Chapter 6

Abe

“If you head east, you’ll come across a private dock that says Island Paddlers. There’s a place to tie up the boats, with some great swimming. Any questions?”

The greasy-haired man rubbed his hands together, staring a little too long at Cheyenne’s chest.

“No, I think we’re all good,” I said, anxious to get Cheyenne away from the perverted old creep. ~And~ get her alone.

I enjoyed her company. ~A lot.~ Even though it would be damn near impossible to score while sharing an RV with her brother.

But for the first time in my life, sex wasn’t my number one priority with a female companion. I just wanted to hang out with her and talk. Gaze into her beautiful, cornflower blue eyes.

~Fuck me.~

What was happening to me? I shifted my leg to make sure my balls were still down there. No chick had ever affected me the way Cheyenne had after a mere twenty-four hours together.

“Thanks for choosing us,” the pervert said, panting like a thirsty dog. His dingy tank top clung to his body as sweat trickled down his forehead.

“Really appreciate the publicity. Take all the time you want. On the house. Just be back by six. That’s when we close.”

“Oh, this looks kind of fun, honey,” Julie said, adjusting her fucking ridiculous sun hat on her head.

“I thought you were afraid of boats,” Cheyenne commented, studying Julie with narrowed eyes.

“Big boats on big bodies of water,” she explained with a tight, high-pitched laugh. “I’m not afraid of going out on a calm lake. That’s totally different.”

I climbed into the boat first and held out my hand for Cheyenne. We found our groove and were paddling away from the dock in no time.

Craig and Julie appeared to be having some kind of argument. I wouldn’t last five minutes with a high-maintenance chick like that. I lacked the patience for it.

And that’s why I didn’t do relationships. One of the reasons anyway.

I glanced at the girl next to me, enjoying the feel of her smooth thigh rubbing up against mine while we paddled the boat with our feet.

Cheyenne was different. Fun and easygoing. But they were probably all like that at first, until they secured the ball and chain. Then all bets were off, and they turned into bitches.

We paddled east with the serene lake in front of us, calm and blue with the afternoon sun reflecting off the ripples in the water.

The sound of birds chirping, a hum of a motorboat on the far side of the lake, the water lapping against the side of the paddleboat.

Perfect. Peaceful. Relaxing.

“Whatcha thinking about?” I asked when I caught Cheyenne staring off into the distance.

“Just about my family. Home. The farm.”

“You homesick already?” I reached down and gently squeezed her knee. When I kept my hand on her leg, she lifted it off and set it on my lap. “Sorry. I don’t know where to put my hands,” I teased.

“Try in your lap,” she suggested. “And no. I’m not homesick. I was home for two weeks. That was enough to remind me I don’t want to be a farmer.”

“How come?”

“I want to enjoy life. Travel. Sleep in on the weekends. Have days off. You can’t have any of those things on a farm. Especially a dairy farm.”

“Sure you can. You hire farm hands.”

She shrugged. “I want to open my own bakery someday.”

“That’d be cool. As long as you save your best baked goods for me. I’m sure you have quite the…buns,” I leered.

“Oh, stop,” she laughed, swatting me in the chest.

I captured her arm before she could retract it, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue when I caressed the inside of her wrist with my thumb.

I would’ve bet money her nipples were hard, but I couldn’t see because of her damn life jacket. She broke our steamy eye lock and glanced down at her feet.

~Fuck.~ I wanted to kiss her so bad. But I couldn’t. Because if I did, I would want more. And I couldn’t have it. Craig would kill me. And I had a feeling one night with Cheyenne would never be enough.

With a sigh of reluctance, I let go of her wrist. She fidgeted in her seat, staring straight ahead.

“How’s your mom doing?” I asked, hoping to break the tension.

“Oh, very well,” she said, leaning back in her seat. “Chase and Cam are both living on the farm with their wives and kids. She’s in her glory. Four grandkids under the age of five.”

