by Jill Sanders
They didn’t have anything against couples who liked extra sexual activities, not if they kept to the rules of the camp. After the destruction caused by a big swingers’ pool party early on, strict rules were printed clearly on small metal signs and displayed for all to see.
Destruction of any kind meant a hefty fine. The signs and the extra line their lawyer had added in all the rental agreements seemed to be doing the trick to discourage the wreckage.
But the warnings didn’t stop some private parties. The fact that men and women flirted with their staff didn’t bother most of the employees. Scarlett knew the benefits of allowing it to continue, since most of the staff enjoyed the heavy tips that flowed from the wealthy guests after a little flirting.
After her parents had divorced, Scarlett had taken a few waitressing jobs to help with the bills. She knew that flirting often greased the wheels and payed the bills.
“Yes, I always enjoy refereeing games,” he answered her as she glanced over the water.
The sun was slowly setting, turning the sky an almost neon pink. The white clouds were turning purple and the pastel colors mixed together, lighting up the sky.
“It’s a perfect unicorn sunset,” she said with a sigh.
He chuckled. “I’d forgotten you called it that.” He turned towards her, his blue eyes scanning her face. “There’s a lot I’d forgotten about you.” His eyes moved to her lips and he took a step closer. “Like how wonderful your lips feel and taste. How your sexy scent stays with me for days after I kiss you.”
His voice was so low now that if they hadn’t been standing so close, she wouldn’t have been able to hear his words. Words that caused her mind to blank from anything and everything else except for what he was saying to her.
For just a moment, she lost herself in the memories, in the want. Her body even remembered how wonderful he felt next to her, holding her—his strong arms wrapped around her, how his lips felt on her skin, his tongue against her own. Then she shook her head and remembered the pain he’d caused. The deceit.
“Levi.” She took a step back.
“Why do you do that?” he asked, his smile falling away.
“What?” She watched those sexy dimples of his disappear on the sides of his mouth and instantly missed them.
“Pull away like that?” He took her hand in his. It was warm, callused, and much bigger than her own.
“I’m not the one who pulled away.”
“What does that mean?” He frowned slightly.
She opened her mouth to answer him, but just then a guest approached them with a question, and she spent the next fifteen minutes, as the sun continued to set, telling the couple about how warm the winters were around these parts.
Riding back towards the barn, she made a point to let Levi take up the rear position in the group. The less she had to look at that sexy butt in his worn jeans, the better off she was.
She was able to focus more on her job, making a point to tell the guests every detail she knew about the area as they went, even adding in an old story she’d heard as a kid at the camp long ago about pirates using the area for their buried treasure.
“You’ve been coming here a long time?” Carol asked as they dismounted just outside the barn.
“Yes.” She smiled. “The first time I came here I was nine.”
“It must have been nice.” The older woman glanced around as she stretched and rubbed her back side. “I can only imagine this place in its heyday.”
Scarlett looked around, realizing that not much had changed here at the barn. Still, so much of the camp was better off now than it had been under Elle’s grandfather. Not that Joe hadn’t known how to run a camp. But only having privileged girls fill the space had been… well, boring.
The woman, who had obviously been around horses before, followed Scarlett and Levi into the barn and helped her get the animals settled for the night.
When Carol’s husband came to collect her after smoking his cigarette by the dock in the designated smoking area, Scarlett was left alone to finish the rest of her tasks for the evening. She’d assumed Levi was somewhere in the barn, doing some task that needed to be done. She could hear him talking to an animal, chuckling at one of his own jokes, something she knew he did often.
Hell, she talked to the animals herself as she brushed them down and fed them. She got along better with them than she did most people.
She was in the process of telling Stormy, an older gelding, about her plans for her days off when she heard a chuckle behind her.
“You know, there are apps for people who are so lonely that they ask a horse to hang out with them on their days off.”
She glared at Levi over her shoulder. “I wasn’t asking him…” She sighed. “Go away.”
“Make me,” he joked. He took the brush from her hands then continued to rub the horse down himself.
“I can do that myself,” she said, trying to take the brush back.
“I know, but if I do it, we can be done in time to head over and grab some snacks from the kitchen. I’m always hungry after a ride.” He smiled over his shoulder at her and she lost her breath.
She stood back as he finished the job, talking to her or the horse as he went. She was too preoccupied with watching the way he moved to really focus on his words.
“Ready?” he asked when he’d finished the task.
“Sure.” She moved out of the stall and secured the latch after he’d stepped outside.
She’d seen him in his worn jeans and boots plenty of times, but since that kiss… things were different.
“What?” he asked her when she stood there, looking at him.
She’d been thinking about that kiss again. The recent one. The one that had caused her toes to curl up in her hiking boots. How was she supposed to get any work done around him?
“Nothing.” She jerked her chin high and stepped past him only to have him reach out and take her wrist gently in his hand. His long fingers circled around her arm easily.
“Sassy.”
“Don’t call me that.” Her eyes narrowed and she felt the old pain surface.
