Summer Nights

by Sanders, Jill

  “No,” he assured her. “I wanted to ask you if you could meet me, later tonight.”

  Zoey’s laughter was quick and to the point. “There is no way—”

  “It’s not . . .” he interrupted, but he shook his head as a new idea intruded. “I thought you wanted to know why we were here.” He paused when she touched his arm, stopping himself from smiling when he noticed her calculating her options.

  “Meet me in the stables at nine,” she finally said before turning around and disappearing into the dining room.

  Glancing down at his watch, he smiled at the thought that he’d been able to spend more time with her that afternoon. He made his way to meet his brothers on the back trail, where they’d agreed to connect.

  When he stepped into the clearing, he leaned against a tree and waited almost five minutes before Liam arrived.

  His brother looked agitated.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “There’s this woman . . . a waitress, I think. She knows who we are,” Liam said, shoving his hands into his shorts.

  “Ryan?” he asked with irritation.

  “How did . . .” Liam’s brow furrowed. “She got to you too? She just basically attacked me and threatened to tell everything as I was coming out of the dining hall.”

  Dylan sighed and turned as Owen stepped out from the trees.

  “We need to talk,” Dylan told his brothers.

  He quickly filled his brothers in, then took almost an hour to come up with a game plan with them. One in which Dylan didn’t particularly like the role he was going to play.

  Lying to Zoey while playing Ryan and putting her off was going to take some acting. He wasn’t the actor in the family; Liam had those talents. But it seemed that Ryan had her eyes on him more than his brothers: she had only threatened Owen instead of kissing him.

  Still, after plotting with his brothers, he filled the rest of his evening with a few more zip line groups until it was a quarter till nine, then headed out toward the barn.

  When he walked in, he could tell Zoey was already there. He heard her soothing the animals.

  He walked through the massive barn, noticing that all the horses were tucked away for the night. It appeared they were alone in the barn. When he stopped at the end of the stall she was in, he smiled at her riding attire, which was covered in mud as if she’d ridden through several large puddles. Her hair was braided, but several locks had fallen free and now fell around her face. It was obvious she and the horse had gone on a fast and wild ride.

  “How was your ride?” he asked.

  She glanced over at him. “Relaxing, even though I was working.” She set the horse brush down and shut the gate to the stall behind her before she started walking toward the barn entrance.

  He fell into step next to her. He could see hurt in her eyes and knew that he’d caused some of it.

  “I know. It still gets me that I get paid to have fun.” He shook his head.

  She glanced over at him. “You get paid to show others a fun and safe time,” she corrected him.

  “Right.” He nodded with a smile as his eyes ran over her face. Even with the hurt in her expression, he could tell she’d enjoyed the evening. “How much fun did you have on your sunset ride?” he asked.

  She tilted her head. “I sat on Honey’s back while a couple on their fortieth anniversary watched the sunset on the beach.”

  He stopped her from exiting the barn by taking her arm. “Zoey, I’m not with Ryan.”

  “Why would I care? We didn’t implement any rules for employees in that . . .”

  She stiffened, and all he could think about was having her look at him the way she had earlier.

  He bent down and kissed her, stopping her words. The desire to kiss her had burned ever since he’d seen her standing on the stairs that first time.

  He felt her shoulders tense under his touch, until he slanted his mouth over hers, slowly taking her soft lips. When he felt her relax, he moved a step closer to her; just one step had their bodies touching.

  She was everything he’d imagined. Soft, strong, a perfect fit against him. He took the kiss deeper and felt her completely melt against his chest.

  “Zoey.” Her name escaped his lips as he moved them both until her back was against the wall of the barn.

  However, when her shoulders touched the wood, her eyes flew open, and her hands snaked between them to push him lightly away.

  “Don’t.” She shook her head, and he watched those dark eyes of hers change from passion to annoyance. “Were you even going to tell me why you’re here?” She crossed her arms over her chest as if suddenly cold.

  He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her everything. But loyalty to his brothers and to his family came first. “I’ve told you: we’re here for work.” She started to move, but he stopped her. He didn’t want their time to be up just yet. “I did want to talk to you about something else.”

  “Was the kiss to distract me?” she cut in, stepping out of the barn. He helped her slide the wood beam into place to hold the heavy doors shut.

  “No.” He looked down at her in the dark and smiled at the memory of her soft lips under his. “I kissed you because I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you.”

  That seemed to throw her off for a moment.

  “What is going on between you and Ryan?” she asked, changing the subject. “I don’t let just anyone kiss me.”

  “Nothing,” he admitted. But her eyes narrowed slightly, showing him that she didn’t believe him. Again, he felt the need to explain everything to her. On this subject, at least, he could be open and honest with her. “She keeps trying to hit on me. After that little show this evening, she went and hunted down my brother Liam and did the same thing to him. Ask Elle—she was there.”

  “I will.” She threw her chin up and started to turn away.

  “Take a walk with me?” He reached for her hand, and when she didn’t yank it back, he relaxed slightly. “We can head to the beach?”

  “Okay,” she said after a moment. They walked in silence for a while.

  “So . . . your mother,” he started. “I finally met her yesterday.”

