Yeah, it was looking like I was the linchpin in her plan. Don't think I couldn't see the benefits in it for me, though.
I pondered the idea of sleeping in a bedroom near Sebastian's, and let's just say it took all of about three seconds for me to say, "Sure. When should I get my stuff?"
Sebastian stifled a snicker, but I swear his eyes lit up when I agreed to the move.
"Now would be a good time," Lacey said. "The kids are still down at the lake."
Sebastian jumped in. "Do you have anything heavy you need help with?"
As tempting as it was, envisioning Sebastian's straining muscles as he engaged in manual labor, I needed some alone time with Lacey. How else was I supposed to get the lowdown on her brother? Forget about my need an hour ago to have her talk me out of leaving. I was staying, sister. You bet your ass I was staying.
I declined Sebastian's generous offer, explaining I had only clothes, makeup, and other girl stuff to move. He nodded understandingly as Lacey and I said good-bye and left.
As we meandered along the trail that led to our cabin, I could feel Lacey's eyes on me. "What?" I asked, innocently.
Stepping over an exposed tree root, she said, "Don't hold out on me, Brooks. You like my brother, don't you?"
I blew out a breath. "Yes," I admitted. "I guess it was kind of obvious when you walked in on us, yeah?"
Lacey chuckled. "Very obvious, and I have to say I was surprised. You seem so shy around guys. But then again, Sebastian does have a way with all the ladies."
My in!
"You know," I began. "I
was
a bit worried when I saw the look on your face. Is Sebastian a player?"
Lacey laughed and shook her head. "Sebastian's not a player at all, Brooks. You needn't worry." She paused. "I mean, Sebastian does well with the ladies and all, but he's still a great guy."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
When we reached the girls' cabin, I grabbed my clothes out of our shared closet and took one last look at the three single beds crammed into one small room. It was going to be great having a bedroom of my own. But it was going to be even better sleeping in a bedroom in the same cabin as Sebastian.
As I gathered my toiletries out of the communal bathroom, I wondered if I would be sharing a bathroom with Lacey's brother. Probably yes. That brought on another vision, this one of a showering Sebastian—all wet, tan, glistening.
"Come on," Lacey said, breaking me from my X-rated reverie. "I'll help you carry all this stuff back up to the main cabin."
Back at the cabin, as we walked down the upstairs hall to my new bedroom, I noticed there were only two other rooms—one with a closed door that I assumed was Sebastian's bedroom, and the other, a bathroom.
The door to the bathroom was wide open, so I glanced inside as we passed. I was pleased to observe that although Sebastian and I would be sharing the small space it was still way larger than the bathroom I'd been sharing with the girls. Plus, Sebastian wouldn't have makeup and crap spread out everywhere.
Things were looking good, and when we stepped into the bedroom that was to be mine, things got even better.
I squealed with delight. The room was the size of the entire space I'd been sharing with the girls. And this bedroom had a full-size bed. There was also a great view of the campgrounds since we were on the second floor.
Lacey helped me put my stuff away, and after she left, I plopped down on the big bed and sighed happily.
Despite a rough first couple of days, things were definitely looking up, especially since Sebastian had arrived on the premises.
Chapter Two
Canoe Hear My Heart?
The next morning I ambled over to the bedroom window, all set to enjoy a sunny bright vista. No such luck. I was greeted instead with a foggy mess, as a misting rain pelted the glass.
"Ugh. Not again."
It never rained like this in Phoenix. How did these people stand it?
The inclement weather meant another indoor activity day for the kids. At least until the drizzle stopped and the fog lifted.
I showered and dressed for the day, with not a single sighting of Sebastian.
He must be an early riser
, I concluded. But then I saw it was after ten. Maybe I was just a late sleeper. Good thing camp activities didn't start until noon today.
When I started down the stairs, I discovered quite a crowd had gathered. All the counselors were lounging in the main room, munching on pastries and downing assorted fruit juices.
"Sleep well, Brooks?" Sebastian asked with a smirk. "We were wondering if we'd see you today."
