Wildfire, p.20
Wildfire, page 20
Aurora says “next time” so casually that I don’t really know how to answer it. I don’t want to have to give her up, but I also don’t want to get fired if we get caught. But I really don’t want to have to give her up. She’s the one thing in my life that hasn’t been ruined in some way by all the other things. She makes me hopeful, and I’m not ready to say good-bye to that feeling yet.
“We will be more careful,” I say, kissing her forehead again.
Climbing over me, she starts to get dressed, frowning when she picks up her still-damp clothes from the floor. “You didn’t fold my clothes, Callaghan,” she says. “I’m proud of you.”
Tugging on my boxers and shorts, I sit on the edge of the bed and watch her grimace, pulling her still damp sweatshirt over her head. She’s putting on her sneakers when I pull her toward me, making her stand between my legs. Her hands settle on either side of my face and she smiles down at me while I rub my hands up and down the backs of her thighs.
There’s a knock on the door, followed immediately by it creeping open. “Not to spoil this beautiful union, but I’m here because I really need to take a shit. So if you two can wrap this up so I don’t have to go in the woods like a fucking bear, that’d be swell.”
Aurora looks over her shoulder toward the gap, not taking her hands off my face. “You know there are other bathrooms, right? Your next option isn’t the woods?”
“Is a man not allowed to have a preferred place to poop these days? Is that where we’re at as a society?”
“I’m leaving, drama queen,” she shouts back before kissing me good-bye.
I want to drag her back to bed and lock the door, but it’s probably a good thing we were disturbed; I had no idea what time it is and I doubt I could have found the motivation to care anyway.
The dogs come rushing in as soon as Rory opens the door and Xander tries to high-five her as she passes him, but he stops when she jabs him in the ribs playfully. “I stole from you, sorry. Bye.”
“It’s always the rich girls!” he calls after her. The grin on his face is unmissable as he comes in and closes the door behind him and I can’t help but grin like a fool, too. “I’m gonna crap and then we’re going to talk about what the fuck happened.”
I occupy myself with the dogs while he’s gone, and when he comes back, the same—no doubt goofy—grin is still on my face. Neither Xander nor I are working today—the second of my days off and his first after switching with Aurora yesterday—but without even talking about it, I know we’re going to be hanging out with everyone all day helping out.
Don’t get me wrong, the kids can be exhausting, but it’s a good kind of exhausting. It keeps my mind busy and I enjoy helping them find their confidence. In a weird way, when I was younger, I kind of put the wealthy kids on a pedestal because I believed that I would never have any problems if my family was rich. That didn’t change much as I got older, especially when I started at a college where it felt like everyone around me was more financially privileged.
Working here is starting to heal that inner child, I think. I see these kids with the same insecurities and worries as I had and I realize how silly I was all those years ago.
And yeah, maybe a tiny part of my motivation to help out today is to see Rory.
Xander throws himself onto his bed, narrowly missing Trout, who is chewing on one of his socks. “Can I guess what Miss Sticky Fingers stole? Was it a condom by any chance?” I nod and his grin widens. “I’m glad you kids are being safe and I don’t have to give you the birds and the bees talk.”
I’d rather be attacked by birds and bees than have that conversation with Xander. “You know we’re the same age, right?”
“Kids these days…” He avoids the shoe I throw at him. “Reflexes of a cat, my guy. But seriously, I’m happy for you. I’m jealous as fuck, but I’m happy. You get to do the whole summer love thing. You’re living the dream.”
“Thanks, man. What’re you doing today?” I ask, changing the subject before he asks me to share too much.
Old habits die hard.
“First thing I’m doing is going back to sleep. Jax decided to tell horror stories before bed, the douche bag. And I know it’s not cool to call a ten-year-old a douche bag, but he really is a bit of a dick. Loads of tears and drama, all very annoying. I won’t ask what you’re doing because I know the answer is hanging around your girl and pretending it’s because you care about team sports.”
