He blinked a few times. “You at least read through the welcome packet, right?”
“Yeah, of course. It was something about bears right?”
He was fighting a smile, I could tell. “Among other things.”
Talos cleared his throat. “Should we, uh, put him in a solo cabin?”
“He can take the one we were going to assign to him originally.” As Blake handed the tablet back over, he shot me a knowing look. “Something tells me you won’t mind the extra room.”
I kicked the duffle at my feet. “It was the bag that gave me away, wasn’t it? Look, I tried to cut down on the necessities, but one can never be too sure which facial cream to take out into the wilderness.”
He merely shook his head at me, bringing a fist up to his face to cough into in order to cover up a very obvious laugh. The problem with being a shameless flirt was when people resisted the charm no matter how thick I was laying it on. Don’t get me wrong, I loved a good chase, but only if by the end of it I finally caught up to my prey.
Blake was a hard one to read. He’d thrown me off with how young he was—or at leastseemed, because who knew what kind of skincare routine the man had that gave him such a youthfulglow—and coupled with his good looks, I was riding on half-assumptions here.
“So, does this mean that solo kayak thing is a go?” I lifted my bag off of the ground, slipping the strap over my shoulder.
“Feel free to take up whatever activities you want in between what was planned on the itinerary. I’ll figure something out for you in the meantime. You’ve got a hike up to the waterfall in the morning, right?”
I shrugged, earning me another glowering look. Oh, it was too easy. Blake was a fun thing to poke at, especially when it was obvious he was trying so desperately not to fall victim to my charms. I doubted the poor man swung my way, but resisting the urge to tickle any sort of reaction out of him was just too enticing to ignore.
Talos cleared his throat again. “Yes, waterfall hike starts at eight.”
I grinned. “Sounds fun.”
Blake nodded at the both of us. “Good. Talos will walk you to your cabin. Please make yourself at home. The welcome ceremony is right at noon, so head over once you’re done unpacking and getting settled. There will be some important information that our staff will be going over so don’t miss it like you did your packet. After that, the rest of the day is yours.”
A laugh escaped me at the subtle dig. “Thanks, Mr. Director. Promise I won’t skimp out on this one.”
This time, he did smile. “I look forward to quizzing you in the morning.”
CHAPTER 2
Marlow
“Wow,you survived your first night. Color me surprised.”
I rolled my eyes at my own reflection, my toothbrush sticking out between my lips while I wrestled for my phone from where I’d tossed it onto the counter the second the other line had picked up.
I knew he’d still be awake despite the ungodly hour I was calling at. Even on his off days, Silas was bound to his horribly short sleep schedules.
“Fuck off,” I garbled before leaning over and spitting into the sink. “I even have a cabin all to myself.”
I had to hand it toAustin Adventures, the place was fucking nice. The all-wood interior had the bedsheets and furniture seeped in the divine smell of cedar. There were two sets of bedrooms, both fitted with full-sized beds and a bathroom separating the walls from each other.
I had a small kitchenette with a water-stocked fridge and an entirely functioning stove unit, pots and pans having alreadybeen set next to it on the off chance I brought something back from the mess hall to cook.
There was an impressive stone fireplace that sat in the middle of the cabin, with pre-cut wood already in the log rack. Two sets of couches and a loveseat faced it, creating a cozy gathering place for the couples that were supposed to be staying here.
Lucky me that I got this entire place to myself.
“Who’s dick did you suck to get that?” he shot back, tone mildly bored like he was flipping through TV channels.
“Can’t it be chalked up to simply my luck?”
“Maybe with Avery. You? Not a chance.”
“The jealousy in your voice is overwhelming.”