“Why?” He smiled as he tilted his head to the side.
“You know why.”
When she tried to jerk her hand free, he held on easily, making her realize just how much stronger he’d gotten.
“I thought I knew,” he continued as his smile fell. “Why don’t you tell me again.”
She glanced down at their joined hands and realized their fingers were locked now. She hadn’t even realized he’d shifted the hold. Damn it, her body was betraying her once again.
“It’s what they used to call me,” she blurted out. If she’d been more in control of herself, she wouldn’t have even given him that bit of information, but she wasn’t thinking clearly. Who could when he was slowly running a thumb over the inside of her palm? “Stop that,” she said, her voice breathless from the thought of what he was doing to her.
“What?” His smile was back as he took a step towards her.
“That,” she said, motioning to their joined hands.
“Why?” he asked as his other hand moved to the lower part of her back. When he nudged her closer, she moved as if he was in control of her body. “Don’t you like it?”
“No,” she lied. The way his smile doubled told her he hadn’t bought it.
“Your hands are soft,” he said as his eyes once more danced down to her lips. “As are other parts of you.” He sighed. “It’s been driving me crazy.”
“Hm?” She didn’t think she could take in enough oxygen to make a full sentence.
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you again.” He bent his head down and touched her lips gently.
When his lips slanted over hers, their bodies melted together, which allowed her to feel his pulse through his thin T-shirt. Maybe that was her own pulse? It had to be, because it was racing as fast as a thoroughbred.
She hadn’t realized he was basically holding her up unti
l his hand moved higher on her back, forcing her to shift on those weak knees of hers.
“Sassy, I’ve wanted to do that for years,” he said next to her lips. “I’ve been so desperate to feel you against me again.”
She closed her eyes as his lips ran down her neck, sending trails of goose bumps all over her exposed skin.
“Yes,” she sighed, agreeing with him.
“God, you don’t know how crazy you make me, walking around in these.” His hands moved to cup her butt, then he pulled her closer to him and she could feel him hard against her through his jeans. “Riding pants are sexier than any tight dresses and heels you have,” he said, nibbling on her earlobe. He took it between his teeth and sucked on it gently as his hands ran over her curves, moving up until he cupped her breast.
She arched into his fingers, enjoying the feeling of being touched again. It had been too long and, if she was going to tell the truth, no one had made her feel the way Levi could.
His name in her mind was like a bucket of ice being poured over her head. Her entire body froze.
Levi. This was Levi. The man who had hurt her, betrayed her. The man she could no longer trust with her heart.
Gripping his wrists, she jerked them away from her body. Without explanation, she bolted for the door, leaving him leaning against the wall of the barn, breathless and confused.
Chapter Four
What the hell? It took several moments before Levi understood that Scarlett had just run out of the barn. Ran out on him without any answers.
Sometime while they’d been kissing, the lights had dimmed to the point that the place was bathed in shadows. All the animals were quietly tucked in their stalls.
Deciding he needed a long walk; he took off across the grounds. He heard the loud noises inside the main dining hall, knowing that yet another party was raging inside its walls.
He wondered if it would ever get old—being able to spend his workdays outside, meeting new people, attending fun activities.
Then he stumbled upon a couple strolling hand in hand under the soft moonlight and watched them embrace and kiss under the stars.
His heart ached and swelled at the same time. Was it too much to ask to have someone he could grow old with? His grandfather had passed away long before he’d been born, leaving his gran to raise their daughter, Levi’s mother, by herself. Gran claims it was all her fault that his mother, Mary, had gotten pregnant at sixteen, then addicted to drugs shortly after her senior year. It would go on to kill her days after Levi had turned seven.
To this day, he was still unsure who his father was. If the man was still around Pelican Point, he’d never stepped up to claim Levi, a fact that stung, no matter how much he denied it to his grandmother.
He knew that Scarlett had the next few days off from work. It was a nice perk to working at the camp, getting two days off a week of your choosing. Initially, he’d chosen the weekends, but since the camp had opened, he’d changed his days off to land in the middle of the week so he could enjoy some of the weekend events at the camp.
His days off were usually filled with chores or errands for his gran. The old house they lived in needed repairs often. He’d been planning to spend his next few days off up on the roof replacing some shingles that had blown off during the last windstorm.
He knew Scarlett and Aubrey spent their free days in the big house in town, just a block away from his place.
By the time he made it to the back door of the kitchen, he was desperately hoping there was some dessert left over. Isaac often allowed him to take leftovers home to his gran. The man was normally very strict about his kitchen supplies. But his gran had visited the camp a few times and Levi was pretty sure that Isaac had fallen for his gran’s charms, so the man allowed him to take whatever he wanted home.
Stepping in, he found Isaac yelling at one of his employees. He was no Chef Ramsay, but the man demanded his way as far as kitchen staff went.
Levi thought about retracing his steps, but Isaac caught sight of him and waved him over.
“How is your grandmother?” he asked, after waving the employee away.
