Sun Kissed (Camp Boyfriend) Read Online Free Page A

with anyone?”
    I blinked up at him in surprise. “Of course.”
    His body seemed to tense all over, a breeze molding his tee against the planes of his chest. It carried the soothing scents of fresh water and pine, yet his expression looked pinched, his lips pressed together. Did he think I’d gone on a date? Was he jealous?
    “My dad loved it too,” I added quickly and watched, amazed as his body relaxed, his face lighting up in a heart-melting smile. Wow. He had been jealous. Did he like -like me? A weightless, floating feeling overtook me while I turned over the possibility.
    “How is your dad doing?” Seth leaned back on his arms, his biceps flexing. “Is he coming for parents’ weekend?”
    “He’s writing a book about sustainable energy… so, lots of research. But he’s not teaching any summer courses at Cornell, so he’ll make our rafting trip.” Seth and I had been taking that thrill ride down the Nantahala River with our professor fathers for years. It was one of the highlights of the summer. I stole a peek at Seth. Would tonight be one of them too?
    Seth nodded, his dimples popping in a grin. “Great. My dad’s going to come too. He’s got a few college wrestling recruits to work with but he wouldn’t miss it. Is your mom going to visit?”
    Suddenly Seth’s voice sounded tense again but I didn’t have to wonder why this time. He was always polite to ask about my mother, but the fact that his mom had dropped him at daycare on his fourth birthday and never returned was a hurt that never healed. Not that we talked about it much. It was just in moments like now—the tone of his voice, the things he said or didn’t say—that let me know how he felt.
    “No. She’s volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, installing solar panels in homes. Plus Kellianne’s bringing some guy home from college. He’s Texan.” I drawled out the last word, adding a cowboy twang to it, making Seth laugh. “She says it’s serious, but we’ll see.”
    Seth waved away a buzzing fly then dropped his hand on mine and squeezed.
    “Will you miss her?”
    I gazed up at the stars, wondering. A part of me would, I supposed. But now that Kellianne and I were too old to need Mom as much, she’d thrown herself into all kinds of projects that used her Environmental Science degree. “Yeah. Though she’s always so busy now, I hardly see her. How about you? Have you heard from your mom?”
    Seth rubbed his jaw uncomfortably. “Got a birthday card from her in April.”
    “But your birthday’s in—”
    Seth’s head tipped back, his eyes roaming the sky. The wind ruffled his curls, the moon caressing the planes of his face. “February. I know. But better late than never, right?”
    His wavering smile didn’t fool me. I laced my fingers in his. “Sorry, Seth. She sucks.”
    “She tries.” He sighed. “It’s not her fault she didn’t want me. I mean … that is … well … she just didn’t want a child.”
    “Then how come she had two more with her new husband, the movie director in LA?” It burned me that she’d hurt him like that.
    Seth turned my palm over and traced my lifeline, the sensation making me tremble. “I don’t know, Laur. I try not to think about it much.”
    I picked up a pebble and threw it as far as I could, wishing it was at her head. “She’s a jerk.”
    “She’s still my mom.”
    How messed up that he defended her. Maybe it was because she was the only woman he’d ever loved? My heart stuttered to a halt. At least I thought she was. I’d never asked him about dating back home.
    “Are you seeing anyone?” I blurted, then gasped. Could I be more obvious?
    He ducked his head until his shimmering eyes caught mine. “No. There’s no one else—” His throat cleared. “I mean, there’s no one.”
    He leaned closer and I angled toward him, drawn by the magnetic pull of his eyes. “Kind of a lone wolf then.” My voice rasped in the still night air.
    “Maybe that could change,” he