by Bella Jewel
I roll my eyes.
She grins, wiggling her brows.
“It’s huge,” I say and she claps her hands with a happy squeal.
“I knew it.” She laughs. “Yes, girl. Get it. Get that dick.”
I slap her, but I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
I’m enjoying this trip more and more with every passing day.
You could say my happiness is ... growing.
8
“Tell me everything about the trip,” Emily says as we lie facedown on the massage tables later that afternoon, enjoying a little bit of a break after the camping trip.
“It was beautiful up there,” I say, moaning as the woman’s hands dig deep into a sore muscle. “You should have come, it wasn’t really a climb so much as a hike, not as uphill as I expected.”
“I was good here, it was relaxing just having a day off,” Emily tells me.
“Well, that’s why we’re here, to relax. What are you going to do tomorrow? Apparently we are supposed to be doing some big trust building workshop, which sounds kind of fun and terribly scary because it involves being hoisted up into trees.”
“I can’t say I mind being hoisted into trees by gorgeous men. Yes, I’ll be in for that. They’re doing a big fire tonight, I’m looking forward to that. I could use a few wines.”
I laugh. “You and your wine.”
We chat for a few minutes more before relaxing into our massage. After it’s done, I book myself in for a facial, which is absolute bliss, and then take myself back to the cabin for a nap before the bonfire. It’s the most relaxing day I’ve ever had and by the time I wake up, get myself ready, and walk down to the lake, the fire is already roaring even though it’s not dark out yet. Taj, Nathan, and Rick are already sitting by the fire, drinks in hand, and Emily is with Kara, chatting to her. Grace and Maria aren’t here yet.
I walk over and take a seat by Kara, glancing around to see if Rhett is here yet. I spot him over by the restaurant talking to Enzo, the two of them in a deep conversation that has Rhett’s face looking rather angry. I stare for a minute, and then look back to Kara and Emily, trying to focus on their conversation.
“I was just telling Emily about the story they told us last night about the barn,” Kara tells me.
“What a load of BS,” Emily laughs, shaking her head. “I bet it’s not even real.”
“It sounded pretty real,” I say.
“You know,” Rick pipes up, “we should go and find it while we’re here.”
“No fucking way.” Kara shakes her head. “I’m not going anywhere near that thing.”
“Come on, chicken,” Rick taunts her.
“I wouldn’t mind going for a look,” I admit, my morbid side getting the better of me.
“Oh, I’m there,” Emily nods. “For sure.”
“We’ll do it one night after everyone goes to bed,” Taj grins. “I dare one of you to stay in there for a whole night.”
“I draw the line at entering that place.” I laugh shaking my head. “No way.”
Rick shrugs. “I’ll go in there, it’s not fucking real.”
“I’m in.” Nathan grins. “I’m not scared of a barn.”
Taj smirks. “Fuck yeah, let’s make it a dare. If we can spend the night in there, you girls owe us.”
“Wait, how did we get roped into this?” Kara asks.
“You telling me you don’t want to come?” Taj asks, raising his brows.
Kara smirks. “I never said that.”
“Wait a second, what exactly do we owe you?” I ask.
“That depends,” Nathan drawls.
“On what?”
“If we can spend the night, and survive it, all of you ladies have to do a nude run through the ranch in front of everyone.”
I scoff. “You’re such a pervert, Nathan. You just want to see us naked. That’s not a fair deal considering you’ll all be fine so we know you’re going to win.”
“I don’t know,” Taj says. “Rick is a chicken, guarantee he’ll bail before the night is over.”
“Fuck you man,” Rick mutters.
“Okay fine,” Kara adds. “If you all stay in there for a full night, without leaving, we’ll do a run.”
“Hey,” I protest. “I never agreed to that.”
“It’ll be fine, honey. Guarantee they won’t make it. No way in the world,” Kara whispers to me.
“It’s a deal,” Rick says, extending his hand. “We’ll let you know when we decide to go in there.”