  “Oh?” she asked, glancing over at him.

  “Kimberly—she asked me to call her that.” He smiled, remembering how nice the older version of Zoey had been. “Anyway, she was really nice. She said that she booked a zip line tour for tomorrow.”

  “She what?” Zoey turned and dropped his hand. “No.” She shook her head. “Cancel it.”

  He chuckled. “She’s an adult.”

  “She’s my mother, and . . .” she began.

  “What?” He waited.

  “Frail,” she finished.

  The woman he’d met yesterday wasn’t any more frail than any of the guests walking around the camp. “Zip-lining doesn’t require many muscles, and everyone wears a huge harness. Besides, I’ll put her on the beginning track. I’ll be right there with her the entire way,” he assured her. “She is living on the camp’s grounds. There’s a lot that she’ll want to do. Should we stop her from swimming or playing a round of Frisbee golf?”

  “No.” She frowned and turned toward the beach. He followed her out onto the sand, then almost ran into the back of her when the moonlight bounced off very white, very naked bodies tangled together on a blanket in the sand. “Oh!” Zoey turned and buried her face in his shoulder as she held in a giggle.

  He blinked a few times before the scene finally registered in his mind.

  “It’s the Youngs,” she whispered. “Go.” She shoved him back a step.

  He chuckled as he took her hand, and they sprinted back down the pathway until they were far enough away to talk.

  “I swear.” Zoey held her hand to her chest as she laughed softly. “I never expected . . . well.” She shook her head. “I guess we should have planned for—”

  “What?” He smiled down at her. “That couples l
ike to have sex on the private beach?”

  She giggled again and covered her mouth with her hands as she glanced back down the pathway. “Out in the open? There are other guests, employees.” She motioned toward the pathway. “It’s not all that private.”

  “Maybe they like that?” he suggested as he raised his shoulders slightly.

  “Not the sweet couple I met,” she gasped. “I just went horseback riding with them for over an hour.”

  “Then, they left the barn, stripped naked, took a dip in the gulf to cool off, and—”

  She burst out laughing.

  He enjoyed the sound. “It’s only natural.” He felt like a force was pulling him toward her. “I’m sure there are things I could do to help you forget . . .” Then, he bent his head down when she grew silent. His lips brushed against hers again. He took his time—enjoying his exploration of her mouth.

  When he felt her pulling back, he let her go. He dropped his hands, even though they itched to explore, to touch her further.

  “I’ll never be able to look them in the eyes again.” She glanced toward the beach.

  “How about me?” he asked, brushing a strand of her dark hair away from her face.

  “You’ll find out tomorrow.” She turned toward the main building with a smile.

  His heart skipped a beat before he caught up with her and followed her back to the main building. His rooms were on the second floor and at the end of the left wing. Zoey was housed upstairs on the third floor and was only accessible by a smaller staircase that had a locked door at the top. From the outside of the building, he knew that that floor was smaller than the other two floors; still, there was close to a thousand square feet up top, to his estimate.

  Leaving her to head up the other stairs without a kiss almost undid him, but she’d shaken her head when he’d started to lean in for one. She wouldn’t allow him to kiss her in public yet. The fact that he wanted to told him he was slowly dooming himself.

  “Night,” he said, squeezing her hand before dropping it.

  “Night,” she said softly back.

  When he entered the room he shared with his brothers, he was surprised to find himself alone.

  Almost half an hour later, Liam entered the room, a smile on his lips.

  “Looks like you had fun,” Dylan said, relaxing back on his pillow.

  “I did.” He chuckled. “We caught a couple—”

  “The Youngs?” Dylan jumped in. “On the beach?”

  “What?” Liam said, then shook his head. “No, who are the Youngs?”

  “Never mind. Who and what did you catch them doing?” he asked.

  “You first,” Liam said, toeing off his shoes.

  “The Youngs, an older couple, on the beach—let’s just say that the moonlight didn’t enhance anything,” he said quickly.

  Liam shivered, then chuckled. “Okay.” He sat down on his bed. “We caught a couple getting high.”

  “So?” He shrugged. “Wait, who is ‘we’?”

  “Elle and I. We were coming back from . . . well, whatever. Anyway, the funny part was, they asked us to join them, then asked if we liked to swing.”

  Dylan laughed. “It was bound to happen. I’ve heard stories. What did Elle do?”

  “Turned a pretty shade of pink, then declined gracefully.” Liam’s eyes shifted away from Dylan’s, and he could tell his brother was avoiding his gaze on purpose.

  He jumped in. “You like her.”

  “What?” Liam pulled off his shirt and lay down on the bed. “Who?”

  “Elle.” Dylan sat up. “Liam, this is the woman we suspect Dad is having an affair with.”

  “I know,” Liam said. Just then, Owen stepped in.

  “You won’t believe what happened to me tonight,” his oldest brother said as he slipped off his jacket and shook water from his hair.

  “Let me guess,” Liam said. “You caught a couple doing something?”

  Owen blushed. “I suppose it was bound to happen. Old people are horny as—”

  “Who and what were they doing?” Liam asked, shifting in his bed.

