Chapter 13

As the car rumbled further along a rough trail, a quiet sigh escaped Mandy. From beneath the shifting blanket, she was looking out the passenger side window. Through thinning trees, a rustic, log-fronted structure appeared. It sat atop a low ridge before a lake’s spreading surface. The glinting blue water called to me.

Once the tires crunched to a halt on a rutted drive of orange dirt and gray gravel, she drifted to my reflection in the glass. A glint in those gorgeous eyes got me quivering, but she rose and looked back at her husband.

“We’re here!” she announced while shoving the car door wide.

When the minx caught my glance at a bare leg, she made a point of slowing while sucking on shiny lips. Gods above, the tease remained beyond playful. Whatever thoughts I’d had about this being a quiet vacation ... Well, that gleam told me she’d find a way to my embrace.

Though my chest tightened at the thought, an inhale of clean air, scented with pine, had me smiling. The grin widened as I scanned the rough-hewn cabin. Modern roof shingles were the only sign it hadn’t been ripped from the past, like me, and dumped into this idyllic spot. A peek at Mandy, stretching in the mottled shadows, and the smile ached my cheeks. Yep, truly idyllic.

The place was cute. Whitish daub between graying logs. A front door of shellacked timber and double-paned windows, all surrounded by white paint. To one side, a weathered gray-wooden picnic table sat askew near a black metal grill atop a tilted pole. Rustic, for sure, but cute.

A matching pair of groans announced the girls, wrapped under their blanket, tumbling from a rear door. From the other side, Charles unfurled himself to stretch. Just as I stepped onto the gravel, he snuffled, huffed in quick bursts of air, and let loose a loud sneeze. As it echoed through the woods, he tossed me a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, that’s the thing about this place. Hell on my allergies.” He held up a purple box. “Gotta double up on meds. Kicks my ass, though.” He chuckled. “At least I’m guaranteed a good night’s sleep.”

Well, that explained why he’d not noticed his wife’s arousal, although Susan’s nose crinkled, and she gave her mother a sidelong glance. Ignoring her daughter, Mandy flashed her husband a broad smile and made for the back of the car. He and I appeared just as she raised the hatch. A quick yank and I had her bag free of the pile. While taking it from my hand, she peeked at Charles, bending into the rear behind me. Delicate fingers slid further to caress mine, and she winked.

What’d happened? She’d become—more. After a swift pirouette, twirling thin yellow and white along perfect lithe curves, she dragged the suitcase past the girls and toward the cabin.

Once my backpack sat on my shoulders and the gear bag thumped on the ground, I helped her husband pull out the large, wheeled duffle. After another sniffle, he took it from me and headed for the entrance.

While tracking him, my brow tightened. His wife hadn’t gone through the door. Instead, after he passed her and disappeared inside, she turned to me, ensuring I caught her glance. With her daughter and friend facing me, waiting for their luggage, she beamed that wondrous smile at me. My heart hammered as slender fingers played in wavy dark hair. With those thick tresses shimmering and blue eyes aglow, she stretched onto her toes before leaning from side to side.

Despite tingles flooding my body, and the sudden return of the ache in my crotch, I yanked on the girls’ luggage. Oh, my gaze was fixed beyond the waiting pair. Those shifting, svelte curves. The sundress hem sliding upward, baring ever more of those lean, tanned thighs.

The little ... Yeah, she’d become “more,” alright. More of a tease.

With the younger beauties starting to turn, she flashed me a grin and flounced into the cabin. My pulse refused to slacken, and once I’d secured the car, my lungs inhaled clean mountain air. The fresh scent of trees and wildflowers, tinged with the lingering smell of the car’s warm engine, had me smiling.

A scan of the nearby pines revealed a trio of colorful birds swooping low over the lake. A slow exhale hissed from me as calmness flowed. Okay, locked in a cabin with a tease or not, this was worth it.

Right as I stepped into the darkened interior, Charles appeared through a doorway at the rear. As he came nearer, I surveyed the main room.

Smallish, but cozy, with colorful red and orange native-American patterned tapestries on walls of dark timber. In the middle stood a fold-out sofa bed facing a large flat screen television. Beyond the TV, a wide floor-to-ceiling window offered an amazing view of the glittering blue lake.

“Thanks for driving, man,” he said. “Really appreciate it.”

“Not a problem, Charles. I’m already loving it up here.”

Behind him, his wife popped into sight in the doorframe. Eyes aglow, she dragged a glistening tongue over glossy red lips. My pulse raced. Yep, damn sure loving it.

“Lemme show you ‘round.” As he turned, she disappeared, and he gestured through the empty doorway. “Master bedroom. Well, the larger of the two. Nothing really grand about it.”

After halting next to me, he pointed to a closed door. “That’s the only bathroom, I’m afraid.” He glanced at the other open doorway, beyond which Susan and Desi were unpacking, and laughed. “The girls.” He nodded at the master bedroom. “All the girls fight over it. Lots of hissing and nails. Best stay clear until the dust settles.”

With a large grin, he led me to the wall of glass. A single sliding pane offered access to a small, covered deck of glossy wood. My pulse staggered. Atop a raised dais squatted a four-seater jacuzzi; bubbling water sent steam into the fading sunlight. Okay, this place was not bad at all.

“Kitchen’s sparse, but we brought the essentials,” he explained, walking into a cramped area lined with raw wooden cabinets.

A hot plate, coffee pot, ancient microwave, and a small yellowish-white refrigerator said the tight space was—adequate. A wispy curtain, faded and decorated with blue and yellow flowers, shrouded a narrow pass-through. It offered access to a tall counter of glossy, dark-stained wood in the main room. On the far side sat a pair of barstools. With cushions of cracked and worn black leather, they looked rickety.

Eyes focused on the lake, Charles weaved past a shiny wooden table with four matching chairs between the kitchenette and the wall of glass. Beyond the sparkling water rose the pine-covered slopes of Mt. Aristeia. A grin slid onto me; I knew every dark crack and gray-white boulder above those green-clad flanks.

“So, whatcha think?” He flashed me a quick smile.

“Nice, Charles. Real nice.”

His smile broadened. All in all, the simple, yet homey place offered plenty of space for them. The ruck and gear bag landed with twin thumps beside the couch—my bed.