"Well, here I am," I replied as Mr. Smug himself passed me a glass of orange juice.
I sat down on the same Adirondack chair he'd been leaning against yesterday and accepted the glass of juice. "I slept great, by the way," I huffed. "And you?"
"Better than expected," he said. "But my big ole bed sure did feel
lonely."
Before I could think of a good retort, Sebastian turned to the other four counselors and began to outline the plans for the day.
I mumbled, "Smart-ass," under my breath.
Sebastian ignored me completely, but Lacey glanced my way, brow arched.
I shrugged.
As the next fifteen minutes wore on, I tried to pay attention to the day's plans. I found myself paying more attention to Sebastian, though. He sure looked incredible in his cargo shorts and a tight T-shirt. Biting my lip, I admired how his biceps flexed as he handed out the schedules for the day.
Schedules…. Ah, yes
.
I peered down at the paper in my hand. All the groups were painting again today.
Oh, joy
. I made a mental note to check my chair
before
sitting down, especially if Seth was around.
The contingency plan if the weather cleared up was a nature hike through the forest. I liked that idea. Maybe I could pawn my group off on Ginny or Lacey and sneak off with Sebastian.
Stop
, I warned myself. I was out of control. Sebastian was making me feel confident, so unlike the real me. His smiles, his not-so-subtle innuendos… I guessed his yin brought out my yang, whatever that meant.
To my surprise, once the day was underway, the painting session went really well. Seth behaved. I knew it was only because Sebastian was keeping him occupied. Seth looked up to Sebastian, it seemed. He didn't want to disappoint him.
Score another point for Sebastian.
The skies cleared late in the afternoon and we were able to take the kids out for a quick hike before dinner. Sad to say, there were no opportunities to get Sebastian alone in the forest. After dinner, however, back at the main cabin, my luck turned. Sebastian asked me, out of the blue, if I wanted to go out on the lake with him.
"In a canoe," he said. "Just the two of us."
"Hell, yeah!" I replied.
He looked at me curiously. "Okay."
"Will that, uh, require any special oaring skills?" I droned on, since I couldn't think of anything better to ask.
Sebastian burst out into peals of laughter. And then he assured me he would handle all the "oaring" that needed to be done to navigate the canoe around the small lake.
A short while later, with the setting sun turning the sky the prettiest shades of pink and blue, Sebastian and I were floating around the lake in an old wooden canoe with peeling red paint on the sides.
The evening was kind of cool, so I was glad I'd changed into blue jeans and brought along a windbreaker to wear over my T-shirt.
Still, it all was very nice.
The canoe was large enough for four people, but someone had removed two of the wooden plank seats, creating more than enough room in the back for two people to sit down comfortably in the base of the canoe itself.
I suspected Sebastian had chosen this boat specifically, especially when he began repositioning old quilts and pillows he'd thrown in the back of the canoe before we left the boathouse.
As he settled in on the blankets, he glanced up at me. "Want to sit with me back here?" he asked, patting the space between his legs.
I had a feeling it might have been part of Sebastian's plan to try to kiss me again, which was fine with me.
And nervous as I was over that possibility, I couldn't stop my big mouth from messing up the moment. "Is that the starboard part of the boat?"
I pointed to the back of the canoe where he was, though I made no move to rise from my wooden plank seat to join him.
Sebastian looked at me with confusion, but then he smiled and again patted the spot between his legs. "Just come back here with me, Brooks." He shot me a flirty gaze, blue eyes flashing in the waning light, and added, "You're not afraid of me, are you?"
"Of course not," I mumbled as I stood and tried to steady myself in the rocking boat.
Of course, as luck would have it, at that exact second, the canoe got hung up on some debris in the water. When Sebastian tried to steer us away, the boat lurched, sending me tumbling headlong into his lap.
"Oh, my God, I am so sorry," I babbled.
I scrambled to sit up straight. Laughing, Sebastian kindly helped me maneuver to a seated position between his long legs.
"It's okay," he said softly as I took a chance and leaned back against his solid chest.
