Page 39 of Something that Could Last

“What?” Tiff asks, popping a chip into her mouth.

“Ethan,” she replies. Tiff barks out a cough, choking on her food. Cero scrambles to his feet and rushes to her side, whining and nudging her thigh with his nose. That dog is smartandprotective. Luke pats her on the back and she takes a drink to clear her throat.

“Why would you want your brother here?” Tiff asks incredulously, stroking Cero's head to assure him she's okay. I’m thinking the exact same thing. I thought she wanted to come out here to be alone with me. Having her little brother around would definitely put a damper on things.

“To play music,” Abby answers as if Tiff should already know. “Don't you remember how we all used to sit around a bonfire and listen to him play? Everybody would sing along. We had a blast.”

“Yeah, we had a good time,” Tiff shrugs. She doesn't seem to have the same nostalgic connection to these experiences as Abby does. “I have my iPod if you wanna listen to music,” she offers.

Abby’s shoulders slump and a dejected look crosses her face. “I guess that'll do.”

Tiff retrieves her iPod from the truck and returns with it, playing some older country music. We listen to it for a while, sipping our beers and watching the fire.

“Have you heard Tiff sing yet?” Abby asks, turning to Luke. Tiff scowls at her best friend as though she's just betrayed her.

“No,” Luke replies, peering at Tiff with intrigue. “I have not.”

“Well, she has a beautiful voice.”

“Is that so?” he asks, interest glinting in his eyes.

“It is,” Abby replies.

“She's exaggerating.” Tiff shoots her a dirty look, but Abby just brushes her off.

“She won all the talent shows in school, and always got the lead in our choir programs.” Tiff rolls her eyes, earning a laugh from Abby.

“If I remember correctly,youwere always the one I was competing with for those leads,” Tiff replies with a smirk. “And you beat me more than once.”

“Hey, don't turn this around on me,” Abby responds with a light-hearted chuckle.

“I knew you had mad rapping skills, but I didn't know you could sing, too,” I tell her. “Why don't you two sing something for us?”

“No way!” they both exclaim at the same time.

“Aw, come on. It'll be fun,” Luke encourages.

“Sorry babe, not gonna happen,” Tiff answers.

Oh, how wrong she is. Because it does happen. Later in the night, once she and Abby have a few more beers, Luke convinces them to sing for us. They whisper conspiratorially amongst themselves, deciding what to sing. Finally, after much debate and a lot of tittering, they settle on a song.

“We're gonna sing, “Hell On Heels” by the Pistol Annies,” Tiff announces, placing her beer bottle on the ground. The more she drinks, the thicker her country accent gets.

“Okay, here we go,” Abby instructs, and they both giggle.

“Okay, okay,” Tiff adds. “Be serious,” she deadpans, grasping Abby's shoulders and looking her directly in the face. I try diligently to suppress my laughter at her somber expression.

They both finally get it together and count to three before singing the opening chorus in perfect harmony. I’m instantly enraptured and mesmerized. It's obvious by the way their voices blend seamlessly that they’ve sung together for a long time. The first verse belongs to Abby. Her sultry voice slides over the words like warm honey. It's sweet and sexy, a combination that is perfectly Abby. Her hips sway to the music in her head, and I'm entranced with the motion. Her eyes smolder, boring into mine with a promise of love and lust. I want to reach out and touch her, pull her into my lap and kiss her until she's breathless.

She begins the second verse, but Tiff takes over half-way through. Her voice is completely different from Abby's. It's not nearly as sultry, but she has a greater range. It’s ethereal and graceful, alluring as a Siren’s call. She sings the third verse and they finish the song, their voices blending perfectly.

“Whoo!” Luke hollers loudly when it's over and we both begin to clap. Even Cero howls his approval. Luke stands up from his chair and sweeps Tiff into his arms. “Wow, babe. That was fucking amazing!” She giggles her thanks and wraps her legs around his waist.

I pull Abby into my lap, sliding my arms around her waist and brush her lips with mine. “That was incredible,” I tell her and nuzzle my face into her neck. Her sweet scent overtakes my senses and I’m lost to the inviting warmth of her body. She flattens her palm against my chest as I kiss her jaw. Her hand fists my shirt and my fingers dig into her hip when the sound of someone dramatically clearing their throat startles us.

Abby

“YOU GUYS READYto make s'mores?” Tiff asks, looking down on us with a knowing smirk.

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