Game? I have no game. I’m not even in the game.
“Are you kidding, Abbi?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“I like you more than I thought I would.” He moves his hand from my waist to my cheek. “More than I should.” Jay kisses me like he’s tip-toeing on bubble wrap. Afraid to apply too much pressure. His hand grazes my ass. I lean into him, pressing against him. I catch his bottom lip with my teeth and bite softly. His soft moan drags on forever. Pleasuring him turns me on. I run my hands through his hair. My knee digs into the metal grating of the step. I feel no pain, just him. Any doubt I had of Jay’s desire for me is squashed as we make out on the stairs.
I pull back to check my watch. “Lunch is almost over.”
“We should go,” he whispers but continues to kiss me. With tongue. Lots of it. I feel him, all of him, pressed against my stomach.
I’m in the arms of the sexist man I’ve ever met, and the only thing running through my mind is a vision of my mother. Her scowling face, her telling me to make good choices. I’m done with her rules, her guilt. I’m going to be eighteen in a few weeks. I’m ready to be my own woman, and Jay is going to help make that happen.
◆◆◆
Trevor is eating lunch in the admin office. I tell him about the make-out session at the factory, then pump him for information.
“What did you find out about Jay?”
I sit across from him at the desk and offer him a peach. He smells the fuzzy ripe fruit, then sets it down beside his burger and fries.
“A whole lot of nothing. Either this guy is lying about who he is, or you conjured him up to fulfill your sexual desires.” Trevor never passes up an opportunity to tease me about my sex life or lack thereof. “Seriously, Abbi. Why do you need to know about his past when his present is so fine.” Trevor rips into his burger.
“I don’t need to know where he came from. I want to know who he is before I give a very important part of myself to him.”
“I think you’re looking for reasons not to hook up with this guy.”
“I’m being smart. Your virginity isn’t something you just give away to the first hot guy you meet.”
“That is exactly who you give it to.” Trevor shoves the rest of the burger into his big mouth.
“If I sleep with him, he becomes part of my story. I want to look back on this thirty or forty years from now without any regrets."
"If you don't sleep with him, you're going to look back on this three or four weeks from now, when he returns to the magical land of hot guys, and wish you’d jumped him."
"He needs to be worth the memory." I steal one of his fries. "I should make a list of pros and cons."
“Your Virgo is showing.”
Chapter Nine
Jay
Abbi and I staggered our arrival at camp in case her grandfather was still lurking. Running into Monte Tallac could ruin everything. I make sure the path is clear before ducking into the bushes behind my cabin to retrieve the metal lockbox I hid my first night at camp. I press my thumb to the touchpad and it clicks open. Even if someone finds it, they’d need my thumb to open the box. The phone takes less than a minute to power up. I charge it in the cabin at night, after the boys fall asleep. I have five texts, all from Lauren.
Have you found the rest of the heirs?
You were right about Rory, he’s a trueborn.
The kid from Ohio didn’t check out. He’s just human.
Have you met Abbi?
I dial her number, she answers on the second ring.
“Jay!” Her tone is a mix of relief and anger. “Why didn’t you call at lunch? Did something happen?”
“I got sidetracked.” If she were standing before me, she’d know I was lying. The phone provides some protection. “I was with Abbi.”
“Really?” It’s just one little word, but the attitude behind it says plenty.
“Monte Tallac was at camp today.”
“Did he see you? Has anyone questioned your backstory?”
“Lauren, chill. My cover hasn’t been blown. Nobody suspects a thing. Actually, the staff is pretty clueless.”
My background check has so many holes, my application never would have been approved if we didn’t have inside help. I don’t know the identity of the mole. It might be safer if he or she remains anonymous.
“Tell me about her.”
Lauren doesn’t want to hear about Abbi’s seductive smile or that she smells like cinnamon and tastes like honey. The less Lauren knows about her, the better. When I left for camp, I had a clear plan, one that led me back to Oregon. There’s no reason for Lauren to think that has changed.
