Wicked Respite

by Lily Harper Hart

  “What are you thinking about?” Amy asked as she inserted metal beams into the canvas harnesses and helped Max pull the tent to a standing position. “Are you sorry we came?”

  “Absolutely not.” Max was firm as he shook his head. “I want to be here … and there’s no one I would rather be with.” Amy was a full foot shorter than him so he had to lean over to kiss her. He didn’t mind. In fact, he found her diminutive size to be alluring. It allowed him to sweep her up in his arms on a regular basis. She was so small that he could place her on his lap, wrap himself around her, and she practically melted into him.

  Amy’s smile was so wide it almost swallowed her entire face when they separated. “This was a good idea.”

  “Yeah?” Max arched an eyebrow. “I’m glad you think so.”

  “I’m not sure your sister thinks so.” Amy’s gaze was pointed when it landed on an arguing Jack and Ivy. They appeared to be having a disagreement over exactly where to put their tent. “I think she wishes we would’ve stayed behind.”

  “That’s not true.” Max immediately started shaking his head. “Ivy is glad you’re here. She told me that herself. She wants to get to know you.”

  “She’s kind of … intimidating,” Amy admitted, chewing on her bottom lip. “She’s one of those women whom everybody wants to look at … or be.”

  Max furrowed his brow, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “Look at her. She’s comfortable being who she is and doesn’t care what anyone thinks.” Amy helplessly gestured toward the other woman. “I’ve never been brave enough to be myself in front of a roomful of people.”

  Max found the statement odd. “I don’t understand. I … what do you mean?”

  “Just that … look at her hair. I absolutely love it. I would love to try something wild like that.”

  “You mean the pink?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I believe she does it herself. If you want to try some streaks, I’m sure she’d be willing to help you. She’s good at stuff like that.”

  “And her boyfriend? You said he’s a police officer, right?”

  “Fiancé,” Max corrected. “They’re getting married in two months. They won’t let anyone forget it either. They’re all gooey and in love when they look at each other. It’s enough to give you a toothache.”

  Amy was taken aback. “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Absolutely not. It’s just … she’s still my baby sister.” His expression darkened as he glanced over at Jack and Ivy, who had settled on a location and were steadfastly working on erecting their tent. “It kind of weirds me out to know the dirty stuff he does with her. I can’t help it.”

  Instead of commiserating, Amy snorted and elbowed him in the stomach. “Your sister is a big girl. She’s obviously in love. Jack looks at her as if she’s the only woman in the world. He obviously adores her … and would never purposely hurt her. Most brothers would pray for a man like that to take on their sisters."

  She had a point, Max internally mused. “He’s still a filthy pig sometimes.”

  Amy giggled, the sound warming Max to his very core. “Let’s finish setting up. I want to help your sister with the food when we’re done. I think she was put off when I didn’t immediately help with the kitchen stuff. Like I said, though, she makes me a little nervous.”

  “You’ll get used to her. In a few days, you’ll hardly remember that you were afraid of her.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Max doubted it, too, but he was hopeful that it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Come on. Let’s finish this tent and move in. I have something I want to show you before dinner.”

  Amy snickered. “Your lips?”

  “Amongst other things.”

  Three

  Once the tent was put together, Jack made a big show of throwing the sleeping bags inside and then pulling Ivy in after him. The look he shot Max practically dared the man to question him regarding his intentions.

  Once it was just the two of them, Max decided it was time to get to know Amy better … even though he had a few romantic plans of his own.

  “So … you grew up in Minnesota and never went camping?” The notion baffled him. “How did that even come about?”

  Amy shrugged, noncommittal. She was busy organizing their bags along the far wall of the tent. “I don’t know. My parents simply weren’t the camping type. I never got into it.”

  “You don’t talk about your parents much.”

  “That’s because they died a few years ago.” She took on a far-off expression as she stared at the cluster of trees on the other side of the site. “Car accident.”

  “Together?” Max knit his eyebrows. “Are you serious?”

  She nodded, rueful. “Yeah. It was horrible. I was living in an apartment on the other side of town. I was about twenty at the time. When the police officer showed up at my doorstep I thought it was a joke at first. A really bad joke, don’t get me wrong, but a joke all the same. I just couldn’t believe it was happening.”

  Max’s heart went out to her. Instinctively, he moved his hand to her back and slowly rubbed at the slim lines under her shirt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that. I don’t think I ever asked about your parents.”

  Amy forced a smile for his benefit. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t ever volunteer the information. It’s hard for me to talk about.”

  “Yeah, but … I should’ve asked.” Max felt ridiculous for missing something so obvious. “When people start dating, you ask about their family. I never bothered to ask about yours. I’m … sorry.”

  Amy took pity on him and squeezed his hand. “You don’t need to be sorry, Max. You’re the best guy I’ve ever met. You actually listen when I talk. You have no idea what that means to me.”

  Max had some idea. He felt the same way when he was talking to her. “I want to be better than that.” He offered up the most charming smile in his repertoire. “Tell me about your parents. Were you close with them?”

