“Lucky for you.” Releasing her, he stood, kicked off his boots and then pulled a foil packet from the pocket of his jeans, grinning as he showed it to her.
She dropped back onto her pillow with a smile. “Always the Boy Scout.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to prepare for this moment,” he told her with a sexy grin. Shoving his jeans down over his lean hips, he stepped out of them and kicked them away, evidence of his desire thrusting against the thin cotton of his stark white fitted boxers. “And being the good Boy Scout I am, I’m always willing to help those in need.” That said, he removed his socks and briefs and then turned to her in a bold display of pure male magnificence.
“And I appear to be needy?” she said, feeling a little breathless as she watched him roll the condom onto his very impressive erection.
“Very.” Not taking his eyes from her, Dalton stepped toward the bed where she lay and ran his fingers slowly up the inside of a thigh. “Your skin is so soft.”
She shuddered, closing her eyes as those long fingers skimmed the edge of her panties. So close. Not close enough. “Please,” she groaned, her hips lifting.
His hand slipped beneath the lacy material, one lone finger stroking along her damp center. “Is this what you want?” he asked, his voice even huskier than before.
All she could do was groan in pleasure. Why had she waited so long to be with him again? She could have had a whole summer of memories with Dalton to look back on. Now there was only two weeks left until Dalton’s forced commitment to Stoney Brook ended and he was free to go on with his life. A life she would never again be a part of. Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, she closed her eyes and melted into his lovemaking, determined to savor every moment of it. Something special to hold onto long after he had gone.
She writhed under his skilled touch as his fingers stroked and dipped, teasing her swollen, aching flesh.
“You’re so damn wet,” he said in a low growl.
“You do that to me,” she admitted. “Only you.”
He thrust a finger inside her, making her cry out with pleasure. “Mine.”
His.
His fingers hooked the sides of her panties, working them over her hips and down her legs.
“Mmm,” he muttered as he tossed the handful of lace over his shoulder and bent to press his lips to the tender flesh of her inner thighs.
Caitlin arched upward, her legs parting as his mouth continued its torturous quest upward. He shifted, positioning himself so that his broad shoulders filled the space between her spread thighs. Then he dipped his head to taste her.
Her breath caught as he loved her with his mouth in slow, teasing strokes. He was relentless in his seduction and she was mindless with need.
“Dalton, please…”
He rose up and slid the sleep shirt up over her head, baring her breasts to his heated gaze. Then he worked his way up her body, loving every inch of her until he reached her mouth.
The kiss that followed was intense. Pure fire. Demanding. Caitlin buried her fingers in his thick hair, returning his kiss with equal fervor.
“I want the hell outta you,” he muttered against her lips in a voice strained with passion.
And she wanted him. Now. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she opened herself to him, her hand gliding between them to wrap around his hard, heated flesh.
Dalton groaned. Then he pulled her hand away. “I’m too far gone for that.” Securing her legs firmly around him, he said, “Hold on tight, darlin’.” Then he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.
She looked down at him questioningly.
“Ride me.”
Grasping onto his muscular shoulders, she settled herself over him, taking him inside her.
“Yes,” he groaned. Clasping onto her hips, pulled her down, sinking himself even deeper into her awaiting heat.
She began moving her hips, her rhythm slow, deliberate, eliciting another groan from him. She leaned forward, pressing her mouth to his ear. “Am I doing this right?”
“Do it any more right and I’m gonna go up in flames right here in your bed.”
“Oh, dear, we can’t have that.” She stopped moving, letting her fingers play over his chest as she straddled him.
“Caitlin,” he growled.
She squealed in surprise as he rolled them over, pressing her into the mattress with his much larger body. Hands pinning hers to the pillow above her head, he pulled out and thrust into her. Deeper. Harder. Faster.
She was no longer the one in control. Dalton was. He released her wrists to cup her bare bottom, sinking into her wetness in frenzied thrusts. Her fingers curled into fists beside her head while her heels dug into the mattress. Sensual fire licked through her, burning her alive. Release came in a maddening rush, making her cry out.
Dalton’s body shook with the fierceness of his own release as her body shuddered around his. His pleasured groan echoed loudly off the cabin walls. Hanging his head, he pressed his brow to hers for a long moment before rolling off her and onto the mattress beside her, gathering her in his arms.
Caitlin sighed softly. If only they could stay this way forever.
*
“Penny for your thoughts.”
Caitlin turned from the empty corral she’d been staring off into to find Dalton standing there. “I wasn’t thinking anything.”
Except about their lovemaking the night before. About everything he had done for the retreat that summer. And about how soon he would be gone from her life.
“I see.” His tone implied that he didn’t believe her, but was letting the falsehood go unchallenged. He moved to stand beside her at the fence and then turned to lean back against the railing.
“Did you need something?” Like me?
“The kids have been asking when we’re gonna hold the greased pig competition. Can’t say that I blame them. There’s not much time left before camp ends, you know.”
As if he had to remind her of that.
She hated the inner clock that was ticking away in her head. Hated her inability to stop it. To keep Dalton in her life. Hated that she had gone and done the unthinkable. She had fallen in love with him.
