Camp Hardwood by Alexa Riley

Chapter Nine

Tia

“Ican see you.”

I freeze and then slowly turn to see Piper in bed. How can she see me? It’s pitch black in here. She flips on the lamp next to her bed and our small cabin fills with light.

“I see you every night, Tia. Care to tell me why you’re sneaking around?” She lets out a yawn and sits up.

“It’s fun?” I shrug.

Van and I have been hot and heavy for a few days now and each night I sneak out of my cabin and into his. I don’t really sneak back in the morning since we shower at his place and get ready before he walks me to the lodge. I make us breakfast before everyone else gets there since he gets up early to tend to some of the animals. I don’t like the thought of him going off without a full belly and he doesn’t like going anywhere without the taste of me on his lips.

“You don’t sleep here. Why not just move your stuff?”

She throws her feet over the side of the bed before getting up and going into the bathroom. She leaves the door open, waiting for me to respond. In all honesty I’m slowly moving there. Each day more and more of my stuff ends up at his place.

“I’m moving it,” I finally say, and I hear a flush. The water comes on and then she walks out a moment later. She gets right back into bed and smirks at me.

“Everyone knows you guys are doing the nasty.”

I can’t help but laugh as she calls it that. Van and I aren’t the most secretive and Van is handsy. I think he has an inner battle with himself because he always wants to touch me and wants people to know I’m his. I also think sometimes he holds back from touching me because he thinks people will imagine what it would be like to touch me too. He doesn't want anyone thinking anything sexual about me and it’s crazy. We’re learning as we go, which has been wonderful. Van also thinks I need time for things to settle in for me and he’s probably right. The man knows how to read me.

“You don’t think Honey and Ford would mind that Van and I were dating for only a few days before shacking up?” I ask.

Honey and Ford know something is going on with Van and me. Van calls me his in front of them and even kissed me tonight right in front of his mom. She only smiled and kept on reading from her book as her husband played with her hair. He hadn't noticed, or maybe he had. To me it looked like he was too busy touching Honey to care.

“They let you call her Honey,” Piper reminds me. “They’re also real parents and care about their son’s happiness.”

I don’t miss the bite of her words and it gives me another peek into the life Piper is trying—and failing—to hide.

“I really want to move in with him.”

That’s the truth but I think a small part of me fears moving again. I’ve moved around so much in my life and I hate that I let fear rule me. I can’t believe anything would go wrong since Van is the other half of my soul. I can feel that to my bones.

I can tell he gets off on the sneaking around thing but he’s also over it too. It might turn us on to have these dirty moments of almost getting caught, but it would turn us both on more if I gave in and we admitted that we live together now. I don’t think Van will be able to hold out much longer. The only reason he lets me go back to my cabin at the end of the night right now is because he knows I’m hanging out with Piper.

“Then do it.” She tucks herself under the blankets. “Your man wants you and wants you to stay. He’ll be there when you wake up in the morning. You should grab a hold of that, Tia. Not all men are like that.”

“Piper?” I clear the distance between us, pulling her into a hug because I can hear the pain in her words and see it written on her face.

She hugs me back. “I’m fine,” she says in a sad voice. “We’ll be fine.” And it’s the first time she’s openly mentioned the baby to me.

“You will be.” I pull back and look at her. “We both can make a home here. I’ll be here for the both of you.” I look down at her small baby bump and think that I could be pregnant myself. We could do this mom thing together.

“Thank you.” She hugs me again and I can feel her warmth in it. “Now go be with your man. I need my beauty sleep.”

I kiss her cheek before letting her go and walking out of the cabin. I wonder what dipshit left Piper on her own. If I ever meet the man I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. I’m not one to cause a scene but for that man I would. I have a feeling that day will come. I can’t see Piper giving herself over to a man that would walk out on her. Something isn’t adding up.

“Look who it is.”

My head jerks up when I hear Jack’s voice. I’d completely forgotten about him. But here I am thinking about one dipshit just as another appears. I know he was fired and I haven't seen him since that day in the barn. That was a handful of days ago and he’s still rocking the punch to the face Sadie told me Van gave him.

