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“There, that’s it.” Mark and I had spent the next day completing the designated parking area where his team had installed a four-foot picket fence around a section of gravel lot we’d had poured at the same time the driveway off the main road was done.

We didn’t want to block the views and kept the fencing to a minimum in order to accomplish that.

The flora and fauna across our land was nothing short of breathtaking and we didn’t want our guests to miss a single piece of it.

“Looks great. That was the last item on our list. Are we prepared for this week?” Mark asked, ever the skeptic. He had definitely found his niche, behind the scenes as Mr. Fix It rather than being the face of the business as I was.

“I am. I’m excited.” It was like the night before the first day of school.

My mind never shut down, filled to the brim with excitement.

How goofy was it that having new clothes and a backpack was all the rage as a kid.

My friends and I, Mark included, oohed and aahed over each other’s new fashions.

Now, this was like the ultimate pair of shoes and backpack multiplied by a million.

When Mark and I embarked upon this endeavor, I said goodbye to corporate America.

My only regret was watching my hard-earned savings dwindle as we made the repairs.

Mark’s construction company was licensed in Arizona and Nevada and their growth had been nothing short of remarkable.

They had other projects, besides ours, which was part of why it took as long as it had to complete this reno, but I wasn’t complaining.

The end result was nothing short of amazing and I hoped our guests felt the same.

I ran inside and grabbed a couple of cold ones and tapped my bottle to his. “Here’s to us and our new adventure.”

“Here’s to us though it’s more you since you’ll be the one here full time.”

“How long until you start your next job?” Mark and I sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch. There were a pair on the porches outside each cabin as well. Another local vendor purchase.

“Actually, I have the crew starting a new one in Sedona tomorrow. Old motel conversion. My plan is to be here all next week then head down the hill to that one. I’m sure there will be a few bugs to work out here first though.

” He’d know better than me and as much as I’d like to believe there’d be no hiccups, with all those family’s onsite oopsies were bound to pop up.

“Your commitment is bar none, my friend. Thank you for embarking upon this journey with me.”

Mark kicked his feet up on the railing. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Honestly, I’ve been putting off talking to you about something for a long time.”

“Really?” He had my full attention. “What did I do.”

Mark nearly shot beer out of his nose. “Nothing. It’s more about what you haven’t done. I’ve watched you over the years, Ky, burying your nose in work and ignoring any chance for a personal life.”

“Pot meet kettle,” I gestured between us. Mark was a workaholic, plain and simple but it was hard not to be when you took as much pride in a job well done as he and I did. “Coming from you I’d take that as a compliment if I didn’t know it was meant as something more. What’re you getting at?”

“You sold everything you owned to go all in on this resort. Your parents are down in the valley and now you’re up here. I know how you get. You give a hundred and ten percent to every job you take on but along the way, you lost you.”

I lost me? “No, I didn’t, I’m right here.”

“You know what I mean, asshole. You’re gonna be up here all by your lonesome in the dead of winter. Snow on the ground, stuck inside by yourself. I worry about you.”

“I have a business to run and a limitless number of books to read. I’ll be fine.

” Me, my books, my hand. The same as it’s been for most of my adult life.

Business was second nature to me. Dating…

not so much. “Wait, you’re one to talk. I don’t see you with a hot number on your arm.

” Not that Mark didn’t have hook ups, he was hot as hell but to me all I saw was a brother that I loved and adored.

“I’ve got game,” he shook his head like the player he was. “Things are going well. I’m narrowing my options down.”

On a scale of kink, one being a hard no and ten being my dick was all in–I was zero and Mark was a twelve. I wished like hell I had his adventurous side.

“Spoken like the true hashtag slut that you are.” We both laughed. “Not gonna deny your words don’t hold weight and who knows, maybe a small-town cutie is waiting around the next pine tree for me.”

Mark got that shit eating smirk on his face. “Maybe, but only time will tell. Let’s get some shut eye, we’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

“Welcome to R & R Adventures, checking in?” I readily greeted our first guest and just like that we were off and running.

You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as they funneled through the office.

But not a single family with any kids checked in though there was this one guy named Orion that I questioned.

His friend Jacob stood with his boyfriend.

Husband? Not quite sure of that dynamic and it wasn’t my place to ask, but he giggled when Orion literally dumped over the entire jar of candy and picked his favorites out.

The handsome man with Orion shook his head and apologized then made him clean the mess up.

Not my place to step in. But where were the kids? We had so many activities planned for this week, and I feared they were all for naught.

“How’s it going?” Mark popped his head into the office. “It’s a madhouse out here.” He’d helped the guests with their bags and made sure they were good to go.

“It’s going well. Only one guest left to check in but Mark, where are the little ones?”

Mark laughed and I couldn’t figure out if it was at me or with me? How could it be with when I hadn’t made a joke?

“They’re here. You’ve met them all.”

“All I’ve met are adults and we have one more checking in.” I glanced at the computer screen. “A Roen Clarke.”

Mark smiled wide and winked right as Roen himself stepped inside. Roen’s face flushed when he saw us.

“I’ll just leave you two to it,” Mark winked at me and walked out.

“Roen, what are you doing here?”

“Checking in. Is my room ready? I don’t want to miss the big cookout tonight.”

“But-but,” I stammered, clearly out of my element and my mind for that matter. For the second time in twenty-four hours, I found myself asking what in the hell was I missing.

“Is everything okay?” Great, now I’d gone and wiped that smile from his handsome face.

Get a grip, Kyler.

“Yes, absolutely. Welcome to R & R Adventures.” He laughed at my spiel as I swiped his card and handed him the key to his room.

We’d considered using keypad locks but to me that took away some of the rustic charm by not having a real key in hand.

“Will um, will anyone be joining you this week?” Real smooth, jackass , but more than worth the humiliation when his grin reappeared.

“No, I’ll be alone. I don’t have a daddy of my own.” Roen’s sad voice was filled with an all too familiar loneliness. Where were his parents? Wait, I remembered the boys earlier calling the men they were with Daddy, and they were far too intimate for…

Fucking Mark.

No wonder he was so fucking happy about this week’s sold-out show.

This was a kink group and likely one he’d brought in.

Good lord, what had I gotten myself into and how did sweet Roen fit into all of this?