Kara shakes it.
Oh great. We’re doing it now, are we?
This should be fun.
“You all enjoyin’ fire?” Rhett asks, joining the group and sitting down right beside me.
“It’s not bad,” I say. “Could be bigger, but who am I to complain?”
I grin, because the fire in front of me is huge, roaring into the trees above. No way in the world it could possibly be any bigger.
Rhett grins. “You like them big, then?”
“Oh stop it,” Kara says, standing. “I’m going to find one of these hunks to help me out, with what I don’t know, but everyone else is getting lucky around here so I need to be, too.”
I grin.
She stands and walks away. I look to Rhett. “So,” I say.
“So what?”
“Do you want to walk with me?”
“Are you hittin’ on me, darlin’?”
“Maybe.”
He stands, extending his hand to me. I take it and he pulls me to my feet. We’re about to walk off when Madden and Dante come out of the lakeside restaurant and call out to Rhett. I could curse them for ruining what I was hoping to be a hell of a walk, but I don’t say anything when Rhett turns to me. “Sorry, I’ve got to go.”
“Later, then?”
He leans down, brushing his lips over my ear. “Tonight, I’m going to give you something to remember.”
He straightens and disappears.
I shiver.
It would seem like tonight is going to be interesting after all.
I can’t wait.
WE DRINK UNTIL MY BODY is warm and my laughter trails across the lake. Only when the fire begins to die do I decide to go and find Rhett. I’m curious to see what he has in store for me and I’m more than ready to find out. I stand up, smiling down at Kara. “I’m going to find Rhett. If I don’t come home, you know where I am.”
She grins. “You’re a devil, truly. You better give me all the details.”
I give her a thumbs up and then walk up to the little café looking over the water where we had lunch the other day. The guys are all in there talking about something, and the smell of food wafts out as the chef prepares dinner. Rhett notices me and his eyes go a little soft, he puts up a hand indicating he’ll be there soon, and I take a seat, staring out over the beautiful lake as the sun begins to set. It’s gorgeous here, it really is.
I wait until Rhett is done and when he walks over, looking all fine in his jeans, his flannel and those cowboy boots. I could eat him up right now. I cringe as soon as that thought enters my mind. Lord, woman, you sound like a horny nerd who hasn’t seen a man in years. Wait, I basically am.
Shame.
“C’mon, let’s go for a ride and see the sunset.”
Oh.
Well that sounds dazzling.
“I have to warn you, I’m pretty drunk so I’m probably going to fall off.”
“I never said we were ridin’ a horse.”
I blink. “What are we riding then?”
He grins. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
He takes my hand and pulls me out of the café and we walk over to the barn. He has me wait outside as he goes in, and then a few minutes later I hear the rumbling sound of an engine firing up and a few seconds after that he comes out riding some sort of ATV. It has four wheels and looks like it’s meant to slam through mud and go up steep hills. It has a big roll bar surrounding the two seats at the front.
&nb
sp; It looks terrifying.
Terrifyingly fun.
“Put a helmet on, and get in,” Rhett calls.
I do as he asks; I put on the helmet he hands me and then I get into the passenger seat of the vehicle. He takes off as soon as I’m in, and I squeal with delight as it powers down the road. It’s so fun, the kind of fun you could only dream about. Not many people could afford to own something like this. Rhett takes us down a dirt road, flicking up mud as he slides around the track.
I laugh and cry out happily the entire time—this is the best rush ever.
We reach a big open field full of mud tracks and ripped up grass. I stare at it, then glance at him. “What is this place?”
“This is the place you’re goin’ to have the time of your life. It’s your turn.”
I blink. “My turn?”
“Yep. Get in the front and unleash. You won’t hurt yourself here, the worst you can do is flip it but even then you’re protected by the bars. Go on, let loose.”
“Will you come with me?”
He nods.
