Read Online MASON (Second Chance Novels Book 2) by Kemmie Michaels - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kemmie Michaels
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jackass who's ready to go camping. Can you say the same?"
"Camp-ready, yes. The jackass part? I'll leave that to you."
I grin as Cam gives him a kiss goodbye. Then she turns to me. "Don't worry. Shelby and I will hang out while you're gone and spend a lot of time talking about the two of you."
"Awesome." I hope my sarcasm came across thickly.
Cam laughs and kisses Ledger one more time. I leave so I don't have to watch. Passionate doesn't adequately describe the two of them. I'm happy they found that intensity in each other, but I don't want to be anywhere near it. By the time I have my bag and equipment out of my truck, Ledger's rearranging his gear to make room in his Jeep. He double checks the lashings over the kayaks and seems to be ready.
"I brought enough climbing gear for two, my friend," I say with a grin. Ledger matches my smile. He soaks up the adventure every time we're out. Since he never had the chance to do anything fun when he was a kid, he's ready to make up for lost time. That works for me. I have someone to chase the adrenaline with. I have to keep things fairly tame with this newbie, but it's great to be out either way. When I need to hit it hard, I go solo.
"Climbing? Nice," he says with a genuine smile as he walks to the driver's seat. Not a moment later we're driving the two hours to a national park that has a few decent 30-foot rock faces and beginner-level bouldering areas. I know a good spot for camp I've used a few times before. With the weather so perfect, I didn't bother with a tent.
"Yeah, I think you'll like it," I say. "If you're into it we'll get you some of your own gear. You can tackle bigger faces simply by having the right climbing shoes. So how's Cam doing? She smiled pretty easily, but I know she's had practice at putting on a good face."
"Yeah," he shakes his head. "She still tries that with me sometimes, but I call her out. There's simply no sense in it. But she's doing a lot better either way, especially now that she's back in school. That's always been her choice. Living out her own goals has brought out a whole new side of her."
I nod, thrilled that Cam, and therefore Ledger, are so much happier. We talk longer about her therapy and personal efforts. Ledger quietly tells me about her continuing nightmares and damn-near chokes up about how bad they are. From what he says, she curls up and quietly cries. No screaming, no anger, no fear. She simply wakes up broken. That's the only way he can describe it. The knowledge makes me want to resurrect Garret Masters so I can kill him this time. Even though Cam isn't mine to protect, I have a drive for delivering justice, especially to smug, power-hungry sons-of-bitches. One of those assholes destroyed my life, too, and I want to take them all down. If not for my project with Dig, I'd be going thoroughly crazy by now.
When we get to the tree-crowned end of the back service drive deep in the park, we carry our gear a few hundred yards in. The clearing I found last year is a perfect spot to camp. After setting up the fire ring, a few basic provisions and our sleeping bags, we're set. I'm not big for drinking outdoors, but I did bring one beer for each of us. Ledger grins and pulls out two cigars to go with them. I nod and reach for my lighter.
I fucking love this. Cold beer, good cigar, great friend, out in the open – this is exactly what I needed. This is pure relaxation and fun for me. Until Ledger opens his big-ass mouth.
"So what are you going to do about Shelby?" he asks after he takes a deep pull from his cigar.
My eyes shoot over to him. I refuse to engage in this with him.
"Come on, Mase. I'm worried about everyone in this. And I've seen it. Shelby's in love with you…and you like her. But then I saw you look at Dig when she came to talk to you Wednesday."
I sit in silence. The fire crackles. My beer is cold and I'm trying to relax. That's all I need to think about, but Ledger can't let the
"Camp-ready, yes. The jackass part? I'll leave that to you."
I grin as Cam gives him a kiss goodbye. Then she turns to me. "Don't worry. Shelby and I will hang out while you're gone and spend a lot of time talking about the two of you."
"Awesome." I hope my sarcasm came across thickly.
Cam laughs and kisses Ledger one more time. I leave so I don't have to watch. Passionate doesn't adequately describe the two of them. I'm happy they found that intensity in each other, but I don't want to be anywhere near it. By the time I have my bag and equipment out of my truck, Ledger's rearranging his gear to make room in his Jeep. He double checks the lashings over the kayaks and seems to be ready.
"I brought enough climbing gear for two, my friend," I say with a grin. Ledger matches my smile. He soaks up the adventure every time we're out. Since he never had the chance to do anything fun when he was a kid, he's ready to make up for lost time. That works for me. I have someone to chase the adrenaline with. I have to keep things fairly tame with this newbie, but it's great to be out either way. When I need to hit it hard, I go solo.
"Climbing? Nice," he says with a genuine smile as he walks to the driver's seat. Not a moment later we're driving the two hours to a national park that has a few decent 30-foot rock faces and beginner-level bouldering areas. I know a good spot for camp I've used a few times before. With the weather so perfect, I didn't bother with a tent.
"Yeah, I think you'll like it," I say. "If you're into it we'll get you some of your own gear. You can tackle bigger faces simply by having the right climbing shoes. So how's Cam doing? She smiled pretty easily, but I know she's had practice at putting on a good face."
"Yeah," he shakes his head. "She still tries that with me sometimes, but I call her out. There's simply no sense in it. But she's doing a lot better either way, especially now that she's back in school. That's always been her choice. Living out her own goals has brought out a whole new side of her."
I nod, thrilled that Cam, and therefore Ledger, are so much happier. We talk longer about her therapy and personal efforts. Ledger quietly tells me about her continuing nightmares and damn-near chokes up about how bad they are. From what he says, she curls up and quietly cries. No screaming, no anger, no fear. She simply wakes up broken. That's the only way he can describe it. The knowledge makes me want to resurrect Garret Masters so I can kill him this time. Even though Cam isn't mine to protect, I have a drive for delivering justice, especially to smug, power-hungry sons-of-bitches. One of those assholes destroyed my life, too, and I want to take them all down. If not for my project with Dig, I'd be going thoroughly crazy by now.
When we get to the tree-crowned end of the back service drive deep in the park, we carry our gear a few hundred yards in. The clearing I found last year is a perfect spot to camp. After setting up the fire ring, a few basic provisions and our sleeping bags, we're set. I'm not big for drinking outdoors, but I did bring one beer for each of us. Ledger grins and pulls out two cigars to go with them. I nod and reach for my lighter.
I fucking love this. Cold beer, good cigar, great friend, out in the open – this is exactly what I needed. This is pure relaxation and fun for me. Until Ledger opens his big-ass mouth.
"So what are you going to do about Shelby?" he asks after he takes a deep pull from his cigar.
My eyes shoot over to him. I refuse to engage in this with him.
"Come on, Mase. I'm worried about everyone in this. And I've seen it. Shelby's in love with you…and you like her. But then I saw you look at Dig when she came to talk to you Wednesday."
I sit in silence. The fire crackles. My beer is cold and I'm trying to relax. That's all I need to think about, but Ledger can't let the
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