Camp Heat (BBW Western Romance) (3 page)

           
That night, Jessica sent the girls to their tents without the routine
song-sharing by the fire since it was still raining and increasingly getting
heavier.

           
There was a light tap on Jessica’s cabin screen door and she could see that
Kayla was drenched. She quickly let the teen in and asked her what was wrong.
Kayla looked like she had been crying, but it was hard to tell form all the
water dripping off the girl.

           
“My leg still hurts,” Kayla said, sitting on Jessica’s small bed. She lifted
her jean leg to show that the bruise was just as big as before.

           
“Well,” Jessica started, trying to sound comforting, “it’s not any worse, but
don’t touch it. That’ll make it worse.”

           
Kayla got up and began to sulk her way towards the door before Jessica stopped
her.

           
“Sit for a while,” Jessica said, even though she was slightly irked by not
being able to sleep. “Something else is wrong?”

           
Kayla turned and nodded. “Jovi says I made a big fuss about my leg. And said
I’m a baby.”

           
This didn’t surprise Jessica because Jovi was a bit of a bully and had a
reputation for it. “Don’t listen to her. Anyone who is a bully is a baby
themselves.”

           
Kayla smiled. And, then, there was a cough by the front door. Jessica and Kayla
both startlingly turned simultaneously to see Trenton outside the screen door,
peering through and holding an umbrella.
I wonder how long he’s been out
there, listening in.
Jessica motioned him in, still upset with his
confusing behavior.

           
“Here,” Trenton said to Kayla as she went outside. He handed her his black
umbrella. “Keep it until tomorrow.” Jessica thought she saw him wink at Kayla,
who returned his smile and took the umbrella.

           
Jessica waited for Kayla to be out of earshot before saying to Trenton, “Now
you don’t have an umbrella to get back.”

           
“I was hoping I wouldn’t go back to the ranch tonight,” he responded, making
slow steps towards Jessica.

           
Jessica crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

           
Trenton shrugged. “I wanted to apologize.”

           
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Trenton? Apologizing? For what?

           
“You want your shirt back?” Jessica said, trying to avoid what seemed like the
beginnings of a serious conversation.

           
Trenton opened his arms to reveal his drenched white tank and the six-pack that
she could see through it. “Do you really want me to have a shirt?” he asked in
a flirty tone, followed by a sly smile.

           
His smile faded and took Jessica’s hand in both of his. “I can’t lie to you.”

           
Jessica was taken aback by Trenton’s sudden boldness. She knew some cowboys who
acted that way but they usually only wanted one thing. Luckily, Jessica
remembered that she, too, wanted that one thing.

           
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said. Jessica pulled her hand away. Now she was
confused and started having more than just physical feelings for him again.

           
“Why are you saying this? Why’d you lie?”

           
“When I saw how much you worried about that girl, I thought ‘this is a woman
who knows priorities and who is caring.’ I heard your conversation with Kayla
just now.” Trenton took back both of Jessica’s hands. “And I was just tryin’ to
rile you up.”

           
“Why?” Jessica thought men became more confusing than women at times.

           
“Because
you
irritated me. Sayin’ all that stuff as if nothing happened
between us,” he said in a louder, angry tone.

           
“I had to be professional,” was Jessica’s defense.

           
“But you don’t have to be fake. Why act like nothin’ happened?”

           
There was a long pause of which Trenton took advantage and gently pecked
Jessica’s cheek with the same thick and warm lips she had missed for too many
days. She could hear Carol’s voice saying, ‘men cause trouble ‘round here.’ And
Jessica knew that Carol would be right. But Jessica couldn’t help herself. She
took Trenton’s neck in her hands and pulled his lips to hers.

           
He wrapped both his arms around her back and slid them down to her lower back.
Jessica ached, yearning for him to grab her ass. Or hips. Or something. She
groaned when he let go of her and rubbed the excess water out of his hair. The
water was warm and hit Jessica’s cleavage and neck.

           
“When I saw you caring for that girl,” Trenton said, “I thought ‘this is a
woman I should be with.’” He got closer to Jessica and grabbed her again,
pressing his stick against the in-between of her legs. “A woman who cares about
others.”

