Chapter 16

At the slow shifting of the two bodies, I awoke as Susan slid to the edge of the bed. Along my other arm, Desi hesitated. Her blue eyes glimmered in the dim morning sunlight. After a quick glance at her friend, she dove in to press her lips against mine. Once she’d pulled away, she flashed me a brilliant smile.

“Thank you, Jim,” she whispered.

After I gave her a wink, she slid from my opening grip and crept after Susan to their room. For a while I lay there, but the sun was rising fast in a clear blue sky. And, as I scanned the trees, a prickle in the hairs of my neck had my teeth clenching.

With a groan, I rolled from the mattress, trying to minimize its creaking. If Mandy appeared, I’d be distracted. At that, a smile crossed my face. She was the best type of distraction. And as I folded the couch, the grin wouldn’t fade.

But, after changing and a last glance at her sealed door, I left the cabin to run. Although it had been some time since my training, the old paths came back to me. In the chillier early morning air, I tried to ignore the strange tingling. I was being watched, but there was little I could do about it. And soon I was huffing through the cabins and on up into the lake’s other facilities.

Not much had changed. Even the old hidden trails remained difficult to scry if you didn’t know where to look. As I made my way back to the cabin, I slowed. Just outside, Charles stood talking with all three women.

Both Susan and Desi wore cutoff denim Daisy dukes, but Susan had a pink bandeau top molded to her chest, while Desi sported a red string bikini. Although Mandy had a colorful coverup, a warm gust provided a glimpse of the tiny swimsuit beneath it. As I slowed to walk closer, the smile returned. Yeah, an incredible distraction.

“All right. Well, you all have fun.” In mid-wave, Charles turned at my running shoes crunching on the gravel. “I’ll, uh, catch up with you after the meetings.”

As sweat trickled down it, I wasn’t sure who spent more time scanning my bare torso. While Susan’s eyes lingered, Desi’s face flushed bright red. But at last Mandy’s eyebrow arched. She eased out a hip and gave me a quick flick of glittery tongue.

“We’re going to the lake, Jim,” Mandy said. “Would you like to come along? For, um, a swim.”

While that would have been great fun, my eyes lifted to scan the mountain. It called my name. Even that strange feeling wobbled as I ran my gaze over its lofty peak. Duty called. Or something damned similar. When I returned to them, I forced a smile.

“No, thank you. Enjoy.” I pointed over their heads to Mount Aristeia. “I’m going up there.”

After turning to the mountain, they all looked at each other. When they faced me, I held in a laugh. How many times in my endless life had I seen that expression? Perhaps they were right, and I was mad. But beneath the strengthening sun, the calling intensified.

“It’s a tradition on my first day. That mountain is my friend.” It was a lie, but I chuckled and looked at Charles. “Yeah, old as the hills. That’s me.”

Even as he laughed and the others shook their heads while snickering, my gaze returned to that craggy mount. After dashing inside, I stepped out with binoculars.

“Here.” I handed them to Mandy. God, her eyes, again filled with hungry need, were like sapphire lasers, boring into me. For a split second, I thought she’d surge for my lips. I felt the same, but I only flashed her a smile. “You can watch my ascent from the lake if you get bored.” As they turned for the beach and Charles took a step toward his car, I cleared my throat. “Uh, how about a rain check? Sorta. Later, I could take you all up to a place. Do a bit of stargazing?”

While the girls and Mandy exchanged glances, Susan and Desi whispered together. Although Mandy smiled, the other two shook their heads. They didn’t need to say more. As they glanced at Mandy’s back before returning to me, I understood. They wanted me alone again, not with her and Charles, who also nodded.

“Well, I have to go.” His sniffly voice broke the awkward silence. “Meetings all day. See you later and ... Uh, yeah, sign me up for stargazing, Jim.”

After a final wave to us all, he clambered into the car and drove off. The others gave me a last look and headed towards the lake. Just as I was about to enter the cabin, Mandy, trailing the girls, rose onto her toes and pirouetted. As her coverup flailed outwards, revealing the micro-kini, her tongue glittered in the sunlight.

Damned cute distraction. And she knew it.

It wasn’t until I’d reached the base and was setting out my gear that I paused. With a chuckle, I scanned towards the concealed lakeshore. That last smirk before Mandy had sashayed into the trees with the girls. The little tease. In that tiny bikini.

“So you want to put on a show, huh?” I murmured while beginning my ascent. “Okay, slut.”

Quiet laughter was still echoing as I hit the first checkpoint along the ever-sharper incline. While I continued the meticulous route, a plan formed in my mind. She’d said she wanted to try anything. Let’s see what her next limit would be. When a group of younger, faster climbers passed, they all gave me strange looks as I chuckled. Mandy was fun. And I already missed her.

After making the summit at midday, I stretched out on a flat, sunbaked boulder. Off to one side was the only shaded area. A massive rock cast a jagged shadow over a portion of the mountain. Inset within it was an even darker crevasse.

While leaning back on my elbows, I took in the view. Beyond the thick pine forest on the lower slopes, I traced the winding, slow-flowing river to find the cabins, then the glittering lake. A smile crept across my face. My slutty little Mandy was showing off down there.

“Soon,” I muttered before chortling. Well, if the plan worked.

At the slithering trickle of pebbles, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Just as I was ready to leap, a flash of curvaceous alabaster appeared within the dim split in the rocks. A slow exhale left me as I relaxed.

“I was wondering how long you’d be able to stay away,” I said, while continuing to peer at the verdant valley.

“You expected me?” Kali’s low voice answered from the darkness.

“Yes.” I chuckled.

“Why?”

Rather than answer, I combed fingers through my short hair and sighed again. “Did he send you?”

There was a drawn-out pause before she replied. “No.”