telling me that.” Cynicism isn’t sexy, Abbi. “My childhood was the opposite of yours. I’ve been sheltered for reasons that are a mystery to me.”
“I’m sure your parents had good intentions.” He doesn’t sell the statement. “Sometimes people make decisions based on fear rather than love.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you’ve met my mother.”
“Believe me, you’d know if I had.” He stands and pulls his shirt off.
“What are you doing?” I look at him like he’s crazy, but inside I’m looking at him like he’s breakfast. “Shirts are required for counselors, for everyone. It’s part of the uniform.”
“Come here.” He extends his hand.
You don’t have to ask me twice.
How easy it would be to wrap my arms around his naked torso. Would he move away if I kissed him? I’m not brave enough to find out.
In the distance, a weed whacker interrupts the quiet moment. He does that thing again, where he lines the tips of his fingers up against mine. The pulse on the end of my finger throbs.
“Does this make you nervous?”
“Which part?”
He slides his fingers through mine and holds are entwined hand in the air. “This.”
“No.”
“Your heart is racing.”
I step back. “You’re standing on the dock half-naked.”
“This is fully dressed in some places.”
“Not this place. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.”
He gazes at me. “You know what they say?”
“I know nothing.”
He lifts my hand and kisses it softly. “Opposites attract.”
I watch his mouth, his puckered lips. My hand is undeserving of their attention. None of the boys I’ve kissed have looked like Jay, masculine and mysterious. They haven’t made me feel this way. Like a woman. I inch closer, because I want to be in his space, and I want him in mine.
“Ow,” he says. “That’s my toe.”
I look down at my shoe resting on top of his bare foot. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Sometimes I need a little pain to keep me in check.” He shifts his weight and mo
ves something inside his shorts. Before I completely register what is happening, he jumps into the lake.
“Are you insane?” I yell. “We have wake-up in ten minutes.”
He dives, then resurfaces near the ladder. “Come in.”
“No way. I won’t have enough time to change before morning circle. Everyone will wonder why I’m wet. Why we’re wet.”
“Quit overanalyzing the situation.”
“I’m not.”
“You are. I see you calculating in your head. Stop thinking, Abbi. Just jump.”
You know you want to.
Jump.
Just do it.
Jump.
The few seconds before I hit the water are exhilarating. Then reality sets in. My legs are weighed down by my Vans. The water is even colder than I imagined.
“Yes!” Jay fist-pumps as I swim to him. “I knew you had it in you!”
“It’s cold.” My teeth chatter. The chilly water feels like heaven in the midday sun. Right now, not so much.
“It’s invigorating.” He splashes at me.
“It’s freezing. Can we get out now?” I swim to the ladder.
“Wait.” He blocks my exit. One hand holds the ladder, the other reaches for me. I allow him to pull me in. “I want to say something.”
“Can you say it on dry land?” I shiver.
“No. I have to say it in the water.”
Now I shiver in anticipation.
“I didn’t come here looking for this.”
“You came here to work,” I clarify and steady myself for rejection. When the summer is over, he’ll leave, just like all the others.
He shakes his head, searching for the right words. “I wasn’t expecting to find… to have feelings.”
I smile despite his not-so-romantic declaration.
“Promise you won’t hate me if I don’t turn out to be the guy you think I am.”
I really don’t care who he is outside of this camp. Right now he’s the answer to all my teenage fantasies. “I promise to have no expectations.” I hold up my pinky.
He takes it with a sexy smile. “So you don’t expect anything from me?”
“Expect, no. Want, maybe.” I bite my lower lip to keep my teeth from chattering.
“Is there anything you want right now?” He releases my pinky and wraps an arm around me. My shirt floats up, and his fingers graze my bare back. Suddenly the water doesn’t feel as cold.
“Y-yes,” I stutter. “I want you….”
He pulls me closer, the stench of grime from under the dock taints his scent. “You want me…?”
I lean in so my quivering lips brush his ear. “I want you to move so I can get out this freezing water.” I push him aside, he floats out of the way. My wet clothes cling, exposing every bump, every flaw as I climb the ladder.
Jay is up the ladder in one swift maneuver. He grabs his dry shirt and shoes just as my alarm goes off.
I pick up our empty mugs and start back to camp. “I look ridiculous.” My shoes slosh and leave a trail of puddles.
“You look good wet.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Only the wet ones.”
“How many your girls have gotten wet?” I realize how that sounds and stop so I can remove the foot from my mouth. “I meant how many have you….”
His west chest glistens in the morning sun. “How many have I what?” His voice is husky, deep.
There go my knees.
I’m not me. I’m an alternate version of the girl who woke up this morning. I take chances. I jump in lakes. I move closer to him. My lips align with his Adam’s apple. Water runs down my face onto his chest. “You grew up on the beach. I’m sure you’ve known lots of wet girls.”
His heart thumps. His hand twitches. I’m acutely aware of every movement he makes. “None as beautiful as you.” His lips brush my forehead. He taps my fingertips like some kind of secret code. “Abbi,” he whispers.
I tilt my head back to look at him. His hypnotic gray eyes shimmer in the light, they look almost transparent. Not human, more animal-like.