I want to correct him and say she’s not my girl, but I like how it sounds. “Pretty much.”
He yawns, tugging the blanket over him and Trout, who immediately begins to chew it. “Your secret is safe with me, man.”
* * *
BY THE TIME I’M SHOWERED and heading for breakfast, last night’s rain has disappeared. I’m halfway to the food hall when I hear a “wait up” from behind me.
Freshly showered and now sporting her Brown Bears T-shirt, Aurora smiles as she jogs to catch up to me. Her hand gently brushes past mine, not lingering long enough to be suspicious if anyone was to spot us, but long enough for goose bumps to spread up my arm. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“Hi,” she repeats awkwardly. “I just wanted to say… Well, I’ve been thinking, and, well, I know I made you break the rules last night and I promised I wou—”
“Rory,” I say softly, interrupting her. I stop, moving from her side to in front of her. I’m not used to the look of doubt on her face, or the lack of confidence in her voice. Even when she’s rambling to fill the silence, there’s an air of confidence to it, but right now, she looks like a woman grappling with uncertainty. “You didn’t make me do anything. I went to your cabin, too, remember?”
“I know, but this job is important to you and it’s important to me, I love it here, but I also have the impulse control of a hungry raccoon. I don’t want you to think that the things that are important to you aren’t important to me, when I know they’re important to you. Does that make sense?”
“I think so. I don’t regret it.” Fuck, I want to kiss her. “I promise. I’m trying to relax a little, not be so worried about everything.”
“It would be good for you if you could do that. I think you’ll be happier.”
“So…”
How do I say this?
“So…” she repeats.
“I like you. Aurora. A lot. I’m really happy last night happened.”
Her mouth opens and closes, then opens again a little, much like a goldfish. She clears her throat and nods, forcing out a croaky “Me, too.” She clears her throat. “I really like you, too.”
“So…”
“So… we should get breakfast before they send a search party for us,” she says, breaking the odd silence hanging in the air. “I went to explain why I was going to miss flag raising and be late for breakfast before I went for a shower, and for some reason Orla was there. I had to lie and say my alarm didn’t go off because the power went out and didn’t charge my phone and I’d be as quick as I could.”
We start walking toward the hall again and I nod with approval. “That’s smart.”
She scoffs. “It wasn’t. Turns out, it came back on two minutes after I left to find you and it had nothing to do with the storm. It was the guy trying to stop the leaky roof issue turning off the wrong switch somewhere.”
“Well, they can’t prove you’re lying.”
“Emilia can, she definitely already knows. She gave me the look.” She sighs heavily as we approach the doors, stopping and turning to me. “I’m sorry, I haven’t had someone tell me they really like me before and it means more than they just like having sex with me. It threw me for a minute. I don’t want to go back to college and not see you every day, Russ. Seeing you is the best part of my day. And if you’re happy to wait and be patient while I work out what that means, then maybe we can have something special.”
Now I’m the one who’s thrown. It feels too easy, too natural to be real life, but it is my real life. “I’d wait forever for you, Aurora.”
Chapter Twenty-Three AURORA
I’VE HAD BUTTERFLIES FOR DAYS.
At first I thought I was sick, but it wasn’t quite nausea, more like a tingle in my abdomen. It would calm down at night when Emilia and I were in bed, so I thought it was over, but then it’d start again the next day. I questioned if it was an allergy, but I didn’t actually feel sick, just different.
It took three days of questioning for me to finally realize it’s butterflies.
“So you’re not dying then?” Emilia croaks, putting the last life jacket back into the storage chest. She’s lost her voice again after a particularly competitive volleyball tournament yesterday. Losing your voice from shouting all day is normal, but it’s not something I’ve suffered. My vocal cords refuse to be silenced, much to Emilia’s disappointment.
We’ve been kayaking this afternoon and had a bit of solitude—well, as much solitude as you can get at camp—and it helped me work out that I have feelings, and those feelings are floating around my stomach making me feel weird.
