Too Tempting (The Lewis Cousins 1)

I reached for another Red Vine and gasped when I realized the carton was empty. When I went to my bag to grab another one, I saw that I was out.

Well, I guess it’s a good thing I leave tomorrow, I thought, then sighed. It was crazy how sad the thought of leaving made me. The lack of Red Vines notwithstanding, I really liked it here, and was melancholy at the thought of returning home.

Which was super strange, because I loved my space.

If I was honest with myself, the biggest bummer was leaving Gabe, but since I wasn’t ready to be honest with myself I decided to sit back down and get back to work.

I don’t know how long I’d been typing away, when a noise by the door caused me to look up. Jenny was walking in with a brown paper bag in her hand.

“Hi, Zoey,” she said cheerfully. “I don’t want to bother you. I just came here to pick up something, and when Gabe asked if I was coming to the cabin, he asked me to bring you this.” She held up the bag to show me, then crossed the room and put it on the table next to me. “He said you probably haven’t consumed anything other than coffee and Red Vines…” I resisted the urge to fling the empty candy container off the desk as she continued, “So he wanted to make sure you got some sustenance.”

Gingerly, I opened the bag and peeked inside, then reached my hand in and pulled out a turkey sandwich, barbecue chips, and a banana.

“He seems to really like you,” Jenny said, her face taking on a dreamy expression.

I’m sure mine matched when I answered, “Yeah … He’s so thoughtful.”

As if on cue, my stomach growled, causing us both to laugh.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it, and I’ll report back to Gabe that you’re fueling up.”

“Thanks, Jenny.”

“No problem.”

When she left, I unwrapped the sandwich and began eating. It suddenly hit me, that during my time here Gabe had planned and executed many thoughtful moments for me, and I’d never once surprised him with anything.

I saved what I was working on, closed the windows I had open, and powered down my laptop, then I stood and began pacing as I finished my lunch.

Once I had an idea formed, I rushed out to put my plan into action.

First, I stopped by and had a talk with the cook, gushing about how wonderful her pizza was before I begged her for a favor.

Next, I went to the General Store and bought some candles, eye black, and one of Gabe’s jerseys. The candles were more for camping than romance, but I had to make do with the tools I had available to me.

I went back, showered, did my makeup, and styled my hair in big loose curls.

I looked at the clock and figured I had just enough time to go back to the kitchen, then hightail it to Gabe’s cabin in time to get everything set up before he got home from dinner. He’d mentioned that he’d be eating with the kids after the ropes course. It was their last dinner, and he liked to answer questions from the campers, and get their feedback about their week.

As I was walking to his cabin, inspiration struck when I passed a bush full of blooming flowers. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, and hoping I wasn’t breaking some rule about messing with the landscaping, I picked as many buds as I could hold.

I let myself in and started setting up.

After I made his bed, I scattered the flowers around, putting some on the bed and some around the room. Then I found a smooth jazz station on Pandora and hooked it up to his Bluetooth speaker. I ran to his bathroom, took off the clothes I was wearing, and put on his jersey so that I was wearing only that with a pair of boy shorts underneath. I fluffed out my hair and put the eye black on under my eyes, then lit the candles. After I’d turned off all the lights, I placed the cherry pie in the middle of the bed and situated myself around it, lying on my side with my head propped up on my hand, and my hair fanned out around me. Then I locked my eyes on the door and waited.

I’m not sure how long I waited, but I was stuck with the thought that I probably should have gone to the bathroom before draping myself across the bed, so I scooted over and off and ran to the bathroom.

I was washing my hands when I heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs, so I rushed out of the bathroom and launched myself onto the bed, getting in position and trying to look sexy, when the door opened.

Gabe’s eyes came straight to me. They widened a bit, and his lips tilted up, then his face changed, causing me to worry that somehow I’d made a mistake trying to surprise him.

Then Reardon stepped around him, eyes on me, and muttered, “You always were a lucky son of a bitch.”

Gabe turned, put his hands on Reardon’s chest and pushed.

“Out.”

Reardon shot me a big smile, winked, and said, “Later, Zoey.”