A little uncertain now himself, he said, "Uh, I think her and what's-his-name… Tim?" I nodded. "I think they're, er, taking some time to, shall we say, get to know each other better."
"Huh?"
"They're a little indisposed at the moment."
He raised a brow, and I got it. "Oh…oh-h-h..."
Were Lacey and Tim down at the girls' cabin? The one Lacey, Ginny, and I shared. Or had they chosen to "get to know each other better" in the boys' cabin—the one Tim and Mike shared.
Of course, Sebastian would be assigned to that cabin now, too. Probably how he'd obtained his intel on Lacey and Tim's whereabouts.
Well, one thing for sure. I had no desire to return to my cabin and walk in on Lacey and Tim, indisposed as they were.
I also, however, sure as hell had no intention of marching down to the lake to hang with a bunch of screaming kids.
Problem was, I didn't think standing there like an idiot in front of Sebastian Kain was a good option, either.
Still, he sure was nice to look at.
But I needed to play it cool.
I surveyed him from under my lashes. He'd never suspect me of ogling him now, right?
It was hard to believe he was my age. He had the composure and confidence of someone older, at least in their midtwenties. Not to mention his incredible, Adonis-like looks. It was just too unnerving, and only a matter of time before I made a complete and utter fool of myself.
Conclusion: It was time to leave.
I figured I could always take a stroll through one of the many trails that meandered through the dense forest covering the campgrounds.
Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.
I turned to leave, tossing out over my shoulder, "Well, see ya. Be sure to tell Lacey I was looking for her. That is, if you see her anytime soon—"
Sebastian cut me off with this gem: "Why are you so wet, Brooks?"
My eyes widened. I was rattled by the thought Sebastian Kain might have somehow figured out exactly what kind of effect he was having on me.
Then I remembered the water balloon, and my wet—though not soaking anymore—clothing.
I spun around to face him.
A smile played at his lips.
Sebastian had fully intended for me to notice his insinuation. And that compelled me to show him how wrong he was. After all, I wasn't that easy. Hell, I wasn't easy at all.
In a calm tone, I stated, "One of the campers, Seth, nailed me with a water balloon. That's why my clothes—not me—are wet."
Sebastian laughed. I didn't get the impression he was laughing at me, however. It seemed he genuinely found the whole situation amusing.
"Seth is certainly a handful," he agreed. "I hope my sister has been keeping him under control."
I thought about all the obnoxious things Seth had done to make my job as a counselor miserable. "Um, kind of," I replied. "But not really."
Sebastian, probably realizing I had some stories to tell, sighed. "What has the little delinquent done now?"
"Ha!" I laughed. "Where do I start?"
I saw something in Sebastian then that made me think he kind of liked the little imp, Seth Darling. Perhaps he knew him from last year. But this was good. It gave me hope that now that Sebastian was here, Seth would be on his best behavior.
Sebastian gestured to one of the larger sofas. "Do you want to sit down and talk about it?"
"Okay, yeah, sure." I walked over to the sofa and collapsed onto a mushy cushion.
After Sebastian was situated next to me, I told him how, in addition to the water balloon incident, Seth had managed to "accidentally" leave a palette of paints on a chair he knew I'd be sitting down on.
"That was yesterday," I clarified, "during indoor activities."
I went on to detail how Seth had thrown a rather large spider on me, as well.
Sebastian listened intently as I finished telling him of my not-so-fun adventures with Seth the monster. Er, I mean, Seth the kid.
"He probably thinks you're pretty and has a crush on you," Sebastian stated matter-of-factly.
Lacey had said the same thing, but for some reason, it sounded completely different coming from her brother's mouth.
For a brief moment, I wondered if Sebastian was referring to someone other than Seth. Say, someone like himself. But then I quickly remembered that although I was okay-looking, I would never be Sebastian Kain's type.
I was shy, he was outgoing.
I was unsure of myself, he was not.
What it came right down to was Sebastian and I were polar opposites.
"No," I said at last, "I think Seth just flat-out hates me."
Sebastian peered over at me intently, so much so that I scooted a few inches away. "Dude," I mumbled.
He seemed undeterred. He moved closer still, closing the small gap between us in no time.
My reticence lifted, and I sat completely still. I found myself suddenly lost in the cornflower-blue depths of Sebastian's eyes.
Oh, he was pretty.
"I'm sure he doesn't hate you," Sebastian said quietly.
I opened my mouth to respond, but couldn't think of a single thing to say.
Suddenly, life screamed at me to take a chance. A new town, this silly little camp… This was it, my time to shine.
Slowly, I lifted my hand and placed it on Sebastian's bare chest.
He raised a brow, but I stayed on course.