Diego stalked toward the next activity.

Lunch with Jeffrey London had been strained, only becoming easier when the conversation turned to business.

He hadn’t spoken with Penny since she took off after the kayak race. He could have handled that better. Okay, honesty time, he couldn’t have handled it much worse.

Remorse and a sick shame slithered through him.

He knew what it was like to be judged on your parents’ mistakes. Before he’d gone to live with Tío Raul permanently, he’d borne the brunt of other people’s judgment for his parent’s bad choices. What happened twelve years ago and Jeffrey London’s reaction to her all these years later meant the scandal must have been intense.

So yeah, he sucked.

But, Cristo, having sex with her had put a crimp in his dealings with London.

He should never have deviated from his typical mode of choosing sexual partners for business reasons. His usual partners were elegant, well-connected, and chosen for whatever benefit they could bring to his business or social standing. Sure, his dating process was a little cold but everything in his life revolved around building his business and promoting his brand so he could ascend to the next level.

That method was a hell of a lot smarter than because he had a hard-on. He’d been shrewd about sexual partners for fifteen years.

And look what happened when he disregarded his personal commandments just once.

He’d hurt her feelings. He was sorry. But this weekend was all about seeing if his business practices and leadership style were compatible with London’s. The last thing he should do was hook up with a woman Jeffrey London hated.

London had spent lunch criticizing Penny Hastings.

Diego had gotten a polite diatribe, vitriolic for all its quiet upper crust wording, about the evil, immoral, unethical dealings of the Hastings family.

He’d wanted to defend Penny but he didn’t. He justified his silence by telling himself he didn’t really know what happened. And he had people depending on him—his employees and family all had a stake in making this venture work. His whole life was on the line.

Even if the sex had been fantastic, he couldn’t afford to blow this deal.

Every move and counter move was a negotiation step in the dance to merge with London Automotive.

Which was why he’d gotten his shit together and gotten in sync with Penny for the kayak race. Diego and Penny had managed to tie with London and his assistant, crossing the finish line at the same time.

As soon as they hit the shore, Penny had exited the kayak and headed toward the picnic tables. Diego was left to hand off the kayak and make small talk with London while the rest of their employees finished their races.

For some reason, Diego was hyper-aware of Penny at all times. And he knew exactly when she’d left the area.

He needed to apologize.

And he would as soon as he found her. But right now he was on his way to the Nature Walk Bingo event. Someone from the camp had placed a folding chair at the entrance to the hiking path and the woods. Zin sat like a queen on her throne, handing out printed bingo cards and a plastic bag that held a small grease pencil stapled to the back of the paper.

“We’re going to have the cards for the duration of the retreat. We’re using the honor system and you can mark off your own squares. After the cook-off tomorrow night, we’ll be awarding prizes. So don’t lose it!”

Zin’s infuriated gaze promised retribution. “Play nice,” she whispered as she shoved the card into his hand.

He made small talk with his friends and employees. Raul Jr. grinned before giving his sister a kiss on the cheek. London’s assistant, Sherry, scurried up the path from the cabins. Her hair was a little mussed. “Mr. London got an unexpected business call. He sends his regrets.”

Well, that was a lie.

If he wasn’t mistaken, London had been having an old-fashioned nooner with Sherry.

But before he could reflect any further, Penny strode up to the waiting group.

“Good afternoon, everyone!” She smiled brightly at the group but studiously avoided Diego’s gaze. “My name is Penny Hastings and I’ll be your nature guide for the afternoon.”

She’d changed from earlier. She wore cutoff jeans shorts, another skimpy tank top with the Camp Firefly Falls logo that clung tightly to her breasts, and what seemed to be her ubiquitous plaid flannel, this time tied at her waist. She had on sturdy, well-worn hiking boots and socks that puffed above the top of the boots, accenting her gorgeous tanned legs. The same ones he’d had wrapped around him as he powered inside her this morning.

Shit. Off-limits. In more than one way.

Penny had put on some makeup and carried a small backpack with a water bottle clipped to the side. She’d also plopped a green bucket hat over her braids. She gestured to the cooler next to Zinnia. “Everyone make sure to grab a bottle of water before we get started.”

