“Jake?” She lifts a brow. “He said that?”
I hold my hands out in surrender. “I guess he cares about you more than I thought. Even if he pushed you over a cliff.”
She giggles into my shoulder and raises her gaze to mine. “I’m really glad I met you, Tanner.”
“Me, too.”
She leans up and presses her lips against mine. “When’s our next swimming lesson?”
She’s moving her mouth toward my ear now. Oh, fuck. She takes the flesh between her teeth and pulls.
“Well,” I swallow. “I can’t answer if you keep doin’ that, darlin’.” She laughs and pulls away.
“I’m guessin’ two days from now. I think we both have a free afternoon.”
“You think we’ll get in trouble if we sleep out there?”
“If we get up early enough to be back we won’t. Why?”
The sexiest look crosses her face, and she tugs on her lip. “Because, I don’t think I can wait any longer. I want you.”
Fuckin’ shit. Lowering my hand down her waist, I palm her ass. Her eyes widen, and she tugs on my shirt. “I’m guessing you can’t wait either?”
“I wanted to take care of you in an actual bed. We don’t have to do it in my truck, or I’d already taken care of you by now.”
Her eyes are excited. “Well, I’m not hard to please, Tanner. The truck is our best bet. I can’t wait anymore. Please.”
Goddamn. She’s begging me. “Darlin’. There isn’t anything I want to do more. You don’t have to beg.”
Smiling, she turns to walk back to her cabin. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to take a shower…and think about you.”
Hot damn.
Chapter Seventeen
Aubrey
Damn it. My stupid nightstand light is out. Rolling over, I tug on an over shirt and some flip-flops. Cassie’s out with her group of kids on the trails. Which is a stupid idea. First, Cassie isn’t camper material. Second, there is a strange guy stalking the camp.
Not smart.
The wind is humid, and my hair instantly sticks to my neck. A few campers are playing baseball in a field close to the cabins. They’re screaming at each other like banshees.
“Go, run,” some kid yells.
I watch as Austin runs the bases, fist pumping the air. He does a back-flip and slides into home plate. It’s not fair; he’s older than all the other kids. But, whatever. He’s staying out of trouble.
His eyes avert to mine, and he starts to jog over to me. He may act like a big player, but he’s sweet. He had seemed so worried. Not that I wasn’t—seeing Tanner drunk was terrible. It broke my heart to see him so sad. He always seemed so put together. I guess everyone deals with things their own way.
“Hey, Blondie,” Austin says, slapping my shoulder. “Where ya headed?”
“To see Mrs. Jones. My lamp went out in my room. What’s going on?”
“Ya know, the norm. Hitting on girls. Making out behind the oak trees.” He winks, but I have a feeling he’s not joking.
“Thank you for coming to get me the other night. Tanner needed some help. He’s hurting.”
Austin nodded. “Yeah, I know. He’s been through so much. Don’t tell him this, but I look up to him. A lot. I know he’s hurting, but I also know you can save him. Save each other. I don’t know anything about you, but I see that look in my brother’s eyes. That lost look. You’re good for one another.”
A tear threatens to fall down, but I push it away. “Thanks, Austin.”
He winks and starts running toward a blonde wearing a tank top. And the sweetness is gone.
Mrs. Jones is sitting behind her desk when I walk into the office. Her gray hair is everywhere, and dark bags are underneath each eye. “You okay?”
She glances up and gives me a fake smile. “Fine, Aubrey. Just going over some bills for the month. Can I help you?”
“My lamp on my nightstand went out. Do you have any spare bulbs?”
She twists her mouth up and thumps her chin with her index finger. “Yes, in the extra cabin behind yours. If you don’t see any bulbs just get a lamp from there. Here’s the key.” She digs around in her desk and hands me a key.
“Thanks.” I turn to leave but stop with my hand on the door. “Mrs. Jones. Do you think someone could be stalking the camp?”
Her brown eyes soften, and she gives me a smile. “I hope not.”
Wow, that’s really reassuring.
The extra cabin is about one hundred yards from ours. Its dark, cobwebs hanging on the windows and doors. The key feels heavy in my pocket. I don’t want to go in by myself. I know I shouldn’t be afraid because Michael is locked up. But with this other guy hanging around, I don’t want to take too many chances.
I dial Tanner’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. He never charges it. Biting my lip, I unlock the door and push it open. It’s dark and smells like mildew. A few spiders crawl on the walls, and I don’t even want to think about the bedding. It’s packed full of junk. Boxes are overflowing with stuff, scattered all along the walls.
The windows are covered with some kind of foil. It rattles a bit in the wind of the opened door. Shutting it slightly, I ease my way into the dungeon.
The floorboards creak and a few bugs scatter across the floor. My hands are shaking against my hips, my lip trembling. Get it together, Aubrey.
The few boxes shoved against the window in the far corner seem to be the easiest to get to. Cobwebs have formed over the top box, but I open it anyway. It looks like Fourth of July decorations. Which I’m sure Mrs. Jones will be digging out soon since the fourth is coming up.
The bathroom door is opened a little, so I push it and walk in. It’s warm. Like a fresh shower warm. Small drops of water are scattered along the bottom, the wall. The mirror has fog on it.
Someone has been in here. The feeling that someone is watching you is one of the most frightening feelings I’ve ever experienced. Jesus Christ, someone is in here. Turning, I ease my way through the cabin. No one is in plain sight, but I’ve found out that most of the time they won’t be.
My entire body is shaking. Each movement sounds like I’m taking a hammer to the windows. When the exit is within my reach I bolt out and slam the door on the way.
Who could have taken a shower in there? My mind drifts toward the guy Tanner saw. It has to be him. But, why? Why is he creeping around?
Calm, Aubrey. Breathe. I start back to my cabin, which isn’t far. I wish it was. I wish it was ten miles away from the place. Camp is supposed to be fun, not scary. Even if I’m just a counselor, I shouldn’t be scared to sleep at night.
The sun gets lower in the sky, but there is plenty sunlight to see. Tanner still hasn’t called me back. A limb snaps, and I whip my head around toward the side of the cabin.
Fear grabs a hold of me and drags me under its depth. Someone is staring at me from around the building. As fast as lightening, he’s gone.
No. God, what the hell do I do? Screwing my eyes closed, I exhale before walking to the back of the cabin. It feels like butterflies are having panic attacks in my stomach. I poke my head around the corner but no one is there.
Jesus, maybe I am delusional.
Sighing, I turn around and run into a wall of muscle. My eyes widen, and I start to bang my fists against the person in front of me.