Sailor Proof (Shore Leave 1)

“Your guy seems nice.” Ingrid, a cousin around my age, smiled at me as she helped one of the kids load marshmallows onto a stick.

“He is.” I looked over at him again, chest going warm and tight at the same time. He was nice. So nice. But he wasn’t mine.

“You’re not fighting, are you?” Ingrid asked.

“No, of course not.” I managed a return grin. The last thing I needed was that rumor. “He’s hanging out with his friends.”

“And you get him all to yourself later anyway.”

“There is that.” Damn it. I’d managed to avoid thinking about the one-bed situation for an hour or so, but now those thoughts swarmed my brain. I kept replaying my clumsy come-on, including the brief second when I’d thought Derrick might be about to agree. Hell, sleeping in the tub might be good for me, let me cool off this obsession with him. After all, no matter what, we were not going to share that bed.

Chapter Eleven

Derrick

One bed. As I listened to Calder and his friends recount some tale about life on a different sub, my brain kept wandering back to that little cabin and the single bed waiting for us. I wasn’t ruling out sleeping upright in one of the chairs. I’d made do with worse. And anything to avoid the temptation that was Arthur. The firelight kept reflecting off his hair, making it gleam like polished copper. But what truly captivated me was his smile, and I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed it as much before. But he had a smile for everyone—the baby riding in a striped sling, the dad toting said sling, the little girl asking for seconds on s’mores, his mom bugging him about his sign-up sheet for the talent show, and more. They all got a brilliant Arthur smile.

But when he glanced my way, he frowned, and I hated that. The one-bed thing was undoubtedly wearing on him too, and I wished I knew what to do to earn one of those smiles for myself. He’d been so free with them in the car, and I wanted to get back to that place.

“Hey, we’re going to play cards after this.” Calder clapped me on the shoulder as the crowd at the campfire started to disperse, camp staff handling the fire extinguishing, parents rounding up sleepy kids and older adults making their way slowly back to the cabins. “Ollie’s going to come to our cabin after the kids are settled. You in?”

“You wanting more of my money?” I forced an easy tone. This might be a solution to my dilemma, even if I wasn’t entirely in the mood for another beer and more battle-bragging story swapping.

“You know it.” Calder grinned at me, undoubtedly giddy at the memory of all he’d won off me over the years. He was an absolute shark at cards, and it was only because he was otherwise so damn likable that any of us continued to play with him. “Figured you might need the break from Arthur anyway.”

“Eh. He’s not so bad.” Unbidden, one of the songs we’d sung on the drive crept into my head, soundtrack to a music video montage of the surprising amount of fun we’d had together. But for some reason, I was reluctant to confess to the playlist he’d made just for us and to the way we’d sung and laughed. “Nah. It was...okay.”

“Well, at least you’re not miserable.” Calder collected the empty bottles from where we’d been sitting on a low log bench. “That’s good. So, gonna let me rack up some winnings?”

On the other side of the now-extinguished fire circle, Arthur gave his mom a tight hug before starting on the path toward the cabins. I don’t like being ignored in plain sight, that invisible feeling. Why didn’t Calder and Ollie and the rest of them ever invite Arthur to hang out? The last of my beer soured in my stomach. It might all be pretend, but I still didn’t need to be a heel, add to Arthur’s invisible feeling.

I could be a better boyfriend than that.

“Actually, I’m tired.” I did an exaggerated yawn and stretch. “All this rest and time off is catching up with me.”

“Okay. Get your beauty sleep.” Laughing, he stooped low to check for more trash before waving as his group headed toward one of the larger bunkhouses.

“Don’t let Arthur’s chatter keep you awake,” our mutual friend Max tossed back over his shoulder. Calder and I were the only ones who knew the relationship was fake, and Max added a suggestive wink that made my skin heat. Lord but I wanted to wear Arthur out.

“Will do.” Talking. We should talk. Long speeches would be good because it would mean we weren’t kissing. Fuck. I was so screwed, and yet I still let my legs carry me back to the cabin where I let myself in to find Arthur lounging on the bed, phone in hand. A low fire flickered in the stone fireplace, giving a cozy glow to the whole room.