Zin sat in the chair with a cookie and a glass of water watching intently. “Check your sheet for your hiking partner. Everyone needs a buddy. Camp rules.”

Diego hadn’t paid much attention to the paper Zin had handed him. He looked now and realized he was paired with Penny again.

Which brought out conflicting feelings. But mostly happiness. He needed to apologize. But didn’t really want to do it in public.

“Oh, since Jeffrey isn’t here, and you’re incapacitated, I can partner with Mr. Ramos.” Sherry smiled brightly, her gaze a tad too avaricious for him.

“I guess that will work since Penny is leading the hike now.” Zin’s reluctant frown indicated how she felt about it.

“Our schedule changed a bit due to some unforeseen circumstances,” Penny said to the group at large. “Initially we were going to have an informational session about the future of corporate gardens and then you were going to do your hike with Heather, but she has fallen ill so we decided to combine the two.”

“We didn’t really come here for that type of thing.” Sherry all but sneered.

Penny’s smile didn’t change but beneath her hat, her green eyes narrowed. “Well, you get a twofer today. Aren’t you lucky?” she chirped.

Her smile said if she could strangle Sherry with that luck, she’d be a lot happier.

“She’s lucky Jeff isn’t here, that’s for sure,” Sherry muttered.

Penny began walking backward so she could face the group. All the employees were slated for this event, then for late afternoon they had free time with offerings of ziplining, an arts-and-crafts session, or plain old lazing by the lake.

Raul came hurrying up to Diego’s side. “Hey. Apparently my partner has sunstroke so you two get me.” He turned his considerable charm on Sherry who glanced between them, looking as if she’d won the lottery.

When Sherry stumbled, Raul linked his arm with hers. “To help you stay steady on your feet.”

She shot him a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

Penny lectured the group. “As we go along, I’ll point out the flora and fauna native to the Berkshires. We live in a very ecologically significant place. You can also follow along on your bingo card. Each card has some squares with pictures of a tree, plant, bird, or wildlife we might see on the trail.”

And so they set off. Most of Diego’s employees had gotten into the spirit and clutched the bingo card in one hand while they watched Penny and listened. London’s employees as a whole definitely weren’t as interested.

Sherry chattered at Raul. In fact, she never shut up, completely ignoring Penny’s trail guide lecture. So Diego subtly moved away from the pair, drawn forward by the lilting music of Penny Hasting’s voice.

She gestured to various plants and birds as they walked along the gently upward sloping upward path. He could admit that he preferred her on her back crying out his name, to this crowd of people who were keeping her from him.

Not that she’d have anything to do with him.

Not that he should have anything to do with her. She could completely fuck up his deal with London Automotive.

Penny continued. “While we’re hiking into the interior of the woods, let me tell you a bit about corporate gardens and why they’re a good idea.”

For the next twenty minutes, Diego listened to Penny talk about her corporate garden project. Her enthusiasm for the project was contagious, and soon employees from both companies were asking specific, logistical questions about the idea.

Alma, his human resources manager, wove between the pairs of employees to approach Diego. Her hands were clasped tightly like she was praying. “I want to do this.”

“Now isn’t the time to discuss it.” But he smiled, letting her know they would talk about it later. Although he was already leaning toward the idea, they needed hard data and fiscal costs before they could move forward.

Sherry interrupted their conversation. “No way will Jeff, um, Mr. London go for that.” She shook her head, the silky blond curls brushing her shoulders. “He’s all about the bottom line. He fired his brother-in-law last year because he was abusing the company credit card.”

Her eyes rounded, she placed her palm over her mouth, her pink fingernails shiny and perfect. “Forget I said that.”

For some reason, he flashed back to Penny’s short unpainted nails, her hand wrapped around his cock as she pumped him. And shit, not the place to go right now.

“This is just a first intro. Nothing is off the table for CAR yet,” Diego said.

Alma rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Diego.”

“Oh! Look!” Penny paused on the trail.

