CHAPTER EIGHT

 

Beau wasn’t asleep when I got back. We didn’t talk about what took place by the fire either—fortunately. Instead, we went and got dressed in the bathrooms allocated to our camp site and walked back to the tent. We shared some small talk before falling asleep, which I don’t remember doing. I’d been so lost in his deep voice, trying to stay quiet so the others couldn’t hear us, that the last thing I remembered was Beau talking about his parents.

I wake up feeling hot—too hot. Even though the weather is chilly outside―if the wind is anything to go by―I’m burning up like a furnace.

Why? Because my body is sprawled all over Beau’s chest.

My right leg is hooked over his large thighs, my arm draped over his broad, tattoo-covered chest. I didn’t get a good look last night since I didn’t want to be caught gawking, but seeing his impressive chest covered in tribal markings was seriously hot.

How the fudge did I end up here, in his arms? We’d had a body width between us on the air mattress Beau brought with him and were in separate sleeping bags. Now, not so much.

It also feels like a blanket is over us.

Dread fills my stomach when I fully open both of my eyes. The tent has collapsed. I shoot up, pushing the roof of the tent away from me.

Beau stirs, a small grin on his lips. If I wasn’t so panicked, I’d be checking him out a lot more. At a brief glance, he looks sexy as hell all tousled from sleep.

“Hey.” His morning voice is husky.

He must see the panic in my expression before the destruction of the tent. His eyes widen and he shoots up, his mouth opening to say something. “What’s—What the fuck?”

“Did it break?”

Laughter outside the tent brings me out of my panic, and I narrow my eyes towards the door.

“Your cousins!” Beau states, sounding annoyed.

“Yeah, it was bound to happen.” I sigh, moving aside so we can shuffle through the mess to get to the entrance.

He finds the zip and unzips it. But before he can start on my cousins, he turns to me. “Revenge on your cousins, is it allowed?”

I grin at the look in his eyes. A Carter is accustomed to that look. It says payback is going to be a bitch. “Make ’em suffer.”

He grins and winks at me before leaving the tent. I’m a breathless mess with that one look. God, it should be a crime to be that good-looking. He holds the flap up and I move forward, keeping the sleeping bag wrapped around me and one hand holding the tent flap up so I can look out. I’m going to wait until Beau kills my brothers and cousins before moving.

“Oi, dickheads. You made her have a panic attack,” Beau growls. I know he’s exaggerating, but they don’t, and it brings a smile to my face.

He’s only met them a few times and already he fits in, giving as good as he gets.

“What? Is she okay? We didn’t mean to scare her like that. We couldn’t get you to drink last night,” Aiden confesses, sounding worried. He tries to look past Beau, to me, but Beau moves, blocking his view.

“We’re sorry!” Ashton shouts, his head bouncing from side to side, trying to make eye contact with me.

I stifle a giggle as I bury further into my sleeping bag.

It’s quiet for a few seconds, but then Beau speaks, low and dangerous, sending butterflies swirling in my stomach. “And why would I need to drink?”

Oh, crap!

Ashton seems wary when he mumbles. “Um…”

Aiden, not so much. He probably thinks being my brother will save him, so he doesn’t have a problem boasting about what their plan was.

“We were going to drag you out on your blow-up bed and into the lake when you passed out from too much drink. We saw it in a movie and have wanted to do it ever since.”

His laughter isn’t followed by Beau’s, and if his posture is anything to go by, he isn’t happy about their plan.

“One: if you ever think of putting someone passed out drunk in a lake, make sure you’re right next to them. They could fucking drown. Two: don’t ever scare your sister and cousin again. You’ll regret it.”

Beau moves to the side and I watch as both Aiden and Ashton nod their heads compliantly. I’m completely shocked.

Laughter around the camp makes me jump, and I notice, for the first time, others are standing around and watching.

Ashton and Aiden turn around, tails tucked between their legs, and head back for their tent, but Beau clears his throat. “Um, where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

They turn around, both clearly confused as they stare at each other, then look at Beau, their foreheads creased. “To go get ready?”

Beau shakes his head slowly. “Nope, you’re gonna fucking put our tent back together while we get ready.” They go to argue, but one look at Beau, with whatever expression he’s giving them, has them nodding, gulping.

Beau turns around to face me, his expression amused. He’s standing completely shirtless, tattoos covering his chest, arms and neck. His rock-hard body is drawn tight from the chill in the air, but even if it were warm, it’s clear he’d still have the eight pack he’s sporting. I’ve never seen anything sexier.