  “Um … I think it was a normal parent-child relationship. They were good people. I was an only child and they had me late in life. They were both almost forty when I was born and they called me their miracle baby. I thought that was a bit much but … well … they seemed to enjoy it so I played along. I used to tease them. When they told me no, I would always say ‘is that any way to treat your miracle’ and they would laugh. They thought it was funny.”

  “It sounds funny.” Max was at a loss. He had a wide circle of friends. Even though his sister was his best friend, she was hardly his only lifeline in the world and he had a bevy of people to rely on. It sounded to him as if Amy had lost the biggest part of her support team and she’d never managed to replace them moving forward. “No brothers or sister, right? That’s what you said.”

  “I’m an only child. That’s why I’m kind of excited to see the way you interact with your sister. I’ve heard you guys are really close and I want to see how that works.”

  Max cocked his head to the side. “You’ve heard?”

  “People talk about you around town. I’m new and when we started dating a lot of women approached me to tell stories.”

  Max’s lips curved down. He should’ve seen that coming. Instead, he didn’t even consider it. He could just imagine which women rushed to Amy to give her an earful. “Let me guess … Maisie Washington and Ava Moffett?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Let’s just say that I’m familiar with their work and leave it at that.” Max made a dour face. “What did they say? Wait … don’t answer that.” He held up his hand. “I can imagine what they said. For the record, you should know, they’ve always had attitude where I’m concerned because I refused to date them.”

  Amy’s expression was hard to read. “Oddly enough, they didn’t even talk about you all that much. They said you were good looking but to watch out because you have a wandering eye.”

  Max made a series of protesting noises with his
mouth. It took him a full beat to find words. “That is not true. I am not a cheater.”

  “I don’t think they referred to you as a cheater. They simply said that you got bored with women quickly.”

  Max couldn’t exactly argue with that sentiment. The statement wasn’t untrue. Still, he didn’t want her living in fear that he would suddenly take off and leave one day. He remembered what that fear did to Ivy after she first hooked up with Jack. “That was before I met you.” He offered up the most charming smile he could muster. “I think I was doing a lot of searching before. I no longer have to search.”

  He internally cringed when he heard the words escape his mouth. They were a bit heavy-handed. If Amy felt the same, she didn’t show it. Instead she merely smirked and shook her head. “We should get the rest of this set up. I want to take a look around the grounds when we’re finished. I’ve never been in this part of Michigan before. I’m looking forward to seeing what this place has to offer.”

  “There are a lot of small waterfalls on the hiking trails,” Max explained. “That was my favorite part when I was a kid.”

  “Then I definitely want to see them.”

  “I think I can make that happen.”

  JACK DIDN’T CARE ABOUT unpacking as much as he did kissing. The second Ivy was in the tent with him, he had his arms around her and they were rolling around on the sleeping bags he’d zipped together to make a cozy bed.

  “This should be the only part of camping,” he announced as they got comfortable. “Seriously, we should just live in this tent. I’m pretty sure love can fortify us.”

  Ivy snickered, genuinely amused. “No food?”

  “You’re better than food.”

  “And you’re a smooth talker.” She rolled him so he was on his back and she was straddling him. It was more of a playful position than a sexual one. “So … what do you think of Amy?” They’d already talked about Max’s girlfriend … twice … and yet Ivy couldn’t stop fixating on the woman. “I don’t think she likes me.”

  Jack’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “Why would you say something like that? She seems to like you just fine.”

  “No. I asked her to help me with the kitchen stuff and she hurried over to help Max instead.”

  “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t like you. It means she’s the nervous sort.” He linked his fingers with hers and grinned. “Not everyone is as bold as you, honey. Give her a few hours to settle down.”

  “Do you think she’s afraid of me or something?”

  “I think you are a handful.” He lifted his head from the ground. “I happen to like a handful. Give me a kiss.”

  “Why? You’ve already kissed me ten times.”

  “Are you keeping score?”

  “I’m … not sure what I’m doing,” Ivy admitted after a beat. “I just like torturing you.”

  “That’s because you’re a mean woman.” He slid his hands up and down her hips. “Come on. I need a kiss.”

  “I think you just want to get frisky.”

  “Guilty as charged. Now … kiss me.”

  Because it was something she wanted to do anyway, Ivy gladly acquiesced. She sank into the exchange as he wrapped his arms around her back and held her close. Neither one of them was sure if the kiss would lead anywhere, but the possibility of that happening flew out the window when the sound of their tent zipper going up assailed their ears.

  “What the … ?” Jack made a face as he pressed Ivy close to his chest and glared at Max, who didn’t seem to be bothered by what he found inside the tent. “Are you trying to get me to kill you?”

  Max ignored the pointed question. “I need your help, Ivy.”

  She remained where she was, her head resting on Jack’s chest. “I believe I’ve helped you all I’m going to help you this week. I let you come camping with us because of your incessant whining even though it upset Jack. I’m done doing favors for you.”

  Max rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself. Am I making a fuss because you’re sitting on Jack in a way that makes me want to neuter him? No. I’m resigned to the fact that you guys are going to be filthy all weekend and I don’t care. I really do need your help, though.”