“Not dying. Confirmed.”
“Just malfunctioning over a man, got it.” She doesn’t look at me, so she doesn’t see the finger I’m giving her, but like any good best friend, she knows. “God, you’re so easy to get a rise out of. I like this new you; you’re floating around like an animated woodland creature; it’s super cute.”
“Sorry, did you say something? I can’t hear you.” Looking across the shore, I watch the man in question lifting kayaks and putting them back onto the rack with ease. Woodland creature isn’t the worst thing I’ve been called, particularly by Emilia. “I miss Poppy. She balances out how annoying you are.”
“Oh, trust me, she’s going to love hearing about this, my little cartoon bunny.” She clears her throat aggressively and starts waving her arms. “Hey, Russ! Could you come help us, please?”
She doesn’t sound like herself when she says it, but it’s just loud enough to capture his attention. Although I’d bet he has no idea what she said. Putting the final kayak away, he weaves through the campers as Clay leads them away to wash up for dinner. “What are you doing?” I grumble under my breath so he doesn’t hear as he gets closer.
“What’s up?” he says, stopping in front of the two of us.
God, he’s pretty.
Emilia points to the box dramatically. “I really have to use the bathroom. Could you help Rory put the chest back into the storage shed, please?”
“Are you doing okay?” he asks, definitely on behalf of the two of us. “You’re acting odd.”
“You never know who’s listening. You’re welcome.”
“They wouldn’t be able to hear you, even if they tried,” I say.
It’s her turn to give me the finger as she runs off to follow Clay, and now that she’s gone, the butterflies are flapping full force.
Definitely not allergies.
The past few days have been a mixture of loaded glances and hand brushes, hushed voices and knowing smiles. I did worry that after weeks of getting closer, once our mutual itch was scratched the excitement would wear off. But then he pulled me into an empty hallway and kissed the life out of me, and I know that’s not something to worry about.
Mostly I can’t believe there’s a guy who genuinely wants to spend time with me and have a connection with me beyond one that happens when we’re naked. I know that the bar is low for me when it comes to men, which frequently makes me mistrust my own judgment, but I can trust my judgment about Russ.
Russ nudges the chest with his foot, watching it move an inch. He picks it up, his biceps bulging with the weight. “I can do this alone, you don’t need to help.”
Oh Lord. I am a weak, weak woman. “I want to.”
It isn’t far to the shed, which is less shed and more storage building, and within a minute I’m flustered from walking behind him, watching his back muscles flex, and holding open the door for him. He drops the chest onto the floor in the dark room, and thankfully there’s no need for us to do anything else. I shouldn’t head in, too, and let the door close behind me—but I do.
There’s a light in here somewhere, but I have no desire to find it. Small streams of sunlight pour in from some upper windows, and we don’t say anything as his hands find my shoulders and move up to my neck. I place my hands on his waist and move them up to link behind his neck. His mouth finds mine, sweet and slow, like he’s trying to memorize the moment his tongue moves against mine. Pushing my body close to him, I sink my fingers into his hair, stretching onto my tiptoes to try and be even closer.
I’m about to complain about his hands leaving my neck, until he grips the back of my thighs, maneuvering my legs around him, sitting me on the nearest solid surface. Every touch is perfect, but it’s not enough and I still want more. I feel drunk on him; drunk on lust and secrecy and the forbidden.
His mouth travels along my jaw and down my neck. “I want you so badly.”
“You can have me.”
He’s hesitating going further, rightfully so, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want him to rail me against whatever my ass is perched on. This is not the place I want to be found with my panties down. The kids aren’t allowed in these buildings and I watched them all head back to their cabin. Neither of us would ever risk that.
Every other member of staff is the risk.
Which annoyingly makes it, like, ten times hotter than it would be because we might be caught and those familiar feelings I’m used to chasing start to return. The ones that flood your system with endorphins and make your nerves feel like live wires. It’s addictive and problematic, but even with all of the different alarms going off in my head, I still want him to test the steadiness of whatever is under me.