He’s directly on the path I take to cut across to Van’s place. All the paths are lit up with solar lights, making it easy to see, but I must have really zoned out to have not seen him before he spoke.

“You got me fired.” He takes another step closer to me when I don’t respond.

I want to ignore him and keep walking, but I have a feeling he wouldn’t like that. I know he’ll grab me because I can see it in his eyes. Van would go off the deep end if he laid a hand on me.

“I told his parents what I saw and they fired me,” he spits out. I feel the blood drain from my face thinking of what Honey might think. “They must be as twisted as their son because they didn't care.”

White-hot anger hits me at anyone talking badly about the Cyprus family. “Don’t you—” Before I can get any more words out Jack is plowed into and being wrestled to the ground.

If I had blinked I would’ve missed it.

Van sacked Jack right off the path like a linebacker and I watch in horror as they both go rolling off to the side. Van comes out on top and I cringe when he punches Jack in the face.

“You motherfucker!” Van shouts and my mouth drops open. There’s a deadly look on Van’s face and I’m terrified he’ll kill him.

“Son.” I whip my head to the side, where I see Ford.

Van’s dad is standing close by and I wonder where the hell he came from. He could’ve been with Van but I hadn't seen him coming either. I look back to Van when I hear the sound of another punch and then Ford calls out to me.

“Tia. Get my boy.”

It breaks me from the shock of what’s happening and I know I need to stop Van before he goes too far.

“Van,” I say, and his head flies up. When his eyes lock with mine I hold my hand out for him. He lets go of Jack and pushes himself to his feet. He comes right to me and ignores my hand and brings up his own to cup my face.

“You okay?” he asks me.

Am I okay? He was the one that was in a fight.

“I’m perfect,” I tell him, knowing I need to calm him down. Hearing that I’m all right is the only thing that will do it.

“Take your girl home. I’ll take out the trash,” Ford tells Van and he nods.

“Thanks, Dad,” Van answers, and his eyes never leave mine.

“Tia,” Ford calls to me as Van pulls me into his side. I look over to Ford and it’s then I realize how much he and Van look alike. “We might be a little crazy like Jack was saying.” He gives a lazy shrug. “But it’s always for the women we love. Welcome to the family. You’ll get used to our kind of crazy.”

I smile as his words settle over me. This is his way of telling me that they want me to be a part of their family and that I’m one of them. Good thing, because I want nothing more than to be a Cyprus.

“Thank you,” I say and he nods with a smile.

“Get my boy home.”

Van leans down and kisses the top of my head before we start walking toward his cabin.

“You done with this not living together crap?”

“That’s the first thing you have to say to me?” I ask with a laugh.

“You wouldn't have been sneaking over here if you lived with me,” he reminds me as he opens the door to his cabin. I probably should worry about what’s going to happen with Jack and that Van could be getting in trouble or something, but I have a feeling Ford will handle it. The Cyprus men have a way of getting things done.

“Did you hurt your hand?” I ask, not answering him, but I’m only teasing. I like doing it more than I should.

“Tia.” The door shuts behind us as Van reaches over my shoulder to lock it.

His tone is one that tells me I should watch myself and that I could get into trouble. My nipples tighten as I press my thighs together and an ache begins to form. He’s so handsome, but when he gives me that stern face it goes to a whole other level.

“I think you enjoyed sneaking around.” I place my hands on his chest before sliding them up and wrapping my arms around his neck. I can still feel the tension in his body and I want to relieve it for him. I rock myself into him and his hard cock digs into me.

“There’s not a thing about you I don’t enjoy, my darling girl.” I let out a small squeal when he moves and lifts me off the ground. He presses me into the door and I feel his hard need between my legs. “I enjoy it so much I want you here all the time.”

I smile. God, my man is sweet. He’s a little bit of everything rolled into one perfect package and he wants me all to himself. All the time. What more could a girl ask for?

“I’m all yours and I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him, brushing my mouth against his. I feel his body finally relax a little as he grabs my hips.

“I know you’re not because I won't let you.”

He growls, his mouth taking mine in a hard kiss. My whole body lights up at his possessive tone and I love that he’ll never let me go. He’s my home, my everything, my love. I should probably tell him all those things but I’m so lost in his touch and there will be time for that later. We have forever.