make a distress call to Eli. He needs to meet my mate anyway.
8
CAROLINE
B ill comes back to camp three more times, whining, before Leo finally chases him off.
I almost feel bad for him. Almost. Except he’s a dick and he abandoned me and I’m so, so glad our reconciliation trip died a swift and painful death.
Leo insists on feeding me breakfast, and I nibble on a Pop-Tart as he breaks down camp. I offered to do it, but he wants me to relax and save my energy for later. Which, of course, makes me blush. I agree that I need to save my energy, though—Leo has seemingly limitless amounts of it, as evidenced by last night and the umpteen rounds of sex we had.
So…my plans have changed dramatically in the last twenty-four hours. I’m no longer having a weekend alone in the woods. Now, I’m about to head back to Pine Falls to stay with Leo for a few weeks and have more sex. Lots and lots of sex. I find it a little strange that he and I have fallen for each other so quickly. I’m actually a little worried he’s going to wake up at some point, look over at me, and realize that he can do a lot better.
I also worry it’s all a scam, and I’m going to wake up and find Leo’s cleaned out my checking account or something. Really, I’m just a bit paranoid all around.
Leo finishes packing up the campsite in record time, though, and shoulders the gigantic pack. “Sorry if we’re cutting your vacation short, baby. I promise I’ll take you on a real trip this next weekend, with better gear. And you can fish and hike all you want.” He smiles at me, utterly sexy and devastatingly handsome, and leans in for me to kiss him.
And I feel guilty that I was even worried.
----
W e take a roundabout way back to town. It’s another mile or two of a hike through the forest, but the scenery’s gorgeous and we avoid Bill, so it’s a double bonus. When we get back to town, though, instead of heading toward Leo’s cottage, he squeezes my hand. “I need to head up to the Lodge and talk to Eli before we head out. That okay with you?”
I touch a hand to my tangled hair. After last night’s sex-a-thon, I probably look (and smell) rougher than usual. “I should probably shower if we’re meeting anyone…”
“Nope. You’re beautiful just the way you are.” He kisses me fiercely. “Just let anyone try to tell you that you’re not gorgeous.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
The Lodge itself manages to mix rustic with hotel amenities well. There’s a large fireplace in the center of the lobby, and the mantel is decorated with photos. There’s no fire due to the warm weather, but I point it out to Leo. “Why don’t I wait for you over there?”
He gives me a grateful look and kisses my brow. “I won’t be long.” He sets the pack down and then heads to the front desk.
I wander over to the fireplace and work on fixing a few flyaway hairs in my reflection in a photo before I realize who is actually in the photo. There’s several men, all as gorgeous as Leo, and just as built. They look like they’re on a fishing trip together. One of the heads wearing a baseball hat in the back of the photo is Leo. He’s in another photo, holding up an enormous fish as another guy points at it. As I stroll down the long line of photos, I see that Leo’s in a ton of them, along with a lot of the same guys. He’s a big deal in this town, apparently, and I feel warm at the thought. It’s a far cry from my own apartment out in Plymouth where I barely know anyone but the maintenance man.
I notice pictures on another wall of the Lodge and head over there, and as I do, I hear the sound of voices down the hall. One sounds like Leo. I sidle a bit closer, curious. I’m pretty sure I hear the word ‘bare’. Bare what? Bare skin? I check my shirt, but I’m not revealing anything. My hand slides to my zipper. Nope, it’s up. Weird. It sounds like they’re arguing, too.
“You’ve got to tell her,” someone says.
A sigh.
8
CAROLINE
B ill comes back to camp three more times, whining, before Leo finally chases him off.
I almost feel bad for him. Almost. Except he’s a dick and he abandoned me and I’m so, so glad our reconciliation trip died a swift and painful death.
Leo insists on feeding me breakfast, and I nibble on a Pop-Tart as he breaks down camp. I offered to do it, but he wants me to relax and save my energy for later. Which, of course, makes me blush. I agree that I need to save my energy, though—Leo has seemingly limitless amounts of it, as evidenced by last night and the umpteen rounds of sex we had.
So…my plans have changed dramatically in the last twenty-four hours. I’m no longer having a weekend alone in the woods. Now, I’m about to head back to Pine Falls to stay with Leo for a few weeks and have more sex. Lots and lots of sex. I find it a little strange that he and I have fallen for each other so quickly. I’m actually a little worried he’s going to wake up at some point, look over at me, and realize that he can do a lot better.
I also worry it’s all a scam, and I’m going to wake up and find Leo’s cleaned out my checking account or something. Really, I’m just a bit paranoid all around.
Leo finishes packing up the campsite in record time, though, and shoulders the gigantic pack. “Sorry if we’re cutting your vacation short, baby. I promise I’ll take you on a real trip this next weekend, with better gear. And you can fish and hike all you want.” He smiles at me, utterly sexy and devastatingly handsome, and leans in for me to kiss him.
And I feel guilty that I was even worried.
----
W e take a roundabout way back to town. It’s another mile or two of a hike through the forest, but the scenery’s gorgeous and we avoid Bill, so it’s a double bonus. When we get back to town, though, instead of heading toward Leo’s cottage, he squeezes my hand. “I need to head up to the Lodge and talk to Eli before we head out. That okay with you?”
I touch a hand to my tangled hair. After last night’s sex-a-thon, I probably look (and smell) rougher than usual. “I should probably shower if we’re meeting anyone…”
“Nope. You’re beautiful just the way you are.” He kisses me fiercely. “Just let anyone try to tell you that you’re not gorgeous.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
The Lodge itself manages to mix rustic with hotel amenities well. There’s a large fireplace in the center of the lobby, and the mantel is decorated with photos. There’s no fire due to the warm weather, but I point it out to Leo. “Why don’t I wait for you over there?”
He gives me a grateful look and kisses my brow. “I won’t be long.” He sets the pack down and then heads to the front desk.
I wander over to the fireplace and work on fixing a few flyaway hairs in my reflection in a photo before I realize who is actually in the photo. There’s several men, all as gorgeous as Leo, and just as built. They look like they’re on a fishing trip together. One of the heads wearing a baseball hat in the back of the photo is Leo. He’s in another photo, holding up an enormous fish as another guy points at it. As I stroll down the long line of photos, I see that Leo’s in a ton of them, along with a lot of the same guys. He’s a big deal in this town, apparently, and I feel warm at the thought. It’s a far cry from my own apartment out in Plymouth where I barely know anyone but the maintenance man.
I notice pictures on another wall of the Lodge and head over there, and as I do, I hear the sound of voices down the hall. One sounds like Leo. I sidle a bit closer, curious. I’m pretty sure I hear the word ‘bare’. Bare what? Bare skin? I check my shirt, but I’m not revealing anything. My hand slides to my zipper. Nope, it’s up. Weird. It sounds like they’re arguing, too.
“You’ve got to tell her,” someone says.
A sigh.
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