Heart-On: Turf Wars #2, Bella Jewel [ebook reader screen txt] 📗

I snort. “Be quiet, Remy.”

He grins.

I grin.

At least I have him here.

Thank god for that.

“WHAT THE HELL,” I SCREECH, slamming the tent down onto the ground, the sticky fabric practically gluing itself to my skin as I try, very hard, to get it off me.

I can’t put this dumb thing up. Who even came up with such a terrible idea? Everyone else is effortlessly putting their tents up but me, oh me, I’m here refusing help and screaming the place down as each time I try to push a pole through, it pops out the other side and the whole thing collapses.

What deranged person ever thought camping would be fun? What’s fun about it? Nothing, that’s what. Not a single damned thing. You have to sleep on the hard floor, you get bitten by bugs, there is sand in places sand shouldn’t be and you can’t even shower. Don’t get me started on the toileting part of the whole ordeal. I will not dig a hole. No, I am not an animal. I’d rather be constipated for five days then to squat over a hole in the ground.

No.

Thank.

You.

“What’s wrong with you, stupid tent?” I bellow, throwing a pole across the soft sand until it lands like a spear a few feet away. “Why can’t you just do as I’m asking you?”

“Do you need help, honey?” Eve calls.

“No,” I snap. “No, I do not. A stupid tent won’t beat me.”

I angrily go and snatch up my pole and try again. My curses continue to flow freely, and more than one person is laughing at me. I’ve stomped, sworn, thrown the tent on the ground, rolled it up, unrolled it and swore I’d sleep on the damned ground. I’m midway through trying to put it up for the hundredth time when Adan comes over and starts helping me.

“I don’t need help,” I mutter.

“I’m helpin’.”

His voice is gruff and it makes me feel all that much more stupid, because, really, he hasn’t said a damned word to me since I confessed what I confessed and that makes me feel stupid, mostly because I know he’s likely wondering how the hell he can be around me now, knowing I feel a certain way about him and he doesn’t feel it in return. God, the very least he could do is put me out of my misery.

“You and Remy look cozy,” he says, hammering a peg into the ground.

I look in his direction. “And?”

“And I didn’t think he was your type.”

“Anyone is my type right now,” I mumble. “Can we just get this done, it’s bad enough as it is.”

“I don’t ...”

He starts speaking but I cut him off by putting my hand up. “I don’t need your explanation, okay. I get it. It’s fine. Can we just get through this?”

He stares at me and once again, he’s cut off when Lorelei comes over and helps us. “This is so nice, isn’t it?” she says happily.

Why is she so happy? What is there to be happy about? I bet her vagina doesn’t get sand in it.

“Yeah, it’s good. Don’t you think, Ramona?” Adan asks me.

Don’t try and be nice now, buddy

“It is nice,” I answer.

I mean, I do have to admit, this island is beautiful. White sandy beaches, thick jungle, high cliffs, and gorgeous blue ocean. There is no one for miles and we have this section all to ourselves. It’s super nice, and I can’t wait to get into that water.

We all needed this break, no doubt about it.

Things have been nothing short of crazy back home, and we all needed the space to clear our heads and think. I needed to get as far away from Devin as I could, because god knows I didn’t need to be around that drama for another second.

Mind you, I’ve just replaced it with more drama.

In the form of Adan and Lorelei.

“I can’t wait to go for a swim, will you come with me, Ramona?”

Dammit.

How can you not like Lorelei? She’s so damned sweet it hurts. You can’t hate her, you just can’t.

Besides, it’s not her fault she took Adan’s eye.

I’m just jealous he didn’t look at me.

“I’ll come,” I tell her, hammering the last peg into the ground. “But I can’t guarantee the second something touches my leg that I won’t be out of there. Every man for themselves out there ...”

Lorelei laughs. “Of course, I’m with you there. I’ll see you soon, I’ll go get changed.”

She turns and walks off. I admire the tent and am kind of proud now it’s standing in front of me. It’s all perfectly square and rounding off into a nice dome shape. My bed is comfy, too. I can’t wait to roll it out.

Maybe this camping thing isn’t so bad, after all.

“You’re not so bad, tent,” I say, running my hand over it. “I’m sorry for what I said.”

“Did you just apologize to the tent?” Adan asks me, his mouth twitching.

“Well, if you heard some of the things I called it, you would too.”

“We all heard the things you called it. The islands next to us heard the things you called it.”

I give him a sheepish smile, and then go and get my things from the boat and set myself up. It actually looks quite cozy, but there are no guarantees I won’t shit myself tonight when I’m in there alone and I hear a noise. I wonder if Eve and Riggs would have a problem with me crawling into their tent and sleeping with them?

It’s a very likely scenario.

I go into my tent and get changed into my bikini then lather up with sunscreen and walk out. A few people are already in the water and the two girls that came with us are carrying on, screaming and letting their boobies fly around everywhere. I’m sure there will be plenty of lucky men in this camp tonight.

I’m suddenly launched off the ground and flung over a