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The last thing I expected to see was a leggy brunette in cut-offs and a tank top come walking out of the woods. Being an hour away from the closest town meant we didn’t often get unexpected visitors, but I was more curious than worried when she spotted us and relief flooded her face.
“Hey,” she said, her low, throaty voice open and friendly. “I’m so happy to see you guys. I parked back in the welcome lot, which is empty by the way, and have been growing more and more worried. This is Camp Gabriel Lewis, right? I’m supposed to be filling in for my sister as chaperone for the week while my nephew’s here at camp.”
I took in her big brown eyes and long dark hair, which was currently going wild and trying to escape its ponytail, then shot Reardon a look before turning back to her and replying, “I hate to say it, darlin’, but camp doesn’t start until next week.”
Chapter Two ~ Zoey
“Shit, shit, shitty, shit!” I didn’t realize I’d chanted that out loud until I heard the two gorgeous male specimens in front of me start chuckling.
I mean seriously, what outer dimension did I just walk into? Were these guys genetically modified or something? One was tall, dark, and looked deliciously like Superman, and the other was an insanely tall Viking with blond hair and ice-blue eyes.
Maybe this was a male Stepford camp or something.
“Excuse my language,” I muttered, because my mother would be horrified to know I’d sworn in “public.” I guess that’s what I get for hibernating in my cave and not double checking the details with Chloe before I left. I paced back and forth as I rambled on, “I’m just usually so great at annotating my calendar correctly.”
One of them cleared their throat, causing me to stop pacing and extract the thumb I’d been chewing on as I tried to figure out how to resolve my current predicament.
“I’m sorry you came all this way, but like I said, camp doesn’t start until next week…”
“Do you guys work here or something?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
“Yeah,” the blond one answered. “There’s a group of us here making sure the camp is ready for opening and hanging out for the week. If you’d like, you’re welcome to join us.”
Superman turned to his buddy, a look of surprise showing on his face before he masked it and turned back to me.
“Um, of course, you probably have to clear things with your job, since you got the weeks mixed up,” he said, not quite offering to let me stay like his friend had.
“Oh, I’m a writer and editor, so I make my own schedule. I was planning to write at night, after the kids went to bed … I guess I can go to the nearest town and rent a room for the week.”
I started pacing again as I thought of all the work I could get done in a week away. I might even get the first draft done….
A throat cleared again, putting a halt to my musings.
“The nearest town’s an hour away, and the only nice place they have would cost a mint. Reardon’s right,” Superman said, and I assumed he was referring to the Viking. “Since you’re already here, there’s no reason you can’t stay on. That’ll save you some money, and you can still get some work done.”
“That’s very generous, but…” I tried to think of a good reason why I couldn’t stay here with two random dudes that wouldn’t sound rude.
I don’t want to be a burden…
What would we eat?
Are you the only two here, or are there more Adonises wandering around?
Is ravaging a possibility…
“Don’t worry,” Superman said, reading the questions on my face. “Two of our cousins are women, so you wouldn’t be alone with us. It’s just the five of us, and we have plenty of food. One more mouth won’t hurt. Although, we don’t have Internet, so if you need it for your work, that may cause a problem.”
“A week of writing with no internet to distract me?” I was talking to myself again, and began to worry that they’d think I was mental and take back their offer. I couldn’t let that happen; I needed to lock this down right now. “Thank you so much, that would be great. I can help out however you need … with cooking, or getting the camp ready. I don’t want to take advantage, but a week away with no internet would actually help me out a tremendous amount.”
Reardon grinned, stepped forward, and held out his hand.
“Glad to help. Now, can we know the name of the beauty who’ll be joining us for the next week?”
“Oh, sorry,” I said with a frown as I shook his massive hand. “I can’t believe I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Zoey.”
If they realized I left off my last name, they were too gentlemanly to pry. It was a last-minute decision that would help give me the break from reality that I needed.
“Nice to meet you Zoey,” Superman said, stepping forward when Reardon stepped back, and offering me his hand. I looked up, and noticed for the first time how deep brown his eyes were. Like melted chocolate. Suddenly hungry, I reached out and took his hand, then gasped when a white-hot flash ran through me on contact. “Like I said, this is Reardon, my cousin
