by Box Set
Cold water sprayed them, and Ashlynn jumped toward him with a cry. He caught her to him just as another stream hit him in the side of the head.
“Get in here, bitches!” Troy yelled from his inner tube, a Super Soaker in his hand and trained right on the two of them.
Bash vowed sweet revenge on his friend for cock blocking him.
Then again, he did have his arms wrapped around a laughing Ashlynn, holding her warm body against his.
Maybe Troy had done him a favor after all.
Chapter 8
Ashlynn, wrapped in her cozy wool sweater and black sweatpants, sat in her folding chair next to Bash later that night, not even trying to stop her knee from brushing his. Somewhere during the day she’d stopped thinking about him so formally as Sebastian, and started calling him Bash. It suited him better, anyway.
All day their group had romped and played in the water, but she’d found herself more than once with her arms around Bash’s neck or hiding behind him as one of Troy’s brothers shot a stream of water her way.
And he hadn’t seemed to mind. In fact, he’d held onto her in the water for a long time, his strong arms wrapped around her middle, and she could feel him pressing against the back of her. There had been no denying he liked being there, if the hard-on had been any indication, and she was having trouble remembering that he was only here to visit. This was a vacation from his real life, and she didn’t want to be just a distraction again.
“Your marshmallow is burning,” he said.
Ashlynn realized that he was right and brought it out of the fire swiftly, blowing on it rapidly. The whole outside was charred.
“Shit. At least it will be gooey.”
“Here.” He took her pole from her and gave her his perfectly browned one. “I like mine well done.”
The warm yellow and orange flames cast shadows across his face, lighting up his eyes in the dark and her heart swelled involuntarily at the gesture.
“You don’t have to do that,” she protested.
He put the burned marshmallow on his graham cracker and chocolate without answering. Then, he placed the other cracker on top and smushed it between his fingers before he took a big bite, some of the white marshmallow and chocolate sticking to his lips as he chewed.
“Mmm, so good,” he said.
Laughing, she created hers and took a bite. The sweet smoky flavor was heavenly. She moaned around her mouthful of s’more and Bash chuckled.
“Are you two making love to your s’mores? ’Cause those noises you’re making sound hella dirty,” Karianne said.
“I think they’re warranted. S’mores are totally orgasmic,” Maggie said.
“Dude, whose idea was it to go camping with chicks? Men don’t talk about orgasms around a campfire,” Troy’s brother, George said.
“I think it’s kind of hot,” his other brother, Cliff chimed in.
Troy leveled his brothers with a lethal stare across the fire. “That’s my fiancée you’re talking about. Don’t make me kill you.”
A rapid-fire discussion ramped up about how his two older brothers could totally take him, but Ashlynn was too distracted by the white sticky smear on the top of Bash’s lip.
Before she could stop herself, she reached out and removed it with the tip of her thumb, gliding it across his rough stubble.
She started to pull away and he caught her hand, bringing it to his mouth. As his tongue slid across the pad of her thumb, she shivered and squeezed her legs together.
Someone clearing their throat brought Ashlynn out of her aroused state, and she turned to find several sets of eyes staring at them with expressions of surprise.
Ashlynn jerked her hand away and stood up. “I’m going to bed.”
She didn’t even wait for the round of goodnights to finish or for Maggie to follow her to question what was going on. Calling Bernie, she unzipped the tent and dived in.
Turning on her lantern, she found her pajamas and changed quickly, afraid Bash would come in any minute.
She went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth before climbing into her sleeping bag. Every noise outside the tent made her jump, until finally, the unmistakable sound of the zipper opening the front of the tent sounded.
Ashlynn heard the rustle of Bash’s clothes being removed behind her, and an image came over her of him when he was eighteen, all lean muscle and washboard abs in backseat of his car. His hand sliding over her hip as he angled her up and the tip of him rested against the juncture of her thighs.
“Are you sure?”
She’d whispered yes, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hanging on tight as he’d slipped inside her for the first time.
Oh, God, can you just stop thinking about sex with Bash when he’s only a few feet away from you?
“Ash? You awake?” he asked, softly.
She tried to keep her breathing even, pretending to sleep, and after a few moments of rustling, the sound of his snores reached her ears.
Ashlynn closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but all she kept thinking was what a freaking coward she was.
You’re just protecting yourself. If you get involved with him and he leaves in two weeks, you’re going to hate yourself and him. Again.
But she still wanted him, no matter how logical she tried to be about it. Wanted his smile aimed at her, his deep blue eyes watching her in that appreciative way, just like he had earlier today. She wanted his hands touching her everywhere and his lips…
God, she wanted to kiss him so badly it was like a physical ache.
No, she was already in danger of falling for him. Underneath the egotistical action star was a good man, a gentleman who took care of people, who cared about them even as he pretended to be hardened.
Yeah, she could definitely fall for a guy like that.
