Summer Heat (Cruel Summer #1)(3)

Awesome.

Just. Awesome.

“Rage?”

“Who knows?” She laughed like it was funny.

It wasn’t.

I was pretty sure I knew who said rage was directed at, but maybe he’d taken up hating other people? Dogs? Horses? Maybe another enemy had risen up and taken on the cause!

Maybe I was completely home free!

And exaggerating.

I frowned and waved Nya off as I took my bags and the small duffel down the sidewalk toward the main lodge for registration.

Honestly, four years is a long time to hold a grudge.

So what? Nya said he still managed to start school that same year and was in an even better program than I was at my college! According to her, he was a star, a regular Marlon Brando, considering his name was Marlon and that he’d had glasses and the skinniest body I’d ever seen, I highly doubted the physical comparison was the same, but still.

If my professors one state over even knew about him?

Then he was just fine.

Scholarship, schmolarship.

I was actually feeling better the more I walked.

Maybe it was the cramped car.

Or the emotional trauma of leaving Nya for two months after just reconnecting again after graduation.

I sucked in a breath of pine and dirt and grinned as my heels clicked against the hard surface of the lodge floor. High school kids were lounging everywhere. Immediately, I could see the cliques.

The cool drama kids were all wearing black and drinking lattes. Sigh.

The ones who were forced here by parents were huddled in a corner staring at their phones, probably flirting with the idea of calling 911 for rescue.

And another group of rich kids — like recognizes like — rested lazily across the three leather sofas nearest to the snack bar, wearing aviators and enough cologne or perfume to choke a person.

The registration desk was right behind them.

I quickly made my way over, dropped my bags, and straightened my tank over my leather leggings. I held out my hand to the first available guy with a black shirt that said staff. “Hi, I’m—”

He looked up.

His icy blue eyes locked on mine with such intensity my jaw went a little slack.

He. Was. Beautiful.

His stare was striking, like he was measuring me and found me wanting. His messy brown hair was tucked beneath a backward Yankees baseball cap, and his jaw was so thick and chiseled I wondered if he did one of those weird chin exercises to really pump up the veins in his neck because. Dayum.

He sighed like my breathing was his greatest disappointment — scratch that, my existence.

“Um…” I put my hand down. “I, um, my name’s—”

“Ray, as in you have a ray of sunshine sticking out of your ass, De Lato. Graduated summa cum laude from Carnegie Mellon, you like pedicures, small useless things like spray tans, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you stopped production because you broke a nail, am I missing anything?” He stood and placed his hands against the table. He towered over me by at least six inches.

“Okay I don’t know who the hell you think you are—”

He smiled.

A beautifully cruel straight white toothed smile that had my girly parts doing a hoedown before I could tell them to shut the hell up and fight back. “Interesting.”

I ignored his nice smile and massive body and the muscles contracting near his forearms, and sweet God, who knew triceps could stretch a shirt like that? Not this girl? Where did they make them like this? Iowa? How did I find more? Ones without severe personality flaws and chips on their shoulders like him.

“Look.” I flashed my most confident smile. “I’m new this year. One of the counselors dropped out, and I was able to get in last minute as staff.”

“I’m aware.”

“Oh.” I gulped. “Well, I wasn’t sure, so I just thought—”

“Brax.” Rude hot guy held a packet in the air. “Can you make sure Ray has her schedule and put her in the blue cabin?”

Brax’s eyebrows shot all the way up to his black beanie. His reddish-brown hair curled near his shoulders, and his eyelashes were so long I was envious. He wasn’t as tall or built as rude guy, but he was friendly looking and at least didn’t scowl every time I looked in his direction. “Sure, boss.”

“B-boss?” I just had to repeat.

“Director.” He grinned. “Actually.”

“For the summer?” I gulped.

Brax and the rest of the table snickered.

“Of the entire camp,” he said politely. “I hope you enjoy your time here Ray — I know I for one… can’t wait.”

Brax walked around the table. “Here, let me help you with your bags.”

“Brax, this isn’t the Hilton. She can carry her own damn bags. Be quick about it, I need you both back at HQ for a meeting.”

“On it.” He nodded and strode out of the lodge. I could barely keep up with him as I teetered on my tall high heels.

“So, I don’t know what you did to piss off one of the most cheerful guys I know, but I would figure out a way to fix it and fast,” Brax said in a low tone.

“I wish I knew!” I was out of breath keeping up with him, and then he just stopped and pointed. “Wait, what’s that?”

“Blue cabin. Your home for the next two months.”