“Caitlin?”
She looked up at him, her heart aching. It wasn’t his fault. He’d never made her any promises. And why would he?
“You okay?” he pressed, his expression one of concern.
She forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
“Up for a little pig chasing?”
“What?”
“The kids are up for it,” he told her. “And since summer is almost at its end, I think it’s time to reward them for all their hard work.” He nodded toward the pen on the far side of the corral where the camp’s mascot was pacing about and snorting. “Even Squealer is raring to go.”
She cast a skeptical glance that direction. Did he really think the smelly little thing was looking forward to being greased up and chased around by a bunch of shrieking kids? Wait, she might as well include herself in that bunch, thanks to Dalton. However, she wouldn’t be chasing Squealer. She’d be running from him.
She shook her head. “I really think the weekend would be a better time to hold it.”
He chuckled. “Darlin’, it’s summer. Weekends and weekdays are all the same here.”
I’m not your darlin’, she wanted to say, but held the words in. She’d gone into their relationship with open eyes. “I don’t think-”
“Come on, Caitlin,” he said, cutting her off with a warm smile. “The kids deserve this. Especially, Jimmy who’s finally given up cussing.”
“No,” she told him. “He’s switched to using hand signals instead.” Jimmy was definitely one of a kind.
Dalton chuckled. “Want me to wash his hands with soap?”
She shook her head. “Somehow, I don’t think that would accomplish much.”
“Break his fingers?”
“Dalton,” she gasped, grinning as she smacked him playfully in the a
rm.
“Just kidding.”
“I know that, but if the wrong person ever heard you talking like that there could be trouble,” she pointed out. “The retreat could be shut down.”
“Point taken.” He removed his hat and dragged a sleeve across his sweat-dampened brow. “So what do you say? Can I tell them today’s a go?”
The teens had come a long way over the summer. And even more surprising was the way this group of kids had bonded, becoming one big, occasionally quarrelsome family – related or not. And, unlike her, they were all looking forward to this contest Dalton had planned for them.
The need to make these kids happy overrode her aversion to pigs. She nodded. “All right. Tell them it’s a go.”
His toothy smile widened. “I’ll let them know.” He pushed away from the fence, his gaze trailing over her. “Oh, and, Caitlin…”
“Yes?”
“You might wanna go back to your cabin and change into something old for the competition. We’re gonna be doing a lotta rolling around on the ground.”
In another context, that thought would excite her immensely. But not when there was going to be a pig involved in the rolling part.
“Maybe we should wear our swimsuits,” she suggested.
“What?” Dalton choked, hoping to hell she was only kidding. Because if Caitlin wore that skimpy swimsuit of hers it wouldn’t be Squealer he’d be trying to wrestle to the ground.
“I think we should wear our swimsuits,” she repeated. “You know, that way we could just go jump in the lake once the competition is over and wash the dirt off.”
He shook his head. “No. We’re better off wearing clothes.” Had he actually just said that? “It’ll provide some protection when diving after Squealer.”
“I never thought about that.”
“The more skin covered the better.” Especially where you’re concerned.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” she asked, smiling up at him. “Let’s go give the kids the good news.”
*
The greased pig competition turned out to be even more fun than Caitlin had ever imagined it would be. She’d never seen the kids look so collectively carefree and happy.
“Go, Billy, go!” several of the girls cried out, cheering the young counselor on from the other side of the fence. “Get it, Tommy!” they added, encouraging the boy Billy had been paired up with that afternoon.
The boys, however, weren’t about to cheer on their competition. Instead, they heckled and hollered at the pig, hoping to make Squealer run faster.
The teens were having the time of their lives and that meant more to Caitlin than anything. Just seeing the looks of pure enjoyment on their faces warmed her heart. And more importantly, they were competing without fighting or cursing at each other. Just good clean fun.
Well, maybe one wouldn’t exactly refer to it as ‘clean’ fun. The boys’ idea to hose the grass down to make the contest more interesting had in turn left the kids muddy messes from head to toe. Dalton was right. A simple swim in the lake would never get the grease and grime off these kids. She wasn’t even sure soap would do the trick. But none of that mattered. Not now.
Laughing softly, she looked toward Dalton who stood a few feet away. His long, lean body stretched out over the top rail of the fence as he waved his hat in the air, urging the panting boys on. The expression on his tanned face matched that of the kids - unrestrained excitement.
Even Squealer appeared to be having the time of his life. Especially since no one seemed to be able to catch him. Inwardly, she found herself cheering the little pink, curly-tailed mascot on.
The timer went off and Billy and Tommy dropped onto their backs in exhausted relief. Caitlin slipped through the rails of the fence, smiling. “You boys did great! You almost had him.”
“Almosts don’t count in this thing,” Jimmy remarked with a frown. He and Clayton hadn’t had any better luck at catching Squealer, although they’d come close.
“It’s not whether you win or lose,” Dalton told the teens as he slipped into the corral where the last two contestants were just getting to their feet.
