by Lily Danes
“Isn’t it better to have your own stories?”
A few good stories, to make up for her recent volume of unpleasant ones? That sounded like an excellent idea.
The golf course was deserted. It was on the eastern edge of camp, and no one else had made it this far out. Yet. “There’s not a lot of cover.”
He nodded at a few low hills two hundred feet ahead of them. “What do you think?”
“I think this is a terrible idea.” She couldn’t stop smiling. “Let’s do it.”
Ruby released his hand and took off, racing toward the chosen spot. By the time she reached the top of the hill, her breath was coming faster.
Succumbing to an impulse, she dropped to the ground and rolled down the hill like she was five years old.
“Really?” Josh stood above her.
She rested flat on her back, loving the feel of the cool grass on her skin. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he lay on the ground and followed her example. He came to a stop facing down, his body half on top of hers. The moon was nearly full, and it cast enough light to make out his expression.
His easy grin faded as they made eye contact. Josh’s expression heated, and his lids grew heavy. “You’re right. That was an excellent idea.”
Ruby twined one arm around him and stroked his neck. “Look at the stars with me.”
He blinked. It wasn’t what he’d expected her to say, but he rolled off her. They gazed at the sky together. “I don’t know any of the constellations.”
“Your parents didn’t teach you?”
She felt rather than saw him shake his head. “My mom left when I was eight, but she didn’t have much interest in stars—in anything, so far as I could tell. And my dad was a lot more interested in teaching me how to snake a drain or build a deck.”
“Eight?” That was so young.
“She came through Briarsted while she was touring New England with a friend. From what I hear, it was a whirlwind romance. They married six weeks later, but she couldn’t settle into small-town life. I think she lasted as long as she could.”
His voice was matter-of-fact, but she brushed her hand across his. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not so bad. She wasn’t very maternal—probably why I don’t have any brothers or sisters—so my dad was the one who took care of us. My whole life, he was there for me.”
Was. Past tense. She wanted to ask more, but already the air between them felt heavy.
Josh must have sensed it too. “So tell me about the stars.”
Ruby stretched her right hand up and drew the constellation. “See those three that are almost in a straight line? The one below it forms an arrow. That’s Sagittarius.”
“Like the zodiac sign?”
“Mmm-hmmm.” She drew a small zigzag. “That one’s the fox. And the wonky upside-down triangle is Capricorn. Somehow, they got sea-goat out of that shape.”
“That’s my sign.”
She turned her head to study his profile. “I thought Capricorns were supposed to be serious.”
“I usually am. In the real world.”
Ruby rolled onto her side, and he moved with her. She grazed her index finger over the bare skin of his arm. “I like this version of Josh.”
“So do I.” He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and left his hand resting on her neck. “How about you? What are you like in the outside world?”
Afraid. The word jumped into her mind before she could stop it. It hovered there, demanding her attention.
Ruby pushed it away. “I’m more cautious. I definitely don’t have flings.”
His lips curled. “Then I like this version of Ruby.” His hand moved lower, to her shoulder and upper arm. “But we can take it slow. We have time.”
When he touched her like that, five days didn’t seem like nearly enough.
“No, I want you. I want this. But…”
“It feels rushed.”
“Yes and no.” She’d only known this man a day, but she had to keep reminding herself of that. Since meeting him the night before, Josh had taken up permanent residence in her thoughts.
“How about this?” He pushed himself up, then eased down her body until he was sitting at her feet. He removed her flip-flops and bent forward to kiss her big toe. Ruby squeaked and tried to pull back, but a steady hand on her calf kept her in place. “I’ll go slow. Very slow.” He kissed the top of one foot, then the other. “You’ll have lots of chances to change your mind.”
“That sounds…” His lips pressed against her ankle, and it took her a second to finish the sentence. “That sounds good.”
He wasn’t lying. Josh spent at least a minute kissing his way around her ankles, his lips getting to know every inch of skin. Ruby relaxed into his touch, sighing as his mouth slid up her left calf. He kneaded her muscle as he kissed her. Sometimes his tongue darted out, or he gave a light nip that made her jump.
When he reached her knees, he paused. “Do you want to change your mind?”
“You may continue.” She aimed for an imperious tone, but it contained more than a hint of pleading.
She felt his smile against her skin.
He pushed her dress till it bunched at her hips. Thought abandoned her as he ran his lips and hands over her thighs. His talented mouth found every sensitive spot. Ruby’s hips began rocking of their own volition.
At the juncture of her thighs, he stopped. “Have you changed your mind?”
She wasn’t sure she had a mind at that moment. “Please don’t stop.”
Josh’s fingers slipped underneath the edge of her panties. He stroked her outer lips and rolled the flesh between his fingers, massaging it as he had the rest of her lower body.
Ruby lifted her hips, silently begging, and he brushed her core. He groaned. “You’re so damn wet. I want to see you.”
Keeping his eyes on her face, Josh eased her underwear over her hips and down her thighs. Ruby helped kick them to the side.