           
Those last words made Jessica melt and shiver. His tongue was pressed against
the bottom niche of her right ear. He whispered her name a few times in almost
a growl. Jessica didn’t want to get in too deep with her feelings but when
Trenton gently touched her cheek with his thumb and stared into her eyes, she
knew he was a man she could love. A man to keep and to stop playing games with.

           
With this revelation in her head, Jessica untied her thin shorts’ strings
guiltlessly. Trenton took control, pushing Jessica to the bed and propping
himself on top of her. This time, she could see his face. Jessica also reveled
in running her hands along his ripped abs that were still wet from rain. He
smelled completely like rain.

           
Their clothes didn’t stay on for long, and Jessica jumped at the chance to grab
his staff in her hand. She watched Trenton arch his own back and neck. He
rolled his eyes back, closing his eyelids as she teasingly stroked him. When he
was very wet, Jessica placed him inside her. He groaned and moved down to her
bare breasts, cupping them with his hand and kissing them. Her hips
automatically rocked simultaneously with each motion of his pounding body.
 

The immense fullness Jessica felt was enough to let out
a scream. Trenton let out a small groan and covered her mouth gently when he
was finished. They let out a few laughs from their impulsiveness. Jessica was
happy about her spontaneous self when she was with Trenton. She always wanted
to be that girl.

Trenton covered them up with a thin blanket that was
kicked off her bed and whispered a ‘you’re beautiful’ before spooning Jessica
and falling asleep. She felt happy like she imagined those giddy girls with
boyfriends in high school must’ve felt. And Jessica let herself feel fulfilled
because she hoped she would never have to find satisfaction with another man.

Sure enough, Carol looked alarmed when Jessica brought
Trenton to the mess hall for breakfast. Jessica tried to explain to her boss
that she believed she was in love with the ranch hand. Carol, though, made
every excuse in the book for why Trenton should quit working with the horses at
the camp.

“I’m not asking him to leave,” Jessica said sternly. She
was surprised by her own bravery. Did she not care about her job anymore?

But what was more surprising was the fact that Carol
smiled and patted Jessica’s shoulder as if approvingly. “I’m glad to hear you
say that,” the older woman said. She nodded in Trenton’s direction, and they
watched him get his tray of food with the teens. “I see him lookin’ at you with
pride. I also never saw you so happy and open with yourself. You’re as free and
content as fish in a lake.”

Jessica appreciated Carol’s little speech but was
happier when Carol opened her mouth with the last demand. “And I want you to
work at that ranch of his when this summer’s all done and over with. You’re
gonna be bold, ya hear me?” Jessica’s boss beamed up at Jessica and then left
the mess hall.

Once the girls left the camp at the end of July, Carol
closed the gate and shooed Jessica away from the road.

“Go on,” Carol said. “Trenton said he’s moving in the
rest of his horses at that ranch today.”

Jessica was very prepared to ask him if he’d want her to
stay around. She drove her little car up to his little house next to the red
barn with white wooden letters nailed at the top. Bob’s Barn. She secretly
wanted to read her and Trenton’s name up there.

In the barn, Jessica found Trenton hanging up saddles. A
common –and hot- job he had at the camp. He greeted her with a long kiss. His
skin was darker and dirtier than the first time they had met.

“Need help closing the camp?” he asked.

“No,” Jessica shyly said.
Be bold
, she told
herself. She didn’t know exactly what to ask him. All she knew was that she
wanted to stay with him throughout all the months of the year. “If you need
another ranch hand-“

“Of course you’re staying. Even after you’ve fulfilled
our deal,” Trenton interrupted. He said this in a matter-of-factly manner. He
pointed to a black horse. “And that can be your horse. Anne.”

Jessica was relieved that Trenton wanted her around. But
she was overjoyed by his gesture of giving her a horse. Sure, she assumed it
was a rescued horse, but she knew that this was proof that he wanted her to
stay around for a while. And there wasn’t much that could take her away from
the cowboy that caused her so much trouble and exhilaration.