Absently, I check my mouth for drool, never taking my eyes off his chest.

He’s magnificent, beautifully sculpted.

“Eyes are here, babe.”

At the sound of his voice, I jump, blushing at being caught. He laughs at my discomfort. “Shut up. Let’s grab our stuff and get ready. I want to get breakfast before our trek.”

“Breakfast,” Aiden mutters, his lips pouty as he and Ashton get to work on the tent.

 

*** *** ***

 

Out of the fourteen of us, it’s mostly the boys moaning about the walk. Poor Imogen only brought pumps, so her feet have been hurting more than ours. The girl doesn’t own a pair of trainers, so I’m surprised she owns a pair of pumps. If she had come in high-heeled boots or shoes, it wouldn’t have been at all surprising. The girl is woman through and through.

We aren’t far from the top, where we’re meeting another guide to strap us to the zip line.

“For a group of young, athletic-looking guys, they sure bitch,” Beau mutters next to me. I giggle, bumping my shoulder with his.

Speaking of age… “How old are you anyway?”

He looks at me funny, before grinning. “Shit, with everything we’ve shared, I’ve never actually told you how old I am, have I?”

“Nope.”

Please don’t let him be younger. He looks older than me, but with our generation, you can never be too sure. Jacob, our youngest family member, has been able to get into clubs since he was fourteen. Not that his parents know. They’d kick his arse.

“I’m twenty-nine.”

“Ah, you’re like the grandpa of the group,” I tease. He feigns hurt, then a creepy smile reaches his lips. “What’s that look for?”

A grin spreads across his face as he takes a step towards me. I take one back, not able to fight the smile spreading across my own face as excitement bubbles inside me.

“Don’t be scared,” he tells me as I take another step back. In a blink, he’s in front of me, bent at the waist and hauling me over his shoulder.

I squeal loudly, but its soon followed by laughter. “Put me down.”

“Oh, no. I’m going to find the grossest thing here in the woods and dunk you in it for calling me grandpa.”

Laughter rings out around us, but he doesn’t slow his pace. “No, no, no. Put me down. I’m sorry I called you old.” I laugh harder, smacking his hard-muscled back.

“I don’t believe you.” He slaps my arse and I yell, smacking his back harder.

Lifting my head, my eyes meet Lily and Maddox’s. “Tell him to put me down.”

Lily laughs, shaking her head at me as Maddox’s lips twitch in amusement. “I don’t know. No dude wants to be called old.”

“I was joking,” I yell.

“She didn’t sound like she was joking, right?” Beau asks, swinging me around. My head spins, along with the ground beneath his feet.

“Nope,” Maddox, popping the ‘P’.

Smug bastard.

“Traitor.”

Beau spins back around and I lift my head to glare at my cousin. “You’re so not my favourite anymore.”

He waves me off, grinning. “We all know Ashton is your favourite.”

“I’m your favourite?” Ashton asks, grinning like a mad man.

“If you get me down you will be.”

He seems to think about it for a minute, but Beau turns, clearly giving Ashton a look, because when he spins me back around, still walking with me, Ashton gives me a sympathetic smile and shrugs.

“You’ll still cook for me, right?”

“No. I’m going to make Charlotte bake you treats.”

Charlotte skips up beside Ashton, all smiles. “I don’t mind. I love cooking.”

She just isn’t any good at it.

Ashton pales, looking towards Beau again. I see him calculating. He’s trying to see if he can get to me before Beau takes him out. It would be laughable if the blood wasn’t rushing to my head and if my stomach didn’t hurt from bouncing on his large shoulder every time he takes a step.

I groan. “Beau, please, I’m getting lightheaded.”

He stops shortly and drags me down his body until my feet touch the ground. I stay flush against him, my body tightening as I meet his gaze. My hands clasp his large biceps, my fingers gripping them as they tense beneath my touch.

His green eyes sparkle as he stares down at me. “Sorry. We’ll have to wait to get you back.”

My lips twitch. “Yeah? What if I get you first?”

That makes him laugh. He tucks me against his chest, his arm draping over my shoulder. “Let’s get this done. I want to see you fly.”

It doesn’t take us long to reach the top. I’d been fine all morning, not even a glimmer of fear, but the minute we get set up with our equipment, I’m a ball of freaking nerves. My hands are shaking and my breathing escalates. The closer in line we get, the more I begin to panic.

