“I wish I’d been able to video it,” Archie said mournfully. “Then I could watch it whenever I needed cheering up. Maybe Buck recorded it, or at least got a photo. Can you ask him if he can send us a photo, Paige?”
She didn’tneedto have a photo. That sight was going to be permanently etched into her retinas. Conleth bare-chested, streaked in mud, muscles flexing…
She thrust the mental image away. “Counselors aren’t allowed to take pictures on site, Archie. We have to leave our phones in our rooms while we’re working. Camp rules.”
“Oh.” Archie looked mildly disappointed for a moment, then perked up. “Hey, I know! Ragvald’s really fun, and always happy to help. I bet we could get him to challenge Conletheveryday!”
“Archie Patrick Brown. You will not, under any circumstances, ask Ragvald to challenge Conleth to toga honk.Ever.”
Archie pulled a face. “Why not?”
Because if I have to watch that again, I’m going to spontaneously combust.“Because—because it’s not kind to Beth. You might have enjoyed watching Conleth lose, but she certainly didn’t. I’m pretty sure she pulled the fire alarm to save him. Didn’t you see how upset she looked after the game?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Archie conceded, magnanimous in victory. “I mean, Conleth’s awful, but he is her uncle. She must be feeling pretty bad for him.”
“I’m sure she is.” Since the other boys had already gone into the cabin, she pulled him into a hug. “So be nice to her, okay?”
It was a sign of Archie’s high spirits that he didn’t squawk and try to wriggle away. He even hugged her back, briefly. “Okay. G’night, Paige.”
“Good night.” She released him. “And be good for the counselor on cabin duty. It’s Conleth’s evening off, and after today, he definitely needs a break. No inventing any excuses to interrupt his free time.”
Archie hesitated, eying her. “Is it your night off too?”
“Yes. And I don’t wantmyfree time interrupted either.” Not that she had any big plans, unless you counted staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and trying not to think about mud-streaked six-packs. “So you get into bed and go straight to sleep, you hear me?”
Her brother screwed up his nose. “You aren’t going to hang out with Conleth, are you?”
“After today? Definitely not.”
His face split in a relieved grin. “Yeah, I thought so. He lookedreallystupid. There’s no way anyone would ever want to be his mate after that.”
“Right.” Her voice sounded hollow in her own ears. “Off you go now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Say hi to Mom for me.” Archie bounced up the stairs, looking cheerier than he had all week. “And make sure to tell hereverythingabout today!”
“I will,” Paige lied. “Good night.”
She sighed as she headed for her own cabin.She was only too aware that her mom was starting to suspect something was up. No matter how upbeat she tried to sound in their regular phonecalls, her mother knew her too well to be fooled. It was getting harder and harder not to break down and confess everything.
But that would only make her mom worry. Which was the last thing Paigeeverwanted to do. There was no need to burden her with this whole mate business, anyway. It wasn’t like her mom was ever going to meet him.
And that was a good thing. Definitely. She had far too many responsibilities to add any more complications into her life. And Conleth wasallcomplication.
Astute, surprising, shirtless complication.
She groaned out loud, grinding the heels of her palms into her eyes to wipe out the vision of her mud-covered co-counselor.Thank God Beth had brought an abrupt end to the game.
Watching Conleth get hurled into the mud like that, over and over…it had awoken some deep, primal urge, and not just in her pants. She’d felt so angry, she’d almost stormed out and grabbed the rope herself. Taken Conleth’s side, in front of everyone. In front ofArchie. That really would have been a disaster.
She’d almost reached her cabin, but the thought of going inside to her small, solitary room was about as appealing as scrubbing herself all over with poison ivy. She needed a distraction.Anydistraction.
She’d go to the staff campfire, she decided. It would make all the senior staff happy if she finally put in an appearance. And if Conleth turned up…well, he could just take himself away again.
She’d only made it part of the way to the staff-only area when she ran across Leonie, heading the other way. For once, the head counselor was without her ever-present clipboard. Instead of a staff t-shirt, she wore a short floral sundress that emphasised her tanned curves.
“Paige!” Leonie waved her over. “Just the person I wanted to see. You’re not on cabin duty tonight, are you?”
“Nope,” Paige replied. “I thought I might head to the staff campfire. Want to join me?”
