Camp Mirror Lake
Chapter 8 Horseback Riding

10am, I found myself surrounded by my cabin mates, along with Ethan's crew. A few of his friends came up to me and started to chat while we waited for Ben to show. Justin especially was interested in how I was doing and wondered if I needed any help riding. He said he didn't mind riding behind me, while he wrapped his arms around me. I smiled at that. I'd been riding since I was little. Ethan groaned loudly and sidled up to Becky.

"So, Beck, do you need any help riding?" Ethan asked.

"I would love some," she said shyly.

He took her by the hand and moved to her pony. He wrapped his hands around her waist, then leaned in and whispered something too quiet for me to hear. She giggled and practically batted her eyes at him. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and helped her mount up.

I gasped! And he was complaining to me about showing affection! That little hypocrite! Not that Nate had tried to kiss me...

Suddenly Ben was there.

"Hello, Little Bee," he whispered in my ear.

All the other guys backed off. I almost protested, but held my tongue. For some reason it felt important for me to stay in Ben's good graces. It just seemed dangerous to do anything to make him outraged.

"Hey Ben, what's up?" I asked as nonchalant as possible.

Ben wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. "I was hoping to get some time with you alone..." he said suggestively.

I looked around at all the other campers and looked back over my shoulder at him. "How do you plan on getting me alone? There are eleven other people here," I teased, even though my stomach tightened in disgust.

"I'd be happy to show you when we arrive at our destination..." he whispered into my neck.

I gasped as shivers ran up and down my body. But they weren't the good kind... Thankfully Ben didn't pick up on that.

Ethan did. He sent me a worried glance, but I shook my head, so slight Ben didn't noticed.

"I guess we'd better get to it then..." I suggested.

Once everyone was mounted up, we headed up to the trailhead.

"Everyone stay on the path, and head up to the ridge," instructed Ben.

Some of the boys decided it would be gentlemanly of them to ride by the other girls in my group. I would have been fine riding solo. I actually enjoyed the solitude and nature, but unfortunately Ben had other ideas... No wonder he told everyone to follow the trail, because ten minutes into the ride he doubled back and came up beside me.

"Hey, beautiful. How do you like the forest?" he asked.

That was a random question.

But then I looked around. Really looked. The trees were darker than I expected, and the birds seemed to be quiet. I hadn't noticed any chipmunks or groundhogs, or any other critter skittering across the ground. Weird!

"Uh... It's quieter than I expected," I answered, not sure what he was looking for.

Pride seemed to roll off him. I guess that's what he was wanting?

"Exactly. You seem to be a lot more observant than your other campers. Of course you are also older than your cabin mates... Which makes you perfect," he stated.

"Um, thanks? But perfect for what?" I asked a little nervous to find out what he was getting at.

"Me, of course! You can be my queen..." he hinted.

"Queen?" I laughed. "I'm not queen material," I insisted.

"Think about it. With you on my arm, we could do anything!" he asserted.

I felt a surge of possession and desire jolt through me. This was definitely not a good sign!

I'm not sure how long it took us to get to the ridge that over looked the camp, but it felt like years instead of an hour or so.

"Everyone dismount. I've brought snacks and water bottles for everyone. We'll be taking a half hour break. Stay close, and make sure you stick with a partner. Then we'll be heading down the mountain again," advised Ben.

He reached into his saddle bag and grabbed a couple apples and water bottles. Then he grabbed me around the waist and dragged me back into the trees.

Ben tossed me an apple. "Eat up," he said.

I caught the apple and tried to extricate myself from his arms, but he just pulled me in closer.

"It's really beautiful up here," I scrambled for something to say, then crunched down on an apple in an attempt to keep my mouth busy and far away from Ben!

"It is! The view has definitely improved in the last few minutes," he insisted.

"Umm-hmm," I made a noncommittal noise and took another bite.

If I'd been thinking clearly I would have been taking smaller bites to make the apple last longer, but suddenly I was holding a sad looking apple core. I gave a forlorn glance at once juicy fruit and tossed it at the trees.

Ben apparently had been waiting for me to finish, because as soon as I was done, his mouth was back on mine. Hunger poured off him and into me.

I tried not to have a full on freak out, but having his mouth on me made me feel dirty! He slid his slimy hand down my back pulling me closer to his body, while his other hand dug into my hair angling my head back so he could deepen the kiss.

I whimpered and tried to push him away. But instead of discouraging him, it seemed to encourage him! What is up with that? Couldn't he tell I didn't want him to eat me???

"Hey Ben!" shouted my brother.

My hero!

Ben growled in frustration. "What's up, man?"

"Dude, it's been a half hour and everyone is waiting for you!" Ethan said casually.

"Really?" Ben asked, confusion and disbelief flowing through him.

"Yeah! So, if you're ready..." he left that hanging.

Ben clung to me for a few more moments. Obviously he wasn't read yet. I could feel some dark emotions surrounding him that didn't make any sense to me.

He took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure, not that it helped much. He placed his mouth on my ear and whispered "I'm not finished with you yet," then he released me.

He replaced a possessive arm around my waist as we marched back out to where everyone really was all mounted up and ready to roll! They all looked back at Ben expectantly, but he took his sweet time. He even helped me on my horse (not that I needed any help, he just seemed reluctant to let me leave him), then mounted his own horse.

"Since you're all so eager to leave, let's ride!" he shouted and whirled around, charging down the path.

I stayed at the back of the group and for the first time, I looked up and noticed the sky was more gray than blue. Not cloudy, but actually gray... weird. Maybe that is the reason for this uncomfortable vibe I've been feeling all day.

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