We swap seats and I sit in the front, hands curled around the wheel. I look to him and he nods, giving me a wink. I put my foot on the accelerator and take off. At first I’m hesitant, and because of that, it partially sinks into the mud.
“Don’t be scared,” Rhett tells me. “Hit it.”
I close my eyes for a minute, take a deep breath, and then I shove my foot down hard. The vehicle roars to life, spitting up mud and sliding out to the side as it pulls itself from the mud. I scream happily as I keep my foot down, speeding toward another big mud puddle. I hit it and mud flies up everywhere. My laughter can be heard trailing for miles, of that I’m sure. I spin it on its side and the wheels flick out, making us zig zag all over the place.
It is, without a doubt, the most fun thing I’ve ever done.
I eventually pull up on the grass, panting with adrenaline and excitement. I pull my helmet off and look to Rhett. “That was the best thing ever!”
He grins at me, leaning forward and swiping a bit of mud off my lip. “Glad you enjoyed it,” he murmurs, and my heart races as he leans in closer, brushing his lips across mine.
I already feel incredible, him doing that only makes it that much better.
I kiss him, long and deep, and his fingers tangle into my hair, pulling me closer. Things go from zero to a hundred really quickly, and before I know it I’m on his lap, our kiss intense, our hands roaming. I want to touch all the parts of him, I want to feel him, be near him. I want to finish what we started the other day.
“Can I touch you?” I whisper, holding his eyes.
“Yeah,” he growls.
I reach down between us, unbuttoning his jeans and reaching inside. He’s not wearing anything beneath the jeans and I feel his cock right away, hot and hard. My nerves become a whole lot more intense as I curl my fingers around it, carefully pulling it out so I can admire it. I look down, watching my hand as it strokes, slowly, making it harder and thicker. He has an impressive package, but I’m sure he knows that.
I have no idea what I’m doing, but the way he’s looking at me, the intensity in his eyes, tells me he likes it.
My half tipsy brain encourages me on, and I stroke a little harder, a little firmer. He growls and puts a hand around mine, stopping me. “If you keep doin’ that, I’ll cum.”
“Maybe that’s what I want,” I murmur, looking into his eyes.
Then, boldly, I lean forward and kiss him again, letting our tongues dance as I begin to stroke his cock in a rhythm that makes his kiss hungry, his growls rumble through my mouth, his breath becoming frantic. It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life. He rips his mouth away, pressing his forehead against mine and he grinds out, “I’m goin’ to cum.”
Those words send a rush through me, and I keep up the pace as his hand lashes out, reaching for something in the passenger side. He comes back with some sort of rag. His breathing becomes even more ragged and his mouth finds mine as a feral groan leaves his mouth and I feel warm liquid hitting my hand. He uses the rag to cover the rest, growling his release.
It’s fucking epic.
I pull back and watch him, loving the pleasure in his eyes as he cleans up and tucks himself away. He looks at me, and then reaches up, taking my chin in his hand. “I’m goin’ to fuck you. Not here, but I will.”
“I think I’d like that,” I say softly.
He goes to say something else, but his phone rings in his pocket.
Grumbling something, he looks down at the screen.
“Gotta go, sweetheart, but don’t think I’m done with you. Your turn will be coming.”
“I can’t wait.”
And that isn’t a lie.
I really can’t.
9
“Nope,” I say, looking up at the trees above and shaking my head. “No way am I going up there.”
“You’ll be fine,” Lake says, doing up the harness he just helped me put on.
“I won’t let you fall,” Emily calls, holding the rope that’s going to launch me up. “I swear.”
“I don’t trust any of you. There is no way I’m going up in that tree.”
There are two trees and between them a large rope ladder joining the two. We’re supposed to trust our partner for the day to haul us up there and hold on while we get across the rope ladder, where they’ll let us down the other side. I’m not a fan of heights, let alone when someone else is in control.
“That’s the point of trust exercises,” Lake says, tightening my strap and checking it. “You have to trust the person holding you.”
“Would you trust someone hoisting you up a damned tree?”