Josh put one hand behind each knee and lifted her legs up and to the side, completely exposing her. He exhaled at the sight of her bare flesh.
Ruby didn’t feel self-conscious. It was impossible to feel anything but exultant when Josh looked at her like that.
“Any last objections?” he asked.
If she stopped him now, her future self would berate her for years to come. Possibly decades. She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
Josh bent between her legs and licked once, gathering her juices on his tongue. His eyes closed, as if in bliss, then he buried his face between her thighs. He sucked on her soft inner lips and slid his tongue over the sensitive folds. Ruby threaded her fingers through his dark hair, urging his tongue upward.
He shook his head. “I said I’d go slow.” His breath caressed her with each word.
Josh flicked his tongue over her hard clit. She tilted her head back, eyes closed in relief. Just as quickly, he moved away, finding less sensitive flesh to torment.
“I know your pussy’s hungry,” Josh murmured against her skin. “But I want it to be starving. When you come, it won’t be just another orgasm. It’s going to be something you need the way you need oxygen.”
Ruby groaned.
He circled her opening with two fingers, teasing, then pushed one inside. With slow, lazy circles, he built the fire within her. It blazed when he added a second finger. The night air grew cooler, but she barely noticed it against her heated skin.
When she was gasping and whimpering for release, he pulled out, leaving her breathing hard and feeling empty. Unsatisfied.
“Josh…” she protested, but she didn’t finish her sentence. His tongue flicked across the swollen nub, then repeated the motion.
“Don’t stop. God, don’t stop.” The words were little more than a gasp.
He shook his head with a growl, his lips working her clit. He ran his fingers over her flesh, refusing to thrust hard inside her like she cra
ved.
Heat rose in her cheeks, and her legs shook. When he stopped, she kicked weakly at his side. His chuckle was low and pleased.
Ruby tried pushing him out of the way. She would damn well take care of herself.
He caught her wrist. “Later, I want to see that. But now…” He blew across her clit, making her shiver. “Now you’re going to scream my name.”
That was the only warning she got before he wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked hard. At the same moment, he thrust two broad fingers inside her. Josh moaned against her flesh. His fingers moved in and out in a steady rhythm, his lips pulsing in time.
Ruby felt her center fracture, heat and energy spreading across her chest, her shoulders, her arms and legs. Her muscles contracted as the orgasm hit her, pulling her over the edge. Her body tensed and released, the climax overwhelming.
When the last shudder stopped, she lay on the grass, boneless. Josh rose above her, his expression equal parts satisfaction and heat. He kissed her, long and slow, and she tasted herself on his tongue.
“Do you want to change your mind now?” He was grinning, mighty pleased with himself.
In answer, Ruby ran her hand down his torso and palmed his hard cock.
He cursed and hurriedly withdrew, and it took a minute for the reason to penetrate her blissful fog.
Voices, one hundred feet away and approaching fast.
8
Usually, Josh was bleary when he first woke up, but that day he bounded out of bed as soon as his eyes opened.
Ruby was waiting at camp.
It wasn’t just that he wanted to finish what they started. If it wasn’t for those six campers blundering into their spot, he suspected things would have gone much further the night before. Instead, he’d barely managed to cover her up before the others walked right up to them and started a conversation. If that wasn’t bad enough, the fools sat down with a bottle of wine and made them themselves comfortable for the next hour.
So much for a late-night tryst. But as much as he wanted to try again, he also wanted to see her. Hear her laugh. Learn more constellations.
He already knew it was going to suck when the week was over. Josh couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so excited by a woman.
But this was the deal. One week, and then back to regular life. Josh could only imagine how horrified his father would be that the hardware store was closed for a full seven days. When he ran it, the place only shut down for national holidays and the rare father-son camping trip.
Because Dad didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Josh scrubbed his face, like that could remove the insidious thought. No, he didn’t love the store the same way his dad did, but that didn’t matter.
After his dad passed, Josh thought about selling the place, but it didn’t sit right with him. It felt like giving up a piece of his father, and that wasn’t an option. Fisher Hardware was his father’s legacy, the store he’d built from the ground up. For years, it put food on their table and a roof over their heads. Because of his dad and the store, Josh had been taken care of. His dad had never let him down, and Josh wouldn’t let him down now.
Soon, normal life would resume. Until then, he’d soak up his time with Ruby as if it could sustain him during the cold winter months.
Josh showered in record speed, then took a little longer to find appropriate clothes for camp. It wasn’t like he had a lot of options. He seldom wore anything but jeans and T-shirts. He had a suit for the rare occasions one was required and some ratty workout clothes.
The jeans hadn’t been such a big deal on the hike, where a little extra protection from the elements was welcome. In the heart of camp, where everyone was playing in the lake or bouncing on the trampoline, his clothing choices would stand out more. He didn’t want to risk drawing extra attention—the kind that might make a counselor take a closer look at his wristband.
At last, he found a pair of knee-length black drawstring shorts in the bottom drawer of his dresser, and he added a white T-shirt. Josh dug an old pair of flip-flops out of the closet. Everything was in worse shape than the other campers wore, but it would do.