“Wow. The house must be crowded.”

“It’s chaos.” She chuckled, shaking her head.

“And what about Chris? How’s he doing?”

“He lives in New York. Works on Wall Street. He’s not married.”

“Smart guy,” I said.

She studied me intently, chewing on her lower lip. My dick twitched. I needed her to stop that, or I was going to have a situation in my shorts that was going to be difficult to hide in a paddleboat.

“Do you think you’ll ever settle down?” she asked.

“Nah. I like being single. Less complicated.

“And if I ever find myself entertaining thoughts of a committed relationship, I’ll spend five minutes with Craig and Julie. There’s no way I’d ever put up with that shit.”

“I wouldn’t recommend using their relationship as a role model.”

“Stop paddling for a second.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “We need a picture for the web page. How about a selfie of us together?”

“Okay.”

“Can I put my arm around you?” I thought I’d better ask first after the leg incident earlier. “Our fans would like that.”

“What fans?” she laughed.

“We’ve already got two hundred followers after only one day. Look.” I handed her my phone.

“Whoa. Holy smokes.” Her eyes widened as she scrolled down the page.

“I know. It’s wild. Who would have thought so many people would be interested in following someone else’s camping trip?”

“Have you read the comments on the pictures?”

“Yeah. Maybe you shouldn’t.” I snatched the phone from her hands. But I was too late.

“Oh my God.” She looked away from me, but not before I noticed the blush on her cheeks.

“Hey,” I said. “Look at me.”

She turned slowly, blinking rapidly as our eyes met. “You ~are~ beautiful, Cheyenne. And the comments are true. I ~am~ a lucky guy to have the chance to hang out with you.”

“We should probably take the picture and get moving,” she said softly.

I slid over and wrapped my arm loosely over her shoulders. “Smile.”

***

“Looks like we’ve got the place all to ourselves,” I said as I secured the boat to the narrow dock and scanned our surroundings.

It wasn’t much to talk about, but at least it was private. The beach consisted of a few feet of sandy, rocky shoreline. “I wonder where Craig and Julie got to.”

Cheyenne shrugged, taking a seat on the edge of the dock before dipping her feet into the water. “Oh! It’s cold.”

“Bet it will feel refreshing though. It’s hot today.”

I dropped down next to her, our bare legs brushing together. We settled into a comfortable silence, surrounded by the calming sounds of the water licking the shoreline as a great blue heron flew overhead.

I’d never felt more at ease with a woman in my entire life.

My next words tumbled from my mouth before my brain could catch up and inject some much-needed common sense. “I like you, Cheyenne.”

“I like you too, Abe,” she said, smiling up at me, her heavenly blue eyes sparkling in the late afternoon sun.

“I like you a lot,” I whispered, tucking a wisp of blond hair behind her ear.

She swallowed hard before a nervous chuckle erupted from her throat.

The sound of voices cut through the air. “Craig and Julie are here,” she said, turning around.

“Why didn’t you wait for us?” Craig asked when they approached the dock.

“I thought you were right behind us,” I lied.

How was I supposed to tell my best friend that I couldn’t stand his girlfriend and I wanted to be alone with his little sister?

“Bullshit,” Craig scoffed. “You guys took off like a bat out of hell.”

I shrugged as I threw him the rope to tie up his boat. He secured it and clambered up on the dock.

“My sister is off-limits.”

“Craig!” Julie whined. “Help me out.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered before helping his girlfriend up onto the dock.

“I’m going in,” I declared, pulling my shirt over my head. I walked to the end of the dock and executed the perfect cannonball.

The cold water sucked me into its chilly depths, my body going numb with shock before I resurfaced.

“How’s the water?” Craig yelled.

“Well,” I paused and pushed my wet hair back from my face. “It’s refreshing.”

Craig discarded his shirt and dove in. “It’s f-freezing,” he stammered when he came up. “Are you girls coming in?”

“Oh no,” Julie said, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t swim in lakes.”

