Buck closed his eyes for an instant. Then he leaned in again. This time, his whisper in her ear was a lot less sexy.
“Honey,” he muttered. “Cover your ears.”
“What?”
His hands clamped on either side of her head.
“DON’T THINK THIS MEANS I’M NOT GOING TO SKIN YOU!” Even with Buck’s rough palms muffling all sound, his roar still rattled her brain. “EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAWN HAD BETTER START SNORING!”
The light in the cabin instantly went out.
“Right,” Buck said in the sudden darkness. He cleared his throat, releasing her. “That should do it.”
“Er, yes.” Honey was profoundly grateful that he couldn’t see her expression. “I’ll… see you in the morning?”
She felt rather than saw him hesitate. For the briefest moment, his fingers brushed against hers. Then he turned, and was gone.
Safely alone, Honey sagged against the cabin wall once more. Shakily, she lifted a hand, touching her mouth.
An act. Just an act.
But it hadn’t felt like it.
CHAPTER25
“Your campers seem chipper today,” Leonie observed from the side of the basketball court.
Buck grunted as he caught a stray dodgeball and sent it winging back into the ruckus. “That’s one word for it.”
Smug was another. He’d chewed out the girls forward, backward, and sideways for the stunt they’d pulled last night, but there was still an excessive amount of pep in their collective step. In the space of one morning, he’d counted no fewer than twelve high fives being exchanged. This was at least twelve too many, in his opinion.
“Watch out, Buck!” Estelle yelled as another dodgeball smacked into his hands. “That nearly hit you in the face.”
Archie snickered. “Right in the kisser.”
Buck hurled the ball back, possibly with a little more force than was strictly necessary. “Less yapping, more sweat! You want to let Leonie’s pack win this?”
“No sir!” Beth darted away, all long legs and elbows. “Come on, team! Our alphas are watching!”
“Each other,” Flora said under her breath, and half the kids broke into giggles again.
Buck scooped up a dodgeball, hefting it in one hand. The kids wisely elected to scatter.
“Honeydoesseem to be looking your way an awful lot this morning,” Leonie murmured from behind him. “And vice versa.”
With an effort, Buck didnotlook across the court, where Honey was patrolling the other boundary with Leonie’s co-counselor. “Is that so.”
“Mmm-hmm.” A knowing smile tugged at Leonie’s mouth. “And I can’t help but notice that the kids are making some veryinterestingcomments. Anything you want to tell me?”
“Yes.” Buck lobbed another dodgeball back into the game. “Mind your own business.”
“I am head counselor, you know. I have a responsibility to make sure all my counselors are happy.”
“If you drop this subject, I’ll be motherloving ecstatic.”
“What subject?” she said innocently. “On a completely unrelated topic, it would be nice to see you and Honey at the staff campfire tonight.”
“Sorry. We’ve got plans.”