***
The next morning, Ashlynn woke up just as the sun was coming up and decided to hike to the top of Heaven’s Peak to watch the sunrise. She changed into her hiking boots, jeans and a t-shirt, zipping her black sweatshirt on over it. She packed a backpack with water bottles, a bowl for Bernie to drink from, and climbed out of the tent, calling Bernie softly. She tried not to wake Bash as she rezipped the tent and grabbed a couple of Cliff bars and dog bones from her snack bag.
She waited a minute or two, listening for stirring inside the tent, but thankfully, he didn’t get up. She said a little prayer of gratitude. She’d had a restless night and was not ready to see him before she had a clear head and at least one cup of coffee.
She brushed her teeth and used the bathroom before setting off with Bernie. The trail was quiet except for the twitter of birds and the soft breeze rustling the branches. It hadn’t stormed like they’d thought it would last night, but there were puffs of white clouds in the sky, lined with orange, and pink from the rising sun.
Bernie panted along beside her as they climbed, the trees thinning as they drew closer to the top.
Ashlynn’s mind wandered back to Bash. Why couldn’t she just enjoy their little flirtation without letting feelings get in the way? She could just hook up with him. After all, it had been a while and she’d slept with him before. What was the big deal?
Because she just couldn’t. She liked him, despite her every effort not to. And letting things go too far was just going to sink her deeper. When he left, she was going hurt again, and it would be all her fault this time.
The toe of her sneaker snagged on something and she pitched forward, catching herself on her hands. Sharp rocks bit into her hands painfully, and she cursed.
This is what you get for not paying attention and mooning over Sebastian Valentine again.
She started to climb to her knees, avoiding Bernie’s tongue on her face with a laugh.
“I’m okay, Bernie, stop.”
As she pushed Bernie’s big head out of her way, she saw something in the underbrush a few feet away move. A tan head with two golden eyes that were watching her with intent. She saw the shoulders wiggle as the l
ong tail twitched in quick swings back and forth.
It took Ashlynn too long to realize she was looking at a cougar.
Bernie’s head whipped away from her, and she knew the minute he noticed the large cat. She reached for his collar too late.
“Bernie, no!” she screamed just as her beloved dog charged the crouching cat with a series of booming barks and growls.
Instead of running, the cat challenged the dog, its high pitched scream turning Ashlynn’s blood to ice as she struggled to get her pack off. If she could reach her bear spray, maybe she could scare the cat off.
Bernie let out a yelp of pain and Ashlynn glanced up in time to watch the cougar’s giant claws swing through the air and connect with her dog’s shoulder.
When the dog backed away, the cat took off, disappearing into the brush.
“Bernie, stay.”
She didn’t bank on him listening and lunged for his collar, but she realized she had miscalculated where the cougar had sliced him. A large puddle of blood was edging out under Bernie’s feet and she could feel the warm wetness running against her knuckles.
The sound of heavy footsteps behind her spooked her and she turned swiftly.
Bash rushed to her side before she could even react.
“What the fuck happened?”
Chapter 9
Bash had woken up to the sound of someone outside and when he’d realized it was Ashlynn and her dog, he’d decided to catch up to her and talk to her alone. He wasn’t sure what had happened at the campfire last night, but he knew damn well she hadn’t been asleep when he’d come to bed.
He watched her head up the edge of the trail, keeping a little distance between them. He didn’t want her to escape before he’d talked to her.
When he’d heard her scream for her dog, he’d run up the trail at full speed, his calves protesting the steep incline, until he’d spotted her kneeling on the ground, holding her dog’s collar, her face devoid of color.
It wasn’t until he kneeled next to her that he’d seen the pool of blood mixed in the dirt, seeping into her jeans.
“Ashlynn, answer me. Are you okay?”
“Bernie. A cougar was over there and Bernie went after it.”
“But you’re okay?” he repeated.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Then let’s get your dog back to camp. Do you have his leash?”
Bash could see the shake in her hands as she pointed at her pack. “In there.”
Bash retrieved it and latched the leash. He prayed the dog could walk, because carrying a hundred and fifty-pound dog down the steep trail was going to be a rough endeavor.
Bernie limped along beside Ashlynn, leaving a trail of blood behind them. It took them longer to get down than it had taken to climb up, and Bash could tell that the dog was hurting. As the trail leveled out a bit, he bent down and lifted the dog into his arms. Bash carried him back to camp while Ashlynn ran ahead to start the car.
Bash made it back with the dog in time to find George running toward him with Ashlynn close behind. He knew George was a large animal veterinarian, so it only made sense that Ashlynn would ask for his help.
“Heaven’s Peak Veterinary Hospital is the closest and I know Dr. Robins is open Saturday. I’ll go with you guys to show you the way,” George said.
Bash nodded and when they reached the Jeep, Bash said to Ashlynn, “You get into the back and I’ll lay him on your lap. You’re in no condition to drive.”
To his surprise, George climbed into the back seat with Ashlynn and Bash had no choice but to gently place the dog across their laps with their help.
“This way I can hold pressure while you talk to him,” George said to Ashlynn, as if Bash wasn’t even there.
