Chapter 5

Cheyenne

The wind whipped through the backseat of the Jeep, warm air licking at my face and cajoling my hair into flips and twirls as we sped down the highway.

The scenery on Vancouver Island was breathtaking. Tall trees, crisp blue lakes, and mountains in the distance made for a pleasant drive to Duncan.

We were taking a trip to the farmers’ market, about thirty minutes from Honeymoon Bay.

A key aspect of the advertising campaign involved highlighting the local areas around the campground by engaging in different activities in each location.

“Can’t we pull over and put the top up?” Julie whined. “My hair is getting all messed up. I’m going to have so many tangles, I’ll require a trip to a salon to fix it.”

I glanced over at her, trying hard not to roll my eyes or make a rude comment. But it was a challenge to keep my mouth shut.

We were sitting together in the back of the Jeep. She’d had a temper tantrum before we left, claiming she had to sit in the front or she would get carsick.

Abe wanted to drive, and Craig wanted to sit in the front and hang out with his best friend.

Surprisingly, my brother didn’t cave. He told her she was either sitting in the back or she wasn’t going. End of discussion.

“What?” she snarled.

Nothing,” I replied, turning to look out the window. I guess I didn’t do a good job of hiding my disbelief at her behavior after all.

She moaned and sighed, muttering under her breath the rest of the way there, but everyone ignored her. Including her boyfriend.

***

“Oh wow,” Julie said as Abe circled the large gravel lot, looking for a parking space. “There’s a lot of people here. It’s too crowded.

“Craig, how about we just skip the market and find somewhere to have a quiet lunch?”

Craig sighed, turning around in his seat. “No. This is on our itinerary today, and we have to take pictures and do a social media post. Remember? That’s why we’re on this trip? It’s a job we’re getting paid for.”

“Fine,” she huffed as she climbed out and slammed the door.

“I say we split up,” Abe suggested, glancing at his watch. “It’s almost eleven. How about we meet back here at one?”

“Really?” Craig studied Abe suspiciously, furrowing his brows. “Why?”

“I just think you and your girlfriend should have some alone time.”

Before Craig could protest, he grabbed my hand and dragged me into the crowd.

“What are you doing?” I asked, almost running to keep up with his long strides.

“Getting as far away from that whiny bitch as I can,” he replied, slowing down to a leisurely pace.

But he didn’t let go of my hand. He threaded our fingers together and gazed down at me, his pupils dilated to the point that only a small ring of blue remained.

My belly clenched, heat spreading up my chest to my face.

“What do you want to look at first?” I asked, my voice coming out gravelly as I tried to calm my nerves.

The star of every sexual fantasy I’d ever had was holding my hand and staring at me like I was his next meal.

“I’m not sure. Let’s just wander around.”

We walked past various fruit and vegetable stands and perused the arts and crafts.

“Did you enjoy working on our farm, Abe?”

“I didn’t enjoy the actual work, but I liked staying there. Your family was a lot of fun. And the home-cooked meals made up for the long hours of shoveling shit and cutting grass.”

“You thought my family was fun? I guess I remember those years differently than you.”

“I suppose. You were grieving for your dad in addition to all the normal angst of a young teenage girl.

“Your brothers dealt with their loss by drinking moonshine in the barn after the chores were done. And banging lots of chicks. They had outlets for their grief that you didn’t have because they were older.”

“My brothers drank moonshine?”

“Oh yeah,” he chuckled. “And smoked a little pot now and then.”

“Wow,” I said, shaking my head. “I had no idea any of that was going on.”

“We were all dealing with heavy shit. Your brothers inherited a lot of responsibility when your dad died. It wasn’t easy for them to give up their dreams and take over the farm.”

He paused, squeezing my hand. “And my parents were fighting all the time. It was nice to get away from them for a couple months.”

“That must have been hard for you. You wanted to get away from your dad, and my brothers would’ve given anything to bring ours back.”

He nodded, stopping to study a display of ball caps. “I remember you that summer your dad passed away.

“At the dinner table. You always sat at the far end, rarely cracking a smile. If your brothers teased you about something, you’d storm off to your room.”

“I was a moody, prepubescent girl who’d lost her daddy. What did you expect?”

He shrugged. “You were cute though. When you dressed like a girl. Which wasn’t too often, if I recall correctly.”

“I was a tomboy.”

“When did that change?”

“What?”

“When did you turn into a girl?”

“I’ve always been a girl,” I laughed, slapping his chest with my free hand. He still had my other one firmly clasped in his.

“I meant, when did you start ~acting~ like a girl?”

“When I was fifteen.”

~Right after I saw you with that girl in the bunkhouse. When I became obsessed with sex.~

“Oh. I see. It must have been after I left. I would’ve noticed a transformation of that magnitude.”

“Do you think Craig and Julie are having fun?” I asked, letting go of his hand to look through a rack of T-shirts.

“Definitely not. ‘Fun’ is not in that girl’s vocabulary.”

“She just needs to relax. Maybe we should try to get her drunk or something.”

“I bet she’s not even a fun drunk,” Abe said, capturing my hand again when we resumed walking. He glanced down at me. “Is it okay that I’m holding your hand?”

“It’s fine, Abe.” I smiled up at him, my belly tingling at the feel of his big, rough hand swallowing up my tiny fingers.

Every once in a while, he would caress the space between my thumb and index finger, sending jolts of electricity straight to my core.

