Chapter Twenty-Five

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Okay. We’re not going into town and we’re not staying in the bunks. Where are we going?”

Four days had passed since the camp challenge and we were finally getting our night off together. Drew had been very tight-lipped about what he had planned for us. He’d only told me what to pack and that we weren’t going into town.

His eyes met mine the second I came out the side door of the cabin and a grin lit up his face. “Did you pack what I asked?”

“Yeah.” I held up my backpack that had a change of clothes and warm pajamas. “I’m kind of sad that you told me to bring pajamas, though.”

“That makes two of us,” he replied with a chuckle, taking my bag from my grip. He didn’t have a backpack with him and it only amplified my curiosity. “Ready?”

God, he was handsome. He was wearing a pair of jeans rather than the shorts he’d had on earlier and a Camp Holcomb hoodie fit his chest perfectly. He had that hat on and his blue eyes were twinkling mischievously.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

Drew chuckled and pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. “It’s our last week here and the hotel has been fun, but I want to do something special with you.”

“You sure know how to make a girl swoon, Moore.” I tangled my fingers with his and dropped my head to his shoulder as we walked through the dark campus.

“As long as that girl is you, Shay.”

It wasn’t until we started deviating away from the shuttle area and to the woods that I broke our comfortable silence.

“We’re not leaving camp at all?”

He shook his head and stopped us next to one of the camp’s ATV quads. “Nope.”

The ATV had a cooler already strapped to the rack on the back, along with Drew’s backpack. He added mine to the pile and made sure they were secure before grabbing one of the helmets. Without a word, he placed it on my head and buckled the strap before doing the same with his after tucking his cap into his back pocket. He grinned at me once they were good.

“Ready?”

I nodded and climbed on after him, wrapping my arms around his middle and holding him tighter than I needed to. His chest vibrated when he chuckled and he placed one of his hands over mine. After a moment, he let go of me and turned the key to start the ignition, lighting up the area in front of us when the headlights turned on.

“Hold on, babe.”

And with that, we took off.

We didn’t go far, a half mile at the very most, but Drew drove slowly through the dark trees and stopped after about ten minutes. I stretched my neck when we stopped so I could see around him and gasped at the sight before us.

A tent had been set up in the clearing and a small fire pit had been erected in front of it, surrounded by a couple of camp chairs. I was suddenly very happy I’d used the bathroom right before we left.

“We’re camping?”

Drew nodded and swung his leg over the ATV until he was on the ground. He unsnapped his helmet and pulled it off, quickly divesting me of mine immediately after.

“Without fake rain or fake bears. Is this okay?”

I climbed off of the ATV and launched myself into his arms. “This is perfect, Drew. Seriously.”

His hold was tight and his lips were soft when we kissed, the familiarity of both actions causing my body to respond. The spark of passion I felt for Drew never seemed to dull and the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering like crazy.

“God, Shay,” he groaned, pulling his head back slightly. “You’re perfect and I need to step back or else I’m going to take you on the seat of this quad.”

A shiver ran up my spine at the thought. “And that’s a bad thing?”

He chuckled and shook his head before placing one more kiss on my lips. “Not at all but let me at least get a fire going so we have some light.”

“Fine, fine.”

I helped him get the backpacks and cooler unstrapped from the ATV and he kept the headlights turned on while he went to where a small pile of kindling had already been placed in the fire pit. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and had a fire going within thirty seconds.

“Did you do all of this?”

In beams from the ATV lights, I could see a slight flush color his cheeks. “Howard and I drove up after dinner to set up. I can fake a lot of this stuff but my L.A. really shows during moments like this.”

I laughed and shook my head as I pulled the key from the quad and turned off the lights. When I walked back over to Drew, he had turned on a couple of battery-powered lanterns and placed our backpacks inside the tent.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to the metal box that was opposite where the tent was. Drew held up the cooler and glanced around us.

“A bear box for the food.”

I stepped closer to Drew on reflex and he laughed softly. “Just a precaution, babe.”

He tugged me towards one of the camp chairs and took the one next to it once I sat down. The warmth from the fire was a perfect addition to the slight chill in the air. He reached into the cooler and rummaged around in it for a moment.

“Aha.” He handed me an unopened bag of marshmallows with a child-like grin on his face. “What do you say?”

“Have you met me?” I took the marshmallow from him and picked up one of the roasting sticks he’s brought. We both got our treats situated and into the fire and I dropped my head to his shoulder while they roasted. After a few minutes of silence, I sucked in a deep breath. “Drew?”

“Yeah, Shay?”

I kept my eyes focused on the flickering orange flames in front of us as I worked up the courage to voice my question. “What happens after next week?”

“Well.” He pulled his burning marshmallow out of the fire and leaned forward to blow out the flames, dislodging my head as he did. Once he had the situation under control, he turned so he was looking at me. The firelight reflected in his eyes and his face was serious. “It’s only a five hour drive between L.A. and Phoenix, sweetheart.”

“Yeah?” I suppressed the grin that wanted to break free. “That doesn’t sound like a bad drive.”

“Nope.” Drew did grin and it lit up his handsome face. He leaned forward to kiss the tip of my nose. “It’s a drive I’d be willing to make often.”

A breath caught in my throat and I pulled my stick from the fire, keeping my eyes locked on his. “What are you saying, Drew?”

“I’m saying that I don’t want this to be a summer fling. I know that they say long distance relationships never work but I want ours to work. I want us to work.” He reached up and cupped my cheek gently. “I love you, Shaylee.”

