“What a dick,” I muttered, turning to her. She still hadn’t shaken that look; her face looked somewhere between fear and fight-or-flight.
“You, okay?” I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder. She flinched, as if my touch burned, and stepped back.
“Yeah. Fine. Totally fine.” Her voice was too high. She took off toward the dining hall, and I had to lengthen my stride to catch her.
When I finally did, I grabbed her shoulders and turned her toward me.
“You’re not fine. What’s going on?”
She stepped in close to me. Her breath touched my lips.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Max. I can take care of myself.”
She smelled like oranges and coconut, and for one split second, all I could think about was dragging her face to mine and tasting her. I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt.
She broke the moment first, turning away. My gaze dropped. I couldn’t help it. I tracked the lines of her legs, the smooth skin, the way her shorts hugged her.
I wanted to touch her. To claim her. I shook my head to clear it in defeat. I’d ruin everything if I did.
She was making me insane. I couldn’t hold a straight thought around her. What the fuck was wrong with me?
I fiddled with my friendship bracelet on my wrist and forced my eyes up, calling after her.
“Trouble! You know what? Forget it. It’s orientation night, let’s have fun.”
We shuffled into the main dining hall, were handed our orientation packets, and endured the same stale safety drill we’d been hearing since we were kids. The big reveal this year? First-grade day campers.
“Great,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
“This is so exciting! I love the babies,” Mackenzie beamed, her whole face lighting up.
“Yeah, we’re glorified babysitters,” I groaned.
She bumped my arm. “Come on, Max. Bugs, fishing, their cute little giggles. It’s going to be fun.” She sniggered just thinking about it, and I felt it—that dangerous pull.
God, she was beautiful.
Max, stop, I told myself. I was losing it around her. My brain was a fucking rollercoaster of hormonal thoughts.
“Fine,” I said. “But you’re on bathroom duty.”
“Okay,” she agreed too easily.
Orientation dragged on for fucking forever—until, finally, freedom. We grabbed dinner and slid into a seat at a table in the corner, eating in companionable silence.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pretzel sticks. A classic camp staple. The familiarity of it made us smile at each other, like this place had never stopped being ours.
And then that dick arrived.
Jackson.
He set his tray down softly, as if he belonged here, right across from us.
“Hey, Mackenzie. You okay with me joining you and…” His gaze flicked to my counselor badge. “Max?” The smile he gave me was all teeth.
I already wanted to put my fist through his face.
Mackenzie was mid-bite, swallowing quickly, but before she could respond, I cut in. “Hey, dude. What’s your problem?”
