Chapter 5

Danica–Thursday

 

I woke up the next morning with a light, buzzing feeling in my heart. I couldn't believe how well things had gone with my surprising night out with Rhett. When he turned up at my door, my heart had instantly started to flutter as I knew things were finally going to step up a notch. There was no way he would have turned up at my door for no reason.

And that kiss! That was really something else.

I remembered his lips against mine, and the way that made me melt against him. His big, strong body felt so right against me; he made me feel so feminine, so protected, and like a goddess all at once. Having the attention of someone as gorgeous as Rhett all focused on me was overwhelming and exciting, and I loved every second of it. I felt like I was basking in the warmth of his sun, and I hoped things would only get better.

I instantly glanced down at my phone, noticing that the screen was lit up. Just knowing that he’d taken the time to send me a message made me feel on top of the world.

‘Good morning, beautiful. I cannot wait to see you again today. xxx’

The kisses he’d written sent my insides wild with desire, and I jumped out of bed anxious to see him all over again. As I dragged the brush through my hair before spinning it up into a messy bun, the grin didn’t leave my face even once. I looked like a bit of a fool in the mirror, but I didn’t even care. I was light, swelling with happiness, and I couldn't wait to see how things were going to go today.

I wondered if he would stick to his words and to come and see me at college. The thought of having him there, on campus with me, made me feel far more excited than it should. Especially, as it might not happen.

I shouldn’t get too carried away when I had no real idea where his head was at. It might just be a fling, for all I knew. In fact, if this did turn out to be nothing more than a little fun, I would be okay with that. Sure, I liked Rhett a lot, but I would be happy to only have this time with him, if that was all it was going to be.

As long as I got the rest of the week with him, I could cope with whatever would come next.

As my group and I walked towards the ropes course, my heart pounded happily against my chest. The girls were buzzing with excitement, too, practically shrieking with the events that were to come.

There was definitely some flirtation going on between Rhett’s group and mine, but it was all very tame and innocent. Nothing more than a sweet, summer romance that they’d think about all year. I even suspected that there might be something between Holly and Ricky–a confidence boost I knew she needed.

“Right, Belions,” Rhett called out, taking control of the situation. “We’re doing team building tasks today, so we’re going to need to work together if we want to keep our first place.” The kids all nodded and made agreeable noises. “We’re currently the team to beat, so everyone is against us–which is perfect. They are all jealous and struggling to cope with our success.”

As he continued to motivate the team, to rile them up into a frenzy, I focused on his lips. As much as I loved the activities and the fun, it was him that my brain centered around. I knew the team building activities well enough from my own time here, which meant I didn’t actually need to focus.

The only problem was my distracted state got even worse as we started training. Everything we did seemed to involve being far too close to Rhett, touching him in one way or another. Under normal circumstances with anyone else, that would be absolutely fine. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but with all the chemistry radiating between us, it felt downright inappropriate. I was so aware of every aspect of his entire body–his breath, his skin, his lips–I found it difficult to even think about what was going on around us.

As the day drifted towards the time of the competition, I found myself feeling closer to Rhett than ever. We hadn’t been able to discuss us and our feelings during the day, of course, but I felt like there was a lot of unsaid tensions being explored–just between us. Every brush of skin, every knowing look, even the odd wink where possible. It was nice having a juicy little secret; it made me feel even more connected to him.

This time, the counsellors were much more involved in the competition, even taking part in some of the races to “prove our worth,” so Rhett and I didn’t have that tension of waiting to see how our team was going to do. We were helping them, getting mucky in the mud alongside them–a part that I’d really been looking forward to when I signed up to be a camp counsellor, which now felt like time taking me away from my time with Rhett.

Unfortunately, the camp counsellors played dirtier than the kids, which meant we really had to up our game. It was tense, there was a lot of cheating and trash talk on the field, but fortunately, my and Rhett’s competitive spirit won out in the end, and we came first–but only just. It was the closest we’d come to letting our top place position slip, and there was a definite air of pressure in the air.

We celebrated as normal, but there was something a little lacking. Rhett and I knew it...and so did our kids. As we all hugged and cheered, my mind whirred with guilt, knowing that a massive part of things going wrong was my fault. I wouldn’t get distracted again, I would have to find a way to concentrate on both Rhett and the teams–because let’s face it, there was no way that I wouldn’t be able to think about him at all. I needed to do better for my team–they deserved the best that I could offer them.

