Electra's face turned bright red. "You are not a nice person and you're certainly not a gentleman."

"I don't know what that has to do with our backpacking trip." Drew took another swallow of coffee. A very odd, almost euphoric feeling was beginning to saturate his body. He hadn't felt this aware, this vibrantly alive in a long time, quite possibly since the last time he had been in Electra's presence. She was difficult. She was annoying. She deliberately seemed to misinterpret everything he said or did.

But, by God, he loved her, and sometime within the course of next three months, she would learn just how much.

"Everyone knows you have a distorted opinion of me, anyway," he continued. "I guarantee I'm a gentleman ninety percent of the time and, if you can be alone with Sam for three days, you can certainly be alone with me."

"Since when did you and Samuel fall into the same category?" Electra demanded. Her irritation seemed to be fading although he couldn't tell if she had given in yet. She picked up her sandwich again.

"Since we were born brothers?"

"Very funny, Drew. You're such a nerd."

"Thank you. I'd be really worried if you stopped thinking that. I take it you're no longer concerned about your virtue and that the trip is on."

Electra squinted one eye at him. "You're truly sick. I have absolutely no concerns for my virtue around you. On the other hand, I do worry about only one of us coming back alive. But since that would be me, I guess it's not even that much of a worry. Banion's is where you need to go."

Read the first chapter of Summer Heat.