Page 11 of Deadly Obsession
SEVEN
JAMES
I’d just hooked up the propane tank when I heard Danielle call out from below. Standing up, I lit the grill as I turned and looked to Brian and Robert.
“One of you boys got that?” I said, raising a brow to them. I certainly didn’t trust either of them to grill, one being not only a city boy but British and the other being a Californian.
“Bruh, you know what? I could totally do that, but I tweaked my shoulder the other day falling off my board and just shouldn’t aggravate it,” Robert said while slowly rotating one shoulder as if trying to work out a bad kink.
“Right then, suppose it just leaves me then now, doesn’t it?” Brian said with a nervous chuckle. “There a chainsaw or something around to use?”
It took every ounce of my restraint to not facepalm as I looked over at him and watched as he slowly started to inch towards the stairs that led to the patio area below us.
“Christ…” I said under my breath, turning my Chevrolet ball cap around backwards. “You both get the burgers going, do the asparagus too, but don’t touch the kabobs. I’ll fix those up when I’m done.” I slapped Brian on the shoulder, who seemed to deflate under my touch at the thought of not having to do the physical labor.
“Right on, man, easy stuff. Don’t worry. We got it,” Rob said, moving over to the grill, beer in hand, suddenly forgetting about his pained shoulder.
I stopped at the top of the stairs, my eyes locking on to Danielle grinding back and forth on Sera’s lap. A fire started to build in my chest but I let out a slow exhale, reducing it to a small ember.
Reaching the base of the stairs, I headed in their direction. A quick blur of motion in the distance told me Jade was now awkwardly looking away. Pausing behind Sera, I threw a challenging glance at Danielle before following it with a teasing raise of an eyebrow.
Then I leaned forward and took Sera’s chin between my finger and thumb and guided her gaze up to meet mine. “Cold, Harps?”
Out of my peripherals, I could see Danielle’s mischievous grin. There was no need to guess her intentions; Sera had certainly discussed her fantasy of having the three of us spend an evening together. Not that I was particularly thrilled with the idea of anyone else playing with my things.
But I would endure.
“Yeah, a bit,” Sera said softly under her breath, her eyes meeting mine.
“No worries. I’ll get you ladies a fire going. Later, I’ll warm you up myself.” I leaned down farther and pressed my lips to hers.
“Oh Lord, get a room. Danielle doesn’t want you two fucking with her right there,” Jade said from the sidelines.
Biting onto Sera’s bottom lip, I tugged it softly as I stood upright. My eyes having caught the way Danielle’s cheeks flushed beyond the chill. Then I stepped back and made my way over to the logs.
I sat one log on top of the other and grabbed the nearbyaxe, weighing it in my hand before glancing over to the women. I refocused on the task, raising the axe up and bringing it down with a crack, splitting the top log in two. I continued the process, picking up the halves and splitting them once more, letting out a deep huff with each swing.
By my fourth or fifth swing, I heard a gasp from the direction of the patio and looked up to see all three of the women had stopped reading their books and were staring at me. Just as my eyes landed on them, they all snapped their attention back to their books, Danielle still seated on Sera’s lap.
I shook my head and resumed my work. It didn’t take long before I was bringing the axe down for the last time, leaving the edge of the blade stuck in the base log and releasing the handle. Lifting the lower portion of my shirt, I wiped the sweat from my face. Then, a bundle in one arm and another in my opposite hand, I walked over to the firepit and started stacking them up with some dried leaves and twigs in the center.
“So, James, do you have a cute younger brother or anything? Or even a sister maybe?” Jade asked as I struck a match and lit the kindling.
“Two little sisters, and before you ask, the answer isno. I don’t have any hot single friends either. Most of my buddies are either hitched down or scattered across the country.” Once the fire was going well enough, I dropped some more of the wood beside the firepit so the ladies wouldn’t have to go far to get them and then went back upstairs to the grill. To my relief—and surprise—the guys hadn’t burned anything.
Another hour later and the party was in full swing. Everyone gathered around the firepit. Eating, drinking, and joking. Robert played his acoustic guitar off to one side. A mix of popular pop hits that I mostly didn’t care for but the energy was good. Lyndsey, Jade, and Danielle all sat near him, listening to the music, while it appeared as though Brian wasattempting to shoot his shot with Lola, who was toying with him like a cat with a mouse.
“Bless his heart,” I said softly.
“What?” Sera asked from where she was seated on my lap, my left hand resting on her side while my other held my beer.
“Brian. Kid is fawning over Lola something fierce. Poor boy doesn’t stand a chance. That girl would chew him up and spit him out if she wanted to.” I shook my head and took a sip of my beer, then looked up at Sera. She was dressed in black sweatpants and one of the hoodies from my merch line. My hoodie.
“Yeah, she’s really not into him, sadly. Believe she’s more into you, to be honest,” Sera said, leaning closer to my chest.
“You don’t have anything to worry about there, Harps. I like Lola but I’ve dated her type before—reckless and self-destructive.” I shook my head. “I’m a one-woman man. You are all I need, all I desire.” My hand squeezed her side, and without setting down my beer, I pulled the serape I’d draped over the arm of the chair across her lap, taking a final sip of my Budweiser before setting the bottle on the ground. My hand slipped under the blanket and between Sera’s legs, my fingers pushing against the insides of her thighs.
“James, we can’t,” she whispered but opened her legs for me anyway.