“She’s nice.” I slam the phone against my forehead. “I mean, she’s like the others. They’re all cool people.” Not smooth, Jay.
“I bet,” Lauren scoffs. “Well, what does she know?”
“As far as I can tell, nothing. They have no idea who they are.”
“You mean what they are.”
Chapter Ten
I’m changing for the bonfire when Raine bursts through the door. “If I had known you were going to the factory, I would’ve told you about my secret stash of mints and Handi Wipes.”
Trevor has a big mouth.
“Before you get all excited, we didn’t do anything. Just kissed a little on the stairs. We never made it to the boom-boom room.” I slide my shorts off and put on jeans.
“Well damn, I wanted a reason to celebrate tonight.” Raine lays across my bed. “Did you freak out or what?”
Of course she assumes I was the one who put on the brakes.
“He didn’t think it was the right time. We only have an hour for lunch.” I bend down to tie my shoes. They’re totally dry now, but they will always remind me of jumping in the lake with Jay.
“You can do a lot in an hour.” Raine sits up with a smirk. “But I get it. You don’t want your first time to be a quickie.”
I don’t know what constitutes a quickie, but I tell Raine she’s right just to shut her up. The last thing I need is another recap of her in the boom-boom room with Mr. Australia.
“Come on, I don’t want to be late.” I grab my hoodie and start toward the door.
“God forbid Abbi is late for anything,” Raine snarks. “You’ll be early to your own funeral.” She rolls off the bed and pushes past me out the door.
“When do you leave for Napa again?”
“Shut up, bitch. You’re going to be lost without me.” She loops an arm through mine.
“And you’re going to forget I’m wasting away back here.”
“Never!” She pretends to be appalled. Raine is an out of sight, out of mind kind a girl, and she knows it. “Did I tell you Ozzy wrote me a letter?” There is only one person in the world Raine would never forget—Ozzy.
“An actual paper letter?”
“Yes, and he wrote it in pen.”
“Wow.” I may sound like I don’t care, but I’m actually impressed.
“I got it yesterday.”
“He sent it here. To camp?”
“Duh. He knows I’m not home. Plus, he knows my mom would totally read it.” She rolls her eyes.
Raine and Ozzy have always been close. If things have progressed further than infatuated childhood crush, she hasn’t shared that information with me.
“How is he doing?”
“He’s homesick.” Her face brightens at the thought of Ozzy missing home. I doubt Ozzy wrote letters to Rory or Landon. I’m definitely not on his pen pal list.
“Where is he anyway?”
Ozzy stopped by the house before he left town so my dad could check his spare tire. My father, Jase, is the town mechanic. His main shop is still in Quincy, but he runs a small garage and towing service in Meyers.
Raine releases my arm to fix her ponytail. “He didn’t really say. Just that he was camping up north.”
She increases her pace as we near the lake. “We’re late,” she says mockingly. Punctuality is not in her vocabulary.
She’s hiding something from me.
I find Jay in the glow of the fire. He waves me over. “I saved you guys a spot. Where are your campers?”
“They’re walking down with Trevor,” Curtis answers. “I saw them on the path.”
I left Trevor in charge of my campers so I could prep. Tonight could be the night. I want to be fresh.
Jay tosses a blanket over the log, then pulls me to his side. Public displays of affection are frowned upon. Jay runs a hand down my flushed cheek. “You look beautiful by firelight.”
I know he’s being sincere, but I laugh, mainly out of disbelief that a guy like him is saying sweet things to me. Nothing about him feels false or forced. He’s like the perfect sunset, one you think only exists in paintings.
“What’s so funny?” Rory interrupts, then pushes between us and whispers, “Don’t forget you have an audience.” He moves past us toward the snack table.
I glance across the fire, where Sophie-Ann is doling out warnings to campers playing too close to the fire. Counselors aren’t allowed to openly hook up. It sets a bad example.
“We shouldn’t”—I take one baby step away—“be this close.”
