thinks they’ll be able to break through sometime tomorrow. Maybe before breakfast.”
“Wow. That’s…fast.” She hadn’t expected their time to end so soon.
“I know.”
“Who died in here?” James traipsed into the kitchen, scrubbing his hair with a towel. Neil snapped him on the ass with his own wet terrycloth. The two men engaged in a mock-battle, oblivious to the questions zinging around the room.
“Hurry up, Dave.” Neil shoved his friend toward the bathroom. “I’m starving. Don’t want to wait once dinner’s ready.”
Kayla slid a sheet of rolls into the oven, wringing a groan from one of the men when she bent to adjust the racks. By the time she straightened, Dave was nowhere in sight.
Did it bother him to leave not knowing where they stood? She wished she could talk to him alone.
Maybe tonight they could whisper in the shadows when Neil and James slept. It might be fun to plot their course like two clandestine lovers.
42
She grinned as she stripped off her apron and headed for the laundry room, passing the bathroom on the way. Dave’s off-key rendition of Bruno Mar’s section of “Nothin’ On You” cracked her up and gave her hope as she shoveled their soggy sweatshirts and sexy jeans into her washing machine.
When only a pile of their socks and boxer briefs occupied the corners of her laundry basket, she tipped it into the circular opening, wondering at the heft remaining in the plastic tote. A resounding clunk startled her into releasing a ridiculous squeak.
“You okay?” Dave must have heard it too.
“Yeah.”
“What was that?” he shouted from the room next door as he closed the taps. A moment later he poked his head around the corner.
She rummaged in the machine for source of the racket. “No idea.”
“Why don’t I finish this up for you?” Neil burst into the space as her fingers landed on something cool and heavy in the sea of fabric. Make that a couple of somethings.
“What the hell?” She rescued the objects from the washer, holding them up so the guys—including Dave—could see. “Someone missing a pair of…doodads? What are these things anyway?”
“Oh shit.” Neil’s eyes bulged. James crashed into Neil’s back when his lover stopped short. He knocked Neil the rest of the way into the room.
“Tell me I’m not seeing this.” Dave turned an unhealthy shade of purple.
“Somebody better start talking.” Kayla’s throat burned with acid. The guys shifted from foot to foot without fulfilling her command. She dropped the basket and set the objects on top of her dryer very carefully before saying again, much softer this time, “What are those?”
Neil cleared his throat. “They’re spark plugs.”
“What—” Spark plugs. Oh, no. Spark plugs. “As in a pretty fucking integral part of a truck engine?”
“Son of a bitch.” Dave propped one hand on the frame of the bathroom doorway and lowered his head. “I knew it didn’t sound right. You little shit.”
“You tricked me?” She tried not to panic, but her breathing grew erratic and her stomach plummeted to her toes. “Why?”
No one said a word.
“You planned this ?” She couldn’t seem to make her brain understand what her heart already grasped.
They’d cooked up a scheme to corner her alone. To worm into her bed…or onto her floor, as it happened.
Her laugh sounded twisted even to her own ears. “Joke’s on you then. All you had to do was ask to fuck me. I wanted you bad enough I would have bent over for you before the storm and you could have been on your merry way, without having to sacrifice the whole weekend.”
“Jesus,” Neil snarled. “That’s not what—”
43
“Shut up, asshole.” Dave silenced Neil with a slice of his hand through the air. “You’ve done enough, don’t you think?”
“Four pissed off people in a tiny cabin. Awkward. You should have considered that before you lied to get your jollies.” She stormed past the three men
“Wow. That’s…fast.” She hadn’t expected their time to end so soon.
“I know.”
“Who died in here?” James traipsed into the kitchen, scrubbing his hair with a towel. Neil snapped him on the ass with his own wet terrycloth. The two men engaged in a mock-battle, oblivious to the questions zinging around the room.
“Hurry up, Dave.” Neil shoved his friend toward the bathroom. “I’m starving. Don’t want to wait once dinner’s ready.”
Kayla slid a sheet of rolls into the oven, wringing a groan from one of the men when she bent to adjust the racks. By the time she straightened, Dave was nowhere in sight.
Did it bother him to leave not knowing where they stood? She wished she could talk to him alone.
Maybe tonight they could whisper in the shadows when Neil and James slept. It might be fun to plot their course like two clandestine lovers.
42
She grinned as she stripped off her apron and headed for the laundry room, passing the bathroom on the way. Dave’s off-key rendition of Bruno Mar’s section of “Nothin’ On You” cracked her up and gave her hope as she shoveled their soggy sweatshirts and sexy jeans into her washing machine.
When only a pile of their socks and boxer briefs occupied the corners of her laundry basket, she tipped it into the circular opening, wondering at the heft remaining in the plastic tote. A resounding clunk startled her into releasing a ridiculous squeak.
“You okay?” Dave must have heard it too.
“Yeah.”
“What was that?” he shouted from the room next door as he closed the taps. A moment later he poked his head around the corner.
She rummaged in the machine for source of the racket. “No idea.”
“Why don’t I finish this up for you?” Neil burst into the space as her fingers landed on something cool and heavy in the sea of fabric. Make that a couple of somethings.
“What the hell?” She rescued the objects from the washer, holding them up so the guys—including Dave—could see. “Someone missing a pair of…doodads? What are these things anyway?”
“Oh shit.” Neil’s eyes bulged. James crashed into Neil’s back when his lover stopped short. He knocked Neil the rest of the way into the room.
“Tell me I’m not seeing this.” Dave turned an unhealthy shade of purple.
“Somebody better start talking.” Kayla’s throat burned with acid. The guys shifted from foot to foot without fulfilling her command. She dropped the basket and set the objects on top of her dryer very carefully before saying again, much softer this time, “What are those?”
Neil cleared his throat. “They’re spark plugs.”
“What—” Spark plugs. Oh, no. Spark plugs. “As in a pretty fucking integral part of a truck engine?”
“Son of a bitch.” Dave propped one hand on the frame of the bathroom doorway and lowered his head. “I knew it didn’t sound right. You little shit.”
“You tricked me?” She tried not to panic, but her breathing grew erratic and her stomach plummeted to her toes. “Why?”
No one said a word.
“You planned this ?” She couldn’t seem to make her brain understand what her heart already grasped.
They’d cooked up a scheme to corner her alone. To worm into her bed…or onto her floor, as it happened.
Her laugh sounded twisted even to her own ears. “Joke’s on you then. All you had to do was ask to fuck me. I wanted you bad enough I would have bent over for you before the storm and you could have been on your merry way, without having to sacrifice the whole weekend.”
“Jesus,” Neil snarled. “That’s not what—”
43
“Shut up, asshole.” Dave silenced Neil with a slice of his hand through the air. “You’ve done enough, don’t you think?”
“Four pissed off people in a tiny cabin. Awkward. You should have considered that before you lied to get your jollies.” She stormed past the three men
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