Carson chuckles. "Heard about your health food." He bends down to see Jacob's collection. "You got some good ones."
I don't mind spiders. I don't particularly care for them either. Jacob passes them over to Carson while I consider what to do.
"I was taking them out to go to the bathroom," Jacob explained.
"Spiders pee?" Carson asks.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't they?"
I snort, amused. I've never thought twice about spiders peeing.
"Bacon," Morgan prompts me. She looks desperate, the way I feel whenever we go to the mess hall.
A glance at the tent assures me that Katya hasn't gotten up yet. "I'll make you a deal," I start.
They wait expectantly. Carson hands back the container of spiders.
"Jacob, go show Ms. Khavalov your friends and have her help you walk them for their morning run to the head. Morgan, round up the team and line them up out here. If you both can do that within ninety seconds, you can have bacon."
Jacob sprints towards the pup tent while Morgan dashes into the larger one.
"Why do I suspect Khav's sister doesn't like spiders?" Carson asks.
I shrug and sip my coffee. It's a relatively easy way to put Katya and me back at odds, where I'm more comfortable being with her. If I let myself think too much about how much good she's hiding beneath the anger …
Less than a minute later, her shriek rings out.
Carson gives a low, rumbling laugh.
I smile.
The tent looks ready to implode from the thrashing going on inside. Katya dashes out, still wearing underwear and bra. She bends over and frantically paws at her hair.
So fucking sexy. Whether or not I should feel regret, I do as I look over her body. I could have spent the night fucking her …
But didn't. Because I'm a fucking good guy.
Jacob exits the tent, distraught. I wave him over, not wanting him to get yelled at for something I put him up to.
"This is good," Carson says, drinking his coffee as he watches the mostly naked Katya try to get spiders out of her hair.
"I could wake up to that every day," Riley agrees, approaching.
I eye him. I know how Riley is with women, more flirting than anything. His comment still annoys me.
His attention is on Katya.
"I lost a couple," Jacob reports mournfully when he reaches us.
"We'll find you more," I assure him. "Put them away and fall in with the others."
He perks and heads into the kids' tent.
"Katya! Put on some clothes!" Petr shouts, emerging from his tent. "What the hell are you doing?"