“Good. I wouldn’t want to explain to your brother that I lost you in the farmers’ market,” he said with a hearty laugh.

“I’m a grown woman with a cell phone. I think I would survive.”

“Maybe. But I like holding your hand.” He winked at me, triggering wetness between my legs.

~Good grief.~

I couldn’t remember the last time a man had gotten me wet with just a look.

“Wanna grab a bite to eat?” he asked.

“Yeah. Sure.”

***

“What on earth is that?” I asked, taking a seat across from Abe at the food court. He had some strange-looking, deep-fried things on his plate.

“Canadian bacon pickle balls. And they are fucking awesome.” He tossed aside the stick from the one he’d already consumed.

“What’s in it?”

“A pickle wrapped in Canadian bacon and stuffed with a hot dog. And deep-fried, of course.” His face split into a goofy grin as he watched my reaction.

“Oh my,” I said with a chuckle. “Sounds super salty.”

“Wanna try a bite?” he asked, moving over to sit in the chair next to me.

“Um. Sure. Why not?”

He picked up one of his strange balls by the stick and brought it up to my mouth.

“Open wide,” he said, smiling like a kid in a candy store, his dreamy blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

I dutifully followed directions and took a small bite off the edge, but all I got was breading. I swallowed and went back for another bite just as he moved his finger.

My lips grazed his skin just before I bit down on the pickle, the contact sending an explosion of electricity through my body. Like I’d just pulled a staticky sweater over my head in the wintertime.

No man had ever had that effect on me before.

Our eyes locked while I chewed up the food and swallowed.

His pupils dilated, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his lips curved up in a sexy grin. My little inadvertent kiss on his finger had affected him as much as it did me.

“It’s actually pretty tasty,” I said.

He cleared his throat and sat back in his chair, but he didn’t return to his side of the table. He grabbed his tray and pulled it over. “What did you get?”

“Chocolate-covered bacon and garlic fries.”

“Chocolate-covered bacon? Mm. Can I try a piece?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

I wasn’t going to feed it to him. We’d done enough flirting for one day. If we didn’t stop, Craig was going to pick up on it and flip out.

I didn’t want to cause any more tension in the group. Julie was doing a good job of that all by herself.

***

When we reached the parking lot, Abe let go of my hand. He’d been holding it for two hours, and I immediately missed the warmth of his large fingers wrapped around mine.

I had to get myself under control. I couldn’t sleep with Abe.

Not that I would have an opportunity anyway, with my brother and his girlfriend underfoot. And if I did, it would just be casual sex. Abe didn’t do relationships. To my knowledge, he’d never had a girlfriend.

What if that was my whole problem with sex? I just needed to get Abe out of my system. To have a wild fling with the guy from my teenage fantasies. I bet ~he~ wouldn’t have any trouble making me come.

Craig and Julie weren’t back yet when we reached the Jeep. Abe opened the passenger door. “You ride shotgun this time.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “Craig can sit in the back. He brought her. He can sit with her.”

Abe laughed as he closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. “How tall are you, Cheyenne?”

“Five-ten.” I looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wondered.” He shrugged and threw me a crooked smile. His eyes wandered past me, his smile disappearing. “What the fuck?”

I turned to see Craig, Julie, and a humongous pink sun hat. The only thing more shocking than the size of her hat was the grin plastered across her face.

“Hey,” Craig called out, his arms loaded down with bags while Julie trotted along carrying nothing but her purse.

“Hello,” Julie said. “Abe, pop the hatch so Craig can load all my parcels in the back.”

“It’s unlocked,” he said, not budging.

“Well, thanks for your help,” she muttered as she fiddled with the lever. “Oh, Cheyenne. I found the most marvelous fresh scallops for you to cook up tonight.”

“Okay. Great. Thanks.” I loved scallops, so I had no issue with it. It was her money.

“And I also bought a bunch of clams. I’ve been feeling a little homesick, and I thought a nice pot of clam chowder would help. Comfort food, you know. That reminds me of home.”

Abe sucked in his breath. I stared at her, dumbfounded by her selfishness and blatant ignorance.

“Clam chowder requires a lot more ingredients than just clams. And I’m not on this trip to be your personal chef. Nobody wants to eat soup when it’s boiling outside. So, I’m sorry, but I’m not making it.”

“But I bought all these clams,” she whined. “What else can I do with them?”

“Lots of things. Throw them in a frying pan with some vegetables or something simple like that.”

“Well, fine, then. Never mind.” She glared at me as she continued to stand next to the passenger door. “Are you going to get out?”

“No. I’m riding in the front on the way back.”

“Cheyenne, please. I hate riding in the back. Honestly, be a little flexible.”

“Okay,” Abe snapped. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m starting to get a fucking headache. Julie, get in the damn Jeep or I’m going to leave you here.”

“You wouldn’t,” she huffed.

“Watch me.” He put the Jeep into reverse and started to back up.

“Abraham!” she screeched.

He put his foot on the brake. “Did you want a ride?”

She pulled open the back door and climbed in next to Craig. He sighed and rubbed his forehead before turning to look out the window. He sure knew how to pick ’em.

He was so distracted on the trip back, he failed to notice the activity in the front seat.

Hands clasped, fingers interlocked. Flirtatious glances. And a soft moan from my lips when Abe ran his thumb up and down my wrist, sending sizzling sparks from my nipples to my clit.

Yep. Abe knew how to arouse a woman. He’d have me coming with very little effort. If I let him.