Wildfire by Hannah Grace

Wildfire

by Hannah Grace

Published by Atria

Book 2 in the Maple Hills Series

Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand.

Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name.

Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home.

Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?

Genre

#ContemporaryRomance

#InterconnectedRomance

Triggers

Parent with a gambling addition, verbally abusive. Parent who manipulates child with money, doesn't pay attention to her unless she has upset him in some way.

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Listen, I enjoyed Wildfire.

I liked it.

I just ... didn't love it like I did Icebreaker.

It was just a little ... boring.

The setting was fun. The summer weather, the camp setting, the forbidden aspect of employees not being allowed to hook up ... that was fun.

The chemistry between Russ and Rory was also great. The banter was fun.

The side characters were also entertaining.

I even thought that both Rory and Russ having issues with their father's - very relatable ones at that - was interesting.

There was a lot I thoroughly enjoyed.

It just fell a little flat for me.

The chemistry was there. The tension was nice. There just wasn't enough ... drama, I guess?

I don't have much else to say. It's a cute, light read. Some family dynamics that may be triggering, but otherwise, it is exactly what it portrays on the cover - a fluffy, very sexy romance that blooms at summer camp.

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Rory: "Oh my God."

She drops back to the step and this time I crouch down in front of her as she hides her face in her hands.

Rory: "Miscommunication. Russ, we did the miscommunication thing. You made me a miscommunicator!"

This conversation was too much to process.

Russ: "A what?"

Rory: "We could have just had a conversation. This is not the kind of main character moment I'm looking for in my life!"

Rory: "If you'll excuse me, I need to find a hungry raccoon and feed myself to it. Bye."

Russ: "If I let you help me, can you be good?"

Rory: "Usually, with the right motivation."

I sense I shouldn't ask further, but I can't help myself. As much as I don't want to be, I'm a moth and Aurora is the brightest flame.

Russ: "What's enough motivation for you?"

Her teeth sink into her lip again while she pretends to think and my brain flashes back to a very different scenario where I watched her to that.

Rory: "You thinking I'm good."

I'm going to get burned.

Rory: "It could be a shark."

I can't help but snort.

Russ: "It's not a shark. We're in freshwater. We're also in California."

Rory: "Bull sharks are diadromous, they can survive in freshwater."

My eyebrow quirks.

Rory: "What? I watch Shark Week."

Russ: "If it's a bull shark, sorry to be the one to tell you, but you're screwed."

She grins as her hands link at the nap of my neck.

Rory: "If it's a bull shark, we're both screwed because I'm dragging you with me. You're bigger, you'll taste better."

Russ: "Trust me, you taste incredible."

Emilia: "Are you going to throw up?"

Emilia asks, taking a step away from us.

Russ: "I have no talent,"

he says.

I want to tell him that's not true, since I've personally witnessed what he can do with his mouth, but that is counterproductive to our fledgling friendship.

Rory: "Promise?"

I ask, holding out my pinkie.

Rory: "You have to come to all the rehearsals."

He links his pinkie with mine.

Russ: "Promise."

Emilia: "That was Aurora's really wholesome way of emotionally blackmailing you into participating, Russ, and you fell for it."

Maya: "I told him I sleep stab."

I almost choke on my coffee.

Maya: "Which I thought was the end of it, but he started telling me it sounded like there was something under my bed and for me to wait on his while he investigated."

Xander: "You gotta admire the creativity. Being a douche bag is difficult in this day and age, but here he is, hustling."

Russ: "I don't think I have any red flags ..."

JJ: "Oh, my sweet summer child."

He laughs.

JJ: "You're a straight white man. That's your red flag."

Rory: "Why haven't you made me go to therapy yet? You're a bad friend."

Emilia: "What happened to 'I don't need to pay a therapist to tell me I have daddy issues'?"

Rory: "Ugh,"

I groan.

Rory: "That's terrible advice. Why won't you just enable me?"

