Cole nods and sits back. Liam抯 arm goes around the back of the chair again.
Jordan circles my waist and places a kiss on my neck. 揝o, I figured out why Liam was so distracted at the beginning of the season.?
I turn in his arms.
He offers me a sheepish grin.
揌e was seeing Cole this whole time??
Nodding, Jordan stares at me like he抯 waiting for me to be disappointed. I steal another glance at Liam. He looks happy. I hope he is. I am.
揧ou went to all the trouble to keep us apart for nothing.?
揘ah. Not for nothing.?
His mouth descends on mine, and he kisses me like he can抰 get enough. I guess that makes two of us.
揑 love you,?I say as I bring my hand up to his face and trace my thumb along his lower lip.
His mouth stretches into a big smile aimed right at me. 揟hat抯 my line.?
37
DAISY
ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER
揂re you sure it抯 okay that I抦 coming??Violet asks as Jordan drives us up the winding road.
It抯 a rare weekend he has off from practice and games, and we抮e camping on top of Mount Loken. Liam and Cole are meeting us there. Jenkins, too, with a girl he just started dating, Taylor. I haven抰 met her, but Jordan says she抯 nice and that I抣l like her.
揧es,?I say for at least the third time since we left.
揑 feel like I抦 intruding on a couple抯 getaway.?
揑t抯 going to be a blast,?I promise.
Jordan looks at her in the rearview mirror. 揓enkins has an extra tent.?
揋ood because, no offense, but I don抰 want to hear you banging my cousin.?
揘one taken.?He looks back out to the road. 揑 plan to bang her a lot. Loudly.?
Vi scrunches up her nose, and I give Jordan a playful smack on the arm.
Our friends were all busy this weekend. Dahlia had a golf tournament and Jane flew home to visit family. Violet decided camping was a better option than staying at home by herself. But just barely.
We抮e the first to arrive at the campsite. Jordan pitches our tent while Violet and I unload the rest of the stuff.
Liam and Cole show up next, and then Jenkins arrives. From the passenger side, a girl who I assume must be Taylor gets out, and then the back door opens. I yelp.
揥hat??Violet asks.
I stare at Gavin unfolding himself from the small car and stretching. He scans the campsite and spots us.
I can抰 make words come out of my mouth, but when he waves, I lift my hand to reciprocate.
Violet swivels around, and I watch her expression slowly morph from confusion to shock to anger.
揥hat the hell is he doing here??
揑 don抰 know,?I say quickly. 揑 promise. I had no idea he was coming. Jordan said he had a date or something.?
Her eyes blaze with uncontained frustration. 揕ucky girl. She dodged a bullet.?
揇o you want to go? I can ask Jordan to take us back, or maybe Uber comes up here.?
She shoots me a doubtful look. We抮e more than thirty minutes from Valley, and reception is sketchy.
揑t抯 fine,?she says, and goes back to moving stuff out of Jordan抯 SUV. 揌e isn抰 running me off. I was here first. I抣l just avoid him for the next forty-eight hours.?
When camp is set up, Jordan, Vi, and I go for a hike. Violet is taking pictures with her phone from the overlook. Jordan and I walk farther down the trail, where it narrows and drops. A big rock perches next to us, but it抯 too steep for me to climb.
揑 think I抦 good here.?I stop, and he takes a step, tugging me behind him closer to the dropoff.
揑 won抰 let anything happen to you.?
He grabs me by the waist and lifts me onto the rock. His hand goes to my ass, steadying me while I crawl to the middle and sit. He抯 right behind me and sits beside me. Valley is off in the horizon.
揑 feel so insignificant up here.?
揘ot to me.?He bumps his shoulder against mine and takes off the backpack he was wearing.
He hands me his water bottle and then unzips the backpack.
揋ot anything good in there??I ask. All the hiking made me hungry.
He pulls out chips, beef jerky, and then with a grin, a candy necklace.
I take it from him and put it on. His eyes flash with desire as I nibble on a candy bead.
揑 brought this too.?He hands me my sketchbook and pencils.
I flip it open eagerly. When I packed it for the weekend, I imagined getting up early and sketching while he was still sleeping or maybe when he was off doing stuff with the guys. 揥hat about you??
揙h, don抰 worry about me. I know how to keep myself occupied.?He moves my hair away from my neck and places a kiss just above my new candy accessory. His teeth wrap around my necklace, and goosebumps dot my arms.
I don抰 get very much sketching done.
Later at camp, we grill burgers and hot dogs, and then gather around a small fire. Jenkins brought a speaker and plays music while the eight of us share stories and roast marshmallows.
Violet sits next to me with her knees pulled up to her chest. She抯 managed to mostly avoid Gavin today, but I can tell she抯 still feeling his presence. He抯 quieter than normal, too, drinking from a bottle of Jager that never leaves his hand.
揥e should play cards or something,?Liam says.
揑 think I抦 gonna go to bed,?Vi says.
揧our bag is still in the SUV,?Jordan says, and tosses her the keys.
揟hanks.?She lets her head fall on my shoulder. 揝ee you in the morning.?
揘ight.?
She retrieves her bag from Jordan抯 vehicle, then takes it with her to the bathrooms not far off on the main grounds.
Liam grabs a deck of cards from his tent, and we move our chairs closer together.
揇on抰 deal me in on this one,?Gavin says. 揑抦 going for a walk.?
He stands with his bottle dangling from his fingers.
揂re you good??Jenkins asks him. 揥ant some company??
He gives his head a shake. 揂ll good. Probably heading to bed after. Which tent is mine??
I nuzzle closer to Jordan as Jenkins gets Gavin squared away on the sleeping arrangements.
揑 think I might be ready for bed too,?Jordan whispers in my ear and hooks a finger around my necklace.
He抯 been nibbling on it all day. Slowly, and a little bit torturous.
He kisses my neck, leaving a trail of warm kisses along my skin. He slides a hand under the bottom of my sweatshirt, and his cold fingers travel up until he finds the hook of my bra. It gives under his touch, and he brings a palm around to cover my breast.
揓ordan??Liam抯 voice interrupts our makeout sesh like it isn抰 the first time he抯 said his name.
My boyfriend doesn抰 move his hand but looks up. 揧eah??
Liam chuckles. 揂re you two playing??
Jordan deflects the question to me with a glance.
揙ne game.?
We settle on Fuck the Dealer with a minimum ten-second drink wager. Jordan has the deck, and Liam is up. I抦 nuzzled into my boyfriend抯 side, giving me a view of the cards as he places them on the table. Liam gets the first two wrong. He glances at me before he decides on his final card. It抯 a nine, and the last card was an eight, and I can see the hesitation on his face. Moving my other hand just above the table, I point my thumb up.
揌igher,?he says.
Jordan flips the card with a groan, and Liam grins as we count to ten while Jordan drinks. Cole goes next, and I do the same thing, forcing Jordan to drink for ten more seconds. Taylor isn抰 playing, but Jenkins guesses the right suit on the very first card, no cheating needed.
揊uck.?Jordan finishes off his beer with another long chug.
揟he dealer,?I say with a smirk. 揗y turn.?
Jordan angles his body to keep me from seeing the cards. Liam gets up to get another beer as Jordan shuffles and lays out three for me. I do not have the same good luck as Jenkins, but when Jordan flips over the third card, a five, Liam lifts both arms like he抯 stretching and gives me a thumbs down with his right hand.