Well, shit. Trust the sibling to smell the truth. Jake clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder and looked into his face with all the sincerity of his attraction to Olivia. “I’m just taking your sister’s lead on this. Believe me when I say, if I hadmyway, you wouldn’t be doubting us.” Matt studied him for a moment, then nodded. He clinked his can against Jake’s bottle.
“Best of luck to you, then.”
Jake dropped his hand. “No threat to treat her right? I’m shocked.”
“Oh, I don’thaveto make threats. If you don’t treat her right, you’ll have four feisty women gunning for you ahead of me.” Matt grinned. “Have you met the Geek Girl Squad yet?”
“The what?”
Matt chuckled at him. “Her friends from college. They were the geeks in her dorm so they called themselves the Geek Girl Squad. Ever watchHomestar Runner?”
“Man, I haven’t thought about that old cartoon in ages.”
“There’s five of them total, including her. They even live in the same apartment building now.”
Five Sailor Guardians. That made a lot of sense. “I have met them, actually. And I watched your sister take someone down herself. You’re right, you don’t have to threaten a damn thing. Doesn’t mean I’ll press my luck.” Jake finished his beer and then headed back to Olivia. “I’ll see you around.”
Jake didn’t leave her side the rest of the day. When the sun set, the families with young kids left. So did the elder relatives who didn’t like to drive after dark. By the time the fire pit was lit, the only people still hanging around for marshmallow roasting were her various cousins. Mom and Dad had left out the graham crackers and chocolate, then went to bed. She and Matt were officially the hosts now.
Someone had brought out a Bluetooth speaker and the couples were slow dancing on the deck. Olivia, Jake, Matt, and the single cousins were drinking around the fire, filling their bellies with sweet treats.
Olivia took another sip of wine as Jake stabbed a marshmallow through a roasting fork and handed it to her. “Here you go, Princess.” His hooded gaze traveled down her body then back up to her face.
“What’s that look for?”
“You look good in my sweatshirt.” He grinned and winked at her.
When the temperature dipped, he’d gone upstairs for her jacket, but came back with his Huskers hoodie from college. Warm and cozy, it hung off her small frame, and smelled like him.
She roasted her marshmallow over the flames, getting it nice and golden. Then she layered it with the graham cracker and chocolate, and squeezed. She bit into it and leaned back in her chair, eyes closed, to savor that first delicious bite.
Lips caressed her fingers and a crunching sound made her eyes snap open. “Hey! You thief.”
Jake was smirking while he chewed on a bite of her s’more that he’d stolen right out of her hand. He swallowed. “Who, me?”
“Yes, you!”
“What happened to innocent until proven guilty?”
“There’s chocolate on your lip.”
He licked around his lips. “So?”
“So, you stole part of my s’more.”
“Alright fine, I’ll make you a new one.” He grabbed the fork from her and proceeded to roast a new marshmallow, but his caught fire.
“Now it’s burnt!”
“Don’t be silly, it’s better this way.” He blew it out, put his own s’more together, then leaned over and brought it to her mouth. “Try it, you’ll see.”
She tried to take it from his hand, but he pulled his hand back. “Uh-uh, I only took one bite of yours, you get one bite of mine.”
Olivia glared at him, but something in her caved. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was his laughing grin. “Fine.” He brought the s’more back to her lips, then his face grew serious. She stared into his eyes, challenging him as she ate from his hand, so she caught the fire that blazed to life in them when her lips grazed his thumb. As she chewed, he brought it back to his own mouth and deliberately bit the same section she had, and his gaze didn’t back down until he’d finished the s’more.
Then it fell to her lips.
“You have some marshmallow …”