He grins at me. Man he’s attractive. “Nope.”
“That is not comforting.”
“You’ll be fine, I’ll be right next to Emily so if she can’t hold you, I can.”
“I ate a lot of breakfast this morning, will that affect this?” I squeak.
Lake grins. “Off you go.”
I glance at the rest of the group. Kara and Grace are together, Maria and Taj, and then Nathan and Rick. Each of us has one of the guys helping. Rhett is helping Kara and Grace, and I can’t help but stare at him, a hunger deep in my belly. I want him so bad it’s alarming. I’d never tell him just how attracted I am to him, because he’d probably run, but I haven’t been able to get him off my mind. There is something about him, and it sure as hell doesn’t help that he’s fucking gorgeous.
I look back to the tree, shaking Rhett from my mind.
“Now, first thing you’re goin’ to do is walk over and take hold of the climbing aides coming out of the tree. As soon as you start climbing, Emily will take the pressure off and you’ll find it easier and easier. Remember, you can’t fall.”
I walk over to the tree, stomach in my throat, and look at all the long steel posts coming out of it that they’ve obviously put in so people can climb up. I glance up and, from here, that bridge looks really god damned high. Feeling a little unwell, I put my foot on the first peg and then haul myself up. Emily takes the pressure, and it certainly does make it easier. I feel a little less terrified.
“Okay,” Lake calls, “this is the part where you trust your partner. You need to believe that they won’t drop you. You need to rely on them. Call out if you need, talk to them, tell them what you need from them.”
I look to my left where Kara is also climbing the tree next to us. There are about ten trees connected with the same pegs and the same rope ladder. They’ve put a lot of effort into making this, the least I can do is have a go. I swallow, take a deep breath, and keep climbing. I get about halfway up without any issues, and I’m feeling a little more confident with the harness.
That is, until I look down.
I just glance down for a second, to see how Emily is doing, and that’s when I see I’m up a whole lot higher than I realized. The ground looks far away and suddenly, everything in my body freezes. I can’t seem to
get my arms and legs to move, instead, they decide to start shaking.
“You good?” Lake calls out.
“I can’t move,” I cry out. “I can’t move.”
“You’re freaking out. Take a deep breath, Lei. Calm yourself down.”
The more I think about it, the worse it gets.
A tear bursts forth and rolls down my cheek, and my trembling becomes so bad I feel like I’m going to pass out. I need to get down, I need to get down right now.
“I can’t move,” I cry out again.
“Hang on, we’re comin’ up.”
I close my eyes, hanging on, even though suddenly it feels as though I’m going to fall and not a single thing is going to stop me. I hold my breath, for what seems like minutes, before finally I feel a warm body come behind me, surrounding me, protecting me.
It’s Rhett.
“You’re okay, you won’t fall.”
“I can’t move, Rhett,” I croak.
“You can, I’m goin’ to stay behind you. One step at a time.”
“I need to get down.”
“You got this, Lei. Trust me when I say you get to the top, somethin’ inside of you will swell with pride and you’ll overcome a fear you didn’t even realize was so fuckin’ crippling. I’ve got you. Emily’s got you. One step.”
With trembling fingers, I release the peg and reach up for the next one. Then I push with my feet, going up one more.
“Good,” Rhett says from behind me. “Keep goin’.”
I’m so glad it was him who came up to get me.
So damned glad.
I follow his guidance, one step at a time, until we finally reach the top. There is a little platform up here before you cross the bridge, and when I finally make it onto it, I sit, eyes closed, breath trembling.
Rhett sits down behind me, his big legs surrounding me, his arm going around my waist and he leans in, breath brushing my ear as he whispers, “Open your eyes, beautiful. Look.”
His words make my heart swell and my tummy fill with butterflies.
I open my eyes and what I see takes my breath away. From up here, you can see over top of most of the trees. You can see mountains, the sky, all the trees below. It’s absolutely breathtaking.