Chapter 9
Sophie
Finding Davis parked on his quad at the back door on Tuesday night when I stepped out to walk to the firepit made my heart clench.
Silly man. My foot was doing better, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to wrap my arms around his waist and catch a ride to the clearing where we held our weekly campfires.
He handed me a helmet, which I dutifully strapped on before clambering on behind him. The seat was large, but not so big that I could put much space between us.
I snuggled up against his butt, holding him tight as he accelerated. The utility vehicle gave me an excuse to inhale his soapy-clean smell. I’d discovered that he showered every morning and every evening, leaving me aching to run my fingers through his tousled wet hair.
Davis drew to a stop by the stack of firewood, and I focused on reining in my racing heart, warmer than I had any right to be on such a cold evening. Slowly, I slipped from behind him, pleased when my knees held. It would have been hard to explain my jelly legs to him if they failed me.
I settled into one of the Adirondacks pulled up to the firepit, shivering.
"I'll have the fire going in just a sec," Davis promised, tugging logs from his stash.
He built and lit the fire in record time.
I shivered, the flames licking at the kindling still too feeble to give much heat.
Davis dropped into the chair beside me with a sigh, frowning at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You're cold."
"Yes, and?"
He sighed, his exhale one long gust that sounded like he was preparing for something. "Come 'ere."
It took me a moment to get his meaning. He patted his knee, and my eyes rounded.
I might hate myself later for being so transparent, but I'd never scrambled so fast to vacate one of the deep Adirondacks. I eased onto his knee, careful not to invade his space more than necessary. Davis was being kind, offering to warm me up.
Soaking up the moment, letting his heat warm me, I sat quietly. With a grumble too low for me to hear, he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around me to pull me more firmly into his lap, his breath stirring the hair on the top of my head.
He was warm at my back, and I closed my eyes, savoring the moment and his heat.
The fire crackled, a soothing soundtrack in contrast to my thumping pulse.
Slowly, I became aware of each contour of his body.
I couldn’t ignore the bulge nudging my bottom, making me at once more self-conscious and more eager to wring every ounce of closeness I could out of the moment.
His big palms cupped my shoulders, dragging slowly down my arms, building friction.
His heat engulfed me, the scent of his soap wrapping me in familiarity.
I wriggled against him, trying to burrow further.
“Please, stop moving.” The breathy plea was unlike anything I’d ever heard from Davis. A sure sign that he was as affected as I was. I stilled, but that bit of reassurance made me giddy, tempting me to wiggle more firmly into his embrace, until he never wanted to let me go.
“Better.”
I smiled at the strangled quality to his voice. We sat quietly. He kept stroking my arms, slowly infusing them with his warmth, the flames and his caress lulling me into a trance.
"I don't know why y'all insist on doing these weekly fires during the winter and spring when it’s still so cold," he grumbled in my ear.
"Maybe we're all just hoping for handsome men to come keep us warm," I murmured, snuggling closer.
Woof.
The feminism leaving my body. Driven to flirt because Davis cuddled me.
While sheltering in his arms felt like heaven, it didn't necessarily mean anything to him.
And I needed to reassert myself before I died of shame.
I'd made it sound like I needed a man to keep me warm.
Granted, I wanted one, wanted him, but that didn't mean I needed one. Right? Right.
“Is it the handsome part that keeps you warm, or just my bulk?” he rumbled as he placed his hands on the outside of my thighs, making me feel secure, caged in his strength.
His big palms branded me through my jeans, sending a rush of heat between my thighs, which, I could admit privately, was where I really wanted his hands. I could picture it clearly: him unsnapping my fly and stroking his palm along my abdomen, sliding lower.
My thighs spread, aching to make that vision a reality.
Gwen strolled into the circle of light created by the fire. She cleared her throat, no doubt sensing the sexual tension.
"Hey, Gwen," I said, injecting enthusiasm into my voice, even though I wanted nothing more than to tell her to go away. Snuggling with Davis was far superior to freezing my butt off around the still weak fire.
He helped boost me from his lap, and I regretted the loss of his warmth. "I'll leave you to your meeting," he said, nodding a greeting to Gwen before catching my gaze. "Text me when you're ready for a ride back."
I watched Davis disappear toward the house on his quad, wishing again that I could swap Gwen for Davis and explore the attraction between us.
"If that's not naked longing in your eyes, then I need a new prescription," Gwen commented, brows arched.
Unabashed, I swung to meet her gaze. "I dunno, Gwen. Have you looked in a mirror lately?" I asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about.”
"Of course not," I said, all innocence. Her stubborn refusal to recognize her feelings for Zander Nemitz were becoming legendary around Campfire.
I had five dollars on them resolving their differences before the end of the summer, but Gwen was stubborn enough to hold on until fall if she knew we were all betting on her caving to his charms.