Despite the fire already blazing in front of us, a feeling settled over me that felt like a warm blanket. From my head to my toes, contentment and happiness filled me completely. How had this man inserted himself so firmly in my heart in such a short time?

“I love you, too, Drew. So much.”

Sticks and marshmallows were forgotten as we came together again. My arms wreathed around his neck and his came around my back while our lips met powerfully. The force of our actions knocked one of the chairs off-balance, though, and I let out a small squeal when we canted sideways. Drew’s hand came up to protect my head from the impact when we crashed to the ground.

Neither of us spoke for a moment. We laid in the dirt by to the pit as the fire crackled next to us, my body next to Drew’s. After about thirty seconds, a giggle slipped past my lips and his arms tightened around me as his chest shook with laughter.

“At least we didn’t land in the fire,” I said in between giggles and Drew’s laughter only intensified. It took us a moment to untangle our limbs and get back to our feet.

He shook his head and used his palm to brush off my jeans for me. “That would have been a mood killer for sure.” His eyebrows rose. “Want a redo on the marshmallows?”

“Marshmallows are the last thing on my mind, Drew.” My tongue peeked out with a mind of its own and wet my lips. His eyes narrowed as they followed the movement.

“I’m going to put the food in the bear box. I’ll meet you inside.”

I gave him a quick peck on the lips and hurried off to the tent. Euphoria caused adrenaline to run through my veins from both the knowledge that we were long term and his declaration of love. My fingers shook but I managed to get the zipper open on my third try.

It was a small tent, not made for more than one or two people, but it was perfect. A two-person sleeping bag was already laid out, along with two pillows, and our backpacks were in the corner. I flipped on the single lantern that was next to them and rifled through my pack for my pajamas. I found them but just tossed the clothing off to the side. There was no point in putting them on when I was planning on being naked soon.

With my shoes kicked off, I sat on top of the sleeping bag and couldn’t help smiling. It felt like Drew had placed at least three pads underneath because the surface was pretty comfortable.

“What’s that smile for?” he asked as he climbed into the tent, zipping the flap closed and smiling, too. I leaned back on my palms and sighed.

“You went above and beyond. How many layers of padding did you put down?”

He smirked and pulled his sweatshirt over his head. “Four. I wanted you to be comfortable. I think you’d be more comfortable in less clothes, Shay.”

“You’re probably right.” I shed my own hoodie, taking my shirt with it, and Drew was on top of me the second it was over my head.

Our mouths met in a feverish kiss and his cool fingers made quick work of my bra, leaving me completely exposed from the waist up. I tugged his shirt over his head, letting my fingers drag along his chest the moment it was bare and reveling in his smooth skin.

Drew maneuvered us so I was on my back and his body was hovering over mine, our lips never separating. I knocked his cap off of his head and threaded my fingers through his hair. I lifted my hips up so he could get my pants off easily. His went next and we were both completely naked, skin-to-skin.

After he had the condom on, I nudged Drew and he rolled over, taking me with him. I straddled his hips and stared down at the handsome man beneath me. Leaning down to give him a long, passionate kiss, I shifted my hips and welcomed him inside of me. We both sucked in a quick breath at the perfect intrusion and our eyes met.

“I love you,” I whispered as I rocked slightly. A low moan escaped Drew’s throat and his hands came up to grip my thighs.

“I love you, Shay.”

Our movements were full of passion, lacking any sort of synchronization or real rhythm. We were both too frenzied from lust or love, maybe even both, and it wasn’t long before I was calling out his name as my climax took over my whole body. My name fell from Drew’s lips and his hands gripped me almost painfully while pleasure painted his entire face.

I collapsed on top of him, sweaty chest to sweaty chest. My breathing came out in pants and he wrapped his arms around my back to hold me close.

“We probably should have turned off the lantern,” I mumbled tiredly against his neck. “If any bears were watching, they got an eyeful from our silhouettes.”

Drew’s chest shook with laughter and his lips pressed to my shoulder. He rolled us so I was on my side and pulled away so he could remove the condom. I cuddled to the pillow and watched as he tucked it in the corner. When he turned back around and caught my eyes, he shook his head with a smirk.

“As much as I’d love to sleep with your naked body against mine all night, you’re going to get cold fast, sweetheart.”

“I don’t want to move,” I grumbled, groaning when he grabbed my hands and pulled me into a sitting position. We both put our pajamas on and climbed into the sleeping bag once the light was off. We laid facing each other, our faces inches apart. One of my hands was under my head while the fingers of my other touched his face softly.

“It’s not going to be easy, you know.” My voice was quiet and my statement random, but I knew Drew heard me and understood what I meant.

“What’s that old saying?” he asked, running his fingers through my hair. “I think it’s ‘Nothing worth having comes easy’ and that couldn’t be more spot on. We’ll make it work, babe. Your roommate is going to be sick of my face because I’ll be visiting so much.”

I don’t know how late we stayed up but we talked long into the night. I told him more about Briana and my family and he talked about growing up with his foster parents. The future was tentatively discussed with different scenarios that involved me in California or him in Arizona. We made love once more, not bothering to keep our voices down in the middle of the trees, and dozed off wrapped in each other.

As I drifted off to sleep, I briefly wondered how the hell a love like ours could happen in just nine short weeks. It didn’t matter, though, because I was very happy it had.