“Do you want this to be our first kiss?” He thumbs water from my cheek with his thumb. He stares at my mouth, waiting for permission.
My lips quiver in desperate anticipation. I’m wet, he’s shirtless. Does it get any better than this? I run a hand up his chest and around his neck. He grabs my face and leans in, mouth serious, eyes closed. The world spins, the birds sing, the trees moan. While our lips are pressed together, everything is right in the world. It doesn’t last nearly as long as I hoped. As soon as we break apart, the awkwardness sets in. That post kiss weirdness that occurs after a first kiss. Are we dating now? Should we hold hands? Am I going to get mono?
“That was excellent.” He releases me.
I continue walking off the dock.
“You have no comment? No critique?” He grade-grubs for feedback.
“I’m good. It was good.”
Past kisses with boys at camp meant sneaking off to the woods after lights out. Fun stuff. Kid stuff. Jay doesn’t kiss like a teenage boy. His kisses with purpose. His kiss called my bluff. Am I ready for what comes next?
“Abbi, wait.” He grabs my hand, and I spin back to him. “Were you expecting something more?”
“No.”
“Then say something.” He searches my face for a reaction.
“I’m speechless, Jay.”
He relaxes. “For a second I thought you didn’t feel what I felt. I thought—”
“I felt it.” I rub my hand on his bare chest, naughty-like, just like the lip gloss says. “It was a lot to handle before breakfast.
“I could get used to mornings like this.”
Mornings like this are numbered.
We arrive at morning circle to questioning glares.
“Shirt.” I point to his bare chest.
He pulls the light blue camp shirt over his head as Raine arrives. Instead of standing beside me, she remains on the opposite side of the circle with the other curious faces.
“Abbi, is there a reason you and Jay are soaking wet?” Sophie-Ann’s disapproving look is funny.
“Not a good one,” I reply.
Jay chuckles.
“Abbi likes getting wet in the morning,” Raine offers. “It’s her thing.”
Everyone laughs except Sophie-Ann. She walks around the circle, handing out assignments, and stops to give me a warning look. I’m 100 percent sure my mother will know all about this before lunch.
“I got kayaking,” Jay whispers once Sophie-Ann is a safe distance away.
“Sailing.” I show him my paper. “We’re both at the lake.”
Sophie-Ann dismisses us, and we start toward our assigned cabins for wake-up. Rory is walking just ahead of me. We’re in the same boat, so to speak. Both stuck in Meyers for another year. Unlike me, Rory has an out. For the last three years, his father, Drake, let him play football in the county league. He caught the attention of a recruiter and was offered a tryout at Arizona State. His mother, Leah, is my aunt. Like Kalysia, she is forcing Rory to take a gap year, which means no football in Arizona.
“What’d you get?” I ask Rory.
“Fort building.” He makes a face. “Why is that even a thing?”
Normally Rory loves fort building, but he’d rather be running football drills in the oppressive Arizona heat.
Raine yanks me aside to drill me. “I want to know everything!”
“There’s nothing to tell, we had coffee and went for a swim.” I’ll tell her about the kiss later, when we have more time.
“Some advice. When you go for a swim with a guy, take your clothes off first.”
“It’s morning.”
“That’s bad planning,” Raine scolds. “Next time make it a night swim.”
Chapter Seven
Our shoes are side by side in the sand.
My red Vans and his white K-Swiss look good together.
“Luc
ky break, both of us getting water activities.” Jay rubs sunblock over a tattoo on his arm. “The universe is working in our favor.” He squirts more lotion into his hand to cover the tattoo on his leg.
“You have a lot of ink for someone your age.” I admire his body under the false pretense of looking at his tattoos.
“It’s one of the benefits of having a father who doesn’t follow the rules.” He turns his hat backward and creates a new level of sexy. “Do you have any?” He dabs his nose with sunblock and spreads it across his cheeks like a seasoned pro.
“My parents would shit if I altered my body in any way. My ears aren’t even pierced.”
He drops the sunblock on the towel beside me. I squirt a little in my hand and rub it on my shoulders. My camp hat covers most of my face, but I dab a little on my nose too.
“Abbi, we’re going out now!” Sarah yells. She’s in a boat with Leslie and Amanda.
“Do you need to assist them?” Jay watches as they cast off.
“They got it. They’re better sailors than I am.”
The girls hoist the sail and catch the wind.
“Damn, they’re good.” He shields his eyes from the sun.
“Do you have sunglasses?” I don’t want him to cover his eyes, they’re my favorite thing about his face, but it’s really bright on the water.
“I left them in Mexico.”
“Darn, I hate when I do that.”
“Beach life.” He shrugs.
“Where is your favorite beach?”
“Today it’s this one.” He flashes a sexy smile. “What about you?” He sits beside me, squinting against the afternoon sun.
“Definitely this one.”
“How did your parents meet?”
“That’s a random question.”
“Does that mean you won’t answer it?”
“Do you always smile like that when you want something?”
“Not always.” He grins wider.
“My mother’s car broke down in a snowstorm, and dad rescued her.”
The Lunam Legacy (The Lunam Series Book 3) Page 4