“She’s…”
Isaac watched the young man he’d dismissed disappear. The guy’s head was down, his shoulders slumped. As he exited the room, he glanced back at Isaac, no doubt to make sure the man was done.
“She’s good,” Levi finished. “Everything alright in here?” He nodded towards the doorway.
Isaac smiled and leaned closer. “Yes. I think that’s the last time Tim is going to sneak out for a smoke break during the busy hour.”
Levi chuckled. “That’s all he did? I thought he’d burned something.”
Isaac laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “I have something…” He moved around the counter and came up with a tall brown paper bag. “For your grandmother. To thank her for her minestrone soup recipe.” He set the bag down in front of him. Levi spotted a plate of brownies cooling a few feet away and felt his mouth water.
Betty, the pastry chef, was busy pulling more from the oven.
“Sure.” Levi took the bag, but Isaac stopped him.
“I don’t think Betty will mind if a few of those go missing.” Isaac winked. “Just don’t tell her I told you so if you get caught.” The man turned and went back to work.
Betty was one of the nicest workers in the kitchen, so he figured the best way was to approach the older woman and ask.
Five minutes later, he left with the bag of soup, fresh bread, and a container of hot brownies.
As he got behind the wheel of his Jeep, he finished off the first brownie. He’d skipped lunch that day, spending his time hunting down Scarlett instead of eating. He often got too busy to eat full meals and usually just took a protein bar or shake instead.
Even though the staff had access to a full buffet during all three meals in the staff’s dining area, he more than often skipped out. He knew Scarlett and her Wildflowers held meetings first thing every morning sitting around a booth in the back of the staff’s dining room.
He’d been asked to join those meetings a few times, when they’d needed his help planning events or working on repairs.
He’d spent his first six months at the camp helping Aiden and his crew make repairs on all the cabins. He still often helped when the man asked but, for the most part, his job title was events counselor, the same as for most of the staff. He helped oversee events, helped guests check in and get settled, and even filled in to deliver meals out to the cabins. Since Aiden had hired a full-time crew to build all the new cabins, he’d done less and less of the construction portion of the job.
The following day around the camp was boring, since Scarlett was nowhere to be found. He thought about changing his work schedule to match hers perfectly but didn’t want to come off as too stalker-ish.
Still, one day without her around was okay. He filled his time with helping guests out and tended to get more done. Since he was working the dinner shift, he pulled on the black suit required for the formal dinner, changing in the locker room that sat off the gym and workout rooms where they hosted everything from yoga classes to Aubrey’s tai chi and judo classes.
He stepped into the dining room and jumped to help Elle complete the finishing touches on the decorations for the night.
“A night under the stars,” her sign read. “You know…” He leaned closer to her. She was wearing a sparkling deep blue dress, one of many she had that showcased her perfectness. He’d known Elle his entire life. His gran had pictures of the two of them sitting in an old bathtub at the local library filled with huge brightly colored pillows, heads together as they read a book. “We could have saved a lot of work and just eaten outside.”
She laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. A sisterly move. Which is exactly how he thought of her. “Wow.” Her eyebrows shot up. “You’ve been working out,” she joked and reached up to pinch his biceps, hard.
“Ouch.” He pulled back. “You could use a little time with the
weights as well.” He took her thin forearm in his and squeezed.
“Are you getting fresh with my woman?” Liam crossed the room in a suit that matched Levi’s. Instantly, Levi felt small and homely next to the youngest of the Costa men. Levi laughed and wrapped his arms around Elle.
“I saw her first.” He hugged her. “We go so far back that I think we shared diapers.”
Elle laughed and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. “If you want to live,” she whispered, “make sure he knows you’re joking.”
He shrugged and glanced over at Liam Costa. He wasn’t a fighter. The man knew that Elle was head over heels for him. “Trust me,” he replied, “he knows.” He dropped his arms and stepped away. He slapped Liam on the shoulder and realized the man’s arms were just as impressive as his own. “Now that you’re here, you can do all your woman’s heavy lifting.” He quickly headed across the room towards the bar. He was scheduled to help Britt out for the night.
He and a few others knew how to mix drinks and often rotated the position. Seeing Scarlett’s sister Zoey standing at the end of the bar, he stopped off to talk to her.
Zoey Rowlett was two years older than Scarlett. They had matching hair and feisty spunk. Where they differed the most was the eyes and the attitude towards him. Zoey thought Levi was funny and showed it often.
“Hey there.” She turned to him with a big smile.
“Hey.” He pulled her hand out and made a show of glancing up and down her pretty black sparkly dress, which matched Elle’s. “Do you five buy in bulk?”
She laughed. “It’s easier for us to coordinate.” She shrugged. “Mine’s black, Elle’s is blue. Hannah has silver. Aubrey looks stunning in pink, while Scarlett wears red and knocks…”—her eyes narrowed— “everyone’s socks off.”
He’d known for a while that his infatuation with her sister was no secret to her.
“Damn straight,” he agreed. “Red is her color.”.
“We have a few outfits like this.” She took a sip of her water, and he caught sight of the rock on her finger.