Page 28 of Pick Me This Time

13

STERLING

We sat around the fire for a couple hours, eating, laughing, and catching up. I still got the feeling Jake and Rachel were pissed at me about something, but they weren’t obnoxious about it. It was just a look I got from one of them every once in a while, or a slight tensing of their shoulders when I said certain things.

I was about ninety percent sure it was about the fact that I’d missed their wedding. If I was being honest about it, I’d have to admit now that I was back, I felt like shit about not just biting the bullet and flying to Allisburg for the weekend.

Somehow, I’d find a way to make it up to them, but for now, I was just relieved that they weren’t holding such a grudge that they didn’t want to spend time with me at all. As dusk became night and the moon rose high into the sky, Rachel finally yawned and stood up, patting her belly and glancing at Jake.

“Right. The baby and I are going to sleep while I can still tell her exactly when I’m going to be doing that. Good night, everybody. Jakey, I’ll see you later.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said, draining what had been left of his beer before letting out a loud yawn. “I’m about ready to hit the hay myself. See you in the morning, crew.”

“See ya,” I said.

“Good night,” Eric called after them, cracking open another beer and leaning back on his plastic chair. “I guess they should go to bed early while they still can. Any day now, that little girl is going to make her appearance and then she’ll be the boss.”

Daphne chuckled but also stood, stretching her arms above her head and revealing a sliver of bare skin between the waistband of her pants and the hem of her shirt. Bathed in firelight and shadows, her curves were accentuated with the way she was standing, and my cock swelled at the sight of that one little sliver of skin.

“I’m turning in too,” she said. “I may not have a baby on the way, but I do have the fall festival starting soon and that’s not going to be a barrel of laughs either. Good night, boys. Try not to set yourselves on fire.”

She winked at us and left, and thankfully, I knew better than to watch her go with her brother sitting right next to me. As it was, I took one last look at her juicy, round ass and almost groaned. Then I pretended to have been studying the cabin when Eric cleared his throat.

“This place is amazing, bro,” I said quickly, before he could ask what I’d been looking at. “When we first got here, I was worried about how we were all going to fit, but I see now that you don’t actually need more than this.”

He chuckled softly. “Yeah. When I first saw it, I felt the same way you did, but it grows on you, right?”

“Definitely. How long have you had it?”

“A few years,” he said.

While we finished our beers, we kept talking about this and that, eventually landing on the reunion and who would be coming. He tossed out a few names I didn’t remember, and a few others that I did, not all of whom I was looking forward to seeing.

When our drinks were finished, he got up as well, glancing at the hammock before looking back at me. “If you start getting cold, remember about the couch. I’ll leave a blanket out for you.”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” I was actually quite looking forward to this, and as I settled in on the hammock under the trees, catching glimpses of the stars between the branches, a grin inched across my lips.

Feeling more relaxed and peaceful than I had since I’d left Allisburg the first time, I closed my eyes, just about to drift off when I heard twigs snapping.

My eyes opened again and I listened carefully, finally hearing the soft padding of footsteps walk by. I sat up, glancing around until I saw a lone figure walking out on the dock over the lake. I blinked hard when I realized it was Daphne, and then I was getting up before I could even think about stopping myself.

With the stars all above her, she walked to the very edge of the dock and sat down with her legs dangling off, her hands braced behind her and her face tipped up to the sky. I frowned, wondering what was wrong.

“I come in peace,” I said softly as I walked up behind her. “Is something wrong? What are you doing out here?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she murmured, also keeping her voice down so we didn’t disturb the serene peace of the night. “Eric is snoring and it was too hot in the loft. How about you?”

“I’ve just been lying there watching the stars,” I said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them like this.”

“I can imagine,” she replied, smiling at me as I sat down beside her. Her hair was loose now, cascading to her waist in soft waves, her off-shoulder T-shirt swapped for a loose, strappy nightshirt and her jeans for a pair of soft cotton shorts.

Once again, my dick wanted to get involved, but I flexed my thighs, refusing to acknowledge that I actually wanted her that way. “What do you mean?”

“Oh. Just that I’ve heard a great many things about Manhattan in my life, but none of them have been about the stars. I’ve always just figured that there’s too much light to see them properly.”

“True,” I said. “I’ve found a few spots where one can see them, but it’s not quite the same.”

“What’s it like there?” she asked quietly, looking deep into my eyes before she turned her gaze back to the water. “What’s your life like there? And don’t start giving me one-word answers again. I really want to hear about it.”