He sat frozen for a second before turning and throwing his drink as hard as he could across the campsite.

“That was an excellent throw.”

He barked out a laugh. “Shut—” He caught himself, raking a hand over his face. “Sorry. Bad habit.” His shoulders heaved up and down. “I called him Dad all my life, thought he was my dad. Then my mom finally walked in on him after five years of cheating on her. She declared they were getting a divorce. We moved back here, ’cause she likes it here, and the new boyfriend starts coming around. The new boyfriend looks a lot like me. The new boyfriend, as I found out, was my real dad, so what do I call the asshole who raised me? Griffith? He ain’t Griffith to me, but he’s not my dad anymore.”

He scowled, going back to the table and pouring another drink for himself. He looked over. “You want one?”

Did I?

I was almost done so I finished it and stood, taking my cup to him.

I handed it over, letting our fingers brush. I didn’t look at him, but I could feel his eyes on me. They were smoldering, and I felt my body heating.

Then he pulled the cup away.

“So we’ve established that you’re out here because you were hoping to be camping with a ghost.”

I looked up.

That stung, but he was right.

That was why I was out here. He studied me until I nodded.

“And I’m out here avoiding talking to a guy that I don’t even know what to call anymore because he ain’t here for me. I’m just the excuse.” He whistled under his breath, finishing my drink and handing it over. He picked up his cup and held it out. “Let’s toast.”

I frowned, but held my cup up to his.

“How about we toast to losing our virginity in a tent?”

I coughed and sputtered out, “What?!”

“Just kidding.” He clinked his cup to mine and took a sip. “I’m not a virgin. Don’t worry.”

14

Blaise

She lay in front of me, and all I wanted to do was touch her.

That wasn’t true. I also wanted to lift her shirt up, show more of that little bit of waist she’d revealed as she turned away from me. She wore tight yoga pants to bed, and I wanted to move in, slide my hand inside them, and push them down. Then I wanted to cup her ass, because I could see a glimpse of her thong—pink and dainty looking. I groaned to myself.

My hard-on had a life of its own.

It wanted me to move closer, grind against her… And whose fault was it that we had to sleep next to each other? Mine. What a fuck am I? Apparently, you needed more than booze and food for camping. You needed things like sleeping bags and blankets, and things to brush your teeth—not that I was really worried about that. I could slip away to the gas station back up the road and do my business there.

Aspen had suggested we share the sleeping bag. It was that or I had to sleep in my Wagon. California nights could get cold, so here I was, a little drunk, and Aspen looked wasted after her three glasses. She had at least a decent buzz happening.

That was then. This was now.

I was awake and sober. Painfully sober.

Fuck, man. Fuck.

That bathroom make-out sesh was back in my head, replaying over and over again. Every little moan she’d made, the way I’d cupped her breasts, stroked her nipples, and grabbed them with both hands. Who the hell wouldn’t? She had a great rack, but now I was all sorts of regretting that because all I wanted to do was roll over on top of her, lift her shirt, and kiss those breasts while I slipped a finger inside her. Maybe two. Probably three. I wanted to wake her all the way up....

But I wouldn’t. I was fighting a boner the size of the redwoods surrounding us, but I had to be a gentleman. Because apparently, that’s what I’d signed up for when I decided I was going to be Aspen’s friend.

Friend. God.

Gag.

I was not a friend to girls. I banged them, or at least I fingered them. Friends? Hell to the no. So why was I out here? I could’ve gone to Zeke’s. He’d mentioned a rave in the desert, and I could’ve gotten lit up a whole different way. But I was here—in fucking boner rager agony—and Aspen was sleeping.

She was snoring. It was soft and cute-sounding, and there was that word again. Cute. I did not do cute.

“What’s your damage?”

I grinned, hearing my words come from her. Guess I woke her up.

She flipped over to glare at me. “I can’t sleep because I can hear how tense you are.”

My grin deepened, and I raised an eyebrow. “You want to know my problem?”

“Yeah.” She got settled, tipping her head to look up at me.

“Fine.” I looked down. “It’s not me that’s tense. My rager is working double-time, and you’re its techno music, if you get my drift.”

