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I grabbed my towel from the ground, shaking out the small rocks that clung to it, and headed down a level to where I usually jumped from. As I made my way down, the scenery opened up to reveal a breathtaking view. The ridge was smaller, tucked in behind the cliff face forming a wall. It was closed off on two sides, creating an almost alcove structure. The surrounding trees cast long shadows across the rocky terrain, adding a layer of depth to the already stunning landscape.
I found a spot to settle into, leaning my back against the cool, smooth stone of the ridge. I uncoiled my legs in front of me and took in the scenery. The moon was just rising, casting a soft glow over the rippling river water below. The light danced and shimmered on the surface, creating an ethereal effect that was truly mesmerizing. The cool breeze carried the scent of pine trees and fresh water, and I closed my eyes, taking in the peacefulness of the moment.
Small pebbles shifted beside me as Lucas sat down, kicking his feet out in front of him. He handed me a water and took a long sip of his beer. He wasn’t saying anything, just looked over the edge, and tension slowly built until it felt like the air was thick around us, compressing my lungs until I struggled to breathe. I couldn’t just sit here like this. Not with him. Something had shifted for me today, whether he felt that way or not.
His arm brushed mine when he took another long sip, finishing it off, then said, “Is what you said back there true?”
My cheeks heated. Of course he was going to bring that up. “Let it go, Lucas.”
He stayed quiet, and thoughts twisted through my brain until I had to fill the silence. “How do you feel about the draft tomorrow?”
He chuckled. “Not as confident as Marcus, that’s for fucking sure.”
“No one’s as confident as Marcus. You’re good though. You’ve already had teams looking into you.”
He nodded. “A part of it is I don’t want to split up. Sounds fucked-up to be so attached to our little friend group, but they’re family, you know?”
Am I family?
I kept the question to myself, not wanting to hear how he thought of me as his little sister. “You’re still going to university first though, right?”
“Yeah, Pips. You’re still stuck with us for another four years.”
A light, happy feeling filled me with his words. “Honestly, I like that…so long as you back off on the whole ‘little sister’ thing.”
He barked out a laugh. “I’ll back off, and I think Jax will too.” He met my gaze. “But good fucking luck with Marcus. No one’s good enough for you.”
I huffed out a breath and shifted my position on the hard ground, freezing when my fingers grazed over his. He inhaled sharply, and the erratic rhythm of my pulse pounded in my ears when instead of pulling away, Lucas traced my fingers with a barely there touch. He turned my palm over, running his fingers along mine, sending tingles up my arm and straight to my core.
“Piper?” Lucas’s voice was gruff, pulling my attention. His eyes were hot on mine, searching my face, before a small smile tipped the corner of his mouth. “Happy birthday.”
I sucked in a breath as warmth flooded my chest and trickled through my veins. I wasn’t disappointed people had forgotten, not with such a big day coming up tomorrow, but Lucas remembering had my head spinning. His thumb swept back and forth over my wrist, and his throat moved with his swallow. I shifted toward him—
“Pips! Piper!” Marcus called from the upper ridge.
Shit.I stood quickly, dusting myself off like I’d just been caught.
Lucas grinned at me. “You look so fucking guilty.”
Thank God it was dark enough that he wouldn’t be able to see the flush crawling up my cheeks. He was right—I did feel guilty, but there was clearly no reason to. I left Lucas and made my way up, not willing to look at him, but stilled when his fingers wrapped around my upper arm, stopping me gently. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just want to get back to Marcus before he sends out a search party.”
Lucas slowly uncurled his fingers, his voice a low rasp. “You sure?”
I smiled, knowing it wouldn’t reach my eyes but hoping he wouldn’t notice. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He flinched back but nodded. “Yeah. Of course.”
Marcus walked up to us and pointed his thumb toward the girl with long red hair. “I’m heading back with…”
I rolled my eyes. “Her name is Kayla.”
He just smirked. “You okay to drive the boys home?”
I scrunched my nose in disgust. I would never get used to all my brother’s hookups.
Jax wrapped me in a headlock and dragged his knuckles over my scalp until I begged for mercy. “Of course she can. What are little sisters for?”