“What about you, sis?”

“Yeah. I wanna get cooled off.”

Cheyenne pulled her tank top over her head, revealing a hot pink bikini top. I tried my damnedest to tear my eyes away. And failed.

Those sweet, curved mounds of creamy flesh had me riveted. My eyes roamed further south, taking in her toned abs and flat tummy.

~Fuck me!~

She had a fucking belly button ring! If I wasn’t in ice-cold water, my cock would be hard as steel.

Then she pulled down her shorts. Her matching bikini bottoms didn’t leave much to the imagination, barely covering her pussy lips.

My brain went into overdrive, conjuring up all kinds of dirty thoughts involving my face between those sexy thighs.

“Abe!” Craig bellowed, his angry voice interrupting my daydream.

“What?”

“You know what,” he growled.

Cheyenne wandered to the end of the dock and stuck her foot in. “It’s freezing!” she yelped, yanking her foot back.

“It’s not bad once you get in,” I lied. My balls were freezing off, but if I told her that, she’d never get in. And I wanted that sexy little body in the lake with me.

“C’mon, Cheyenne!” Craig called. “Don’t be a wuss. Just jump in.”

“I will when I’m ready. Leave me alone.”

“Pussy!” he taunted.

I pulled myself up on the dock and waited until she was distracted by her brother’s teasing. Then I scooped her up in my arms and tossed her off the end of the dock.

A slew of profanities poured from her mouth before she hit the water with a loud smack.

“You are so dead,” Julie said, shaking her head.

I ignored her and vaulted off the end of the dock. When I came up, Cheyenne was waiting for me, her blue eyes flashing with anger. “Why did you do that?”

“I knew it was the only way you’d ever get in. Craig was in on it. He distracted you.”

“I thought he was just going to give you a little push,” Craig said, shooting me a look of disapproval. “I didn’t know he was going to pick you up and throw you in.”

Cheyenne splashed me in the face. “That was not cool, Abe.”

“But it got you in,” I said, splashing her back.

“I wanted to get in slowly.” She splashed me again. But she was grinning. And that was all the confirmation I needed. She wanted to play.

I dove under the water and swam between her legs, lifting her onto my back. She screamed, grabbing my shoulders to steady herself and digging her nails into my flesh.

Her tits pressed against my back, her rock-hard nipples pebbling into my skin. My cock hardened. Right there in the frigid lake. So much for shrinkage.

“Abe! Put me down!”

I swam into the deeper water and threw her over my shoulders. When she came up, she sputtered and wiped water out of her eyes before circling me with a devilish glint in her eyes.

“I’m not sure what you’re up to. But I’m two hundred pounds of pure muscle. Good luck, sweetheart.”

“I’ll get you back later. When you aren’t expecting it.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

I watched her swim back to shore. She walked up the beach, giving me a nice view of her perfect ass.

~Fuck me.~

~

~I was in big trouble. I’d spent only one day with the girl, and I wanted her.~ ~Bad. ~How would I survive six weeks without taking her? Especially when it was becoming obvious the attraction was mutual?~

~

I glanced up at the dock. Craig was standing at the end with his arms folded, a concerned look on his face. I was so busy fooling around with his sister, I hadn’t noticed he’d gotten out of the water.

“Relax,” I said when I climbed up the ladder to the dock. “We’re just having fun.”

“Craig?” Julie’s whiny voice cut through the air. “Wanna go for a walk down the beach?”

“No.”

“Why?” She came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I wanna spend some time alone with my man.”

I rubbed my hand down my scruffy jaw. I hated shaving, which meant I always sported some semblance of a beard. “Go ahead. I promise I won’t defile your sister. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“C’mon, baby.” Julie tugged on his arm.

“All right,” he conceded. He glanced back at me as they headed down the beach. I waved before reaching into the boat for our towels.

“Where are they going?” Cheyenne asked.