He encircled me in the warmth of his arms, and I shivered. "Are you cold?" he asked, his heated breaths tickling my ear.
"No, not at all."
I sure as hell wasn't. In fact, I was starting to feel warm, very warm. Being cocooned in Sebastian's arms made me feel all toasty and safe, and, dare I say, aroused. I squirmed around, purposely grinding up against Sebastian's crotch, hoping to
feel
if he was having a similar reaction.
Unfortunately for me, Sebastian caught on to what I was up to and slid his hands down, stilling my hips.
With more heated breaths at my ear, he warned, "Don't start something you're not willing to finish, Brooks."
A thrill coursed through me. I was insanely attracted to Sebastian, but we hadn't even kissed yet. Oh, well. What I really wanted was a damn first kiss.
I quit squirming, but Sebastian kept his hands on my hips, giving me a light but firm squeeze that sent more shockwaves through my body.
"Tell me about Arizona," he asked, hands caressing my hips ever so slightly. "Do you miss it?"
"No, not at all," I replied honestly.
"Why's that?"
I took a deep breath and told him about my boring life in Phoenix. Then I explained how North Carolina was my opportunity to start over.
"So, this is your second chance?" I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Yes. And I want to do it right this time."
Resting his chin on my head lightly, he inquired, "So, no boyfriends back home?"
"None," I assured him.
He was quiet, so after a beat, I asked, "Do you think I'm weird?"
He tightened his arms around me, as if I were a precious doll. "No," he whispered. "I think you're actually very sweet."
I closed my eyes. Oh, boy, I could really fall for a guy like Sebastian.
"What about you?" I said loudly over a strong wind that had begun to whip up around the canoe. "No special someone waiting for you when you get back from camp?"
"Nope," he replied.
As we talked more and more, I discovered Sebastian was set to attend the University of North Carolina in September, just like me.
"I'm glad I'll know someone." I glanced back at him, and added, "I was afraid college would turn out a repeat of high school."
Smiling, he said, "Can I tell you something, Brooks?"
"Yes, of course."
"I've actually been a little nervous myself about college."
"Really?"
I was shocked. I mean, shit, Sebastian was gorgeous and personable. Surely, he'd fit in anywhere. Maybe he wasn't so different from me after all. It seemed Sebastian had the ability to bring out my confidence, and I was able to make him feel comfortable sharing his vulnerable side.
"Yes." He laughed nervously. "I am only human, after all."
"Being afraid of new things is okay, you know."
"I know," he replied. "Hey, how 'bout we make a promise?"
"Sure."
"Let's promise to remain friends. That way we'll have each other, at least, when school starts."
Of course, I agreed wholeheartedly. Settling back into Sebastian's embrace, I felt like I knew him better—the real him, the one he hid behind his confident side.
We drifted around on the lake for a while, both of us content to enjoy each other's presence. But then the winds picked up even stronger than before, tossing our little boat to and fro.
The threat of a storm was imminent, and Sebastian murmured in my hair, "We should head in."
"Yeah," I reluctantly agreed.
Sebastian pressed his lips to my neck, and I twisted toward him, leaving our lips mere inches apart. Closing my eyes, I listened as his breathing picked up, matching mine.
Sweetly, he pressed his lips to my forehead, and then began to kiss his way down my nose. He stopped at the tip to deposit a tiny kiss.
Aww, my heart
.
As Sebastian's hot breaths intermingled with my own, and the warmth of his lips was almost upon mine… a damn downpour began!
And, by downpour, I mean buckets of water fell from the sky.
I almost cried. The moment was broken, once again.
I may have found a friend, but getting my first kiss was not in the cards that evening.
Chapter Three
Scare Me, Scare You
A few hours later, after Sebastian had valiantly steered our half-submerged canoe back to shore, we'd made a run for the main cabin. There, we'd hurriedly changed into dry clothes, and then planted ourselves in front of the big TV in the front room to watch scary movies from the eighties with Lacey, Tim, Ginny, and Mike.