Summer Heat

by Sanders, Jill

  “Please, call me Lara.” She smiled at her. The woman pulled off her water cap and let her long dark hair fall around her shoulders.

  Elle nodded in agreement. “Did you enjoy your swim?”

  “Yes, we have an indoor pool at our club in Oregon, but”—she glanced around—“nothing beats swimming under the stars.”

  Elle glanced up and noticed the sky was filled with the little lights.

  “You’re lucky to live here year round.” Lara sighed.

  “Yes,” she agreed.

  “I’m probably bothering you.” Lara started to move away.

  “No, not at all,” Elle assured her. “I was just cooling off. It’s been a long day. Please.” She motioned the woman closer.

  Lara returned. “The warmer weather has done wonders for my Ross.” The woman’s eyes turned sad.

  “It always helped my grandpa’s joint problems too,” she said.

  “Ross was diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” Lara said.

  “I’m so sorry.” Elle made a mental note to check and make sure they were getting everything they needed.

  Lara sighed and leaned against the side of the pool. “The man took long enough to catch me.” She smiled absently at the sky. The corner of her lip quivered. “Now, I hate the thought of losing him too early.”

  Elle was silent. She didn’t know how to comfort someone who was grieving. Hell, she herself had refused her friends’ help until they’d forced their love on her.

  “Do you have family?” she asked.

  “No.” Lara shook her head. “No kids, if that’s what you mean.”

  Elle nodded. “I lost my mother when I was ten.”

  “I’d heard.” Lara turned slightly toward her. “Not that I’m a stalker, but I checked up on this place before booking a cabin. I read one of the articles about the five of you: you and your friends. How you built this place back up.” Her smile was back. “Friendship like that comes around once in a millennium.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “You’re very lucky.” Lara stood up. “I’d better get back to Ross.”

  “Lara, if you guys need anything to round out your stay here, don’t hesitate to tell me.” She stood up in the water and shook the woman’s hand.

  “I will. Thanks, Elle.” She nodded and climbed out of the pool, leaving Elle to sink back under the dark water and stare up at the stars. Her thoughts turned to her friends and how far they had come in the last year.

  A splash woke her from her daydream some time later.

  Sputtering, she stood up and pushed her wet hair out of her eyes to see Liam smiling at her.

  “Jerk,” she said under her breath, causing him to laugh.

  “Does your boss know you’re taking the rest of the night off?” he asked, getting closer to her in the water.

  “Does yours?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

  He took her free hand and moved it to his chest as their hips bumped together. Instantly, she felt him grow hard in his shorts.

  “Sorry.” He shrugged. “You look like a mermaid floating in the water.”

  “I thought I was a princess, no?” she teased as he shifted against her.

  “Both.” His eyes moved to her lips. “I’ve thought about kissing you again.”

  Her breath hitched, and her body vibrated with heat. “You have?” It came out as a whisper.

  “Haven’t you?” His eyes moved to her lips.

  She could lie.

  “Yes.”

  Damn, she thought. Should have lied, because his smile turned cocky.

  His long dark hair was slicked away from his face. He’d shaved earlier that day, but now the dark stubble filled his face. Reaching up, she ran her hand over it.

  “You need a shave before you kiss me again.”

  His smile fell away. “So, you’ll let me?”

  She swallowed hard and nodded.

  “When?” he asked.

  She glanced around and noticed that there were still some people around the pool, even though the band was packing up on the stage.

  “Later,” she said. “There are too many eyes.”

  He grinned. “That doesn’t seem to bother the Youngs.”

  She groaned. “Don’t remind me. I caught them again today.”

  He shook his head. “Old people are horny.” She felt his chuckle against her hand on his chest.

  “You’re horny,” she countered. “Or was that your cell phone in your pocket?” She laughed at the face he gave her.

  “Too bad I have an early morning. We could take a long walk.” His eyes met hers. “There’s more things to do than kiss.”

  No man had ever made her on the verge of exploding with just words before. Her knees actually buckled, and if she hadn’t been holding on to him, she would have slid under the water.

  “What kinds of things?” She didn’t know what made her ask, but she needed to know. Wanted the image in her head.

  His fingers brushed against her back, the bare skin exposed by her swimsuit, and she shivered.

  “I would start by touching you”—his hand moved to her hip as his voice lowered—“everywhere.”

  She had to swallow the desire to jump him right there with everyone watching. “Now I understand a little . . .” she murmured.

  One side of his lips curved up. “You can keep touching me, if you want.”

  She realized that her fingers were already running over his biceps and stilled them.

  “After that, I’m sure we can come up with something else to do.” His breath caressed her lips.

  A loud burst of laughter broke into her thoughts as several guests showed up. Two men jumped into the other end of the pool with big splashes while the ladies chuckled and slowly climbed in.

  “I better . . . I’ve got”—she pulled away—“an early morning.”

  “Elle,” Liam said, remaining where he was as she waded to the edge of the pool. She glanced back at him. “Maybe we could go for that walk tomorrow?”