The boys are bouncing on their feet, ready to go, which doesn’t surprise me. They live for this shit.

“You okay? You look a little green.”

My gaze meets Beau’s and I grimace. “Do I look that bad?”

His eyes scan my face, a look passing through them. “No, you look beautiful.”

I melt against his side, my head resting on his shoulder. I watch as they strap Charlotte in, her mouth moving frantically at Landon. He just grins at her, saying something to the guy who is double-checking her straps. When the time comes, she shakes her head, not wanting to go, but Landon laughs and gives her a gentle push. Her scream echoes around us and my fear spikes.

“Holy crap.” I take a step back, away from Beau and to the back of the queue. Still not taking my eyes away from where they’re strapping Landon in, I take another, but stop when I suddenly bump into someone.

“Sorry,” I squeak. My squeak turns into a squeal when Beau wraps me in his arms and pushes through the rest of our group. He stands behind Landon, who is getting ready to be strapped in.

“No, no, no, no,” I chant.

“Hey!” Aiden gripes.

“She won’t do it if she watches all of you going down. She needs to go next.”

“Nope. I’ll walk back and meet you at the rafting edge.”

Beau holds me tighter, chuckling next to my ear. “You’ll be fine.”

Landon moves off, his arms reaching out, and howls. The boys behind howl back.

“Nope, can’t do it. I’ll run back if I have to.”

Beau laughs, walking behind me now and moving me forward. I feel him nod—his chin knocking into my head—to the bloke to my left, and all of a sudden, hands are strapping me into a harness while another pair attaches me to the zip line. The one on my right checks my harness again, while the other rechecks the clip on the zip tie.

We wait a few more seconds, and then the one on my left asks me to take a step forward. I take one back.

“I can’t do this. I really can’t,” I say, beginning to feel full-on panicked.

Beau moves out from behind me and steps next to me. He grabs my chin between his fingers and turns my face towards him. “You’ve got this.”

“I’m scared,” I admit.

“That’s the fun of it. It’s the fear inside you that feeds the adrenaline. Use it, enjoy it.”

“I don’t know if I can,” I whisper, lost in his gaze.

His eyes meet mine for a second, before glancing down to my lips. My breath catches as he walks me closer to the edge, his eyes still on my lips, and I find myself swaying towards him.

Then it happens. Too fast. His lips press against mine. His tongue runs along the seam of my lips before entering my mouth. My eyes shut as the initial shock passes, and then I melt against him and kiss him back. He tastes like peppermint. A groan rumbles in the back of my throat.

He kisses me once more before his gaze meets mine, his eyes dilated and filled with lust.

“You’ve got this,” he whispers.

Got what?

Then I’m flying.

Literally.

And screaming.

The kiss becomes forgotten as I panic.

The trees fly by below me. The wind roars in my ears. But the view… It’s breath-taking, magnificent. My screaming dies in the face of its beauty. I’ve never seen anything like it. Trees as far as the eye can see surround me, birds chirping in the air, and the smell… it’s all too much. The sun shimmers off the lake, make it almost glitter before me.

I lift my arms out and close my eyes, tipping my head to the sky as I take it all in.

It’s not long before I begin to slow. In the distance, Madison, Landon, Lily and Maddox await with Charlotte. They’re screaming and waving at me as they smile. I smile and wave back.

When they frown, I’m confused, until Maddox starts waving his hands, frantically pointing behind them. That’s when I see the pile of straw and remember what our instructor told us.

My landing isn’t as graceful as they said it would be. In fact, it hurts a little. I groan, rolling off the straw and onto the ground where another guide meets me, unclipping me from the harness and zip line.

I run over to the others. I’m buzzing with adrenaline, still feeling like I’m flying.

“Oh, my God, that was incredible. Did you see me?” I squeal, when I meet up with them.

“Wasn’t it brilliant? That view was amazing,” Madison gushes.

Landon laughs, walking up beside her. “Maddy, you were screaming the whole way down.”

“And I’m pretty sure your eyes were closed,” Maddox tells her, smiling.

She glares at them both. “I so wasn’t. I saw everything. Well, not everything, but I did open my eyes for some of it.”

I laugh at her honest answer, ready to reply, but movement from above catches my eye and I see Beau flying down, grinning.