She frowned, glancing down.

“I have a massive hard-on for you.” There. I spelled it out.

She flushed, her eyes going round, but her lips curved up. She enjoyed this attention from me, and fuck me—that just made me want to torture her more. I was starting to live for her reactions, so I moved forward. I went slowly, giving her the option to pull away or stop me, but she never did.

Her teeth sank into her lip. I about jizzed my pants.

Cute.

Fuck.

She was all cute, and hot, and sexual, and I wanted to breathe her in, the more I was around her.

I rubbed against her, and she still didn’t stop me. That felt good. That felt real gooood. Reallly good.

Her eyes closed, and she moaned, and that was it.

I slid a hand under her shirt, moving it up, and rolled her to her back as I loomed over her. I was grinding against her, and I felt her holding her breath as her legs opened a little bit more for me.

Hell yeah. I moved all the way over her.

This was going to go bad fast, but who was I to stop us?

I settled right between her legs, and I pushed in and up. She gasped. It was like touching heaven again. I hissed, needing to let some of the tension out, as my fingers discovered she had no bra.

No bra. Was that a sign? Who was I talking to?

My fingers found her nipple as I thrust against her. Her legs wound around my hips, and she began moving with me. Now we were getting it on, and I couldn’t hold back anymore.

Dipping down, I found her lips.

Lust exploded in me. Shit, I wanted her. I wanted her so bad. This wasn’t like with other girls. She was more somehow, and I groaned. I couldn’t stop touching her. My lips opened over hers, commanding her, and she responded. She was so fucking good at that. My tongue slid inside to find hers, and as we kissed, I showed her how I wanted to be inside her in a whole other way.

I moaned. “You’re amazing.”

She didn’t respond, but her body started shaking. She grabbed my shoulders and moved to clutch my head.

She wrapped her legs tighter around my hips and lifted up against me, grinding herself on my dick. I slid my hand under her ass, palming one of her cheeks and lifting her even farther off the ground.

Okay. Enough of this angle.

I shoved up, bringing her with me, then did some maneuvering until her legs were over mine, her arms around my head, my tongue in her mouth, and my cock trying to get through those hot yoga pants. I could feel her breasts rubbing against my chest, and this was officially the best camping trip I’d ever gone on.

I smoothed my hand down her side, working my fingers under her waistband, but I paused, giving her time to refuse.

I felt like I was going to explode, but I needed to touch her. I had to take care of her. Still, I waited, and when I didn’t move fast enough, she took my hand, guiding me farther into her pants.

I grinned, nipping at her lips. “Hell yeah.”

She laughed. “Shut it.”

There she was, using my words against me. I was fast on my way to hard-core crushing on her, but then everything faded because my fingers were between her legs, and this right here was enough to let me die happy. There’s nothing better than touching your girl, stripping her, and making her combust all around you. I was about to finish that job, and I sank a finger inside.

She grasped my shoulders, moaning against my mouth, and then she was moving with me.

I slipped in a second finger.

She rolled her hips, riding my hand like a pro, and this was better than my own climax. I kept thrusting, playing her body, pulling away from her mouth and going down to find her breasts. I ran my tongue around her nipple as she shuddered, her fingers raking through my hair.

Nothing better, ever, than having your girl writhing against you and knowing you’re about to make her see fucking stars. I could feel her getting there; she was close. Her body tensed, her legs growing tighter around me. She was almost climbing me, and then, I felt her body snap. Her head fell back.

A guttural sound emerged from her, and she came all over me.

Best goddamn camping trip ever.

I held her close, easing her back down, because we were so not done. I nipped at her neck, giving her sweet, tantalizing kisses as she melted for me.

Then she came alive and her hand went into my pants, her fingers wrapping around me.

I pulled away from her mouth. “You don’t have to do that.”

She tightened her hold on me, just briefly, and she began to slide up and down. “Shut up, pretty boy.”

She rolled me over, straddled me and sat up. I wasn’t expecting any of this, but man, I loved it. I was loving this a whole lot, and then she made me see stars.