Rory: "You don't need to beg me to do something I've been desperate to do for weeks."

Joining my fingers on top of my head, I pull on my hair as my stomach flexes, my breathing fighting to stay steady.

Russ: "This is going to be the best seven seconds of my life."

Rory: "Don't make me laugh when I'm trying to seduce you,"

she groans through her laughter.

Russ: "You don't need to try, you've achieved it. Consider me seduced. Obsessed. Consu -"

There's a knock on the door, followed immediately by it creeping open.

Xander: "Not to spoil this beautiful union, but I'm here because I really need to take a shit. So if you can wrap this up so I don't have to go in the woods like a fucking bear, that'd be swell."

Aurora looks over her shoulder toward the gap, not taking her hands off my face.

Rory: "You know there are other bathrooms, right? Your next option isn't the woods?"

Xander: "Is a man not allowed to have a preferred place to poop these days? Is that where we're at as a society?"

Rory: "I stole from you, sorry. Bye."

Xander: "It's always the rich girls!"

Russ is convinced the universe sent a possum to stop us from acting like sluts and make us get back to work.

He's also ashamed that the school system, or my many summers at this very camp, didn't teach me that possums aren't dangerous. If they're not dangerous, why do they have such pointy teeth? And no, he didn't really use the world sluts, but whatever he said went straight over my head because his hand was hovering on my lower back and I was still uncomfortably wet and horny.

Fucking possums.

Russ: "Kevin took the biggest crap I've ever seen in my life and he's blocked the entire toilet system."

He gags a little.

Russ: "And when you try to flush it, all the others fill up, and I'm sorry, but it's horrible. I know we're only supposed to call maintenance for things we can't fix, but I don't know if anyone can fix this."

Rory: "Oh my goodness."

I can't help but roll my eyes.

Rory: "Okay, come on, drama queen. Lead the way. Surely you're used to this? Didn't you live in a frat house?"

Russ: "I don't know any grown man capable of replicating this,"

he says, totally serious.

Russ: "Maybe we should call maintenance now. I step out of his grasp, because we are not having this cute-as-hell moment resolving a poop issue.

Rory: "Calling maintenance is admitting defeat."

Russ: "I admit defeat."

He holds up his hands as a gesture of surrender and moves to sit against the counter.

Russ: "I was defeated before you even got here. Let's call maintenance."

Rory: "I'll just flush it once to see what happens."

Russ: "Aurora, don't ..."

Rory: "It'll help me figure out what's wrong,"

I say, covering my nose as I step into the stall.

Russ: "Ror, you're going to flood everywhere."

Rory: "No, I'm not. It'll probably just go down."

I press the lever down and the plumbing makes a sound I've never heard before.

Russ: "Rory was snappy with him and he looked embarrassed."

Xander: "He's been like that since he tried to kiss her,"

Xander says casually.

Xander: "You just haven't noticed because we don't have blond hair and suck your dick."

Emilia: "You sound jealous,"

Emilia snorts.

Xander: "I am. I'd look fucking great as a blond. Not into dicks, though, sorry, dude. Tried once, not for me."

Rory: "You know, telling me not to do something makes me want to do it."

I brush my nose against hers.

Russ: "What can I do to convince you to behave?"

Rory: "Hmm. I can think of a few things."

Russ: "Here?"

Rory: "I don't see any possums,"

she says, leaning forward to tug at my lip with her teeth.

Rory: "And I really do need to be convinced to behave."

Rory: "I'm mad at you,"

she says as we approach my truck.

Russ: "I know, sweetheart."

I open the passenger door for her, holding her hand to help her climb in. The summer dress she's wearing rises, the lace of her underwear just visible as she bends over to climb in, and when she looks back at me, I realize this is supposed to be a punishment.

Rory: "Really mad at you."

Russ: "I accept and encourage you to continue reminding me how mad you are,"

I say, closing the door.

Rory: "I freaking hate poetry."

