Come to Me Softly (Closer to You #2)(74)
Author: A.L. Jackson

“That’d be cool.”

I poked at the fire, stirring it up. Flames took hold of the splintered, dried wood and rose up to hug the log.

Glass clinked behind me as Christopher dug through the cooler. Five seconds later, he handed me a beer. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” I twisted the cap and tipped my neck to Christopher’s.

He flopped down into one of the chairs surrounding the fire.

Taking a long pull, I stared into the dancing fire.

“God, I love this kind of night,” Christopher said with a heavy sigh. Lifting his bottle to his mouth, he settled back, stared up at the unending sky. “So f**king quiet. Calm. Like nothing else in this world matters.”

My eyebrows climbed toward my hair, though I was feeling so much the same. “Dude, when did you get all sentimental on my ass?”

He laughed, scrubbed a hand over his face, his own taunt muting out the seriousness. “Apparently when you knocked up my little sister.”

I grinned. “You aren’t ever going to let me live that down, are you?” It was said as if it were a minor glitch. As if Aly and me colliding hadn’t shifted our worlds. Like that baby growing in her hadn’t become our lives.

“Uh, yeah, probably never,” Christopher said pointedly with a shake of his head, snickering below his breath as he lifted his beer to his mouth.

Movement caught my eye behind me. I looked through the windows to where the house was all lit up within. The front door opened, and the first of Megan’s guests poured into our house.

The house slowly filled up. Voices began to echo from inside and out back. Night slowly took hold on the city, a mild chill pressing down from above. When inside finally maxed out on capacity, people began to overflow into the backyard, where Christopher and I watched over the growing party. We kept the cooler stocked and the fire stoked, letting Aly and her friends do their thing.

Didn’t mean I didn’t keep glancing at Aly or that Aly didn’t keep glancing at me. Our attention was always on the other while she made her rounds and entertained her guests. But it was like we revolved around the other, gentle brushes of hands and deeper connections of eyes.

I could never get close enough.

She spun me up, wrapped me tight, left me completely undone.

That smile . . . that smile kept slamming me, hitting me right in the center of my chest every time she cast it my direction.

It took Christopher about half an hour to find his next pawn in whatever f**ked-up game he played. This girl was tall with huge tits that I was pretty damned sure were real, all wrapped up in a gorgeous face hidden behind a shy smile.

I wondered how pissed off he’d be if I warned her, told her to get the hell out of here before she fell victim to his prey. She looked way more unsuspecting than the type of girl he usually went for, and something about that just didn’t sit right.

Night deepened and wind gusted in. People gathered around the fire, laughing and messing around as they vied for a better position to keep them warm.

I put a couple more logs on it, figured if I was going to build it, I might as well do it up right.

Flames licked up, popped and cracked, glowing warm against our faces as the fire grew higher, stretching for the sky.

“Ah, now that’s a fire,” Christopher called from where he sat, the blonde perched on his knee. She held her palms up in front of her, glancing back at him with a timid smile when he squeezed her thigh.

“I aim to please.”

Laughter mingled through the conversations in our backyard. The party was easy. Voices grew louder as the night progressed and more drinks were consumed, the party coming to fruition as the mood heightened.

Megan laughed hysterically when Aly came outside bearing her cake, twenty-one tall pink candles blazing, matching the beat of the fire.

“Oh my God, that is the best cake ever!” she squealed. Megan had definitely been living it up tonight, doing rounds of shots with her friends while Aly watched on with an amused smile. Megan just kept getting tipsier and tipsier by the minute.

Everyone gathered around the small table where Aly carefully set the cake.

They all belted out “Happy Birthday.” Half the backyard sang off key, their voices discordant. Whistles rang out and Megan ducked down and blew out her candles, wished for whatever desires she kept hidden inside. She doused them in one swoop. With a sloppy grin shot in the direction of Aly, she pumped her fist in the air and yelled, “Woohoo . . . no more lame boyfriends for me!”

Aly laughed outright, loud and free.

Off to the side of the crowd, I smiled a little, brushed my hair back, sipped my beer.

I went back to tending the fire. Feeling f**king good.

Even with my own birthday looming just days away, I felt good.

Joy swelled around the edges of my heart.

The reason for that joy wrapped her slender arms around me from behind. “There’s my man.”

Peace pumped like the beat of blood through my veins.

She nudged her head under my arm and poked around my side to face the fire. With a short chuckle, I wound my arm over her shoulders. Both her arms were wrapped tightly around me, held snug at my front, the two of us in this awkward embrace as we swayed in front of the fire.

“You having fun, baby?” I asked.

Aly smiled up at me, tacked to my side, exactly where I wanted her to be. Green eyes sparkled, dancing in the fire. “Yes . . . I love this . . . everyone here . . . at our house. It just feels . . . good.”

I squeezed her. “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?”

“Aly, I need to talk to you.”

The voice broke into our comfort.

A chill slicked down my spine. My muscles got all twisted up and I hugged Aly closer.

No f**king way was I going to let his happen.

From across the yard, I heard Megan raise her voice. “I did not invite you here, Sam . . . you and Gabe can just turn around and leave. You don’t have any business being here.”

“I’m not here for you,” Sam hissed low.

“Aly,” Gabe urged again.

Aly’s arms loosened, but I kept my hold. Slowly, I turned us around. With my arm still around her, I edged her behind me, shielding her from the ass**le who stood three feet from me.

“What do you want?” I asked him, my voice flat and cold.

Gabe shifted on his feet. Nerves rocked through him, but he held his ground, glared at me while he spoke. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Aly.” He inclined his head, trying to coax Aly from where she peeked out behind me. “Come on, Aly, all I’m asking you for is five minutes.”