Summer Wager

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  Flipping the switch on her lantern, she crawled over to unzip the tent to holler out to him. Expecting to see him huddled under his sleeping bag for cover, she was surprised when another flash of lightning revealed an empty campsite.

  “Kevin?”

  A split second of alarm spiked her pulse, until it dawned on her he’d taken shelter in the outhouse. She sat back, nose wrinkled at the idea. Should she be relieved or offended that he chose that location over her tent? Then she laughed at the absurdity of it all—and felt bad. He might be dry in there, but she wasn’t heartless enough to make him endure that awful stench all night.

  She shrugged into her thin rain jacket and held the lantern under one side while hurrying to the outhouse. When she pushed open the door, Kevin jerked his head up in surprise.

  Seeing her, he made a disgruntled noise. “I just stopped dripping. I’m not stepping back out in that.”

  Shanna paused as much for his do-not-mess-with-me-tone as his words. He thought she’d come to use the outhouse. “You’d really expect me to go while you’re in here?”

  “I’ll turn around.”

  “Um, I don’t think so.” She second-guessed her decision to be nice even as a rumble of thunder shook the thumbnail-sized house.

  “I’m done getting wet today.” Temper roughened his voice. “I am not leaving.”

  “Fine. Then I won’t offer for you to stay in my tent. Sweet dreams.”

  She let the door slam shut and stomped away, head bent against the drops pelting at her hood. A second bang of the door made her grit her teeth, and a moment later, he caught up with her. In the rain he’d refused to go back out in.

  “You didn’t have to use the outhouse, did you?”

  “Nope.”

  “You could’ve just said so.”

  “You didn’t give me a chance.”

  “No, you acted like you needed to.”

  “Because you jumped down my throat the second I opened the door.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you to come out and actually be nice to me.”

  As she frowned, cold water dripped from her hood, to her face, and down her neck until her sleep camisole stopped the trickle. Realizing they were arguing in the rain like idiots, she bent under the tent awning with a growl of annoyance, swept aside the zipper flap, and ducked inside with her lantern.

  Kevin followed right behind her, but she jabbed a finger in his direction when she saw the dripping sleeping bag in his clenched fist. “Get that out of here.”

  “What?”

  “You know you aren’t going to use it tonight, and it’ll have to dry out tomorrow anyway, so leave it outside.”

  He disappeared for a few moments, then returned as she dried off her face and legs with a beach towel. When he came back in, he was stripped down to his boxers again. Her hungry gaze tracked rivulets of water down his chest to the first indent of his defined abs.

  God help me.

  She tossed the towel at him to avoid letting her gaze dip lower than his stomach.

  “Thanks.”

  “Stay on your side and leave me alone,” she snipped while sliding inside her sleeping bag and turning her back to him.

  He gave a soft snort. “Gladly.”

  She shut off the lantern, then frowned in the dark, hating that she sounded like a shrew. But the alternative was to push him down on her bed and lick every last drop of rain off his magnificent body. Her nipples tightened at the thought. She bit the corner of her lip to hold back a moan as the memory of him inside her, filling her like no one else ever had, made her core clench with hot, needy longing.

  Earlier he’d said great sex wasn’t worth the hell of the past month. She whole-heartedly agreed—about the sex part, anyway.

  Well, about the hell part, too…didn’t she?

  Hmm. Interesting question.

  If she could go back and change that night, would she?

  No. I’d rather do it again. And again. And—

  Well, damn.

  Shanna snuggled closer to the warmth at her back and hugged the arm slung over her waist. A soft, deep inhale filled her senses with Kevin’s musky male scent as the stubble on his chin scraped against her bare shoulder. Through the sleeping bag, his erection pressed against her backside, bringing a smile of delicious anticipation to her lips.

  She threaded her fingers with his and slid his palm up to her—

  No—wait—what the hell!

  Her body stiffened as her eyes popped open to the morning light illuminating the tent. His arm tightened, until the sharp jab of her elbow into his ribs elicited a pained grunt and a muttered curse.

  “Damn it, woman.” He pushed up to sit as he rubbed his side. “It was a nice dream until you assaulted me.”

  She shimmied away and sat up in her sleeping bag to face him. “I told you to stay on your own side.”

  “I had nothing to lay on.” He ran his hands through shaggy hair gone wild from having dried while he slept. “The ground is hard as a damn rock without my sleeping bag.” He lowered his arms and patted his hands on the floor of the tent. “I think there might even be rocks underneath here. You should’ve checked before setting this thing up.”

  She bristled at the criticism so soon after her delusional morning fantasy. “I did, jackass. You’re like that princess with the pea in her bed—only it’s not even your bed. So stop your bitching and go away.”

  It took everything she had to keep her gaze focused up, on his stubble covered jaw—and even then, it wasn’t fair she still wanted to climb all over him.

  “Can you frickin’ relax for one minute and give me a second to actually wake up?” he groused.

  “You’re awake. Get out.”

  He frowned, genuine confusion in his hazel eyes. “Geezus. Why are you so gol-damned uptight all the time?”

  Her defenses rose. “I’m not uptight.”

  “It’s like you’ve got a stick permanently inserted—”

  “Get. Out.”