Russ: "You're an English major, how can you hate poetry?"

I push the anthology back into it's slot.

Rory: "Just get to the point, you y'know? If you love someone, say it with your chest. It's why I like contemporary romance; I know where I stand,"

Aurora says, running her fingers along the spine as we walk between tow rows of shelves.

Rory: "I don't trust poetry. You think you're reading about an intense love story but then you find out it's actually about a shoe."

Russ: "There's a cake, isn't there?"

Xander stops, too, a sheepish look on his face as he shrugs.

Xander: "Why would there be a cake? Maybe there's cake, maybe there's no cake. I don't know! I'm just here to keep the kids safe; I don't know about kitchen operations."

He blows out a breath, putting his hands on his hips.

Xander: "There might be a cake."

Russ: "Thanks for being so clear and concise, buddy."

We're almost there when he throws an arm around my shoulders.

Xander: "She gives you the puppy eyes. You don't know how scary she can be to the rest of us when she chooses to be."

Two of my campers, Sadia and Leon, push their way through my friends and hold out a huge handmade birthday card. Sadia frowns.

Sadia: "You can't say curse words in front of us."

Crouching down, I try to drag myself back into work mode as I gratefully accept the card.

Russ: "You're right. I'm sorry, I'm just very, very surprised."

There's a painting on the front, but I can't tell what it is. It looks like it lost a fight with a paint gun.

Russ: "Give me a clue, guys."

Leon points to blue blobs.

Leon: "It's you crying about Kevin's turd."

Henry: "My room is next to Russ's room in our house. It isn't soundproof, so please don't treat it like it is."

I almost choke on my veggie bacon.

Rory: "Sorry?"

Henry: "I imagine you're going to visit a lot. I'd rather not hear you come, sorry."

I expect him to start laughing or give me some indication he's joking around, but he looks entirely serious.

Rory: "I, um ..."

I am not a girl who stumbles over her words. I am a rambler. I am an oversharer. I am lost for words.

Rory: "I promise to try my hardest not to put you through that."

Emilia: "You know you could have just said don't cheat, right?"

Emilia says, looking at her watch.

Emilia: "Could have saved us so much time."

Rory: "If there's sexual wizardry on offer, I might cheat, Xander. I'm just being honest with you; it is very likely that I'll be influenced. I don't even know what it entails, but I know that I want to be a part of it. I'm sure you can respect the difficult position I'm in."

Xander: "I can't and won't. I'm not losing to Clay because you're horny, Aurora,"

Xander says sternly.

Rory: "Oh no."

I pout playfully.

Rory: "Did the nasty man who chases men for a ball insult you? A man who also chases men for a ball, but on ice?"

Russ: "I know you're just trying to mock me right now, but let me say, you're really fucking cute when you pout at me like that. But I'm going to need you to confirm for me that you know there isn't a ball in hockey. I mean, I'm the goalie, so I don't technically chase anyone, but we could start with the ball thing first, that'd be great."

Rory: "Isn't this the bit where you proposition me with something debased and scandalous to help you cheat?"

I say quietly, trying to look casual given our huge audience.

Russ: "Sorry, Roberts. I don't negotiate with my competition."

He lets go of my hand, moving on to shake everyone else's so it doesn't look weird.

Xander is at my side immediately.

Xander: "What did he say?"

Rory: "HE said he'd organize a threesome with someone on the hockey team if I help him cheat. I said no. Told him I'm committed to my team."

Rory: "I have a proposition for you."

Russ: "If it's another threesome offer, I respectfully decline."

I can't help but snort.

Rory: "If I pretend to hurt myself, wanna go find the dogs and drink hot chocolate?"

Russ: "Of course I want that. Basketball is shit."

Rory: "Not all balls are created equal."

Xander gestures for me to throw him the ball while he continues to bicker with Clay about something.

Rory: "You're allowed to favor your own."

