“There’s not much to say, Red.” In one smooth move, Summer scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the blanket. “Every woman I’ve been with, for that matter, every woman I’ve ever known, pales in comparison to you.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Tabled.”

“Believe me, Red, you’re going to get to the tabled, but right now I think we need to clear the air.”

Her eyes fluttered and heart melted at the mere hint of table sex. Heavy breaths huffed from her flared nostrils. It was silly and stupid for her to be jealous, but she was sick with it.

Summer dropped to his knees and set her on her bum, and spun her so they were nose-to-nose. He crawled over her, arranging her just so, until his rear pointed skyward and his forearms rested at each side of her head. His lips inches from hers.

“We’re at nine thousand feet. The air can’t get any clearer,” she nipped sullenly, cutting him a sardonic eye roll.

Summer brushed the tip of his nose to hers, nudging playfully. He maneuvered his head to keep the sun from glaring into her eyes. She could barely make out his face, shadowed from the bright rays, but she could still make out his eyes smiling softly, taunting her with happiness. The man always possessed a distinct capability, an art really, of making her laugh when she was pissed.

“It’s just something I’m going to need to get over.”

“There’s nothing to get over. My past is my past. Your past is your past. Life is what it is, Carrie Ann. We can’t go back, we can only move forward. I give you my word…you’ll never have any reason to feel jealous again.” The tender sincerity in his tone, played along her heart strings. Summer palmed a few flyaway hairs from her face. His mouth moved over hers, delivering a sweet kiss. “You own my heart. You always have. Everything else has just been white noise filling in the blank spaces.”

A long sigh of acceptance drifted free from her tight pursed lips, steadying her shaky exhale. Her eyes adjusted to the light. She focused on his throat, smooth and tan. Appetizing. Carrie Ann brought her palms to his neck, entwining them at his nape. “I kind of like this…softer side of you, Summer.”

“Oh really?” He growled. “It’s the only thing soft you’re going to get from me today.”

“Is that so?” she countered boldly, trying to keep a straight face. “Gonna give it to me hard?”

“Carrie Ann Lowell, from now on you get it however you’d like it.” His tone riddled with impeccable politeness. For a millisecond. “Hard and fast, slow and dirty…you just say the word, but today I plan on fucking you into exhaustion.”

*

“What the…” A sea of white greeted them when they walked through the door. Toilet paper was strewn from one end the cabin to the other. “Aspen!”

“Uh-oh.” Carrie Ann contained her giggles behind the palm of her hand. “Looks like someone was a busy girl while we were gone.”

“Oh…she is in T.R.O.U.B.L.E. Aspen!” Authority rang in his voice as he called again. Summer gathered long strips and tiny pieces of tissue in his hand, making his way into the living room.

Movement stirred beneath a pile of flowy white cotton. A black nose and sleepy brown eyes peered out between the pillowed squares. A golden fluff ball emerged, fiercely barking as she charged toward them protectively.

“What did you do?”

Aspen skid to a halt, identifying the intruder as her master returning home after a long day. She whined, wiggling from head to tail, trotting toward them with a scarf made of toilet paper. Carrie Ann forced herself to look away from the cuteness.

Summer held out the ream of toilet paper in his hand. “This is a no, no. Bad girl, Aspen.”

The pup slowed to a crawl, literally, inching closer on her belly. She looked guilty as hell, sprawled out on the floor like a Swiffer sweeper. Aspen avoided Summer’s harsh stare as he scolded her several times before sneaking off to hide on her doggie bed.

“I’m so proud of you. You’re so strict. I would’ve totally caved. I mean seriously…look how stinking adorable she is. Even when she’s bad.”

Summer turned his back to the dog, so she couldn’t see the humor weave through his smile. He winked at Carrie Ann, whispering out the side of his mouth, “Go get your camera.”

“I knew you were a big softy.”

She snapped a dozen disaster photos and a short video collecting evidence of the destruction. Summer sat cross-legged on the floor reengineering the locking mechanism on the puppy play pen. Aspen snuck out of her timeout position, warily making her way to her daddy, head hung low in remorse, with a deflated football in her mouth.

“Drop it.”

She placed the ball in his lap as peace offering.

“Good girl,” he praised.

Summer lowered his nose to hers. His eyes pierced into a hard squint, holding until she couldn’t take it any longer. Catching him off guard, Aspen slurped a big wet kiss right on his mouth. He laughed out loud, easing back onto a pillow, accepting her apology kisses.

After a few tosses of the football, it didn’t take long for both of them to pass out. Carrie Ann located his phone, grabbed a jacket from an antler, and quietly slipped outside to message Shayla.

It’s me, Carrie Ann.

I figured things out.

Can you talk for a minute?

Within seconds, the phone vibrated in her hand. Her cheeks instantaneously heated to a bright shade of crimson. “Hey, Shay.”

“What does that mean? What have you figured out?”

“Well, hello to you too.”

“Don’t you dare…” Her motherly tone vanished as she covertly whispered into the phone, “…fuck with me Carrie Ann.”

“I can’t believe you hung up on me.” Carrie Ann contained her giddiness, dragging out the torture.

“Carrie Ann!” A loud warning.

“We’re together.”

She couldn’t deny the huge smile from consuming her entire body, wiggling from head to toe, mimicking the puppy. Shrills of excitement rang through the air as Carrie Ann held the phone away from her ear.

“Together? Please define that before I get too excited.”

“That means we’re together…as in boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Halle-frickin-lujah! It’s about time!” A sentimental sniffle broke through her happiness.

“Oh my gosh, are you crying?”

“Heck yes, I’m crying! And I’m covered in goosies. I’ve been waiting years for this to happen. Honestly, I’d given up hope.”

Shayla’s show of emotion brought the sting of wetness to her lower lashes. Carrie Ann heard John cheering in the background.

“Stop, you’re making me cry.”

“Finally! Thank you,” Shayla acclaimed. Carrie Ann could envision her best friend, palms together, chin tilted skyward. “Okay, okay. I want to know every detail. Well, not every detail, but I want the low down.”

Pebbles crunched beneath her feet as Carrie Ann paced back and forth, recanting the story. She left out the juicy details, partly because John’s big head was wedged between Shayla’s ear and her phone and because she’d always found their intimacy to personal to share. Even with her best friend. However, she managed to indicate that they were even better than ever together, which prompted the question she’d hoped to avoid.

“Are you really okay?” Shayla’s hushed tone full of concern. “How did Summer take it?”

Pacing came to a halt.

“You did tell him, right?”

Dusk brought a chill to the still air. A shudder trickled down her spine one vertebrae at a time, indicating there was still a backbone hidden in there somewhere.

“Carrie Ann…” Shayla drew her name out as if Ann had two syllables. Sympathy fused with frustration and disapproval. “You have to talk to him.”

“I know.” Her assurance resonated lamely…even to her own ears. “I will. I just haven’t found the right time.”

“Don’t give me that crap. You’ve been alone with him for days.”