  He rolled his eyes and went.

  As the tent flap swished back in place behind him, she blinked rapidly against the sting of tears. She didn’t like being so antagonistic with him, but they’d danced this dance so long, she didn’t know how to stop.

  Plus, in the seven years she’d known him, he hadn’t had one serious girlfriend. She was afraid if she let her guard down, he’d figure out her real feelings. She couldn’t let that happen after he’d made it clear—twice—their one magical night together was nothing more than a mistake to him.

  Imagine if the guy who didn’t do relationships realized she’d fallen in love with him long ago.

  Chapter 7

  Sun filtered down through the treetops, and out in the middle of the woods, the hot, heavy air barely stirred. Kevin waved an irritated hand at the gnats buzzing around his head and carefully felt for solid ground with each step he took.

  “Why the hell are we doing this again?” he asked.

  “You didn’t have to come with me,” Shanna retorted over her shoulder.

  And give up this view? Not a chance.

  He wasn’t talking about the view from the bluff they were climbing, but the view beneath her backpack his gaze had been trained on for the past hour as she walked in front of him. Yeah. Certain parts of the hike he was down with—even a little up with. Other parts—climbing slippery, rocky terrain in tennis shoes with no support—not so much. She had her hiking boots to rely on; he was going to twist a damn ankle.

  “It’s not like I could let you go traipsing off into the woods alone.”

  “First, I want to point out it’s not up to you to let me do anything. Second, why not?”

  “I’ll give you the first part,” he conceded. “As for the second, it’s not safe.”

  “I’m safer out here than you are, Princess.”

  He doubted that, but kept the opinion to himself. He contained his amusement over her new nickname for him as well. She thought to needle him with the insult, but he could laugh
at himself as much as she could. Silently.

  “I’ve got a compass, an emergency first aid kit, extra water, food, a knife, and bear spray,” she boasted. “What’d you bring?”

  “You.”

  She laughed—that beautiful, carefree laugh that got him right in the gut whenever he was lucky enough to hear it.

  The climb got steeper, until he stopped behind her, winded slightly from the exertion as she wiped her brow while staring at an eight-foot wall of rock barring them from their final destination. He ran most mornings, and worked out at the gym on a regular basis, but the rough terrain was giving him a run for his money.

  “You’ll have to boost me up,” Shanna stated.

  Because it was her way or no way.

  He shook his head. “How will I get up then?”

  Her gaze scoured the sheer rock face, searching for hand and foot holds he’d already determined didn’t exist.

  “I’ll pull you.”

  “No, you won’t,” he scoffed. Not a chance in hell she had the strength to get him up that rock. “I need to go first.”

  He waited for her response, anticipating some creative argument. Looked forward to it even. But she surprised him when she ceded with a nod.

  “Okay. You first. If you use that smaller rock there, then you can step on my shoulder to reach the top.”

  His brows rose. “You know I’m two hundred pounds, right?”

  “I can handle it. I’ll brace myself.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at the steep incline that led them to this point. If she buckled under his weight, he was going to be in a world of hurt. They both would be.

  “Trust me, Kevin. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”

  He turned back and met her gaze. The sarcasm he’d expected was nowhere to be seen. Nothing but sincerity in those beautiful brown eyes.

  “All right then. Let’s do it.”

  First, he tossed up her backpack. Then, following her directions, he used the three foot rock, then her shoulder, and finally his upper body strength to pull himself up to the top of the massive boulder. Shanna had been a tad shaky beneath his weight, but supported him as promised.

  He allowed himself a two second glimpse of the awe-inspiring view over the lake before turning back to reach for her. “Lock your hand around my wrist, and I’ll do the same to yours so I can pull you up.”

  As they locked grips, she said, “You know I weigh a hundred and thirty pounds, right?”

  She mocked his earlier words. He grimaced. “That much? Maybe I shoul—”

  “Shut up and pull, Princess.”

  The teasing note in her voice sparked his grin. “On three.”

  She nodded, and three seconds later, he heaved her up. They fell side by side on the rock, their faces mere inches apart. Their gazes connected for a heart-thumping moment before she rolled to the side and pushed to her feet. He followed suit to stand beside her as she gazed out across the water with a soft smile on her lips.

  “Wow,” she murmured. “Incredible.”

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her regal profile, especially with the sun turning her hair into spun gold. “Sure is.”

  She cast him a quick side glance, then stooped for the backpack and moved forward on the rock. He tilted his head thoughtfully. Was that wash of color on her cheeks from exertion, or was she blushing? A moment ago, he’d caught a glimpse of Fun Shanna. The one who could tease, and dish out shit as well as take it.

  Maybe this hike wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  They sat on the rock for almost an hour, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from his cooler, and Nutter Butter cookies from hers as they enjoyed the view in companionable silence. He thought about how she’d made coffee over the fire earlier, and a breakfast of oatmeal with fresh blueberries from some bushes in a small clearing behind the outhouse. His breakfast had been water, another hot dog, and the fruit he’d picked for himself.

  Shanna appeared as comfortable out here in the wild as in the boardroom when they were handling multi-million dollar investment accounts. He’d banked his bet on the high-class woman from the boardroom. How had he been so wrong?