But then Rhett leaned forward and whispered in my ear, making my promises all fly away. “Lake again tonight?” I nodded, all of my feelings for him floating to the surface all over again.

How the hell am I supposed to worry about team building activities when he was driving me so crazy with desire at every damn opportunity? It was impossible!

 

***

 

As the moonlight overtook and it became officially night, I slid another sundress over my head. This time it was a shocking red colour–guaranteed to get Rhett’s attention. It was cool, but not so cold that this outfit was inappropriate, which was perfect for me. It meant I could show him the girly side that he didn’t get to see during training.

Then, I allowed my hair to hang loose and put on a small amount of makeup on my face–just enough to highlight my eyes. I enjoyed Rhett staring into them because the look he gave me made me feel amazing, so I wanted to make them pop as much as I possibly could.

‘I’m waiting, and the stars are looking beautiful. xxx’

I heard my phone ping, and a small shiver ran down my spine. As I read over his words, I couldn't even consider playing it cool and making him wait. The image of his beauty under the wonderful starlit sky was firmly fixed in my mind, and I needed to see him for real.

I quickly grabbed my flip flops, debating whether or not this message warranted a reply before tossing my phone onto my bed sheets and racing outside to talk to him face to face–the way I liked best. Messages were nice enough, but hearing his chocolaty-smooth voice was music to my ears, a sound that I would never tire of.

My eyes lit up when they spotted him standing under the pale moonlight facing away from me, over to the water. He was wearing a tank top and shorts, showing me all of the muscles that I lusted over, and his hair was the typically messy style that I’d come to associate with him. His body was so sculpted, which was clearly down to his athletic lifestyle, and that was something I hadn’t even realised I desired until I saw Rhett for the first time.

When he heard my footsteps moving closer to him, he spun around showing me that face that was now in every single one of my dreams. “Well, hello there,” he grinned, immediately pulling me in for a hug as soon as I was close enough for him to do so. “You look wonderful.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I eyed him up and down appreciatively. I was being much flirtier than I normal was with guys, but then again, I couldn't think of anyone that I’d liked as much as Rhett. “Come on, let’s head back down to the pier.”

But this time we didn’t quite make it down to the water’s edge. Instead, we sat surrounded by the bushes we’d hid in the night before, recalling the memory as if it was something that had happened ages ago, as if it was a solidifying moment in our relationship.

Which, I suppose in a way, it was.

Then all of sudden, we were kissing like horny teenagers that couldn't get enough of one another. I wasn't totally sure what happened–one moment we were laughing and reminiscing, the next moment our lips had crashed together and our hands were everywhere. I had no idea who made the first move, only that we were equally keen for one another.

And this time, it didn’t seem like anything was going to stop us.

As we kissed for what felt like hours, I knew we were losing track of time, but I didn’t even care. I didn’t want to leave, and eventually there came to a point where I actually found myself wanting to take things to another level.

Rhett seemed to sense my newfound passion because his hand started to work its way up my dress and over the top of my bra. I could tell that he was testing the waters, seeing how far I was willing to take it. The heady fog of desire that was slowly consuming me. I felt ready to go very far indeed...

But then something stopped me. I had no idea what it was; I just quickly pulled back and glanced at the watch sitting on Rhett’s wrist, panic coursing right through my veins.

“Oh... It’s, erm, it’s really late. We should probably be getting back,” I stammered, feeling my face heat up. I had no idea why I stopped things from progressing, except for the fact that we were outside and it felt a little uncomfortable taking things to that level when anyone could interrupt. “Big day tomorrow.” My reasons were logical and truthful, but that didn’t stop me from feeling awful about putting a halt to something that was promising to be amazing.

“Of course.” Rhett didn’t seem annoyed at all by my semi rejection, which calmed me down slightly. At least he wasn't mad about my freak out; he was even smiling kindly at me. The fact that he seemed to respect my boundaries made me like him even more. He was just so sweet and lovely, unlike any guy I’d ever spent time with before. “Let me walk you back.”

As he dropped me outside my cabin, kissing me passionately once more, my heart pounded wildly against my ribcage. While he held me in his arms, I found myself regretting pulling away and not allowing things to escalate.

I just hoped that it wouldn’t be my only chance.