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Emerson
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“CAMPING?” I CLAP ONCE.
We pull up next to Rome’s truck in the afternoon and climb out. The back is empty of everything but a toolbox. Where are the chickens? Rome swung past this morning and picked them up because he’s the only one with a car big enough.
I stretch, lifting my arms over my head and rolling my neck. Having the cast and boot on for so long tightened my muscles. Colt comes up behind me and presses his fingers into my neck.
“You’re okay with camping?”
“God yes. I’m dying to hang out on the beach. Summer has sucked so far.”
“It hasn’t been all bad.” He drags his hands down my arms and across my stomach before leaning down and gently biting the top of my shoulder. “There’s been a few perks.”
His body heat warms me through, but I shiver at his closeness, clenching my fists so I don’t reach behind me and touch him. My breath stutters. “Like bath time?”
“Hmmm...” he muses. “I enjoyed bath time.”
“Too bad we’re roughing it now and don’t have a bath.” I nod toward the camp site.
“We’re not roughing it,” Colt says, whistling low as he moves beside me, grabs my hand and leads me toward the camp site. “And we have a whole ocean.”
“Might not be so bad.” Sweeping my hair over one shoulder, I take in Austin’s setup. The camp is set up off the sand on a worn patch of grass in an arc shape, all centered around a fire pit but facing the water. It’s empty. “Where is everyone?”
Colt lifts his arms above his head and stretches. The action causes his t-shirt to lift, displaying his tight, defined abs, and sharp hip bones.
Music fills the air, the sounds radiating from a freestanding gazebo. A loud rumbling noise draws my attention to the back of the gazebo.
I chuckle.
“What?”
I point to the machine that seems to make the rumbling sound. “Is that a generator?”
Colt opens his mouth to speak but Austin’s loud voice cuts him off. “You made it!”
He comes over and extends his hand to Colt. They do that weird fist bump, handshake, back slap thing that guys do when greeting each other before breaking apart. Austin pulls me into a hug and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Hi.” He smiles. Colt glares.
He’s so cute; the slight sway to his shoulders like he has a secret, I can’t help but smile. “Hi. This is amazing,” I say, gesturing to the setup. It’s like a small community.
He pulls me into the center of the camp, and points everything out. “Grill. Fire pit. Generator. Refrigerators. Ba—”
“Did you say refrigerators?” I quirk an eyebrow, my gaze following where he’s pointing. And sure enough, there are two refrigerators under the gazebo.
“The smaller one is for food.”
“And the larger one?
“Beer.” Austin smirks.
“Priorities.” Colt chuckles.
“When you see how much beer Crew showed up with, you’ll understand.” Austin turns around and flattens a hand to the top of his head, indicating with the other. “Tents. Crew on that side of the beer. Fletcher on that side,” he says, pointing to the two tents on either side of the gazebo, then goes around the camp in a clockwise motion. “Rome. Mine. Keely. Yours.”
“Keely’s here?” I grin.
“Who the fuck is Keely?” Colt frowns. “And why are there seven tents?”
“Keely is Austin’s friend. You met her,” I remind him, counting the tents. He’s right. There are seven.
Colt shrugs, his lips dipping down at the sides as he widens his stance and folds his arms over his chest. “Still doesn’t explain the seven tents.”
“One for you. One for Em.” Austin points to each tent. “I wasn’t sure what your sleeping arrangements were, given you share a single room apartment.”
“Two tents aren’t necessary,” Colt mutters at the same time as I thank Austin for being thoughtful.
Austin glances between us, a curious expression on his face before he smirks. “Okay. Pick one then. And the girls can have the other.”
Colt perks up. He straightens his back, stands tall and puffs out his chest. “Girls?”
I roll my eyes. The camp is empty except for the chicken coop nestled between the two tents Austin set up for us.
“Yeah, Jane invited a couple of friends.” Austin points down the beach to a group playing volleyball.