“We shouldn’t,” he whispers.
“We definitely shouldn’t,” I whisper back. “But if you happen to want to, then just know I can be super quiet.”
Russ’s laugh is low and husky, dirtier than normal, and I start to throb. That’s where I’m at: throbbing at dirty laughs. “You’re so smart,” he teases, and I swear this man is trying to end me. “But I love it when you’re loud.”
His mouth is back on mine and I use my legs to pull him closer to me, groaning when his erection presses into the apex of my thighs. I’m ready to say fuck it and get on my knees, but that’s when something falls, scaring the shit out of both of us.
He kisses me again, slow and gentle this time, rubbing his hands up and down the back of my thighs, and then there’s definitely something moving.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask, reluctantly unhooking my legs and putting my feet back on the floor. He helps me down as I pat around the wall to find the light switch. I flick it on, and the whole room lights up the boxes and shelves full of equipment.
“I can’t see anything…” he says, as confused as I am.
“I don’t thin—” That’s when the biggest possum I’ve ever seen in my life scurries in front of me, and I scream so loud I’m surprised the building doesn’t tumble down.
* * *
RUSS IS CONVINCED THE UNIVERSE sent a possum to stop us from acting like sluts and make us get back to work.
He’s also ashamed that the school system, or my many summers at this very camp, didn’t teach me that possums aren’t dangerous. If they’re not dangerous, why do they have such pointy teeth? And no, he didn’t really use the word sluts, but whatever he said went straight over my head because his hand was hovering on my lower back and I was still uncomfortably wet and horny.
Fucking possums.
I’m keeping myself extra busy tonight being camp counselor extraordinaire; no dance too hard, no hot chocolate too many. Anything to keep me busy and away from the hockey player who has me acting irrationally. Irrational isn’t unfamiliar to me. Being irrational because of a crush… that has never happened before.
I’m helping Jade plop her curls when Emilia throws herself down beside me. “I need to go to bed. I’m getting my period and I feel like simultaneously crying, throwing up, and fighting. The guys said they’d cover me tonight, is that okay? I’m sorry.”
“Of course it is. Do you need me to do anything for you?”
Jade looks over her shoulder to where we’re sitting behind her. “My mom makes all my sisters drink peppermint tea.”
“Good shout, sweetie. Emilia, go to bed. I’ll bring you some tea when I’m done here. Do you want chocolate?” She nods. “I won’t be long.”
After I’m done with Jade’s hair, Clay promises to help round everyone up for bed while I grab the things to help Emilia feel better. By the time I’m approaching the kids’ cabin a short while later, it’s alarmingly quiet.
Pushing the door open, I’m immediately greeted by Clay, Russ, Xander, and Maya, all staring back at me, panic in their eyes. All the kids are settling down nicely, the odd one still puttering around getting ready for bed. I look across at the four of them. “What did you do?”
“I’m out, man,” Xander exclaims, keeping his head down as he slaps Russ on the arm.
“I love you, Aurora, but I’m not strong enough for this,” Maya adds.
“God speed, brother,” Clay says, following the other two out of the door, not making eye contact with me.
Russ runs his hand down his face and blows out a strained sigh. “What did I miss?” I ask cautiously.
“Hi, Ror,” he says happily, sounding totally fake and forced. “I’m covering Emilia and I thought that might be nice for us, y’know. I had a cute plan. It involved snacks and—”
“Russ, did you lose a camper or something? Why are you being so strange?”
He sighs again, and I’m honestly preparing for him to tell me something dreadful—and he kind of does. “You look really pretty today.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” I drawl, gradually losing my patience.
“Kevin took the biggest crap I’ve ever seen in my life and he’s blocked the entire toilet system.” He gags a little. “And when you try to flush it, all the others fill up, and I’m sorry, but it’s horrible. I know we’re only supposed to call maintenance for things we can’t fix, but I don’t know if anyone can fix this.”