  Instead of answering, she dipped her chin slightly, then climbed out of the pool, wrapped a towel around her body, and collected her things.

  As she lay in bed that night, her mind went over every word, every touch he’d given her. She couldn’t help feeling like it was only a matter of time before she allowed herself to enjoy him fully. Either the hot summer nights or Liam would drive her slowly mad.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Liam tried not to smile too much the following morning as he helped get everything ready for the first group of guests at the zip line hut.

  Spending an evening in the pool with Elle had put him in a permanent good mood, and he doubted anything could shake it from him.

  His brother and Zoey were due back later today, so he could start having more free time with Elle instead of running around the campgrounds. He’d felt like he’d been sprinting between jobs in the past few days and was actually looking forward to a slower pace.

  The first group had gone off without a hitch, and he enjoyed flying through the trees with everyone else. The second group was just getting ready when he noticed a man who looked vaguely familiar. It wasn’t until they were on tower three that he placed the man, when someone addressed him as Reed.

  “Reed Cooper?” he asked when he’d finally maneuvered him so they would be alone on the tower. The rest of the group had already moved on to the next one.

  The older gentleman nodded. “Do I know you?”

  “Not officially. I’m Liam Costa. My father is Leo. We used to own the house across the way.” He nodded to where the massive place sat across the bay. Since he was done playing games and hiding who he was with Elle, he felt comfortable using his real name. Besides, maybe the guy knew something about his father? He’d heard Zoey and Scarlett talking about the man who lived in the house across the way and had looked for an opportunity to talk to him.

  “Right.” The man smiled and held out his hand. “I’ve talked to your brother Dylan.”

 
“Yes.” Liam relaxed slightly.

  “You’re looking for your father.” It wasn’t as much a question as a statement. “He’s not at my place. I understand your frustration and concerns. Have you found out anything more?”

  “No.” Liam ran his hands through his hair. All the frustrations about not knowing where his father was had started to return to him as the high from being with Elle slowly faded.

  “How long has he been missing?” Reed asked.

  “A few months now. Almost six,” he answered after thinking about it.

  The man whistled. “Dylan mentioned that he’d done this before?”

  “Yes.” He leaned back on the railing of the tower. “But never this long without some contact.”

  “You know, I used to be special ops, I have a few buddies . . .”

  “No, thanks.” Liam stood up, shaking his head. “We’ve got this.” He knew his father wouldn’t be pleased at all if he had to be hunted down.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, thanks.” They had already talked about keeping their father’s disappearance as low key as they could.

  “If you change your mind,” Reed said, getting ready to head down to the next tower, “you know where to find me.”

  “Thanks,” he said, making sure the man was secure and then giving him the thumbs-up before following him to the next tower.

  His conversation with Reed had him reassessing things during lunchtime and all through his shift at the pool bar. Maybe they needed more help looking for their dad? Maybe this time, something else was going on. Could their father really be in trouble?

  He didn’t see Elle that day until just before Dylan and Zoey returned, and even then, it was only in the presence of everyone else, when they ran into each other in front of the main building for a brief moment.

  “How are you doing?” he asked, stopping beside her.

  She scanned him. “Good, I see you kept your shirt intact today.”

  “Yes.” He chuckled softly. “I think you scared her off.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “One can hope.”

  “Why don’t you fire her?” he asked.

  “Brent hired her; technically, he’s her boss.” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s hard enough to keep good labor around here with what we can pay.”

  “Maybe once you get a little more known . . .” He broke off as the car arrived.

  Then he stood back and watched the women shuffle Zoey inside to catch up.

  He turned to Dylan. “So? Did you find out anything new?”

  “Let’s go for a walk.” He picked up his bag and ran his hands through his hair.

  “Hell, you slept with her.” Owen jumped in.

  “Fuck off.” Dylan’s answer gave him away.

  “Fuck.” Liam started to leave.

  “It’s not like that,” Dylan countered. “She’s . . . different.”

  “She’s the woman you’re supposed to be spying on, not sleeping with,” Owen hissed.

  “As I said, fuck off.” Dylan jerked his bag over his shoulder. “She has nothing to do with this. I know it.” He strode toward the building, leaving them alone outside.

  Owen turned to Liam, and he mentally recoiled. Shit, here it comes.

  “Since our brother has decided that this plan is just a game to him, let’s you and me talk.” He lowered his voice and nodded to the pathway.

  He followed Owen down the path until they stepped into a small clearing where they would be alone.

  “Remember, Dad had an appointment set with Elle the day he disappeared. We need to find out if he kept that appointment, what it was about. Hell, break into her phone if you have to.”

  Liam kept his mouth shut, knowing it would be the only way to combat his brother at this point. He’d seen Owen on a mission before. He was a lot like their father in that area. Once his scope was set, there was no getting him off mark.

  Owen turned to go. “I’m going to see if I can get into their office again. See what you can find out.” His brother’s eyes bore into his own.

