“I’m sorry we didn’t get to see much of the meteor shower,” she said, dragging herself off his warm, comfortable body.
“I’m not,” he told her with a roguish half-smile. “My view was much better.”
She felt the heat rising in her cheeks, which was ridiculous based on what they’d just done. What was she supposed to say to something like that?
“So,” she said, reaching for her clothes, “does this conclude the field trip?”
His eyes were unreadable. “Not necessarily.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “There’s more?”
“Have you ever slept beneath the stars?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cage
Cage didn’t think she’d go for it. She seemed to be in a hurry to get dressed, and she was avoiding his gaze. And why wouldn’t she? They’d just sixty-nined in a fucking tree house.
Not that he was complaining. He’d thoroughly enjoyed every second, but he hadn’t missed the flash of disappointment in her eyes when he had to stop her from sinking onto his cock. It might have been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.
In his defense, he hadn’t expected things to get hot and heavy. It demonstrated an appalling lack of preparedness on his part. What kind of man didn’t have a condom at the ready when spending the day with a beautiful, sexy woman?
The kind who makes s’mores and shows her his telescope in his tree house.
He jammed his legs into his jeans. Jesus. Some things never changed. He might not be the skinny red-headed half-Irish kid sitting in the corner with his Nintendo while his tough-guy cousins made fun of him anymore, but he was still such a fucking nerd.
“No. But ... I’d like to.”
Cage’s gaze snapped toward her. “You would?”
“Well”—she bit her lip and offered him a secret smile—“I’ve enjoyed everything else you planned, so why not?”
Warmth spread through his chest. Maybe he wasn’t so bad at this after all.
He re-covered the scope and helped her down the rope ladder. The fire had been reduced to glowing coals, so he added a few more logs for good measure.
She eyed the hammock uncertainly. “So, how do we do this?”
“You can have the hammock. It’s more comfortable than it looks.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“By the fire.”
Her lips turned downward. “Can’t we both use the hammock?”
That had been the idea, but he’d hesitated suggesting it. There was no chance of separate sleeping space in a hammock, which meant she’d be tight against him all night long. “Yeah. Of course. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Cage got into the hammock first. Then, with one of his legs on the ground to keep it steady, Bree crawled in beside him.
“Is this okay?” she asked, her head tucked beneath his chin. Her soft, warm body was snuggled against his, assisted by gravity and the ingenious design of the hammock itself.
Okay? It was perfect.
* * *
Cage’s eyes snapped open to find Heff grinning down at him. “Looks like someone had a good night.”
Bree shifted in his arms. Draped half on his body, half off, there was no way to get out of the hammock without waking her. He lifted his finger to his lips.
“Tori needs the horses back at the ranch,” Heff said quietly.
Cage nodded his agreement.
“Also, Kate said you should bring Bree in for breakfast before she heads back.”
Heff slipped away as quietly as he’d come. Before long, Cage heard soft snorts and the rhythmic clomp of hooves as Heff took the horses away. Bree yawned and stretched.
“Good morning,” Cage said. “Sleep well?”
“Like a rock. Maybe there is something to this mountain-air thing. I’d kill for a toothbrush and indoor plumbing right now though.”
She’d been such a good sport that he decided to come clean.
“Then, I’ve got one more surprise I think you’re going to appreciate.”
After carefully getting out of the hammock, Cage led her through the trees to his trailer. Unlocking the door, he ushered her inside.
“This is yours?” she asked, her tone even and ... kind of scary. “It’s been here the whole time?”
He nodded. She made a growly sound and pushed past him, making a beeline for the bathroom. It occurred to him then that maybe he should have told her earlier.
“Are you angry with me?” he asked when she came out.
She sniffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked fierce and damn sexy when she did that. “I haven’t decided yet. I feel played.”
“I wasn’t playing you. I wanted to give you a real outdoor experience.” He jammed his hands into his pockets. “It wasn’t all bad, was it?”
“No,” she admitted. “But a flushing toilet wouldn’t have ruined the experience for me. Just saying.”
He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have told you. But you seemed to be enjoying yourself.”
“Hmmph.” She narrowed her eyes and glanced toward the small kitchen. “Does this mean we can make coffee?”
He grimaced. He didn’t even have a coffeemaker. “I’ll do you one better. We can head over to the main building for breakfast. Sam makes incredible coffee.”
“As wonderful as that sounds, I’m not fit for public appearance.”
“You look beautiful, Bree,” he said without thinking.
Her eyes softened. “I look like I spent the night in the woods, and I smell like a horse.”
He disagreed. She smelled—and tasted—like pure woman.
“Wait, what happened to the horses?”
“They’re fine. Someone came for them this morning.”
A rosy flush painted her cheeks, and another possibility occurred to him. Maybe she didn’t want to eat in the dining room because she felt embarrassed about spending the night with him.
“I could run over and bring something back.”
She considered this. “Can I use your shower while you’re gone?”
He withheld a groan at the thought of Bree wet and naked in his trailer and him without condoms. Maybe while he was getting breakfast, he’d hit Heff up for some. Cage was pretty sure the guy ordered them in bulk. Regardless, hitting a drugstore was high on his priority list, just in case, by some miracle, another opportunity with Bree presented itself.
“Sure.”
“Then, okay. And ... thanks.”
Cage left Bree in his
