Chapter 18

Right as the cabin’s warmth wrapped around us, another deluge tumbled from the sky. Wearing that impish grin, Mandy brushed past me so close that her tiny shorts rubbed my thigh.

“Perfect timing,” Charles called out while stepping from the bedroom.

“Yeah,” I replied, shoving the door closed against a sudden gust.

He smiled at his wife. “You okay, sweetheart?”

“Um-hmm.” After walking to him, she skimmed fingers along his arm. “Jim took excellent care of me.”

Although his brows tightened at the timbre of her voice, his smile only dipped a little. He groaned as she pressed into him and her lips tapped a cheek.

“Thanks again, uh, Jim,” he said.

“No problem.” I shrugged. “We had a good, solid shelter, and Mandy is, um, wonderful company.”

His eyebrows knitted tighter; he’d caught my tone that time. Had I wanted to get a rise out of him? Maybe. But after only a momentary flicker of his eyes at me, he shifted his focus to his wife.

“Better get ready. Today’s Spouse Day.”

“Oh, right.” With a curt sigh, she pulled from him. “Okay. Give me a minute.”

When the dark-haired beauty slipped past him, I scoured his face. Nope, no reaction to the awkward gait or the grimace as the well-fucked woman moved to the bathroom. With a shrug, I glanced at the rain pattering across the front window before returning to him.

“Spouse Day?” I asked.

“Yeah, the firm invites all the other halves for mandatory family fun activities.” He exhaled while watching heavy raindrops darken ever-muddier gravel. “Although it looks as if it’ll be mostly indoors. Oh, there’s also a boring-ass awards dinner, so we’ll be late.”

“No problem. Got food, shelter, and a big TV. I’ll be fine.”

“Watch out for the girls.” He glanced at their bedroom door, still closed. “They tend to turtle up and hide.”

“Sure, no prob, but first I need a shower and some sleep. That, uh, damned storm kept me up all night.”

Although I restrained a chuckle, needn’t have bothered. While nodding, he was already scrolling through messages on his phone.

Other than the sounds of me unpacking the rucksack and him typing, only the spattering raindrops echoed in the cabin. At the quiet squeak of the bathroom door opening, he didn’t react, but I looked up as his wife slipped out in a towel.

After peeking at his back, she slowed. That impish smile appeared. Right as I was about to return it, she tugged the terrycloth apart. With shiny white teeth in her lower lip, she gave me a lingering view of that wondrous physique before prancing into the bedroom. Yeah, the tease had become downright incorrigible.

It took everything within me not to laugh as I walked into the steam-filled bathroom. But once the spray began, I released the chuckle. She was something else. While the entirety of her game remained hidden, the sexy imp was fun.

Given what Kali had relayed up on the summit, this old guy needed some damn fun in my life. Once clean and in a towel, I was unfolding the sleeper couch when Mandy appeared. Charles was still engrossed in his phone.

Her outfit was ... Okay, I was taken aback. With hair held by shiny black barrettes, she wore a conservative dark blue dress, only hinting at luscious curves. The neckline was shallow, and the hem swept her calves as she walked toward me.

Before I could comment, she leaned close. The momentary brush of slender fingers over my crotch and a quick puff into my ear had me shivering.

“I’m still horny,” she whispered before leaving me in a cloud of perfume to sashay toward her husband.

“Ready, dear?” she said.

He nodded and mumbled “Goodbye” to me as she slid onto his arm. While they headed for the exit, she winked over her shoulder at me. With a smile, I returned it. Beneath his umbrella, they dashed for the car.

Such profound quietness engulfed me. Well, other than the thundering of my heart, and the incessant rain. At last, with a lengthy exhale, I dropped the towel and clambered into the sheets. No sooner had my head settled onto a pillow than a body-wracking yawn escaped into the silence.