  “Sure,” he mumbled as Owen walked away. He made his way back to their empty room and lay on his bed, closed his eyes, and tried to relax as he plotted. He was exhausted from the long day.

  Of course, because his body was tired didn’t mean his mind and his libido were . . .

  For the next hour, he lay in bed thinking about Elle and dreaming of her. The way she’d smelled of something soft and floral, even in the chlorine-filled water.

  When his alarm finally went off in the morning, he’d only managed a few hours of sleep, which put him in a grumpy mood.

  He skipped breakfast and decided to hit the gym instead. Employees were allowed to use the equipment if the gym wasn’t crowded.

  Being the only one in there that early, he spent the next hour sweating out his sexual frustrations. Well, most of them anyway.

  He was just leaving the gym when he heard Elle’s voice in the next room. Checking his watch, he realized he wasn’t due to the woodshop for almost two hours. As he stepped just inside the opened door, he had to pick his chin off the ground when he spotted her at the front of the workout room in a light-pink leotard and ballet shoes.

  The fact that the outfit was sexy as hell on her didn’t really register. What did was the pose she was currently in. It almost looked like a very low squat. Both feet were flat on the ground, her legs were bent, and her ass was almost touching the floor.

  “Bend as far as you can,” she was telling the small room of older women. “Make sure you hold on to . . .” Her eyes moved up to the mirror, and he could tell that she saw him in the reflection. When their eyes locked, she seemed to lose her concentration and rolled to the floor, landing solidly on that tight ass he’d been admiring a moment ago.

  He would have rushed across the room to catch her, but there were too many people between them. Instead, he remained in the doorway, crossed his arms over his chest, and smiled wickedly at her.

  “Smooth move,” he mouthed to her when she recovered.

  “Go away,” she mouthed back.

  He shook his head and chuckled when she waved him away.

  “Keep the position as long as you can,” she told the room and started walking around, checking on some of the women. “Good,” she said occasionally.

  Completing her circuit, she walked over to him, placed a hand on his chest, and pushed him out into the hall; then, with a large smile, she shut the door in his face.

  He laughed. She had just wiped his foul mood away. Even bumping into Ryan along the pathway couldn’t quash his new light mood.

  He made a point to hunt Elle down during lunch and sit at her table. It was worth seeing her blush when he asked her how her back end was doing after the fall that morning. He worked the pool bar through the dinner hour, since the band was back.

  That night as he lay in his bed, he noticed that Dylan hadn’t returned. Owen had his days off and had returned to Destin to no doubt talk to the board of the family’s business and try to convince them to give them more time.

  He knew his older brother was more stressed about the entire situation than they were. After all, their father had been grooming Owen since childhood to take over the business when he retired.

  He didn’t know what would happen to Owen if he couldn’t take over Paradise Investments. The family business had been his only goal for as long as Liam could remember.

  Where Liam and Dylan had gone to college classes and had pretty much pissed those years and their father’s money away, Owen had studied hard and attended all the classes needed to run a major corporation.

  Something Liam had never really felt guilty about until recently.

  Which was why he and Dylan were in the middle of this mess. Still, there were worse places to spend your summer. Besides, if he hadn’t agreed to help out, he’d probably still be traveling around acting like the spoiled rich kid he was.

  As he made his security rounds that evening, he was surprised to see Ell
e standing on the docks. When he approached, she turned as if she’d been waiting for him.

  “Evening.” He stopped beside her.

  “It was such a nice night, I needed a walk,” she explained as she leaned against the railing.

  “Evening walks are one of my favorites.” He nudged her shoulder. “As you know. Especially with company.”

  “Zoey filled us in on the search for your father.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me yourself?”

  “I did.” He turned slightly toward her. “Remember?”

  “You made it seem like he does this all of the time.”

  “He does.” He shrugged.

  “But not with all that money.” She turned and leaned back against the railing.

  “No,” he agreed. “Never with that much. Over the years, however, he’s . . . shall we say, ‘donated’ a lot to several young women’s businesses.” Her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head slightly. “He tends to date younger women who all have business plans and spend a lot of his money, only for the businesses to fail.”

  “Oh.” She nodded. “Is that what you think is going on now?”

  It was true: Elle would have fit perfectly into the mold of women his father fell for.

  With one exception. He glanced around the camp behind him. The lights strung between poles made the grounds glow. He could hear the band still playing up at the pool and people laughing and having a great time. River Camp would be successful, very successful. There was no doubt about it.

  “You’re worried about him?” she asked, her eyes searching his.

  “Yes,” he said. “It’s why . . .” He bit his tongue when he realized what he was about to admit. Why they were at the camp, why he had gotten close to her. At least at first. Now, looking at her in the soft light, something else was drawing him to her. Shaking his head, he leaned in closer. “Owen’s checking on things while he’s gone. Hopefully, he’s found something out.”

  Her hands moved to his arm as she edged closer to him. He reached over and took her hips as he moved closer to her.

  “But I’ve been thinking of nothing but getting you back in my arms.” It came out almost as a whisper.