"What's Zander's sign this week?" I asked.
She wrinkled her nose. "It takes studs to build houses."
Giggling, I shook my head. The ongoing sign war between their businesses was the talk of the town. We’d helped Gwen craft her responses around the fire more than once.
"Do you have a comeback yet?"
"Nope," she said smugly. "That's what I have you all for.
Hey, Izzy, hey, Eve," she said as our other friends arrived.
Together, they made an unusual pairing. Tall, blond Izzy, with her neat braid and natural reserve, radiated serenity.
By contrast, small, dark Eve, had a Puckish smile and a flair for mischief.
She made a perfect foil for Izzy. Different, but complementary.
Paired with uber-organized Gwen, analytical Jo, and my ability to talk with anyone about anything, we made an unstoppable combination.
Eve hoisted a bottle of wine and a stack of glasses. "Hey, Gwen, Sophie."
Izzy dropped the pizza she'd brought on the picnic table, and we grabbed slices and glasses of wine before settling around the fire.
"So," Eve intoned. "I hear you had some excitement this weekend. How did you end up staying here? You know you can stay with one of us, right?"
Touched by the offer, I smiled. "That's generous of you, but no one else has an available extra room and a single-story house. Plus, I wanted to take care of Davis."
Gwen grinned, a quick twitch of her lips, but I caught the gesture.
"What's funny about that?" I asked.
"The idea of Davis letting you close enough to help him."
I shrugged my left shoulder. "He may be under the impression that he's helping me as much as I'm helping him…"
"How is your ankle?" Izzy asked.
My hand wavered in the air. "Better when I don't have to stand on it all day. Thankfully, I've found a stool to use at work. I'm hoping it will only be tender a few more days."
"Are you going to be able to fly again after this?"
Eve's blunt question made me wince.
"I'm going to have to. I have flights booked in a couple of weeks. They pay the lease on Bee-gonia. I’ll drop the burner off with my distributor’s repair shop this weekend. Once I get it back, I'll do another short test flight before I take up passengers."
Izzy shuddered. "No offense, but I don't think I'm flying with you anytime soon."
Eve raised her hand. "Brady and I will volunteer as tributes if you want passengers." The mischievous light in her eyes made me pause before accepting her offer.
“I’m not sure I can handle the second-degree horny,” I admitted, surprising a laugh out of Eve.
“What? You don’t think we can behave ourselves in your balloon?” she asked.
“Nope,” I said matter-of-factly.
I’d caught them getting handsy in dark corners a time too many lately. Brady’s professional restraint seemed to go out the window when he and Eve were alone.
She dissolved into giggles, glee in her expression as she shook her head sheepishly. “Solid instincts, Sophie. No notes.”
When we'd demolished our pizza, Gwen called us to order to discuss the upcoming spring festival.
"I've got twenty-three pilots from Washington and neighboring states signed up to fly," I said. "Joe agreed to bring the propane truck to the field at McDonald High, so we'll take off from there, then return to refuel after our flights."
"The artist's market will open later in the morning. So far, we've got about thirty different vendors," Eve said.
"Good." Gwen nodded. "I'll manage countermeasures."
Izzy shook her head. "I can't believe that's something we even have to worry about," she grumbled.
Gwen wrinkled her nose. "That's the city we live in, apparently. I'll be glad when whomever is working against us realizes we're not going to back down."
"You think that'll happen soon?" I asked, hopeful.
"Probably not until someone's in handcuffs," Gwen answered.
"I don't understand why anyone would go to the lengths they did this fall and winter to sabotage community events."
"Revenge. Sour grapes. Take your pick," Eve ticked off her ideas on her fingers.
Gwen shrugged. "At least the local business owners are happy with us. Receipts were up twenty percent this year over last year for the slow season." She smiled at me. "And now we have Sophie leading the charge on our Balloon Escape. It's going to be great."
The fire consumed the logs, turning to embers while we talked, until it was difficult to see Gwen and Izzy across the fire.
The low rumble of Davis's quad broke the silence that had fallen after we wrapped up town business. As much as I was enjoying the peaceful night and my friends’ company, Davis’s arrival was a wake-up call.
My heart thumped, and every sense went on alert, anticipating him.
Izzy pushed to her feet. "I think that's my cue. Good night, all."
"Same," Eve said with a yawn.
I gathered our cups and trash while Gwen put out the fire.
Davis glided to a stop and nodded to me. "Ready?"
I thrilled at his easy invitation. "Night, everyone," I said, sliding onto the ATV behind Davis after tying our trash bag to the back rack.
"Good night," my friends called.
If they exchanged knowing grins in the darkness as I wrapped my arms around Davis, I was determined to ignore them, sure it was just a trick of the dying light.