Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
The walk to the other cabin is slow, filled with less determination than I tried to muster just moments ago. Letting the self-doubt sink in any further is thankfully thwarted when I see Casper walking out of one of the other cabins, a girl in a long, fluffy robe smiling after him in the doorway. This is the same cabin where the women were having such a good time yesterday evening when I arrived.
The man would never do well in an undercover position, given the shock on his face when he spots me walking toward the other cabin.
"Little afternoon delight?" I ask with a wide grin on my face, grateful for the distraction.
His hand immediately grips the back of his neck as his cheeks turn pink.
"I-umm—"
"Don't worry, man. I won't tell a soul."
He dips his head in thanks. I fully expect him to clamp his mouth shut and keep walking, but he pauses, glancing over his shoulder at the other cabin before turning his attention back to me.
The girl is long gone, no doubt heading back inside to gossip with her friends about her little tryst with the guy next door.
"I don't have much time to myself," he explains.
I hold my hands up by my ears to let him know that he doesn't have to explain anything to me.
"She's not married, is she?"
His eyes widen as if he never even considered it.
"Fuck. I don't think so?"
"That sounds like a question."
"I didn't ask."
"Was she wearing a ring?"
His brow furrows.
"You didn't look at her left hand?"
He shakes his head, giving the cabin another look. "I wasn't paying any attention to her hands."
He jerks when a laugh bubbles past my lips.
"What's done is done," I tell him, slapping him on the back to urge him back toward his cabin.
We have work to do, and there's no sense in getting lost in something he can't change now.
"I just figured," he continues after we start walking, pausing when I stop to pull open the cabin door. "These people are tourists. I'll never see her again."
"Never see who again?" Lark asks.
Casper freezes again, surprise on his face at someone standing right there.
Yep, this guy would never make it undercover. I almost feel bad for him, but watching this drama unfold is taking my mind off all the other shit I have going on, so I'll take what I can get.
Casper looks to me, but then turns his attention back to Lark, his head hanging a little lower than it was just a minute ago.
"I hooked up with one of the girls next door," he says in a way that makes it sound like he's confessing a mistake to his dad or something.
"That cabin?" Lark asks, stepping around him to point at the cabin Casper just made his walk of shame from.
"Yeah. I figured I'd never see her again, so it's not a big deal," Casper explains.
"That cabin?" Lark repeats. "With one of those women?"
Unease fills Casper's eyes.
"Yes. Why?"
"Never thought you'd see her again?" Lark continues, and I can see where this is going from a mile away, but Casper continues to look lost.
I roll my lips between my teeth and clamp down. I don't know any of the dynamics between these guys, but I can tell Lark feels comfortable giving this guy a hard time. This can play out in two ways. One, Casper takes the ribbing in stride, or two, he gets mad, and Lark doesn't care. What I know of Lark, however, suggests he's not a hateful guy.
"Those women come here once a month for a long weekend," Lark clarifies. "At least they have been since I got here."
Casper's eyes widen dramatically. "What?"
"Yeah," Lark says, giving the cabin one last look before turning his full attention to Casper. "They're like a divorcée support group or something."
"That answers your question," Casper says to me.
"It does," I agree, trying to hold back a laugh that's threatening in my throat. "It's no big deal. Two consenting adults and all that."
Casper frowns. "It is a big deal. The entire reason we're situated here is that people come and go. It's all short-term rentals. It’s not supposed to be known that we actually live here."
"They think we have a boys' trip once a month," Lark tells him. "If you don't want to see her again, just don't go outside on the second weekend of the month."
"That makes no sense," Casper mutters. "We have several women living here with us now."
"And that lie was told before any of the women, but Zara was here," Lark explains.
"Logistically that—"
"It doesn't matter," Lark says. "What's done is done."
"That's what I said," I add when Casper scoffs and walks away.
"Maybe we should have designated days off so the guy can get laid without it being a girl next door."
"The criminals wait for no one, my new friend. Come look at this disgusting couch I found. You're going to love it," Lark says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and guiding me deeper into the basement of the cabin like we've been friends for years.