“Who the fu—” Colt starts, but I slap my hand over his mouth knowing exactly what he’s about to ask.
“Don’t you dare ask who Jane is.”
Austin laughs. “Really?”
Colt licks my palm, and I yank my hand away. He grins, so I wipe my hand on his shirt. Dragging his hand over his mouth and pinching his bottom lip, he lifts one shoulder and says, “I'm good with names, but Jane doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Louise,” I offer, and he stares at me. “Linda. Leonie. Lydia. Laura. Ring any bells?”
Colt blinks at me.
I sigh. “The one that tries to siphon gas out of an empty tank.”
“I’m going out on a limb here; you’re not really talking about gas, are you?” Austin says. I shake my head, and he sputters, throwing his head back in laughter.
Colt’s eyes narrow and his lips purse as he scratches his chin in thought. And then his face lights up and his lips pull into a wide grin. He clicks his fingers and points at me, finally understanding who Jane is. Turning to Austin, he screws up his face and whines, “Aww man, why did you invite her for?”
Austin’s eyes widen. “I didn’t. She said you invited her.”
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“She said you two were a thing.” Austin air quotes when he says ‘thing’ and Colt shivers.
“Hell no.” His hands drop to the front of his shorts. “My balls are quivering in fear knowing she’s here.”
“You might want to keep your distance then.” Austin laughs and claps him on the shoulder. “Dump your stuff in a tent and come down to the beach.”
He walks off leaving us to unload our bags and check on the chickens. Colt grabs our bags out of the car and drops them inside the end tent while I crouch down and make sure the chickens are okay. They’re fully stocked. Lots of water and plenty of food to keep them going for the day.
“Volleyball or swimming?” Colt asks when I climb into the tent and dig around in my bag. The tent is much larger inside than I thought. It’s a two-room rent with a zip dividing both sides so it can be closed off for privacy. There’s bedding on both sides, a foam mattress and sleeping bags. I smile. Austin was sweet to set everything up.
“Neither,” I say, pulling out my book and waving it in his face. “I’m going to soak up the sun and read for a little while. Maybe go for a walk.”
Colt reaches one hand up and behind his head, yanking his shirt off as he kicks his shoes to the side. He raises his eyebrows expectantly. “Can’t soak up the sun if you’re blocking it out with clothes, Em.”
I reach into my bag and pull out my beach towel. “I have my bikini on under this,” I say, pulling on the hem of my dress.
“Need some help getting out of it?”
“Been dressing and undressing myself since I was four, Colt. Pretty sure I can slip the dress over my head.”
He pouts. “I miss the days you were injured.”
I arch an eyebrow.
“Those days were fun.” He steps closer.
“Speak for yourself.”
Colt slips his finger under the strap of my dress. “Made me feel wanted. Needed.” His voice is soft. “I liked that. A lot. Like I meant something. Like I was important.”
“You mean everything to me. You know that.” I drop the towel and my book to the floor of the tent and cup his face. There is something in his eyes. A look I’ve never seen before. Vulnerability. “You are wanted and needed. Never forget that.”
I drop my hands and step closer. Colt squeezes his eyes shut and swallows.
“Help me with my dress?” I ask.
He gives me a half-smile, knowing I’m only asking to appease him. To make him feel needed. He pushes on my shoulders, gently turning me around so he can reach the zip.
Sliding it down my back slowly, the heat from his fingertips radiates through me, leaving trails of goosebumps in their wake as he drags them down my spine until it reaches the bottom of the zip.
His breath is hot on my neck, his fingers soft as they slip under the straps of my dress once again, sliding them over my shoulders, down my arms until my dress bunches at my waist. Colt’s arms glide around my waist, holding me tight, pulling me to him.
“Thank you,” he whispers in my ear, dropping a kiss to the top of my shoulder. A chill runs down my spine, a spark of desire ignites deep within me, and I will his hands to drop further.
