Heidi stumbled while flailing her arms—to represent what exactly, I had no idea—and tumbled to the ground. When she got up, she had a small daisy stuck to her nipple.
Ollie snickered. "Look, she's wearing a pasty."
"The organic kind," said Willy, one of the Silver Foxes. "Very progressive, Heidi."
"Sexual harassment," I said, "is against the house rules."
Edna flapped her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Heidi knows we're joshing, and she gives as good as she gets."
"It's true," Heidi said. She plucked the wildflower off her skin and tossed it to Ollie, then blew him a kiss.
The boy blushed.
Lunch arrived a few minutes after the charades game broke up. Eve was pushing one metal cart overflowing with food while pulling another behind her. The strain of dragging them both across the dirt path between her home and the guest house crimped her whole face. She looked tired, most likely because she'd made all the food herself. Several of the men rushed to her aid. Though she tried to wave them away, Ollie took possession of the cart behind her while Willy wrested the other cart from her grasp. Sylvester hurried into Eve's house to get the third cart laden with food.
When I approached her, she managed only a half-hearted smile. "Thought you'd be first in line to wrestle for the carts."
"You wouldn't have let me, would you? I hoped you'd accept help from someone else." I glanced at the men hauling the carts toward the guest house. "I assume you aren't sleeping with any of them."
"No."
"Have you been with any of them in the past?"
One side of her mouth twisted as if she were trying not to smile. "No, I have not."
I felt strangely relieved to hear that. "Are we joining the others in the dining hall or eating in private?"
"The Kittens just got here. I'd like to eat with them so we can catch up."
Was she trying to avoid me?
I moved closer, loving the way her lips parted and her breath caught. "Heidi mentioned all of you keep in touch through email and social media. You don't need to get caught up on their lives or vice versa."
"Abandoning them on their first day here would be rude."
"Heidi ordered me to make sure you have fun. She suggested an intimate picnic at the hot spring."
"That girl needs a hobby."
"She cares about you. So—" I'd almost saidso do I. "So let's not disappoint Heidi. Have lunch with me at the hot spring. I understand it's only a short walk away."
"That's true, but—"
"Say yes, Eve."
"Maybe tomorrow."
I lashed an arm around her waist and tugged her tight against my body, relishing the feel of her curves. "Soon enough, you'll figure out I can be much more stubborn than you. All I want is to make you feel good. Relax. Enjoy a beautiful day. You've earned it."
"This is a serious violation of nudist etiquette."
"Because I'm naked and I'm hugging you? Yes, I know." I tugged her even more snugly to my body. "In case you hadn't noticed, propriety doesn't mean much to me."
"No kidding." She gazed into my eyes, her tongue slipping out to moisten her bottom lip. "I don't have a handyman anymore, which means there's a lot of work for me to do."
"Forget about work for a while." I sealed two fingers over her lips when she started to protest. "Please, Eve, let me do this for you. It's lunch, not a handout."
She glanced at the nudists tramping into the guest house. "Okay."