Josh texted Max, letting him know he’d arrive in a few minutes. He grabbed a bagel, poured coffee into a travel mug, and hurried out the door.
On his way out, he stumbled over the large box on his front porch. As eager as he was to see Ruby, he couldn’t resist peeking at the contents. He hauled the box inside and dropped it on the kitchen table, then carefully opened it with a box knife.
The tiles were perfect. Exactly what he needed to finish the work. Whoever owned the bungalow before his dad bought it had the poor taste to update it in the 70s, complete with wood panels and a shag carpet. So long as everything worked, his father never showed any interest in remodeling the place.
Now that the place was his, Josh was slowly restoring it to its original glory. It was a huge project, but most days it was the one thing in his life that felt like his.
The tiles and the kitchen could wait. Ruby couldn’t.
As usual, he drove to the far end of the packed dirt parking lot, then ducked through the trees until he reached a secluded spot to enter camp. The wristband gave him full in-and-out access, but too many people watched the main entrance. If he was seen leaving every night and returning every morning, it would raise too many questions.
Guests were already milling about, though not as many as he expected. Maybe even the beautiful surroundings weren’t enough to overpower dozens of margarita hangovers.
Ruby had told him that she and her friend were in the farthest cabin on Glowworm Ridge. Josh hurried across camp, passing a few people playing in the Aeroball cage or bouncing on the trampoline.
He knocked on the door, and a muffled voice answered.
Emma sat up in bed. The last time he saw her, she’d been a beautiful woman. Now, she was covered in red welts.
“I know. I’m hideous.”
He attempted tact. “It’s not that bad.”
She harrumphed. “Don’t go into politics. You’re a terrible liar. I assume you’re looking for Ruby?”
“Yeah.”
“I sent her to grab breakfast, since I refuse to be seen in public until I look human. Are you the reason she came back late last night?”
He shifted his weight, unsure how to respond.
Emma took his silence as answer enough, if her smile was any indication. “Good girl,” she murmured to herself. Her expression turned sharp, and he could practically see her scheming. “I need you to do something for me.”
For a woman he’d only spoken a few sentences to, she was pretty demanding.
“Show her a good time,” Emma said.
“Okay…”
“No, I mean a really good time. The kind of week she won’t forget.”
That was already his plan, though it felt odd being instructed by her friend. “Why are you asking—”
The door swung open and Ruby entered with a white bag in one hand and a tray filled with four coffee cups in the other. She started when she saw him, but she also smiled with genuine pleasure.
“Egg sandwich.” She dug it out and handed it to Emma, who took a greedy bite.
Ruby withdrew a piece of toast and nibbled the edge.
“Four coffees?”
“Two for each of us.”
“Breakfast of champions,” the other woman insisted, gratefully taking a cup.
“Do you need anything else?” Ruby asked.
Emma held up a bottle of calamine lotion and an e-reader. “I’m good. I’ve arranged for room service for the next two meals.”
Ruby made a face, but she said goodbye with strict instructions to Emma not to scratch. She handed her spare coffee to Josh.
Without discussing their direction, they both turned toward the lake. “You’re here early,” she said.
“I had a good incentive to get out of bed.”
She took a sip of coffee, but he caught her smile over the cup.
“What’s the plan for the day?” He waved, indicating the camp as a whole. “Please don’t say yoga.”
“I would never say yoga. I suppose the golf course will be occupied today.” She gave him a sly sidelong glance.
Josh swallowed. “I’m sure we can find someplace. An empty cabin. Under a table in the lodge. Behind another tree.” He was kidding. Mostly.
“Maybe later.” She chewed her lip. “I kind of want to goof around for a day. Is that all right?”
It was more than all right. “Where do you want to start?”
Ruby didn’t hesitate. “Zip line.”
* * *
It was early enough that there was no line. Ruby hurried up the stairs. Josh walked behind her, and she would have bet a hundred dollars that he was checking out her ass.
His steps dragged a little. “You’re sure you want to do this?” he asked. “What about the swings?”
“I’ve always wanted to try this. No way I’m missing my chance.”
“What about the one by the waterfall? It’s shorter. Like a starter zip line.”
Ruby glanced back at him. “Are you scared?”
His answer came fast. “Not at all. I just believe in staying as close to the ground as possible.”
She snorted and climbed the final steps. At that moment, she didn’t think she could be scared of anything. The night before, she’d hummed while she got ready for bed, and this morning she sang in the shower, the notes flowing from her unrestrained.
So far as she could tell, they hadn’t just fooled around on the golf course. Josh must have actual pixie dust on his tongue, because she felt transformed this morning. Free. Relaxed. As if, so long as she was at camp, the last year hadn’t happened.
“You ready?” She bounced on the deck, working off extra energy.
Josh considered the length of the zip line. “It looks stable.” He sounded like he was convincing himself.
A laugh bubbled up. “Have you done this before?”
“Nope.” He double-checked the buckles on his harness, though the counselor had already done that for him when he connected it to the zip line. “What’s the weight limit on this again?”
