“Well, shit.” Maverick chuckles as we leave my room entering blackness. Alec and I had been so lost in reading that it had gotten dark and we hadn’t noticed.
I follow Alec into the kitchen where he puts our cups in the dishwater.
Maverick wanders off and returns with Alec’s hoodie and two of his.
“Thanks.” I shiver at the cold air, quickly pulling Mav’s jumper over my head. I resist the urge to lift it to my nose. All the guys have their own unique scent and they all smell fucking good.
“Where is everyone?” I ask Alec and Maverick.
They exchange grins and stay quiet. Alec steps up to my left, his fingers sliding through mine as Maverick grabs my other hand. A secret passes through them as their eyes meet over my head.
I follow them out the back towards the scrub where Jace, Mason and Dominic are sitting around a huge bonfire in the wooden verandah chairs.
Flames lick the bricks containing them, dancing up towards the millions of stars luminated away from the house lights.
I pull my hands away from Alec and Maverick, stepping up to the fire.
The cold immediately pounces on my hands and I almost shove them in the fire. I flex my fingers, warming them by the red and orange flames. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around a fire. One that hasn’t been used against me anyway.
Jace’s family did bonfires in winter a lot. Dec, Jace and I would eat marshmallows until we physically couldn’t anymore or Helen stopped us—whatever came first. I still remember one of my earliest bonfires.
Declan snickers with Jace, falling onto the ground beside me.
I wiggle my fingers in front of the fire. Distracted by the pretty colours, I forget about my marshmallow steadily burning in the open flames.
Dec pulls out the stick when the marshmallow catches fire.
“You’ve got to watch it, sis,” he reminds me. He pulls off the burnt sticky stuff and flicks it into the fire.
I lean back against Bear’s legs and cross my arms, pouting. Bear chuckles and plays with my ponytail.
“Come on, Ro-Ro,” J sits on my other side, his grey eyes twinkling, “we’ll teach you.”
Arms curl around my waist, tugging me out of the memory. Jace holds me from behind and I lean my head backagainst his chest. He presses his lips to my temple, leaving them to linger momentarily.
“Thinking about Dec?” Jace murmurs softly in my ear. Mind reader.
“When he and you taught me how to not burn marshmallows.”
Jace laughs softly. I shiver as his deep voice echoes through me.
His arms tighten around me. “Still cold?” He rubs up and down my arms.
I shake my head, unable to speak.
He tugs me back. Jace sits in his chair and I curl up on his lap, his arms going back around me.
The warmth of the fire is strong enough to reach us from the chair. Maverick passes me a pair of socks that I gratefully take, pulling over my cold feet.
Jace grumbles about special treatment and puts his bare feet up on the rocks near the fire.
I snuggle back into Jace’s hold. His hands sneak under my shirt, resting on my stomach.
Fuck, they’re cold! I squirm away from his freezing fingers.
“Mmm,” Jace groans, “you’re warm.”
“You’re cold!” I shoot back, half heartedly.