My finger runs smoothly over my lips, still feeling swollen from our kiss. It was so unexpected, and I have no idea what it means. As I watch the men unclip him, thoughts run through my mind a mile a minute, wondering what the hell I should do. Do I ask him about it? Ignore it? Or do I run up and kiss him like I want to? 

I’d rather do the latter, but nerves and fear get the better of me. Instead, I send him a small smile as he walks over.

“What did you think?” he asks, still grinning, and pulls me into his arms.

“Dude, personal space,” Landon growls.

Beau looks over my shoulder at Landon and sees he’s being serious, but he doesn’t step back. “Jealous?”

“I’m not as easily intimidated as Ash and Aiden.”

“Come on.” Charlotte pulls on his arm. “Let’s get a picture of the others as they come down.”

Aiden screaming like a banshee distracts Landon long enough for her to pull him away, and I turn back to Beau, my voice breathless and hoarse. “It was incredible. The most amazing experience I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah, it was,” he tells me softly, but with the look in his eyes, I wonder if he’s speaking about something else.

I smile, finding the courage to ask him about the kiss. But then my stupid brother interrupts us, bouncing into us like a caveman.

“Yo, don’t kiss my sister again, like, ever. I don’t care if you’re mean and can probably put me in jail. I’ll kick your arse.”

He bounds off, luckily not talking loud enough for the others to listen. “Are they always like this?”

My face burns with embarrassment. My family will never be normal. “I’m sorry. They’re just really protective. Overprotective if you ask me and every female in my family. I promise you, though, they’re harmless.”

“If you say so,” he laughs. “What do you think they’d do if I kissed you again?”

“You want to kiss me again?” I blurt out, my eyes widening.

Hope.

That is what I feel. Hope blossoming in my chest. It doesn’t feel real. He really wanted to kiss me. It wasn’t to distract me long enough to push me over the edge. Literally.

“I want to do more than kiss you,” he growls, pulling me against him.

I go willingly, my hands falling on his broad shoulders, and smile. I open my mouth to ask what he means when another body bounds into us, pulling us apart.

“Seriously, I want a body width between the two of you. No sharing a tent anymore either,” Mark growls.

I stomp my foot, glaring at my brother. “Mark!”

He looks down at me, not even apologising. “Nope. Not gonna happen. You’ve got to stay single until you’re forty, maybe older.”

Beau scoffs, but all I am is embarrassed. “Mark! I’m older than you. Piss off.”

“Just saying, don’t kiss her again.” Mark gives Beau a warning look, before bouncing off towards the others.

“I’m so―”

I’m cut off when his lips slam against mine, his hands framing my face so he can tilt my head for a better angle. I open my mouth, letting him slide his tongue inside. My lower belly coils, tightening, and I grip him harder, my body flush against his.

This is perfect.

He slows down, perfecting the kiss, being gentle. He moves his lips against mine like he has all the time in the world. His fingers run through my ponytail, tethering me as he grips the ends, pressing me tighter against him.

His bulge presses against my stomach, and though I want to tense against him, not having any experience in that department, I don’t. I actually find myself feeling hot, craving more of his touch.

Too soon, he pulls away, his forehead pressing against mine as we both catch our breath.

“Damn, you can kiss,” he whispers.

“You’re dead,” Ashton whispers, right next to us.

And I mean, right next to us. We part to find his face as close as he can get without joining in. He’s scowling at Beau, who shrugs back.

“Was worth it.”

My heart melts. He’s willing to take my family on for a kiss. My smile falls when I turn back to Ashton. “You do anything and I’ll never make you baked goods again.”

“Like he’ll let you cook for me,” he scoffs, walking away.

Hayden whistles. “You two are hot.” She runs off and jumps on Ashton’s back.

I laugh at her brash words. I’m ready to kiss him again, but then Liam walks over, looking smug. “Bro, you’re totally never leaving this place alive.”

“You do realise I’m a cop, right?”

Liam looks confused. “What’s that got to do with the price of chips?”

Beau looks to me before bursting into laughter. “You guys are gonna have to get used to it. I plan on kissing her a lot more.”

“Your funeral,” Liam sings.

We watch him catch up with the others. The boys stand with their arms crossed over their chest, their gazes downright scary. The girls, on the other hand, are grinning at us like fools.

I groan and take Beau’s hand, but then quickly pull away, feeling like a stage-five clinger. When he pulls my hand back and smiles at me, I relax.

“Let’s get this water rafting done. Maybe we can drown a few of them before bedtime.”

He laughs and together, holding hands, we walk over to the others.