Ashlynn held out the keys to Bash, her attention focused on her dog as she spoke to him softly. Trying not to take it personally, Bash climbed into the driver’s seat, feeling like a chauffeur as he pulled out and followed George’s directions.
“Thank you, George. I’m glad you were here,” Ashlynn said from the back seat.
Sure, I carry the dog and get nothing, but good old George gets a thank you for being a human Garmin.
“You’re welcome, but Jocelyn would be more help in this situation,” George said.
“Who’s Jocelyn?” Bash hadn’t meant to ask, but he didn’t like how close George was sitting to Ashlynn.
“My girlfriend. She runs the small animal side our veterinary practice in Promise.”
Hearing that George had a girlfriend relieved some of Bash’s tension, until he realized why he’d hated the thought of Ashlynn fawning all over George.
He was jealous. He didn’t want Ashlynn interested in another man, in something real with someone else.
God damn it, he liked her. When in the hell had that happened?
They pulled into the parking lot of Heaven’s Peak Veterinary Hospital thirty minutes later and Bash took the dog from them, his gaze meeting Ashlynn’s tear-filled eyes.
“I’ve got him. You get the door.”
He let her and George go first, and walked into the waiting room as George was talking to the receptionist.
“He’s got three gashes along his shoulder and neck.”
“George, is that you I hear?” a deep voice called from out of sight.
“Yeah, Craig, we got an emergency out here.”
A burly guy with a trimmed beard and fucking man bun came out of the back in a white lab coat. Bash watched him check out Ashlynn before turning his attention to Bernie in Bash’s arms.
Before he knew what was happening, the giant handsome hipster had taken Bernie from him and George and Ashlynn were following behind, disappearing through the double doors.
“Oh my God, you look just like Sebastian Valentine!” the receptionist cried.
At least somebody didn’t think he was completely forgettable.
***
An hour later, Ashlynn came out of the back alone, the adrenaline slowly seeping out of her. George had offered to stay behind with Dr. Robins while he stitched up Bernie, who he said was a very lucky dog. George assured her that Dr. Robins would drive him back to the campsite later, so Ashlynn should go back and try to have fun. She could pick Bernie up tomorrow and he would be in good hands until then.
But how was she supposed to just forget about everything that had happened this morning? The fear and the helplessness. She’d never felt that before—she had always been in control.
Actually, that wasn’t true. She’d been in a situation where there was nothing she could do to stop it or fix it.
She walked through the double doors and found Bash leaning over the counter, that killer smile on his face.
He was flirting with the receptionist. While she was scared and miserable, he was feeding his ego?
She let the doors slap closed behind her loudly, and Bash glanced her way, not even bothering to act ashamed.
Why should he? You aren’t together and he doesn’t want you to be.
“I’m ready to go,” she said.
“Alright. Hey, Rita, it was nice to meet you.”
“You too, Bash. I can’t wait to tell my brother I met you.”
Ashlynn couldn’t stop herself from mimicking her under her breath, but the woman was oblivious.
Not Bash though. He was fucking grinning at her.
The bastard.
They got outside to the Jeep and she held out her hand. “Give me the keys.”
“Are you sure? You seem a little geared up to be driving—”
“Give me the freaking keys before I destroy you.”
He tossed them to her as he went over the passenger side and climbed in. She started the car before he was buckled and took off, speeding down the dirt road with a vengeance.
“Whoa, speed racer, what’s your problem?”
“You are my problem. I mean, do you have to flirt with everything? As long as it has a pair of tits? You just can’t help it?”
She saw him grinn
ing out of the corner of her eye and her foot pressed down on the gas.
“Are you jealous?” he asked.
“Of course I’m not jealous. I’m upset because my dog was nearly killed and I was scared for my life and I just—”
“Pull over. Now.”
The sheer boom in his voice was enough to break through some of her hysteria, and she did as he asked.
Once she parked and killed the engine, Ashlynn jumped in surprise as he unbuckled her seatbelt.
“Get in the back,” he said.
He got out of the Jeep and climbed into the back seat.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Just get your ass back here before I drag you over the seat.”
Ashlynn wasn’t really worried about his threat, but something about the tone in his voice spurred her to do his bidding.
When she was finally seated next to him, he wrapped both of his arms around her and held her against his chest.
“Now, if you need to be mad at me, you can be, but for the record, I was just being friendly. I wasn’t flirting.”
She let out a choked laugh, surprisingly calmer in his embrace. “Same difference.”
“No, you see, when I flirt, it’s with intent. I do it because I want to take a woman home or get what I want from her. When I’m being friendly, then there’s nothing more than pleasant conversation and a smile.”
“Do you flirt with me?” she asked.
“I’m always flirting with you.”
His words kick started her heart at a gallop. “Then what do you want from me?”
His hand slid under her chin and she let him tilt her gaze up to his.
“I wish I knew.”
Chapter 10
Bash woke up to the sound of rain pounding on the roof of Ashlynn’s Jeep, and her slow, even breathing puffing against his chest. When had they fallen asleep? The last thing he remembered was them talking about how Jenna and his dad were still arguing over the baby’s name.