“This is what I wanted to do that night in the hotel.” My voice is husky.
“I would have let you,” is her response.
I growl, lips making their way down her body, back towards her—what I know is soaking—pussy. “I was trying to be a gentleman.”
Mae’s eyes are intense. “Well, don’t.”
Suddenly, multiple loud voices sound outside the locker room, and Mae pulls away from me, lips puffy and eyes hazy.
I groan and rest my forehead against her stomach.
“You should get out there quickly before the girls try and come in here,” she tells me, fingers running across her lips. “Can’t risk ruining your career, now can we, Mr Slater?”
“Are you happy with yourself?” I smirk.
She drops her head to her chest in a nod. “Very. Good luck with that.” She nods to my raging boner.
I pick up my jersey, which I dropped during our makeout session, and hand it back to her. I want her to keep it. I like it when she wears my name, even if the only place she can do so is in private. “Just so you know, next time that happens, you’ll be wearing my name on your back.”
I don’t think it’s possible for Mae to flush anymore, but she somehow turns an even pinker shade.
I exit the locker room, checking that nobody is around, and as I turn the corner towards the men’s locker room, Renee strolls past me. Her face creases, and she shakes her head in disgust as she passes.
But all I can do is chuckle.
Because she has no idea I’ve just left her daughter in the women’s locker room soaking wet and fucking needy for me.
“You brought your tortoise with you on a camping trip?” my sister asks Mae as we drop our bags down in the open space we’re camping on tonight. We’re helping another charity and are participating in aclean-up-the-forestevent.
Spending tomorrow picking up trash isn’t anyone’s idea of fun, but it gives me an excuse to ignore my father. Darrell and Renee have taken away our phones.
“Nobody could look after him,” Mae responds, peeking at Chump, who’s content in his little hutch, snacking on a large chunk of kale.
“We’re only here one night,” Sophia laughs.
“One night too many,” is Evan’s response, yanking his one-person tent from his rucksack.
Darrell claps his hands to gain our attention. “Alright, everyone! Let’s get set up before the sun sets. We can spend the evening roasting marshmallows around a campfire or whatever you kids like doing. The hard work begins tomorrow.”
“I’m a thirty-two-year-old man,” Evan scoffs. “I hate marshmallows.”
“Well, then you can cry yourself to sleep in your tent while everyone else has fun, West. We’re here to show Montana that we care about the community. That we’re at one with nature. So let’s put our brave faces on.”
Evan’s not usually one for talking, but he’s out of his depth here—far away from Leo—and I can tell it’s getting to him. “If I piss in a bush, does that count as being at one with nature and means I can go home?”
Darrell narrows his eyes playfully. “My wife’s given up her evening to care for Leo for you. Don’t push it.” He turns to the rest of us. “Get in your groups and start setting up your tents. I need to get some good shots.”
I immediately begin helping Mae. I try not to make it look so instinctual for me, keeping my face sullen and my shoulders dropped, but I can’t get last week out of my head.
All I want to do is have it happen again. And again. And again.
Bennett begins unpacking his tent alongside Poppy, their eyes lingering on each other for a second too long. It appears as if they’re talking telepathically. I can’t put my finger on the way Bennett looks at my sister. It’s protective, for sure. I know he cares for her a lot, but he looks at her like she’s the only person he sees.
“Your mom looks like she’s ready to have a blast,” I whisper to Mae as I nod behind her, stifling my laugh.
Renee is standing with her arms wrapped around her stomach as she glares at everyone, her perfectly done-up hair and pristine makeup looking entirely out of place in the middle of the forest.
“She’s scared of bears. She doesn’t know it’s a fenced-off area, but I won’t tell her that.” Mae giggles, and the sound goes through me like always.
