Chapter 31
Gage
More Rewards >
I had my arm wrapped snugly around Bree’s front, her back warm and solid against my chest as we stood in line. The whole camp was sluggishly shuffling forward toward Derek’s hut to hand in our phones. Me? I couldn’t care less about the stupid device. Take it, smash it, lock it up-didn’t matter. What mattered was keeping Gabriella from finding any more ways to hurt Bree. If I had to pull strings behind her back, talk to Derek in secret, and make sure no one got the chance to mess with her again, I’d do it without blinking. Hell, I’d do worse if it meant seeing that smile on Bree’s face again.
I thought we’d ended the night perfectly. The kind of perfect that made my chest feel too full. Her lips on mine, the way she’d leaned into me before disappearing inside with that shy smile. I thought we were solid. But this morning? One look at her puffy eyes and I knew something had cracked overnight. There was more going on than Gabriella’s dumb taunts-Bree wasn’t the type to cry over some shallow words. She had steel in her bones; I’d seen it. So whatever this was, it ran deeper. And if she wasn’t ready to share it, I wouldn’t push her. I’d wait. But waiting didn’t mean standing on the sidelines-I’d hold her through it until she felt safe enough to let me in.
For now, all I wanted was to keep her close. And as long as she didn’t mind standing here wrapped in my arms with the whole damn camp around us, I wasn’t going to question it. Let people talk. Let them wonder. She was mine to hold, and I wasn’t letting go.
“So,” Kenneth drawled, spinning around to face us with that s**t-eating grin of his, “is it official now?”
“What is?” I asked flatly, though I felt Bree’s fingers come up to cradle my forearm where it was slung across her. That tiny touch, absentminded or not, made something primal settle in me. Like yeah, keep asking your dumb questions-she’s exactly where she wants to be.
“Bro, you sound like a chick,” Miguel cut in, laughing as he shoved Kenneth hard enough to make him stumble. “Stop meddling and let the kids be happy.”
“Romeo, oh Romeo,” Kenneth proclaimed dramatically, tossing his arms wide like we were on stage. “Wherefore art thou, my Romeo?”
Bree’s voice slid into the conversation, calm and cool, and it just about undid me. “Honestly, that’s a heartbreaking love story where no one ends up happy,” she said, eyes fixed on Kenneth like she was lecturing him. “You saying that makes it sound like Jack and Rose had their happy ever after. There are plenty of other stories with actual happy endings, you know.”
My grin spread before I could stop it. I ducked my face into her hair to hide it, but damn, it was sexy as hell hearing her talk like that. Confident. Sharp. God, my girl knew her stuff, and she didn’t
115
© Chapter 31
shrink from anyone.
More Rewards >
“Weren’t Jack and Rose happy?” Kenneth asked, frowning at Miguel like he’d missed a memo.
“Jesus,” Miguel groaned, dragging both hands down his face. “He dies at the end, for f**k’s sake.”
Kenneth shrugged. “I’ve never seen the end. I usually make my move when he starts drawing her.”
“Your move?” Bree asked as we shuffled forward in the line, her voice so innocent it punched the air from my lungs.
Kenneth smirked like he thought he was clever. “Oh yeah. Girls go all weak in the knees for Leonardo. I just help them finish.”
“But why would you even put on a movie if you weren’t going to watch it?”
That was what she asked next, her tone genuinely curious, sweet. And I… God help me, I couldn’t stop my mind from tripping over itself. We hadn’t talked about it. Hadn’t crossed that line yet. But was she… no, she couldn’t be. And yet the idea of being the only one she’d ever let in, the only one who’d ever get to see her unravel, sparked something fierce and possessive in me.
“The ambiance, chica,” Miguel said smoothly, shooting her a wink. “You know, seducing a woman and all that.”
“You need Leonardo DiCaprio to seduce women for you, Kenneth?” she asked next, hitting him exactly where it hurt, and I swear she didn’t even realize it.
Miguel lost it, laughter exploding out of him, and I tightened my arm around her, pulling her closer into me like I couldn’t help it. My chest shook with the laugh I barely held back.
“I mean, I can show you some books for tips if you need them,” she added, and that was it. My laugh ripped out of me, Miguel doubled over wheezing, and Kenneth’s face went crimson from the
ears down.
“Oh yeah?” Kenneth blustered, trying to claw back some dignity. “Like Casanova over here is perfect at it?” He flung a hand toward me, desperate to redirect the spotlight.
And yeah, for a split second, I wondered if I was enough for her. If I hit every note she needed. But Bree didn’t make me stew in it.
“Gage doesn’t need any help turning me on,” she said matter-of-factly, like she wasn’t casually dropping the hottest words I’d ever heard. “All he has to do is look at me, and I’m ready to go.”
Miguel made a strangled sound, clutching his chest. “Oh God. Please stop before I laugh my lungs out,” he wheezed, throwing his hands up like he was surrendering.
I bent down, lips brushing her ear, my voice just for her. “I feel the exact same way, gorgeous,” I whispered, letting her hear all the rough honesty I couldn’t hold back.
