“Oh my god. That was awesome,” he says, the words coming out in huffs of laughter.
“‘Trust me,’ he said. ‘It won’t break,’ he said.” I can barely get the words out before we start giggling again.
And when he links his fingers with mine as we lie on the cabin porch with a broken swing under us and sticky wine coating us, I know for a fact this will be my most favorite moment of this trip.
Slade
“Who thought it was a good idea to make a group of women have a fishing contest?” Blakely asks as we gather the tackle boxes and poles the staff left out for us.
“Do you have something against fishing like you do against the outdoors?” I ask. “Because I could always make you a swing if it would make you feel better.” She turns and looks at me, her eyes alive. “There’s that smile again.”
That damn swing was still my best epic fail ever.
“Gemma said Heather is dead serious about it too.”
“She sounded that way during her instructions.” Two hours. Designated fishing spots for each team. The guys can bait hooks if need be, but they aren’t allowed to participate other than that. Biggest fish wins a one-on-one coaching session with none other than Heather herself. “So you want to fill me in on why you’ve spent this whole retreat trying to get as far away from Heather as possible and now, all of a sudden, you’re telling me you have to win this contest? What am I missing here?”
“I can’t hide forever from her, and frankly, it’s about time she learned we’re equals.”
Well, hello there, Blakely. I do believe you’ve finally decided to come out and play.
“Don’t look now, but I do believe you’re preparing to howl at the moon, Blakely.” I wink. “Good thing I have the inside scoop on just how to make this happen.”
“Come again?” she asks.
“I’ll tell you once we get to our spot.”
Blakely doesn’t know it, but she was just maneuvered into losing this competition, and I already have a plan for how to fix it.
“What do you mean you have the inside scoop?” Her eyes narrow.
“C’mon, control freak.” I smack a loud kiss on her lips. “It’s a good fifteen minutes to get to the spot. We need all the time we can get. Let’s start walking.”
“I have the drinks,” she says and holds up the cooler.
“You know there are worms in there too, right?”
She sputters over a cough, and I die laughing. Definitely not a country girl . . . but I love that she’s trying.
“You’re serious?”
“I’m serious,” I say with a nod. “And you’re going to bait the hook with them yourself.”
“Oh Jesus.”
I pull her into my side and press a kiss to the side of her head. “It isn’t a big deal. Then again, I’m not sure if it’ll be worth it.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll tell you when you get there.”
We trek to our designated spot on the far side of the lake. The one Heather assigned to Blakely. Not only is it the farthest possible location from the lodge but also there are no fish there.
I’ve asked.
On my morning runs, I’ve befriended some of the local fishermen . . . and I have a plan.
“We’re almost there,” I murmur as I look at the map, mind still processing what a bitch Heather is for teasing Blakely about her fear of bears. Blakely also told me how Heather admitted to trying to make her so miserable she would quit.
I have to say that I love that there’s a lot more fire and defiance in Blakely’s resolve than before. Even better, she’s working on a plan to put Heather promptly in her place.
I hate that she won’t tell me.
I love that she wants to do this on her own.
“Hey, Slade?”
“Yeah?”
She isn’t beside me anymore, and when I look back, I find her standing a few feet off the beaten path. Her lips are parted, and her eyes keep darting down to my dick and then back up to my eyes. “You’re going to want to follow me.”
“I am, am I?” I take a step toward her, my dick already twitching to life. “I thought we were supposed to be fishing.” Another step. “Baiting the hook.” Damn it to hell, she’s sexy. “Competing for first place.”
“We’ll get to that soon enough.” She runs her tongue over her lower lip before sinking her teeth into it, her eyes letting me know exactly what’s on her mind.
Oh, I’m following, all right.
I step into the small clearing as a seductive smile tugs on those full lips of hers. “Drop the tackle box, Slade.”
Our eyes hold for the briefest of seconds as I stare at the woman who has fucking rocked my world.
Then I drop the tackle box.
“Unbutton your pants,” she demands.
I quirk an eyebrow and fight my own smile. “Bossy, bossy.”
She takes a step toward me. “You told me earlier that, if I want something, I need to go after it.”
“In so many words, yes.” There’s a slight tremble to her hands, her nerves flickering for a moment. I know this must be hard for her, but damn it if I’m not proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone. I’m definitely not going to complain that she’s stepping out of it with me. “What is it you want?”
She gives me a devil of a grin before she takes another step forward. “You.”
Confidence looks so good on her.
“You trying to howl at the moon, Blake?”
She pushes me back against a tree and then drops to her knees. “You going to stop me?” I tense in anticipation when her hands find my zipper and our gazes meet. My smile is half-cocked and a guttural groan rumbles through me when those lips of hers wrap around my dick. She flutters those lashes at me and breaks her suction. “I dare you to tell me you don’t want this.”
I chuckle as my hand fists in her hair so she’s forced to look at