  “It doesn’t matter. I also ran into Ryan again. What the hell does she really want from us? She wrapped herself around me and wouldn’t let go.” His brother looked pissed.

  “To become the next Kardashian,” Dylan said dryly.

  “What?” Owen asked, sitting down on his bed. The room wasn’t big, but at least it was cozy enough to have three beds fit in it.

  “Fame,” he answered. “Of dating a Costa. She’ll probably do an interview from a local newspaper exposing us. I can just see it now: ‘Wealthy sons of millionaire Leo Costa reduced to living in a single room. Forced to beg work from local seniors’ camp. See how far the prodigal sons have fallen without the guidance of their father.’ What’s going to happen if we don’t control the situation soon?”

  “Damn.” Owen slapped his shoes on the floor and ran his hands through his hair. “Now it looks like we have to come up with another plan.” He turned to Dylan. “How did it go with Zoey?”

  “As expected.” He shrugged and tried not to allow his face to betray what he thought of their kiss. “How about you?”

  Owen shook his head. “Struck out with Aubrey. She’s just too . . . fragile.” He threw his hands up in the air. “To be honest, I’m kind of afraid I’ll either break her or piss her off by crossing her. I haven’t figured her out yet.”

  “What about Hannah?” Liam asked.

  “There’s something more there.” Owen swung his legs up onto his bed. “I’m not sure what it is, but she’s hiding something. Trust me. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  Dylan knew his brother would; after all, for the past year, he’d pretty much been acting as head of Paradise Investments, shortly after their father had started acting up. Whether it was a midlife crisis or he was hiding something, the three of them were determined to get to the bottom of their father’s recent disappearances, along with the disappearance of most of the cash in his accounts.

  Owen turned to Liam. “How did it go with Elle?”

  “Like you said.” Liam nodded at Owen. “There’s something more there. I don’t know what it is yet, but I can tell you this: if she is Dad’s latest conquest, she’s unlike all the others.”

  “What do you mean?” Owen shifted to look at Liam better. “She fits his type perfectly. Blonde”—he ticked off on his finger—“busty, young, has a business that needs funding.”

  Owen was right. In the past few years, their father had fallen for a certain type. The relationships usually cost him more money than necessary. Not that they didn’t have it to spend, but still—all it would take was one who was smarter than the others to wipe out the family fortune. It was one of the main reasons they were here and so worried.

  Liam stood up and started pacing. “She’s smart. Smarter than what we’ve seen before.”

  “So?” Owen said. “It’s either Elle or Hannah.” He cupped his hands behind his head.

  “You’re being an ass,” Liam said.

  Owen glanced up at him. “This isn’t a playdate. We’re here to do a job.”

  “These are people’s lives,” Liam said, his voice rising slightly. “If they have anything to do with convincing our father to invest here instead of closer to home, why should we really care?”

  Owen slowly sat up, his eyes flitting between Dylan and Liam.

  “Because, no matter how you play it, almost a million is a lot to invest in a business that benefits someone other than family.”

  The room was silent. “It’s not like it wasn’t Dad’s money to invest,” Dylan said after a moment.

  “No, but it was set aside for other things, and the board wants to know more. And since we can’t get Dad to return our calls, we’re here.” Owen lay back down. “So, the question is, how do we deal with Ryan?”

  That question had been running through Dylan’s mind ever since she’d caught him. If she exposed them now, it could mean a change
in the game—blocking their access to the camp and stopping them from getting any answers from the women about their father.

  They needed to keep Ryan quiet if they were going to find out anything, but the only way to do so wasn’t a line he was willing to cross. Not for her, anyway.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Zoey showed up at the smaller swimming pool just before sunrise and stared down at the destruction in horror.

  All the lounge chair pillows had been tossed around the pool deck or into the water. A few pool towels lay in a morass of beer bottles and plastic cups from the pool bar.

  Already, the cleaning crew were taking care of most of the mess.

  “So,” Elle said, her arms crossed over her chest. “How do we prevent this from happening again?”

  “I couldn’t believe it when you called me.” Zoey held in a sigh. Then turned to Elle. “You’re the one that said adults were easier than kids.”

  Elle rolled her eyes just as Hannah, Scarlett, and Aubrey entered from a pathway. Each of them stopped at the opening of the pool deck as their jaws dropped.

  “What happened?” Hannah asked quietly as she approached them.

  “I’m not sure, but I was about to go view the security tapes.” Elle turned, and they all followed her to the main building while the crew did their best to put everything back in order.

  Even though the security system played on screens in all the offices with a simple log-in, to see the security history still took logging in to the main security system on Elle’s computer.

  When the five of them stepped into the office, Elle moved behind the desk and sat down.

  “What are we going to do? We can’t just allow this sort of destruction constantly. I mean, what if we have to buy new cushions, or what if the mess causes damage to the pool pumps? We can’t afford to constantly fix things like that around here.” Hannah thumped the desk.

  Elle logged in and, after pulling up the correct file, hit the button, and the video began to play.

  “We’ll have to deal with it. We have a small budget for repairs, but most of the money is going into the new cabins and to pay what employees we have,” Elle answered.