“How about a night swim?” He suggests. “After this is over.”
I want jump up and down like Sarah. I think of how Raine would respond instead. “I’ll check my schedule.” I turn around like I have swag.
My girls arrive, and I direct them to the log Jay saved for us. Sarah is thrilled. Leslie and Amanda makes eyes at Curtis then huddle together whispering feverishly. It was only a few years ago that Raine and I sat on logs and conjured up what-ifs with the boys across the fire. Taylor was our counselor, chastising us for being boy crazy. You don’t realize how fast time ticks away until you look back at the things you miss.
Raine tosses me a granola bar and whispers, “I can hear your stomach from other side of camp.” She sits beside me with her campers on the other side of her. She knocks her elbow into mine as Rusty walks past. “Will there be singing tonight?”
“Tonight we’re telling scary stories.” He tries to deliver the line in a creepy voice and fails.
“That’s so lame,” Sarah says. “I’d rather hear Jay sing.”
He sits in the sand in front of us, his back to the fire. “I happen to know a really good story, but if you don’t want to hear it….”
“I want to hear it,” Sarah announces. “Can Jay go first?”
“Of course he can,” Rusty obliges her.
“Should we wait for the others?” Jay looks at the empty logs around the fire.
“No, this more of an intimate gathering. People usually tell stories in pockets of conversation.” He insinuates the smaller group size increases the creepiness of the stories.
“Oh my god, this is going to be so good,” Sarah exclaims and cozies up beside Jay.
I remind myself she is just a kid, an assertive, flirty kid. In a few years her body will fill out, and she’ll start wearing makeup and become my competition. “Sarah, back on the log.”
She begrudgingly moves away from Jay.
“How many of you grew up around here?” Jay begins. A few hands go up, mine included. “Then you must have heard the stories about the beasts that live in the woods.”
“I have,” Justin exclaims. “They aren’t beasts, they’re wolves.”
Jay looks impressed. “Justin is right. According to the legend, giant wolves lived right here at this camp.”
Sarah and the girls get closer together.
“These wolves are special, they can turn from animal to human. They live among us like regular people. Then one day the pack turned on themselves. The Tallac Pack wanted to become fully human and kill off the wolf gene. The Duke Pack revolted.”
Raine elbows me with a smile. “It’s cute that he’s using our families in the story. Makes it more legit.”
I think it’s odd. Layla used to tell me a bedtime story about witches and wolves that lived in the woods. Jay describes a battle for power between the packs that includes lots of bloodshed and gore. Layla’s story was about family and loyalty. Jay’s version is way more exciting. The kids love it. I’m the only one who notices the look of horror on Rusty’s face. I’ve heard far worse stories around this fire. His adverse reaction isn’t due to the decapitation of heads.
“When the battle was over, only the Tallac pack remained. They opened this summer camp, hoping one day to rise to power again by recruiting young children to join the pack.”
“Does that mean the kids who come to this camp will turn into wolves?” Daniel asks. He’s usually quiet, keeps to himself. Even he’s intrigued by Jay’s story.
Jay smiles mischievously and glances at me. “Yes, all the counselors here are wolves. They just don’t know it yet.”
Justin and Curtis roll their eyes at the lackluster ending. The girls tell Jay it was the best story ever.
“Who wants hot chocolate?” Rusty asks.
Some of the kids head to the snack table behind us.
“Who wants a special hot chocolate?” Raine whispers to me and does a little head nod toward the dock.
Before I can ask Jay to join us, Rusty pulls him away.
“Abbi, you coming?” Raine is just outside the circle, heading to the shed with two cups of hot chocolate.
I run to catch up with her. “Rusty is being weird.”
“He’s always weird.”
“No, I mean with Jay.”
“That’s probably because you two can’t keep your eyes off each other.” She’s right. He’s pulling the protective uncle act.
Raine hands me her cup and unlocks the door. It creaks open, horror-movie style. I half expect to find a man in a hockey mask standing in the darkness with an axe. I’m always freaked out after hearing a scary story. Although Jay’s story wasn’t creepy, just strange and oddly familiar. Raine pulls the bottle of mouthwash from under a kayak.