  Ivy wanted to push her brother out of the tent, but she let loose a sigh instead. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Oh, don’t ask him that,” Jack groused. “If you start bending to his whims now he’s just going to keep upping the ante. Personally, I think they should stay on their side of the campground and we’ll stay on our side. I know I’m going to be outvoted on that, though.”

  “You definitely are,” Max agreed. “We’re here for romance, but I’m also trying to get to know her. She’s a little closed off.”

  Ivy lifted her head, intrigued despite herself. “What do you mean?”

  “She’s just … shy.” Max plopped down on the floor of the tent, making Jack realize that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

  “Ugh.” Jack kept Ivy pressed tight to him as he sat up so she wouldn’t go spilling to the floor and rearranged her so she was sitting comfortably between his legs as he focused on the older Morgan sibling. “What seems to be the problem? Be specific. I have plans for your sister and I can’t engage in them until you’re out of this tent. Oh, and by the way, if you come back in this tent without knocking, I’m going to make you cry like a little girl.”

  Max rolled his eyes. “Yeah. You’re a terrifying specimen of a man. My knees are quaking in fear.”

  “I’ve taken you down before,” Jack reminded him.

  “That’s when we first met and you took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting you. Lightning doesn’t strike twice and I’ve been watching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on television. I could totally take you.”

  Ivy’s forehead wrinkled. “Is that that thing I saw you watching at the lumberyard a few weeks ago? The one where the pasty white dudes were rolling around on the floor together, right?”

  “They weren’t rolling around on the floor together. They were wrestling, fighting the battle of the gods.”

  Jack snorted as he smoothed Ivy’s hair. “I believe I know exactly what sport you’re talking about. Here’s the thing … your sister could take all those dudes without even breaking a sweat.”

  To Ivy, that sounded like an insult. “I’m strong.”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “No, you said it in a mocking way.” She pinched his flank. “I’m all-powerful and strong. Bow down.”

  Jack’s smile was indulgent. “I would totally bow down if you were dressed like Wonder Woman when you delivered that line.”

  “Maybe when we get home.” She kissed his cheek and turned back to Max, frowning when she realized he was glaring at her. “What were we talking about again?”

  “How much I want to smother you both,” Max replied without hesitation. “You need to focus on me.” He slapped his knee for emphasis. “I’m being serious here. Amy ran down to the bathroom so she won’t be gone long. I need you to listen to what I have to say … and then advise me … oh, and then disappear because I want to romance her without you guys trying to distract me.”

  “Yes, we’re the ones distracting you from romance,” Jack drawled.

  “You are.” Max was firm. “I just need help.”

  He looked so forlorn Ivy couldn’t help taking pity on him. “You really like her, don’t you?”

  He nodded, sincere. “I do. I don’t know how to explain it. There’s something about her that calls to me. You said it was like that for you when you met my sister, Jack. I’m just trying to get her to open up. How did you get Ivy to start talking?”

  “Believe it or not, your sister has never been shy when it comes to sharing things with me,” Jack replied, smiling as he thought back to the beginning of his relationship with Ivy. “I can’t believe it’s been more than a year. In two months, we’ll be married. This has been the best year of my life.”

  “Oh.” Ivy beamed with pleasure as she leaned back and studied Jack’
s strong profile. “It’s been the best year of my life, too.”

  “Oh, don’t make me douse you with water,” Max snapped. “I need help. Amy is loving … and kind … and sweet. She has the best laugh. She’s just quiet and never volunteers anything. I just found out a few minutes ago that her parents are dead.”

  Ivy sighed, the sound long and drawn out. “Did you ask her about her parents before today?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because … um … because … .”

  Ivy already knew the answer. “Because you were too busy talking about yourself,” she finished. “I love you, Max. You know that’s true. You’re the best big brother in the world. You have a tendency to make everything about you, though.

  “As for Amy, I don’t know what to tell you,” she continued. “She seems to be the nervous sort. I tried talking to her myself, but I think I frighten her or something.”

  “You do,” Max confirmed. “She thinks you’re outgoing and intimidating. She likes you, but she’s terrified you’re going to start yelling at her the same way you did at Jack when he didn’t put up the tent the way you preferred.”

  Ivy’s expression darkened. “I didn’t yell at Jack about the tent.” She looked to her fiancé for confirmation. “Tell him I didn’t yell at you.”

  “Honey, you yelled a little,” Jack replied without missing a beat. “It’s not a big deal, though. We tend to be loud individuals. That’s simply how we communicate.” He flicked his eyes to Max. “We’ll try to refrain from doing that in front of Amy until she knows us better. We forget that not everyone communicates in the same manner we do.”

  “It’s not about that,” Max argued. “It’s just … I don’t know how to do this. I’m not a very good relationship guy.”

  The expression on his face – a sad mix of worry and potential heartbreak – was enough to tug on Ivy’s heartstrings. “You’ve got to get over yourself and focus on her,” she explained, choosing her words carefully. “Instead of volunteering stories about our family and then telling another story about our family, just relate the one story and then ask her if something similar happened over the course of her life. Relationships are about give and take.”