Page 128 of Hot Knot Summer
“Your poker face is terrible,” Atlas snorts.
“You were doing that thing where you bite your lip when you’re trying not to laugh,” Levi says, his arms tightening around me. “Dead giveaway.”
“Okay, okay,” I laugh, holding up my hands. “Before this turns into some sort of Alpha pissing contest about who’s the most competitive, can we agree that you’re all equally ridiculous?”
“Diplomatic,” Levi murmurs approvingly. “Though we all know I’m the most irresistible.”
River nearly chokes on his beer. “You? Mr. Silent-and-Brooding?”
“I prefer mysterious and sophisticated,” Levi corrects. “Some women appreciate a man of depth.”
“Some women appreciate a man who can make them laugh,” River counters.
“Others prefer a man who can protect them,” Atlas adds.
“And some women,” I interrupt. “They appreciate having all three in one convenient package deal.”
The silence that follows is filled with the kind of heat that tinglesmy skin.
“Best seat in the house up here,” River breaks the sudden quiet, gesturing toward the valley below with his beer. “I still can’t believe people fight for parking spaces in town when we’ve got front-row seats to the whole show.”
He’s absolutely right. The watchtower’s elevation gives us an unobstructed view of the valley, where Whispering Grove spreads out like something from a postcard.
“Five minutes to showtime,” Atlas announces, checking his watch.
“Speaking of shows,” River says with a wicked grin that immediately puts me on alert. “Remember last year’s Fourth of July disaster?”
Atlas groans and covers his face with his hands. “We swore we’d never speak of that again.”
“What happened last year?” I ask, settling back against Levi’s chest. His arms tighten around me, and he kisses the top of my head.
“Oh, this is good,” Levi chuckles. “These two geniuses decided to throw a barbecue for half the fire station.”
“It was Atlas’s brilliant idea,” River says, pointing an accusing finger. “He said, and I quote, ‘How hard can it be to grill for fifty people?’”
“I still maintain that the grilling wasn’t the problem,” Atlas says defensively. “The grilling was perfect.”
“It was fine,” Levi agrees. “Everything else went to absolute shit.”
“Details,”I demand, getting comfortable. “I want the full story.”
“Well, it started when our fearless leader decided we needed not one, not two, but three different grills going simultaneously.”
“For efficiency,” Atlas interjects, as if this explains everything.
“Right. Except Captain Organized over there set them up too close to the house, and when the wind picked up?—”
“The awning caught fire,” Levi finishes. “Small fire, easily contained, but enough to send fifty people into full panic mode.”
“Wait, you guys started a fire at your own Fourth of July party?” I’m laughing so hard, I can barely get the words out. “You’re firefighters!”
“The irony was not lost on us,” Atlas says dryly. “But that wasn’t even the best part.”
“That’s when our uninvited guests showed up,” River continues, taking a dramatic pause to sip his beer.
“Who?”
“Mama bear and two cubs,” Atlas confirms. “Apparently, the smell of grilled meat carried far into the woods.”
