Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
The fantasy grew from there. Who were they hiding from? How did they know each other? Some of my speculation seemed wrong…but Carver didn’t seem to think it was bad last night. No, it excited him, too.
“Lainey.” One of my campers interrupts my feverish thoughts. The members of my cabin are down by the lake’s edge, finishing their lunch and watching me curiously. “Earth to Lainey.”
I cross my arms over my hard nipples. “Yeah?”
A couple of them stand up. “Can we go for a swim now?”
“Sure,” I say, smiling. “I’ll come with you.”
They let up a cheer, probably because this is the first time we’ll go swimming together in the lake. When I told Carver I wanted to return to camp so the girls could lean on me for emotional support after visitor’s day tomorrow, I wasn’t lying. In just a short time, I’ve really started to like these kids. Most of them are from families with money and I grew up envious of privileged girls, assuming they were mean or out of touch. Turns out, they’re all insecure and goofy and needing of support. Giving it to them makes me feel good, which is just another reason I can’t give up my job to go on a permanent vacation in the woods with Carver.
I stand up and strip off my camp T-shirt, leaving myself in jean shorts and a bikini top. My skin prickles with the awareness of being watched. Stalked. Is he touching himself right now as I undress, rubbing his cock in that fast, violent way I know he does? Taking a deep breath, I unbutton my shorts and let them fall to the earth. Behind me, the trees rustle and a groan floats on the wind, surrounding me and making me shiver.
“Come on, Lainey!”
“Yeah. We’re going to play chicken.”
Having only swum a handful of times at a public pool back in Texas, I have no idea what chicken is, but I’m excited to find out. All the girls are in the lake now, splashing around and being dorks in general. So with one last glance toward the trees, I kick off my moccasins and head for the lake—
“Hey there, Lainey.”
I stop in my tracks at the sound of Manny’s voice. Tension thickens the air as I turn around and find him admiring my body with a kind of entitled appreciation. The air isn’t the only thing that’s thickening, either. There’s a noticeable bulge rising in his shorts, and acid fills my mouth in response. “Uh, hey Manny.”
He comes closer. “I was so worried about you last night.”
Holding up a hand, I take a giant step backwards. This guy has no idea how close he is to death right now. Part of me wants him to find out, but I can’t let anyone get hurt because of me. Especially in front of the girls. One wrong move on Manny’s part, however, and I have no doubt Carver will exit those trees like a demon on the warpath. “Like I told everyone last night, Carver is a friend of mine.” I let my hand drop. “He was just playing around.”
“Really?” He tightens his ponytail. “It seemed a lot like kidnapping.”
“Well, it wasn’t,” I snap, remembering the scene when I arrived back at camp last night in ripped shorts, Carver watching miserably from the trees as I walked away. The cops had shown up and were in the process of forming a search party when I strolled into the quad with my bravado on full blast, feigning shock that everyone was making such a big deal out of what happened. After all, it was just my friend Carver having some fun at my expense. When they asked how I knew him and questioned why my shorts were ripped, I claimed to have met the man they refer to as The Butcher while on a recent morning hike—and assured them all he’s actually very nice. The ripped shorts were just a casualty of tripping in the forest. That’s all.
This morning, it was clear only the campers bought it. I’ve managed to avoid any more questions from the other counselors, though, until now.
“I’m sorry everyone was worried about me, but there was no need. As you can see, I’m fine.”
“Oh, trust me.” He rakes me with a look. “I can see how fine you are.”
There’s another rustling in the trees, a low rumbling sound moving across the shoreline like rippling thunder. “I’d like you to leave me alone, please,” I say in a rush. If Carver kills this man, there will be no peaceful existence for him ever again. The police would hunt him down—and something tells me he wouldn’t be taken alive. No, I have to defuse this situation myself. And fast. “I’m going swimming with the girls. Shouldn’t you be with your cabin?”