“For a walk.” I spread our towels out on the dock and settled on my back with my hands behind my head.

She chewed on her lower lip for a second before joining me. I turned my head and gazed into her eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She blinked and turned away.

Hm. I was beginning to notice a pattern. Cheyenne was flirty and daring when her brother was around, but as soon as we were alone, she reverted to a shy, nervous girl.

Did she think I was going to put the moves on her as soon as Craig was out of sight? Did she want me to?

I found her hand and clasped our fingers together. We laid there, side by side in silence, soaking up the late afternoon rays.

There was something to be said for hanging out with a girl and doing absolutely nothing other than just existing in the same space.

I wondered if that’s what it was like after you’d been with the same person for a long time.

“How are your folks?” she asked.

“They’re good. Happy now that they live on opposite sides of the country. Dad’s in Arizona and Mom’s in Florida.”

“Whatever works,” she chuckled.

“Well, living together certainly didn’t. I can attest to that. They fought constantly until Mom finally grew a set of balls and left.”

I stared up at the sky, a vast and consuming canvas of azure. I loved days like that. Not a cloud in sight.

And I was lying on a dock with a beautiful girl, sharing the details of my childhood that I usually kept to myself. I felt at ease with Cheyenne. Comfortable.

“I think my parents’ horrible marriage has a lot to do with my fear of commitment.”

“That makes sense. But there are lots of people out there who have happy marriages. Isn’t your dad remarried?”

“He is indeed.”

“And is he happy?”

“I have no idea.”

“Maybe your parents just weren’t right for each other.”

“So why the hell did they get married then?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes, I think people feel pressured to get married and start a family by a certain age, so they marry the first person that comes along instead of waiting for their soulmate.”

I rolled on my side and propped my head on my elbow. “So how do you know if someone’s your soulmate?”

“I’m not sure,” she said softly as she averted her gaze. “I’ll let you know when I find mine. I’m guessing that you probably just know.”

“What happened with your boyfriend? Is that why you turned down his marriage proposal? He wasn’t the one?”

She sat up and pulled on her shirt. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

~Ouch.~ I’d definitely touched a nerve. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s fine.” She stood up, pulling on her shorts before gathering up her towel. “Here comes Craig and Julie. We should probably head back.”

***

The intoxicating smell of wood smoke and pine needles filled the air, the orange and yellow flames dancing in the cool night air.

I leaned back in my chair and took a long pull from my beer. “The girls in bed?” I asked when Craig emerged from the RV.

“Yeah,” he sighed as he threw another log on the fire. “Julie isn’t much of a night owl. Cheyenne usually is, but she mentioned she had a headache.”

“Hm. She was pretty quiet at dinner.”

Craig pulled out his phone and studied it for a moment, his eyes going wide. “Holy shit. We’re up to four hundred followers. That’s wild.”

“I know,” I agreed, shaking my head.

He furrowed his brow, frowning as he scrolled through our page. “Most of the comments are about you and Cheyenne.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep. People think you guys are a couple.” He looked up from the phone, his expression unreadable. “Probably because of all the selfies of you guys.”

I shrugged. “We’re just doing our job. Making camping at Twenty-First Century Parks look fun.”

“I’m your best friend, Abe. Cut the bullshit and level with me.”

I rubbed my jaw as I stared at the fire. “I like Cheyenne. She’s fun to hang out with. And I’m sexually attracted to her.”

He nodded. “I appreciate your honesty.”

We sat in silence for a while, drinking beer and watching the fire.

“So, what’s the plan?” Craig asked.

“Plan for what?”

“Well, you can’t exactly sleep with her when you’re sharing an RV with her brother. And you’re moving to New York after the trip is over.

“Cheyenne is vulnerable and on the rebound. And you don’t do relationships. Seems like a recipe for disaster.”

“It’s not like I planned this. And I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. We’ve spent only a couple days together.”

“I just don’t want to see my sister get hurt.”

“She won’t. You have my word.