Cristo, she sounded just like she had when she’d come on his cock this morning.

Diego had a hard-on. He hoped no one was paying attention.

“See this bird here. That’s a blackpoll warbler! She’s not on the card because she’s difficult to spot.” Her voice was light, her smile wide. “This is a rare treat. And since we found her, you can mark the more common raven off on your card.”

She paused so everyone could get out their pencil and X out the bird. Diego handed their bag to Raul. Unbidden, his gaze kept returning to Penny. Diego’s mind wandered to when he’d been inside her. Her sleek legs were bare. He wanted those legs wrapped around his hips, heels digging into his ass.

She had removed her flannel and tied the arms around her waist. He could see the light green scalloped lace straps of her bra. Fancier than her white cotton from this morning. He could give a fuck what her underwear looked like, but he was man enough to admit that the green lace was more intriguing.

The tank top dipped low enough to give a peek at the shadowed valley between her breasts and slightly reddened skin—likely from his beard. He had the inappropriate urge to find out if her panties matched that very feminine lace. Chances of that happening were less than zero. She was still pissed at him.

As she should be.

Penny pointed to another tree, explaining the characteristics of the leaves. But his brain focused on the defined muscles in her arms. An army-green bucket hat covered her rich auburn hair, shaded her face, and gave her an impish appeal. Her face glistened with a slight sheen of sweat from the exertion of the hike.

A ray of sunlight speared through a break in the canopy and highlighted her eyes, and the mesmerizing forest echoed back in her gaze, seemingly lit from within.

She’d kept up a vigorous pace while they hiked through the woods. “Make sure not to stray too far off the path. The groomed trails are to keep the rest of the forest as natural as possible.”

They stopped regularly so she could point out balsam fir needles, sugar maple leaves, and wild blueberry brambles, and then mark them off on their cards. The group was able to X off various items on the bingo cards as they spied them on the hike.

A loamy decay of dropped leaves and the damp from last week’s rain scented the air. Musical birds twittered and small animals chattered in the lush greenery of the woods surrounding the hikers.

During the hike Diego had moved through the crowd as more people lagged behind, needing to be closer to her. Like a magnet pulled toward metal, he couldn’t ignore the draw of her personality.

A frog croaked, and Sherry shrieked.

“That’s just a bullfrog. At the lower elevations, during spring the wetlands flood, creating vernal pools which are breeding grounds for all sorts of amphibians.” Penny’s gaze sparkled with mirth. “So if you see a salamander or newt in your cabin, just open the door and let the little guy out.”

“Oh my God.” Sherry pranced on the trail like she was terrified of a frog.

Diego caught the evil twinkle in Penny’s smile. “Don’t worry, they don’t bite.”

When Sherry squealed and ran back the way they came. Diego jerked his head at Raul telling him to go after the annoying assistant. Raul sighed, mouthed, “You owe me,” and followed the overly excitable woman.

Penny switched back to explaining the benefits of her corporate farming project, finishing with the option to give the food to the local food bank. “Any questions?”

Alma raised her hand.

“Alma, you don’t have to raise your hand, we’re informal here.”

“What made you envision this program and giving back to food pantries?”

“Good question.” Penny laughed. “When I was a kid it never occurred to me that other kids went to bed hungry…” she trailed off.

If he hadn’t been explicitly watching her, he might have missed the guilty little jerk of her gaze away from him.

Penny smiled wistfully, “Then one day, someone made me realize that I was pretty lucky.”

Diego nearly stumbled. Was she talking about him?

She shrugged. “When I was in Ag school we had a final project that involved giving back to the community. And I conceived the idea for FEED Together. I’ve been dreaming about implementing this for years.”

“Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Alma praised.

Penny’s smile lit up her whole face. “Me too.”

They continued to tromp along the trail with the group asking questions and Penny answering, while pointing out flora and fauna.

But Diego only half-listened, his mind back on the confrontation they’d had twenty years ago.

Apparently he wasn’t the only one who’d had his world view changed all those years ago. That blew his mind. He’d never even considered that his rant in the parking lot had made an impression on her.