“Well, by all means, don’t let me stop you from taking off more clothes,” I whisper so no one outside our tent can overhear. The last thing I’d want is one of her brothers to come in here and beat my ass.
Oh, hell. I’m already in for a world of pain where they’re concerned…
She ignores my comment and glances around. “Do you mind if I steal your bottom blanket?” she asks, referring to the thicker blanket I used to pad the ground beneath my sleeping bag.
“I have a better idea. You’ll take the sleeping bag,” I insist because it’s thicker and rated for cooler weather.
“I can’t?—”
“You will,” I state bluntly. “It’s warmer and more comfortable.”
“I’m not taking your bed,” she blurts out. “I’ll be fine in the blanket.”
“You’ll be fine in my sleeping bag, Charli. Don’t argue with me on this.”
She sighs and rubs the side of her head. “I can’t, Quinn. I wouldn’t feel right. I’ll just go home,” she states, turning her attention to putting her boots back on.
“No, wait,” I blurt out, a little louder than I should. “Just…stop.” I run my hand through my hair. “We’ll share.”
Her eyes narrow into little slits. “If you’re thinking about funny business?—”
“First off, I’m always thinking about funny business,” I start, not even caring I interrupted her. “But that’s not what I’m talking about here. My sleeping bag is wide. Two can fit inside.”
Exhaling loudly, I can feel her hesitation. “I’ll be a complete gentleman.”
Her eyes narrow, and I can tell I’ve won. She’s fighting it, but she’s already agreed in her own head. Charli loves camping, and the only reason she doesn’t have her own tent is because she’s always just bunked with one of her brothers. However, now that her brothers are in relationships, I can’t help but wonder what her next step will be.
“Fine,” she grumbles, moving to the sleeping bag. “This is a terrible idea,” she mutters, climbing inside.
“Yeah, well, it wouldn’t be my first one. Remember when I convinced Camden to tie a rope from the tree branch in your backyard? Not realizing that particular branch was damaged from the storm and already hanging?”
She snorts and shakes her head. “He tried so hard not to cry the whole way to the hospital to set his broken arm,” she says, grinning as she settles into the sleeping bag.
“I felt like absolute shit for weeks,” I confess, remembering the feeling of absolute despair when I watched him fall and break his arm.
“He intentionally used you as his little servant, because he knew you felt so terrible and would do anything for him.”
I bark out a laugh, taking my own boots off. “I know, but I didn’t care. I would have done anything, you’re right.” Grabbing my sweatpants out of my bag, I release my belt and start removing my jeans. I can feel her eyes on me as I kick them to the side and cover up with my sweatpants.
When I glance up and see her staring as I tie the drawstring, I say, “Better tie these, huh? Wouldn’t want your hands to find their way down the front of my drawers.”
She snorts a giggle and shakes her head. “Not gonna happen.”
“I know, because I tied my pants closed.” Then, I head to where she’s lying. Seeing her there has my cock already planning to join the conversation. “You wanna be big spoon or little spoon?” I ask, hands on my hips.
She sticks out her tongue. “Neither? I hate cuddling.”
“What? How in the world can you hate cuddling?”
She shrugs, looking a bit uncomfortable. That tough veneer slips just a bit. “I just don’t like it. You get hot and sweaty, for one.”
“Yeah, my favorite,” I murmur, waggling my eyebrows.
“Exactly! You can’t just snuggle for the sake of snuggling. Guys think because you’re close, they need to fuck you.”
That makes me pause. “Yeah, I see your point. Being close to someone you’re incredibly attracted to and want to fuck every hour of every day would create a bit of a hard situation, if you know what I mean.”
She rolls her eyes. “Everyone knows what you mean.”
