Page 6 of Light My Fire Three Times
Livvy’s eyes light up. “Okay, nowthis? This is what I’m talking about.”
I grin. “I told you. They know how to do it right around here.”
She picks up her fork, cutting into her steak with a satisfied hum. “I didn’t expect the mountain town to be so good at steak. This is…” she pauses, taking a bite. “I think this is better than anything I’ve had in the city.”
I laugh, delighted by her enthusiasm. “Well, what did you think we did up here? Drink moonshine and eat squirrel stew?”
She gives me a mock glare. “I’m sure that’s on the menu somewhere. But I’m glad it’s not tonight.”
Her eyes glint with playful mischief as she takes another bite, her lips curling into a smirk. “So, Jesse, if this steak is the best thing to happen to me tonight, what are you going to do to top it?”
I cock an eyebrow, leaning forward a little, pretending to consider. “Oh, I don’t know. I’d say dessert, but I think we both know you’ve already got a pretty sweet taste in your mouth.”
Livvy stares at me, her eyes wide for a beat before she lets out a low laugh.
“Smooth,” she says, clearly amused. “But I think you might be getting ahead of yourself there.”
I smirk, leaning in a little closer, lowering my voice just enough to make her take notice. “What if I said I could make the rest of the night just as sweet?”
Her grin widens, clearly enjoying the banter, but there’s something more behind it now, flirtatious and teasing. We’re both dancing around the same game. “You’re bold, I’ll give you that.”
This is innocent.
Just a bit of fun.
Ivy wouldn’t mind us laughing.
“Bold is good,” I reply, keeping my tone low and playful. “And if you’re not careful, it might just be the best part of your evening.”
She raises an eyebrow, her lips curving into a provocative smile. “Is that a challenge, Jesse?”
I chuckle, the heat between us intensifying with every word. “If you want it to be.”
For a moment, we stare at each other, the flirtation hanging in the air in an electric current. Livvy finally looks away, taking another bite of her steak, but I can feel the shift, the new tension simmering between us.
Yeah, this is innocent…
The mountain air feels different up here—crisper, somehow more alive. I can feel it in my lungs as I walk beside Livvy, the distant sounds of the town fading away behind us.
It’s just the two of us now, the forest stretching out on either side, the only light coming from the glow of the stars above, and the cabin we’re heading toward.
Livvy keeps her pace steady, but I notice she’s holding herself a little tighter, fighting the chill in the air.
I can’t blame her. It’s late, and the mountain evenings can get downright cold, even in the summer. She pulls her coat tighter around her shoulders and looks over at me, her eyes sparkling in the dim light.
“You know, this place is kinda beautiful,” she says, breaking the quiet. “I really do like it here.”
I glance at her, her profile lit up by the faint glow from the porch light at her cabin in the distance. “Yeah, that’s why I moved here. I came on vacation once and just fell in love.”
She chuckles lightly; the sound is almost lost in the wind. “I’m not surprised.”
I don’t say anything right away, watching as she continues walking ahead of me, her head slightly tilted, still adjusting to the quiet of the place.
She’s different up here. The Livvy I met before, sharp and witty, with that biting sarcasm, has been set aside in favor of someone more honest.
We reach her cabin, and she stops just outside the door, turning to face me. The light from inside flickers through the small window by the door, creating a halo shape around her.
I feel that pull again—the one I’ve been ignoring all night. The tension has been simmering between us since dinner. It's in the air, something that has no words, but demands to be acknowledged.
