Not Really the Outdoor Type(7)

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kendall drop the last of the floats into the bin, then carefully step away from the rack so she wouldn’t knock it over again. She glanced over at him, chewing on her lip as he explained to the man what kind of tours they offered. He had the feeling she was debating whether to hang around and talk to him before she left. She must have decided she didn’t feel like waiting because a few moments later, she went into the back and grabbed her purse, then left.

Jason followed her with his gaze. Or more precisely, followed her tight, little jean-clad ass. Spanking might have been one of his more stupid moves, but seeing her heart-shaped derriere wiggle had sure as hell been fun to watch.





Chapter Three



Kendall was still in her bathrobe the next morning when someone knocked on the cabin door. She hoped it was Jason coming to apologize. Though considering he hadn’t seen fit to do it last night at the store, she doubted he’d drive all the way out here to beg her forgiveness this morning. Even if he had, it wouldn’t change her mind about quitting.

Setting down her mug of coffee on the kitchen counter, she went to answer the door. Relief coursed through her when she saw Gabby standing on the doorstep.

“Hey!” Her friend breezed past Kendall into the cabin. “I wasn’t sure if you’d left for work already or not. How are things going at the store? Isn’t Jason just as gorgeous as you remember?”

Kendall opened the cabinet and took out another mug. Actually, Jason was more gorgeous than she remembered. More of a Neanderthal than she remembered, too.

“So?” Gabby prompted when she didn’t answer.

Kendall shrugged as she poured coffee into the mug. “I’m not sure if retail work is my thing.”

“Even if it means spending time with Jason?”

Setting the mug down on the table in front of Gabby, Kendall sat down across from her friend. “Jason’s part of the problem.”

Gabby frowned. “What do you mean?”

Kendall told her friend about coming up short on the cash drawer, followed by her argument with a customer about the evils of hunting, then her subsequent error regarding the gun cases.

“And as if that weren’t enough,” she added, “I knocked over a whole rack of those red and white floaty balls you use for fishing right in front of him. The damn things went all over the place.”

Gabby laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

Kendall made a face. “Jason certainly didn’t think it was very amusing.”

“I don’t imagine he would. He didn’t fire you, did he?”

“No.” Kendall stared down at her coffee. “He didn’t have to. I quit. Well, I’m going to quit when I go in this morning.”

“Quit.” Her friend frowned. “Wow. Jason must have really said something to upset you.”

“It’s not what he said,” Kendall muttered. “It’s what he did.”

“What did he do?”

Dammit. The words were out before she could stop herself. There was no way she could tell her friend about getting spanked. That would be beyond humiliating.

She gulped her coffee. “Nothing.”

“It’s obviously not nothing if you’re this upset about it.”

“I’m not upset.”

Gabby lifted a brow.

Kendall got up and dumped what was left of her coffee in the sink, then rinsed out the mug. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“But you did, and now I’m curious.” Gabby came over to lean against the counter. “I’m going to keep bugging you until you tell me what it is, you know that.”

Kendall groaned inwardly. She knew it. Her friend was like a dog after a damn bone sometimes.

She put the mug in the drying rack with a thud. “He spanked me, okay? Jason spanked me.”

Gabby stared at her for what must have been a full minute before she burst out laughing. “Spanked you?”

Kendall glared at her. “Yes. And it’s not funny!”

Gabby immediately made a straight face. “It’s not. You’re right. It’s just that I can’t believe he spanked you right there in front of everyone.” Her brow furrowed. “I can’t believe it’s not all over town already, either.”

Kendall leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “He didn’t do it in front of everyone. The store was already closed. We were the only two there.”

“Oh. Well, that doesn’t make it quite as bad.”

Kendall fixed her with a hard look.

Gabby had the grace to look chagrined. “Okay, it’s still pretty bad. But from the sounds of it, you probably deserved it.”