  “How is it you know how to do this stuff?” he asked, picking a dried leaf from a crevice in the rock.

  She gave him a quizzical look. “You mean climb a rock?”

  “That, the canoeing, what to pack, how to make drinkable coffee over a campfire. You don’t just research that stuff and get it perfect the first time.”

  A shift forward had her hugging her knees to her chest. “Did it ever dawn on you that I’ve done this all before?”

  “Honestly? No.”

  She dropped her head, resting her forehead on her knees as a soft laugh carried on the warm breeze. “I spent summers with my grandparents from the time I was three until I was seventeen. We tent camped in a different National park every year.”

  Talk about being wrong. He crushed the leaf in his palm and let the pieces flutter to the ground. “I am truly fucked then, aren’t I?”

  She tilted her face toward him, a smile still curving her lips. “Pretty much.”

  “Great.”

  Because he always kept his word, he was going to have to quit his job. He’d made a stupid, ill-informed, cocky bet that would change his life forever, yet right now, all he could think about was tucking her blond hair back and leaning forward to kiss her tempting mouth.

  “Are your grandparents still alive?”

  “Grandma is. Grandpa passed the year after I graduated college.” Sadness tinged her smile as her gaze met his. “I haven’t been camping since.”

  The husky emotion in her voice made his chest constrict with sympathy. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks.”

  From one heartbeat to the next, awareness sizzled to life between them. Her gaze lowered to his lips, and his pulse skipped. Her smile faded, and then her eyebrows drew together. Pain or regret—maybe both—flashed in her eyes before she stiffened and turned to start packing up the backpack.

  “So how is it you don’t know this stuff?” she asked. “The camping stuff.”

  Kevin drew in a steadying breath. “My grandparents all passed when I was little. I don’t really remember them.”

  “Grandparents aren’t the only ones who take kids camping,” she pointed out with a little smile.

  “Oh, you mean my parents?” He gave a short laugh as she zipped the pack shut. “My stepmother detests being outside, my father only does what she wants, and my mother had to work two jobs when I was growing up. We didn’t have time or money for vacation.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  He shrugged. “It was fine. I can afford to do what I want now. And my mother no longer has to work two jobs.” He’d made sure of that.

  Shanna’s smile warmed as she faced him once more, her fingers gripping the top of the backpack. “So much for doing what you want. You’re stuck out here with me.”

  “It’s not so bad,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to her lips once more.

  Her breath hitched, but she quickly pushed to her feet, backpack in hand. “We should be getting back.”

  He rose and dusted off his hands. After lowering her back down off the rock, he dropped the backpack into her arms. Then he flipped to his stomach and eased his legs over the edge so he could drop the remaining five or so feet to the ground. Pine needles, leaves, and little bits of loose rock shifted when he landed, sweeping his feet out from under him.

  Shanna gasped as he landed on his hip before sliding partway down the steep incline on his ass. She scrambled after him. “Are you okay?”

  He grimaced as he stood to brush off. “Bruised ego, that’s all.”

  “I should’ve helped you. I’m sorry.”

  “We might have pulled a Jack and Jill, so probably best you didn’t.”

  Her grin told him she was picturing them both tumbling down the hill.

  She swept her gaze down the length of him once more. “You’re su
re you’re good?”

  “I’m fine.” He shifted from one foot to the next to demonstrate, then took the backpack from her before extending his hand for her to go first. “After you.”

  After their time on the rock, easy conversation now flowed between them, and he thoroughly enjoyed weaving through the woods after her and her trusty compass for more than just the unobstructed view of her backside. She made a smartass comment about his Jack and Jill reference, and when he laughed, she twisted around to share his amusement.

  Seeing the joy in her expression, his heart swelled with heavy emotion that grew stronger with each passing hour.

  When she faced forward once more, he slid his gaze down past the curve of her hips once more. He gave a mental sigh. Even the woman’s calves were sexy. With her next step, he saw her ankle bow outward, and she went down with a surprised cry.

  Chapter 8

  Shanna reached for her right ankle as Kevin knelt beside her, hissing in a sharp gasp when stabbing pain took her breath away. She appreciated him not asking if she was okay when clearly she wasn’t.

  “Can you move it?”

  The slightest shift of her leg brought tears to her eyes. She clenched her teeth and tried to rotate her ankle. A low moan escaped her clamped lips.

  Kevin sat back on his heels and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “You can’t walk on that.”

  She swiped at her tears with frustration. “I have to.”

  “First we wrap.” He shrugged the pack from his shoulders, dug out the first aid kit, and began by having her swallow a couple of ibuprofen for the pain. “We’re going to have to take off your boot.”

  Great.

  She undid the laces, and he eased the boot from her foot with one hand gripping her calf, the other pulling. His expression twisted in remorse when she couldn’t hold back a soft whimper.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

  “Not your fault. I should’ve watched where I was going.”

  Bad as this was, she couldn’t help think of the rest of the way back. The campsite was about a half-hour away, over uneven ground, up and down little forested hills and valleys. To somewhat use his expression, she was totally screwed.