Page 127 of Hot Knot Summer
The evening air out on the watchtower balcony is absolute perfection. Warm enough that I’m comfortable in just my sundress but with that mountain coolness that makes me want to curl up against someone. Lucky for me, I have three someones who are more than happy to oblige.
I’m sitting in a lounge outdoor seat with Levi sitting behind me, my back pressed against his solid chest while his arms circle my waist. Every time I shift even slightly, I sense his heart racing, the hardness against my lower back throbbing.
“Stop squirming,” he murmurs against my ear, his voice rough in the way that curls my toes. “Unless you want me to drag you inside right now.”
“Maybe I do,” I tease, deliberately wiggling my ass against him and grinning when he groans softly.
“Behave,” he warns, but his hands tighten on mywaist in a way that suggests he doesn’t really want me to behave at all.
The deck around us looks like a food bomb went off. Paper plates smeared with barbecue sauce from River’s perfectly grilled ribs, empty containers that once held Atlas’s potato salad, and the completely demolished remains of what used to be an entire watermelon. My homemade apple pie sits mostly destroyed on the side table, with only two stubborn slices left after River declared it better than his mother’s and proceeded to have four pieces.
“I still can’t believe you ate four slices of pie,” I say, shaking my head at him where he’s sprawled in one of the Adirondack chairs like some sort of golden god, beer in hand and feet propped up on the railing.
“What can I say? I’m a growing boy,” he grins, patting his perfectly flat stomach. “Besides, when a woman makes me a pie, I show proper appreciation.”
“Proper appreciation would have been leaving some for the rest of us,” Atlas grumbles, though he’s fighting a smile as he settles into the chair beside River with a fresh beer.
“You snooze, you lose, Chief,” River shoots back. “Should’ve moved faster.”
“I was cleaning up your mess from the grill,” Atlas points out. “Someone left barbecue sauce on literally every surface within a ten-foot radius.”
“That’s called flavor enhancement,” River says with completely fake dignity. “I’m an artist.”
“You’re a disaster,” I laugh.
River clutches his chest like I’ve wounded him. “Emma, baby, you’re breaking my heart here.”
“Your heart will survive,” Levi says dryly, his chin resting on top of my head. “Your ego, on the other hand...”
“My ego is bulletproof. Nice try, though.” River preens under the attention while Atlas snorts with amusement.
“Heisirresistible,” I say.
“Don’t feed his ego, sweetheart,” Atlas warns. “We’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Too late,” River announces. “Emma thinks I’m irresistible. It’s official.”
“We all think you’re irresistible,” I point out. “That’s why we’re together.”
“Fair point,” Levi concedes, pressing a kiss to my temple that makes me shiver. “Though some of us are more irresistible than others.”
“Are you starting a competition?” River asks, eyebrow arched. “Because I will destroy you all in any contest of irresistibility.”
“Really?” Atlas leans forward, clearly ready to rise to the challenge. “Because I seem to remember being the one who could bench press you both at the same time last week.”
“Only because River was distracted by Emma in those tiny yoga shorts,” Levi points out dryly.
River smirks sinfully. “I was... loving the view. There’s a difference.”
I’m laughing at the banter, which I’m convincedcan continue for hours without pause.
“Sure there is,” Atlas states with a smug grin.
“Actually,” River counters. “I’m pretty sure I won the last three poker games, so technically, I’m the superior Alpha here.”
“You cheated,” Levi accuses.
“I used strategy,” River corrects. “Not my fault you can’t read my poker face.”
