The Expert’s Guide to Driving a Man Wild (Bluebonnet #3)(28)
Author: Jessica Clare

“I do,” he said solemnly. “I need the job.”

“Well, we need another employee,” she told him.

He nodded, but the suspicious look was still on his face.

“Would you feel better if I put on some pants?”

“Marginally, yes.”

“All right then, I’ll have to find some. Come on. I’m sure I have some in my cabin.” She paused, then added, “I think.”

They headed toward the row of cabins and Brenna waved a hand at them. “One of these will be yours, as soon as we figure out sleeping arrangements.”

“The cabin I slept in last night. It’s not empty?”

“No, that’s mine.”

He looked surprised. “You don’t have much stuff.”

“I don’t, do I?” she said, feeling more cheerful by the minute. That was nice to hear from someone. Relieving. She constantly worried that she’d somehow turned a blind eye to her possessions and she’d wake up surrounded by piles of overwhelming junk.

“You a minimalist?”

“Something like that,” Brenna said. “Though only with my own stuff.” She had no problem borrowing from other people, because other people tended to want their stuff back. As long as it was going home with someone else? She didn’t much care. “But once we reshuffle the cabins, you’ll have one for yourself. Do you need to make relocation arrangements?”

His fathomless blue eyes fixed on her face. “I’m relocated.”

“I don’t see a box of stuff?”

“I’m relocated,” he repeated.

“Well then,” she said, pushing the door to her cabin open. “I guess I’m not the only one who packs light.”

Once inside her cabin, she found her last pair of jeans and a T-shirt she’d borrowed from Beth Ann. She changed and grabbed her few possessions—toiletries, a paperback, and her spare bra—and headed back out to where Rome was patiently waiting.

“She’s move-in ready,” Brenna declared, and waved the handful of possessions. “Just let me dump this at Grant’s and we can start the grand tour.”

“Move-in ready?” He gestured at her cabin. “You mean this will be mine?”

She nodded. “I’m staying with Grant until his family leaves. After that, I’ll just sleep in the main lodge. I don’t really need a cabin.”

He gave her a dubious look. “I don’t want to push you out of your home.”

“Actually, I’d prefer not to have one.” It was one of her weird hang-ups, but she didn’t try to explain it. No one ever understood.

A smile slowly blossomed over Rome’s handsome face and, for a moment, he looked pretty enough to be a model. “Thanks.” He gave the cabin another proud look, and she recognized that expression instantly. It was the expression of a man who didn’t have much and appreciated what he got.

It made her like him all the more.

“Come on,” she told him. “Once I drop these off, we’ll get the ATVs and I’ll show you around.”

• • •

Only one of the ATVs was working that morning. Hoisted by her own petard, more or less. She dug out two helmets and had Rome ride behind her, and she drove around the wilderness camp for more than an hour. There were no classes, so she felt comfortable gunning through the woods at high speed, Rome’s hands clinging to her waist. She drove him past the creeks, pointed out Dane and Colt’s favorite camping spots, showed him the storage cabin that they kept emergency supplies in, and circled the area that the guys had designated to be the paintball course. It was toward the front of the property, so any paintball enthusiasts wouldn’t have to go traipsing into the deep woods just to get to the course.

Rome was quiet, absorbing it all in with quick nods.

By the time they circled back to the main lodge, Grant’s car was in the parking lot, and he and Elise were heading out the front door to greet them, likely drawn by the loud purr of the ATV. Brenna waved enthusiastically as they ripped past, and she could have sworn that Grant frowned at the two of them. With her luck, she was probably just in time for a lecture about keeping both hands on the handlebars while driving. She drove up to the ATV shed and let Rome get off before driving in to park, and then tossed the helmets into the shed instead of restoring them to their proper spot.

“Shouldn’t we put those away?” Rome asked.

“Probably.” But she didn’t turn around to fix it. She was curious what Grant was going to say and that was spurring her forward. She shoved her hands into her pockets and began to head back to the front of the main lodge. “So what do you think, Rome?”

He thought for a moment, and then answered. “Too much acreage, if you ask me.”

“What do you mean?” Brenna asked as Grant and Elise met them halfway. Grant had a definite scowl on his face, so she moved in and put her hand on his cheek, bringing him close for a kiss in greeting (that would also serve as a distraction). It worked rather well, too—Grant definitely had a distracted look on his face.

“You have too many acres set aside for the paintball,” Rome said slowly, as if unsure that he should be offering advice. “There’s no natural landmarks or coverage, just trees. To be really successful, you’d be best with setting up some sort of buildings for cover, like a fort or fake walls. You want people to set up as teams and strategize.”

“Won’t it be unsafe if we set up a lot of obstacles?” Grant rubbed his chin, thinking. “I want safety to be a consideration for our guests above all else.”

“Safety is one thing, but you’ll need to give them some sort of cover or scenario to work through. You could even set up different tracks—one for beginners, one for advanced players, and one for experts, and scale the courses accordingly.”

“So the new guys won’t be slaughtered by the experts,” Grant mused. “Not a bad idea.”

“Rome’s brilliant,” Brenna enthused. “That’s why we hired him.” And Grant was still frowning down at her, so she nibbled on his ear a little.

He shivered and jerked away when her tongue traced the shell of his ear. “Are you trying to distract me?”

“Yes,” she murmured, but then glanced back at Rome. “You want to change things, you need to talk to this man, here.” She patted Grant’s chest, and then copped a bit of a feel of his pectorals while she was at it. It was kind of fun to manhandle him.