Russ is staring at me with his hands on his hips. His hair is messy, brushed back off his face in the way I love. It's a real struggle not to tell him how pretty he is every minute of the day.

Russ: "I know we sort of laughed about it, but I need to hear you say you know what a hockey puck looks like and that you know it's not a ball."

Rory: "Of course I do."

He breathes a sigh of relief.

Rory: "Like a little baby car tire."

Russ: "What? No, it -"

I turn to walk away from him, pretending to trip over my own feet and fall to the ground before he can say anything else, shouting "Ouch!" at the top of my lungs. Russ crouches beside me, pretending to check my knee for injury.

Russ: "You'd be a terrible actress, y'know."

Rory: "I'm in so much pain,"

I say casually.

Rory: "Please take me to the nurse, my hero."

Jenna: "Okay, heart-to-heart is over. Scram. And so you know, you're mucking out the horses for the rest of the week. Take lover boy. You're both pains in my ass."

Rory: "Wait, you else has been hooking up?"

She runs her fingers across her lips, zipping them shut.

Jenna: "You've lost your gossip privileges. Should have kept your panties on."

Aurora: "I'm going to the bathroom,"

Aurora says in a strange tone, standing and moving directly in front of me.

Russ: "Okay,"

I say, but she doesn't move.

Aurora: "I really need to use the bathroom,"

she says again in the same unnatural way.

I'm officially confused. I repeat what I said before.

Russ: "Ohh-kay?"

Aurora: "I'm desperate,"

she says, eyes widening.

Russ: "Oh -"

Xander: "Jesus Christ, my guy,"

Xander snaps, lowering his voice so people around us can't hear.

Xander: "She's trying to tell you to follow her to the bathroom. Probably for sex, I don't know."

He looks at her.

Xander: "Sex?"

She nods.

Rory: "Probably."

Xander: "Fantastic,"

he groans.

Xander: "I'm so glad I could be part of this conversation. I'll just sit here and die alone."

Rory: "Are you going to fuck me against this wall because you're jealous?"

Xander: "No. I'm going to fuck you against this wall because being inside of you is the closest thing there is to heaven,"

I murmur as her breathing becomes slow and shallow.

Xander: "Are you two even listening? Disgusting. God bless the no-fraternization rule. I'd have thrown myself into a septic tank if I had to watch this every night."

Russ: "I don't get girls like you and I was very worried I'd watch you come and it'd be game over for me. In my pants."

Rory: "Confident you could then,"

she says, teasing, rolling to lie on top of me.

Rory: "How'd you know I wasn't faking it."

Russ: "I'd have suffocated between your legs before I'd let you fake it."

Rory: "Is there anything I could do that might help you feel better?"

Russ: "You can explain to me how you think my six-five ass is fitting in this tent with you."

Her eyes freaking light up as she grins at me.

Rory: "We always make it fit."

When I told Jenna about Bobby's long-lived crush on her, her response was less than happy.

Jenna: "Fantastic. I love it when people return as adults and want to fuck me like I didn't literally look after them as children."

She made a loud and dramatic retching noise.

Jenna: "I hate men."

Mila: "Uncle Henry, can I have my ice cream now? It's been the mandatory five minutes."

Henry drops her to her feet and nudges her away.

Henry: "Go ask your dad for money."

Russ: "Mandatory five minutes?"

I ask as we watch her crash into Nate's legs, shouting her request up to him. Nate pauses his conversation with Emilia, sighing as he reaches for his wallet, scowling at Henry from across the room as he places some bills in his daughter's palm.

Henry: "Mandatory five minutes of socializing."

Russ: "To happy endings."

She raises her glass.

Aurora: "And unlimited pets."

Russ: "No,"

I immediately respond, but it's too late.

"To happy endings and unlimited pets,"

the room echoes.

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#athlete #beta #chosenfamily #forbiddenlove #forcedproximity #friendswithbenefits #goodgirl #onenightstand #oppositesattract #trauma #wild #workplace