“It’s how you play the game!” a few of the teens hollered from the sidelines.
They were learning, Caitlin thought with an overwhelming sense of pride.
“Nope,” Dalton replied, shaking his head.
“What?” she said in confusion.
He grinned. “It’s how good you look doing it.”
The teens laughed.
“A man…” Dalton said, glancing toward the girls. “No, make that anyone can lose, but it’s how you look while doing so that makes the difference. Keep your chin held high. Keep those shoulders squared. Let people see that even though you lost you’re not a loser.”
He never ceased to amaze her. She had spent all those years getting her degree in psychology, yet Dalton came up with the best explanations for life’s situations, motivating them with his words. Her heart swelled with love for him.
Love? There it was again. Come back to reality, Caitlin. Stop wishing for what you can’t ever have.
“Well, this was fun,” she said with a clap of her hands, pushing her thoughts of Dalton aside. “Time to get washed up.”
“Not so fast,” Dalton called out, motioning for her to join him inside the corral.
He wasn’t really going to make her do this. Was he?
The teens began cheering her on.
Dalton crooked a long finger. “Let’s go partner.”
“Come on, Miss Myers. We had a deal,” Jimmy reminded her.
“We did,” she agreed, “But there’s really no sense in us even trying. You’ve all seen how fast Squealer there can run. He’s Olympic material. I say we just call it a day.”
She started to turn away, but her attempt to escape was quickly thwarted by the finger hooking through the belt loop of her jeans.
“Oh, no you don’t.”
She let out a squeal that rivaled the ones the pig had let out. “Dalton!” How had he gotten to her so quickly? It didn’t matter. She was not going to chase a pig. “I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can.” He took her by the hand and helped her between the rails and into the corral.
The cheering around them grew louder. How could she let them down? She couldn’t and that was that. She had to suck it up and keep her promise.
“All right, kids,” Dalton hollered, “get ready to see a couple of pros in action.”
“You’re gonna get it for this,” she warned through clenched teeth as they advanced on the pig who stood watching them from the other side of the muddy corral.
“And I look forward to getting it from you, but you’re gonna have to control your urges until we’re done here. Right now I have a pig to catch.”
She gave him a swift elbow to the ribs, just hard enough to get her message across. Then a whistle blew and the chase began.
“Let’s go, partner!” He released her hand and took off, gaining quickly on Squealer, but the ground was slick and he lost his footing, sliding on his backside across the wet ground.
Caitlin slowed. That fall looked painful. Let Dalton catch the smelly thing. She was perfectly content to observe his pig catching prowess from a distance.
“Caitlin!” he hollered back over his shoulder.
“I’m coming,” she called out. As slowly as I can.
But Squealer had other ideas about her involvement in the competition. He spun around and dodged Dalton’s attempted grasp, heading right at her, mud shooting up into the air behind its scrambling hooves.
She tried to stop dead in her tracks, but the muddied ground had her skidding toward the charging pig. She threw up her hands. “Back, piggy! Stop!”
The pig darted around her, but her sense of relief was only temporary. She looked up to discover Dalton, who had scrambled back to his feet was racing her way in pursuit of the pig.
His blue eyes widened the second he realized they were headed on a collis
ion course right at each other. “Watch—” The warning never made it out of his mouth as she took him down in one fell swoop, landing sprawled awkwardly atop him.
Muddy water sprayed up into the air around them, splattering them both. Caitlin looked down at Dalton with a grin, peering at him through several pieces of damp hair that now hung over her eyes. “Looks like I got myself a big one.”
“I’ll give you a big one,” he muttered so that only she could hear. There was no missing the spark of desire flickering in those incredible blue eyes.
A snort beside them had both their heads turning. Squealer had circled around and was now standing there watching them with those beady little pig eyes.
The teens were going crazy.
“You’re a brave little thing,” Caitlin said laughingly as she pushed the hair from her face. “And look at that cocky little expression. Are you related to Dalton here?”
Dalton gave a husky chuckle. “No. Cause if he was, he’d of let you catch him.”
“Get him!” the kids called out. “Grab him, Miss Myers!”
Squealer was close enough for her to nab if she made a quick lunge. She turned back to Dalton with half a frown and whispered, “I can’t do it. You get him.”
“I’d be more than happy to, but I’m not exactly in a position to help out here.”
No, not with her sitting atop him. She bit at her lower lip in indecision as the cheers grew louder. Squealer grew more confident, circling them.
“I need your help, Dalton. I can’t do this myself,” she whispered, not wanting to frighten the pig away. The kids were counting on her.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. We’re in this together,” he whispered back with a wink.
“Okay, here goes.” With that, she dove for the greased pig, throwing her arms around it. It let out a startled squeal and began squirming wildly to get free.
“Hold on,” Dalton called out as he scrambled to his knees and crawled toward her.
The teens were going nuts. This was the closest anyone had come to catching the wily little mascot. Caitlin found herself wondering how she’d ended up in this situation. She was a psychologist, not a pig wrestler. Fact proven as Squealer shot out from her encompassing arms.
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