Page 124 of More For Me

Bodhi

Half an hour later, we’re loading my Jeep with camping gear. It would have been easier if we’d driven to the restaurant, but Fox’s new agent had tactfully insinuated that my Jeep would not have been an appropriate car to pull up in when meeting movie stars.

“You sure you still want to do this?” I ask as I toss a sleeping bag into the back.

“Why wouldn’t I want to do this?”

I shrug. “You’ve made it pretty clear camping isn’t your thing. And youdidget an invitation to hang out with movie stars tonight. You sure you don’t want to use that as an excuse to get out of this?”

“We’ve been planning this for a week. Besides, two hours was more than enough time with movie stars. I’d much rather be hanging out with you.” She says it easily, like it’s no big deal. Like her saying it doesn’t completely blow my mind and make me feel about ten feet tall.

I drive us out of the city toward Angeles National Forest. It’s not my favorite place to camp, but it’s one of the closest decent camping sites to the city, and it has some amazing hiking trails. I picture Everly bitching about her frizzy hair if we hike and smile to myself.

“It’s pretty out here,” she says, almost grudgingly, as we drive through the park. The terrain here is mountainous, the slopes dotted with firs and pines, and the view is absolutely breathtaking at certain stretches.

“Wait until you see it at sunrise.”

She snaps her head over to me. “You want me to wake up at sunrise?”

I laugh. “I’ll make you coffee and eggs on the campfire. You’ll love it.”

She grumbles under her breath and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face if I tried.

“Here we are,” I say a few minutes later as I pull into our assigned spot. I point to the fire ring and picnic table to our left. “We can set up the tent right over there.” She casts a skeptical look at the rustic site. “Oh, come on,” I chide. “Even you have to be impressed by that view.” The campground is situated at the top of a rolling hill, a pine covered valley below us, the San Gabriel Mountains stretching across the horizon as far as the eye can see.

“It’s very pretty,” she admits. “Would be prettier if there was a shower nearby,” I hear her mutter under her breath as I climb out of the Jeep.

We get our gear unloaded. Before I do anything else, I set up one of the camp chairs and wave my hand in front of it in a flourish. “Your throne, love.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Am I not helping you set up?”

“I don’t need help.” The truth is, I want to get the tent ready without her. Normally I prefer to keep my surroundings pretty rustic, but I have a few surprises up my sleeve for my girl. So I pull a can of the sparkling water she likes out of the cooler and lead her to the chair. “You have your book. You have your drink. You have this view. Relax while I get things set up.”

I move to walk back to the gear but she grabs my hand, pulling me close and placing a kiss on my lips. “I think I might like camping.”

I laugh. “That’s the plan.”

The tent takes the longest to set up, especially with all the extra touches I planned. It’s unseasonably warm today so I’m sweating by the time I’m finished. I dig out a bottle of water before going back to the Jeep to get the firewood I brought.

“This is why you wanted to bring me out here, isn’t it?” she asks, eying me over the top of her book as I haul the bundle of wood to the fire ring. “So you could show off all your manly survival skills?”

I wipe the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve and grin at her. “Is it working?”

“Take your shirt off and ask me that again.”

I laugh—then I do exactly what she suggested. Everly sighs happily. “It’s most definitely working.”

“Good.” I drop the logs and approach the chair, nuzzling into her neck when I reach her.

“You’re all sweaty,” she complains, but she wraps her arms around me and returns my kiss. “Can we go in the tent yet?”

“Nope, sorry. We’re hiking first. And then I’m going to show you how amazing dinner tastes cooked over a campfire.”

She raises an eyebrow. “My family has a cabin, Bodhi. I’ve eaten campfire food before.”

“Your family’s “cabin” is an eight thousand square foot log mansion,” I scoff. “It’s not the same as camping and you know it.”

She sighs and pushes me away. “Fine. I’ll hike with you and eat your campfire food. But just so you know, my suggestion that we go in the tent was because I wanted to have sex with you. So, you know, poor decision making on your part.”