Dead of Summer - Page 124

“Just be safe for me, okay?” His hand slides down to my ass, and then he’s biting me again, clearly unworried about leaving a mark. “Don’t make me kill someone for breaking you and have to put you back together again. Plus, Kinsley will be traumatized if something happens to you, Summer.”

“How in the world would you put me back together again?” I scoff, only half focused on his words. The rest of me is prepared to jump out of this tree, drag him back to my cabin, and revisit the idea of riding his face until I get off.

“Any way you ask me to.” His answer is immediate, and before I know what he’s doing, Kayde has slid out of the tree, landed, and is dragging me down as well. I shriek a protest, sure I’m going to break a leg, but Kayde never lets me hit the ground.

Instead, I end up in his arms, one of mine hooked around his neck as he grins down at me. “I’m going to take you back to your cabin and wreck you, princess,” Kayde purrs, a promise on his lips. “And then I’m going to figure out how to get rid of Grey quickly and quietly for you, so you can fall in love with me that much faster.”

“It’s…still more complicated than that,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. “Didn’t I say that?”

“Yeah,” Kayde agrees, his smile wolfish. “I’m just refusing to accept that answer. You’re going to admit you love me by the end of the week, Summer. I’m counting on it.”

“And if I don’t?” I can't help but ask, fingers bunching into his shirt.

But Kayde never stops grinning, and I can feel the chuckle that rumbles in his chest. “That won’t happen. There’s no version of this week that lets that happen. I won’t let it.”

And if that doesn’t sound like a threat, then I don’t know what ever could. But I lock my reply behind my teeth and pretend his words don’t have my thighs clenching and excitement running through my veins.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Everything is awful, starting right when my girls wake up. With Kayde long gone from the cabin, I find myself waiting for my girls, perched on the railing of the cabin deck while they finish getting ready inside.

But the moment they come out, I can see they’re subdued. It’s as if a dark cloud hangs over them, and I frown at my girls before saying, “Good morning, Redtail. You guys look…dreadful.” No point lying to them, and even Melody just gives me a side-eyed glance of resignation. “In case it’ll help you feel better, Emily is going to be okay.”

Two of them jerk their heads up to look at me, eyes wide, and I smile as I rest more of my weight back on the railing. “Liza got back late last night. I heard from her that while Emily will need surgery, everything is going to be okay. And it was just an accident, okay? Just a freak accident that’s never happened before and won’t happen again.” The words feel like ash on my tongue, though, and it occurs to me not for the first time that this camp session is the worst we’ve ever had.

I just hope bad things don’t come in threes.

“Are you sure?” Lily’s voice is soft, and she wrings her hands together in front of her. “We heard that…well we heard she was dying.” She trades a look with Mel, who hooks an arm over Lily’s shoulder and pulls her in close.

“I’m absolutely positive.” Though, that’s just on Liza’s word, which I believe without question. “She’s okay.” The relief is palpable, and I see some of their anxieties lift, though it doesn’t do much for the general mood of Redtail. Mentally, I cross my fingers as we walk toward Otter Hall, and hope that being around the other campers will help cheer them up.

But naturally, that’s not going to happen. Not when I walk in to see the same down faces and tense atmosphere that matches how my girls are doing. Everyone seems subdued, and I let out a breath of resignation and sink down across from Kins, who’s barely doing more than moving her food around on her plate.

“Hey.” Reaching out, I take her hand, trying to meet her eyes. She just sighs and doesn’t look up, though she doesn’t shake me off, so I’m considering that progress. “How are you?”

It’s a stupid question, but I don’t know what else to say. Kins finally looks up at me, her eyes red rimmed and framed with dark circles. “I’m awful,” she tells me, voice a croak. “And I’m exhausted. I can’t believe Fink wouldn’t let us cancel hiking day.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Kayde’s cabin filter in, and my sociopath swaggers up to the food window with a quick, measuring glance in my direction.

“I know,” I agree, sitting back but keeping my fingers twined with hers. “None of these kids want to hike. At all. And to not even make it optional for them is harsh.” Way too harsh, in my opinion. But Fink’s schedule is, to him, a thing of divine creation.

No one can deviate from the schedule and get away with it. At least not if Fink finds out.

Kayde appears at my elbow, sitting down with a sigh and a heavily laden tray. “If you’re trying to starve yourself, I regret to inform you I won’t let that happen,” he informs me sweetly, handing off a plate of my favorite breakfast foods. I wrinkle my nose at the bacon, though, and Kayde just rolls his eyes. “Try it. It’s called protein, Summer. It’s good for you.”

“You’re a jerk,” I tell him politely, accepting the mug of coffee and cup of milk. “But also a really sweet jerk.” I can’t help being honest, and he rewards me with a wide grin. “Thanks, Kayde.”

“Don’t mention it. Or, actually. Do mention it. At length. I like praise.” He takes another spare mug of coffee from his tray and puts it in front of Kinsley, along with three sugar packets and two creams.

She raises one brow at him, unimpressed. “I don’t like men,” she points out. “If this is your attempt to start building a harem, you should know I vomit at the sight of dick.”

Kayde makes a face at her. “I’m just being nice. You’re Summer’s best friend, and you look awful. Plus, I know you don’t like dick. You’ve made it really clear every time Summer even so much as says something involving the male anatomy, or that I stayed the night.”

“Did you stay the night?” Kinsley asks, dumping the sugar and cream into her coffee and stirring it with a plastic stick. “Last I heard, Summer didn’t know how to ask you to stay, and was agonizing over it.”

That has Kayde blinking, bemusement spreading across his features. For my part, I groan and bury my face in my hands. “Thanks, Kins,” I mumble, voice muffled by my palms. “You’re such a great friend.”

“Was it a secret?” She seems a little perkier with caffeine and the joy of causing me emotional damage. “Seems like a weird secret to keep from him when I’m pretty sure he’d stay as long as you want.” She eyes Kayde, who nods enthusiastically, then glances back at me with raised, expectant brows.