I take a deep trembling breath. My nerves are on edge as neither of us move. Neither of us speak. Colt’s lips still on the top of my shoulder, not kissing, just resting. His hands squeeze, gripping my stomach before gliding across my ribs and brushing the underside of my breasts.
The air shifts. His breathing deepens as his hands grip the bottom of my dress and tug it the rest of the way over my hips until it drops to the ground. I’m on edge, out of my depth. Entirely at his mercy.
How’s that for trust?
Colt’s fingers drift across my stomach, gripping my hips. He’s waiting for a reaction from me, like always. He toys with the waistband of my bikini bottoms and I relax back against him. It’s a subtle move, but Colt’s as aware of me as I am of him.
His erection presses against my lower back as he dips one hand into the front of my—
“You guys in here?” Austin calls out. “What’s taking so long?”
Colt releases me, stepping back and dropping to his knees on the tent floor in front of his bag.
The absence of heat from his body is jarring and a chill falls over me. I’m left standing there, trying to catch my breath as Austin sticks his head inside the tent.
“Ahh, there you are. We’re about to start a new game. So I thought I’d see if either of you want to join?”
I glance at Colt. His shoulders are tense, his back stiff. Giving Austin a smile, I say, “Thanks, but the sun is calling my name and I want to catch up on some reading.”
Austin nods. “Colt?”
Colt’s fingers clench on the zipper of his bag, his knuckles turning white. The muscles in his forearms strain and flex. He clears his throat. “I’m going for a swim. Cool down.”
He pulls his bag open and drags a pair of board shorts out.
“Fair enough. Come on, Em. I’ll walk you down there.” Austin steps back and holds the flap of the tent open for me.
“I’ll meet you down by the water?” I ask Colt. He nods. “And we can finish this...conversation later?” I try not to let the hopefulness shine through in my voice, but it’s pointless. I sound like a giddy schoolgirl talking to her crush.
Colt relaxes and lets out a deep breath. “We can discuss it tonight.”
“Can’t wait.” I step out of the tent but don’t miss the unmistakable sound of Colt’s deep chuckle.
“Everything okay?” Austin glances back at the tent as we walk side by side toward the others on the beach.
“Yeah.” I smile. “Of course.”
“Just thought I might have interrupted something. Seemed tense in there.”
I snort back a laugh. Real ladylike. “We were arguing over whether I should take the other tent,” I lie.
“Do you want the other tent?”
Absolutely not. But I couldn’t tell him I hadn’t spent a night without Colt in over nine years. He wouldn’t understand. I’m sure he’s already confused who sleeps where in our apartment. Unless he assumes that there’s something going on between Colt and I like almost everyone else does.
“I told him I’d take the other tent if he wanted time alone with Jane.”
“Ahh.” Austin laughs. “He didn’t go for that?”
“Definitely not. Said I’m his safety blanket. Ensuring she stays out of his tent.”
Austin grabs my hand and helps me down the few rocks to the sand. “Smart, considering he’d get her name wrong and then all hell would break loose.
Now it’s my turn to laugh.
“Dude, hurry up. We’re waiting for you,” Rome calls out before smiling at me. “How’s it going, Em?”
“Good.” I give the others a wave.
Jane turns away and whispers to her friends before standing up and walking back toward the camp. “He better get out of that tent soon,” Austin mutters.
Dread settles in the pit of my stomach, hard and heavy. I swallow and force a single word out of my mouth before changing the subject so I don’t throw up all over his shoes. “Yeah... So, where’s Keely?”
“Ahh...” He rubs the back of his neck and glances back towards the camp. “She’s hiding in her tent.”
“Too shy?”
“Yeah, I—”
“Dude, hurry the hell up. We’re waiting on you, sunshine,” Fletcher calls.
“I better go. Catch up with you later.”
I smile. “Okay, kick some ass.” I nod toward the guys as Rome spikes the ball over the net, kicking up sand.
“Done.” Austin smiles and walks away while I go in search of the perfect spot to lie in the sun and read.
Alone.
Uninterrupted.
Peaceful.