Chapter Seven
Caleb peeredover his shoulder to make sure Leah was out of sight as he picked up the smooth piece of amber-tinted dolomite limestone. He stuffed the mineral rock in his pocket and dusted his hands on the front of his cargo pants. Today’s activity was a scavenger hunt in the woods that surrounded the campground.
They’d arrived at the Boathouse this morning to find Katherine and Geoff decked out in safari gear, complete with wide brim hats and backpacks, and more energy than Caleb could muster even after the two cups of coffee he’d gulped down at breakfast. Couples were tasked with finding items that best described their significant other. There was very little to work with outside of twigs, leaves, rocks, and dirt, but Caleb was determined to impress Leah with his finds.
He quickly discovered that his biggest challenge would be keeping Leah’s prying eyes away from those finds. Although, to be fair, he’d been just as cagey when it came to trying to figure out what items she’d been able to hunt down. They’d both kept each other on their toes, trying to outwit one another.
Caleb spotted her pale pink shirt a few yards away and quietly crept up on her. He leaned forward and whispered, “What you got there?”
Leah yelped and spun around so quickly she nearly lost her footing.
“Watch out,” Caleb said, catching her by the elbow.
She jerked away and quickly tucked her right hand behind her back.
“Dammit!” she said before she burst out laughing. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Just getting you back for sneaking up on me a few minutes ago. You didn’t think I’d let you get away with that, did you?”
Her devilish grin summoned ridiculously inappropriate thoughts. Not that he was surprised. Caleb had come to realize that there was nothing he could do to stop those images from jumping to the forefront of his mind. She had a knack for bringing out his inappropriate side.
He snaked his arm around her, reaching behind her back, but she dodged his hold.
“Don’t even try it,” she said. “We’re not supposed to share until we’re back with the others.”
“Why can’t I get just a quick peek?”
“Because that would be cheating,” she said.
“It’s not cheating. Just hedging our bets,” Caleb said. He dipped his head and brushed his lips against her neck. “But I think you misunderstood just what it is I want a peek of,” he said in a deliberately seductive voice.
He felt her shudder as he nuzzled her soft skin, skimming his tongue along the delicate slope. How could she still smell this good after running around in the woods? This woman was going to drive him insane before the weekend was through.
Caleb heard leaves crunching a second before Leah did.
“We’re going to get caught,” she husked out in a breathy voice.
“We’re newly engaged, remember? Whoever catches us will understand.” But Caleb backed away just before the Korean couple from The Bronx broke through a thicket of shrubbery. He remembered the husband, Siek-Jin, but Caleb couldn’t remember the wife’s name to save his life.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the wife said.
“That’s okay. How are things going, Jeong?” Leah asked.
That was it. Jeong and Siek-Jin. The Paek’s. Leah was a helluva lot better at remembering the names of the couples at this weekend’s retreat than he was.
“You guys having any luck with the scavenger hunt?” Caleb asked.
“Not really, but we’re still having fun. We’re heading back now. Katherine and Geoff wanted us all to meet up again at eleven.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” Leah said. She looked at Caleb. “We should probably head back to base camp as well.”
Caleb gave her a look that told her that she’d gotten off easy this time. They only had one full day left. He was now determined that they get a chance to fool around in the woods.
The rest of the couples were already waiting at the tables that had been set up just outside the archery area. One by one, they described their finds. They were basically all the same: rocks, leaves, and the occasional bug. One husband had unearthed a rusty tin can, but instead of likening the can’s deep reddish brown exterior to his wife’s hair, which is what Caleb would have done, the guy got a slap for comparing it to her psoriasis.
Amateur.
When it was his and Leah’s turn, Caleb gestured for her to go first. She stepped up to the table.