“I stashed it in here during free-time.” She pours about a shot into both cups, then places it back in her hiding spot. “I’ll sneak out later to get it. The last thing we need is for one of the campers to find it.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll bring it up.” I take a sip. The sting from the peppermint schnapps warms my throat. “I’m meeting Jay for a night swim.”
She lets out a loud yelp of approval.
“Keep it down!”
“I’ll totally cover for you.” She is practically skipping with excitement. “If Rusty or Sophie-Ann does a surprise bed check, I’ll tell him you’re running with the wolves.”
We’re laughing when we return to the bonfire. I immediately look for Jay, who is nowhere in sight.
“Rusty,” I call to my uncle from across the fire. “Where’s Jay?” I want to keep my distance so he can’t smell the liquor on my breath. He shrugs, like he didn’t practically drag Jay from the fire ten minutes ago.
Jay doesn’t return. Trevor ends up taking his boys back to their cabin at lights out.
“What do you think happened?” I ask a tipsy Raine. She’d made another trip to the shed with Trevor.
“Maybe he’s prepping for the big event,” she teases.
“He’s probably manscaping.” Trevor stumbles and falls into me. “Or Rusty has him locked up in his cabin. You know your uncle’s a freak, right?” Trevor does his best bitch face.
Raine and Trevor laugh. They’re useless in this state.
“Goodnight, assholes.” I break away to my cabin.
Once the girls are in bed, I pace in the bathroom.
Should I go meet him? What if he doesn’t show? What if he does, and I’m not there?
I’m overanalyzing again. It’s what I’ve been trained to do. My mother has never let me act on instinct. All my choices are calculated and debated, from the books I read to the clothes I wear. Kalysia has a say, an opinion, a vote over every aspect of my life. Tonight is about me. How and when I lose my virginity is my choice.
Chapter Eleven
When you�
�re trying to be covert, everything is loud. The click of the cabin door, the creaky steps, my footsteps on the gravel path. It’s like forces of nature are trying to wake the camp and ruin my plans.
The breeze bites at my naked arms as I run to the lake with the moon lighting my way. I see him standing under the orange light on the end of the dock, his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts, one foot crossed over the other. Always chill, always sexy as hell.
I try to control my breathing as I approach him. Between the chilly air and the fear of being caught, I’m out of breath.
“Hey.” I walk up to him like I wasn’t just sprinting through camp like a scared squirrel. “What happened to you at the bonfire?”
“I went for a walk. Your uncle can be pretty intense.”
“You don’t have to tell me. He’s nothing compared to my mom.” I try to imagine Jay meeting Kalysia. The thought makes me shudder.
“Are you cold?” He unzips his dark blue hoodie and takes it off. He’s wearing nothing underneath. No shirt. Nothing. Just skin and tattoos.
In my mind I take the hoodie from him and put it on, in reality he stands there holding it out to me while I stare at the ripples in his stomach.
“Abbi?” He breaks the silence. “Do you want the jacket?”
“Oh, yeah.” I sling it over my shoulders, it’s still warm and smells like him. It’s almost as good as being in his arms. His extremely naked arms. I grab the front of the jacket and take a big whiff. When I open my eyes, he’s laughing.
“Have you been drinking?”
“A little. How did you know?”
“I can smell it. Does this mean I missed the super-secret counselor rendezvous?”
“No, just a little bonfire pick-me-up.”
The lake is black and still, the only sign of movement is the sound of water lapping gently against the dock.
“I forgot how pretty the lake is at night.” I pretend to admire the view while sneaking glances at his naked torso. He’s all heat and muscle. If he jumped in the water right now, steam would rise around him.
“Lakes are safe and predictable, unlike the ocean. It’s nice to swim at night without the fear of being eaten.”
The Lunam Legacy (The Lunam Series Book 3) Page 6