2/5
Because all she literally had to do was breathe-hell, she didn’t even need to look at me. One flicker of her lashes, one exhale, and my body was more than ready for her. Eager. Hungry. Waiting for the green light only she could give. And I didn’t mind the waiting, not even a little. Because I knew it would be worth it. I knew my girl wouldn’t disappoint.
My girl.
The words rolled through my head like they belonged there. And they did.
“I will not discuss this with you,” Derek’s voice cut through my haze, snapping me back to reality. Up ahead, Gabriella and her little crew were standing stiff as boards, arms crossed like they were about to stage a rebellion.
“Either you hand over your phones,” Derek continued, tone sharp as a whip, “or you go straight to your hut, pack up, and leave. Your choice.”
Rachel sat beside him on a folding chair, calm as could be, carefully sliding each phone into its own ziplock bag and labeling them. Her brows stayed smooth, but I could see the fire in her eyes. She hated this as much as I did.
I’d come to Derek last night after kissing Bree goodnight. Told him exactly what happened, how Gabriella had been filming Bree, mocking her, and how I was damn sure it wasn’t the first time. Derek had looked like he wanted to rip someone apart. But there was only so much he could do without Bree coming to him directly. So we came up with the next best thing-kill the problem at its root. No phones, no more secret videos. Rachel loved the idea. She’d even grinned, talking about planning a huge bonfire tonight so nobody felt too disconnected.
“But-” Gabriella started to argue, but one of her friends tugged on her arm.
“We can just do it, Gabi. It’s not the end of the world,” her friend tried to reason, voice careful.
Gabriella rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck, then let out an exaggerated huff. She slapped her phone into Rachel’s waiting hand like it burned her and stomped away, muttering curses under her breath.
“You know,” Kenneth muttered low enough for only us to hear, “I used to think she was hot, but that
personality? Gonna be the best birth control history’s ever seen.”
Bree snorted against me, the sound bubbling into a small chuckle, and the tension in my chest
eased.
I slid my other arm around her, locking her against me completely. I didn’t even care if it looked
possessive. Maybe it was. Because in a little over a week, Bree Morgan had become the most
important thing I’d ever had. The most precious. And I’d burn the whole damn camp down before I
let anyone take that from me.
3/3
111
O
<
< Chapter 31
More Rewards >
She hummed softly, closing her eyes as I pulled the spoon away from her lips. Jesus Christ. I didn’t even know how a sound like that could travel straight to my gut and hit me like a freight train.
Her blue eyes opened again, lips curving into a smile that had me gripping the counter for balance. “It’s delicious,” she said, glancing back down at the bubbling sauce.
“You sure it doesn’t need anything?” I asked, my palm resting on the small of her back. I couldn’t seem to stop touching her. Every time I stepped away, I found another excuse to reach for her
again.
We were in the middle of cooking class, the whole cabin filled with steam and the scent of garlic and tomatoes. As soon as Rachel told us to pair up, I’d practically wrapped my arm around Bree
and dared anyone to try stealing her as a partner. Not a chance.
“Maybe a tiny bit of salt?” she murmured, a cute crease forming between her brows as she
glanced from the sauce to the pot of simmering pasta. “But I don’t know when we add it. I mean,
we put salt in the water, but does that even transfer once we mix it together?”
She looked genuinely curious, biting the corner of her lip as she stared at the boiling water, and
something warm settled in my chest.
Today’s assignment: make an inexpensive pot of pasta bolognese. My specialty. Finally, something
I could show off at. And I wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. If Bree ever doubted I could take
care of her, I wanted this to be proof that I could make sure she was fed and happy for the rest of
her life. So I’d given her the easy tasks-taste-testing, stirring-while I handled the rest.
I dipped the spoon back into the sauce, bringing it to her again. “Try again,” I teased.
She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, leaning forward. She blew softly on the spoon, her eyes
locked with mine. Her lips closed around the metal and-yeah, screw the food. It shouldn’t be this hot watching her taste sauce, but all I could think about was abandoning the stove and getting a
taste of her instead.
Her lashes fluttered as she swallowed, nodding. “I think we should wait. It’s easier to add salt than
take it out, right?”
She tilted her head as she said it, giving me that innocent little smile, and I was gone. Absolutely wrecked. I dipped my head without thinking, pressing my mouth against hers.
The second her lips moved with mine, everything else faded.
Then a throat cleared loudly.
“This is a kitchen, not a reality show,” Rachel deadpanned.
Bree giggled against my mouth, pulling back with a blush staining her cheeks. Her laughter was soft, and her eyes shone brighter than they had all morning.
4/5
Chapter 31
More Rewards >
“Her and her rules,” I groaned dramatically, hamming it up just to keep that laugh coming. It worked
-she ducked her head with a grin, and I silently promised myself I’d find a way to make her laugh
like that every damn day.
Later, when we sat down to eat-pasta and sauce perfectly mixed-Bree rewarded me with a
sound that just about ended me. A low, throaty moan slipped out as she took her first bite, and
every drop of blood in my body went south.
Forget the pasta. Forget the class. If she made that noise again, I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.
