River goes stiff as a board in his chair, and Forest’s jaw drops open to release a nasty sight of chewed up meatball onto his plate. “Tell me it’s a joke,” he begs, his voice warbly.
Molly lets out an exasperated sigh. “Of course it’s a joke.”
“Really?” He makes another choking noise.
“Calm down fucker. I watched her make them,” I vouch, shaking my head as I take a pull of my beer.
Molly giggles, shaking her head. “You guys are too easy.” She brings her beer to her lips, and I bring my fist up to bump with hers.
27
MOLLY
Since Bert and Dana set everything up, Wolf and I stay behind to take down the tables and canopy tent. I’m content with our mutual silence as we carry the folding chairs and tables to the shed. But when we lock up, Wolf’s brows are pinched in a hard line, like he’s thinking hard about something.
“Something wrong?” I ask as we walk over to the fire pit where four Adirondack chairs remain surrounding it. He hates questions or talking in general, but I chance it anyway, knowing he’s likely to blow me off.
Sure enough, Wolf shakes his head before looking out over the darkened lake and then up at the dusky sky. The deep blue of night is steadily bleeding into the violet remnants of the sunset, and there’s not so much as a single rowboat on the water.
“Let’s stay and hang out a bit,” he suggests.
The solitude and peaceful setting are definitely inviting as well as the mesmerizing dance of the campfire’s orange flames and its comforting warmth. “Perfect,” I agree, reaching into one of the tote bags and pulling out a blanket and comfortablelounge clothes. I’m more than ready to get out of the binding constraints of my bikini and jean shorts.
I look around for a place to go change and immediately remember it’s just us here. No one will see me except Wolf. I stand still for a moment, fiddling with the pair of cotton shorts in my hands, thinking everything through. His affection today felt completely natural and helped me relax more into our dynamic. Not to mention, it’s made me excited at the prospect of connecting physically again. My inner desires are feeling particularly potent in this moment, so I decide to take a chance, willing to accept whatever reaction it gets from Wolf. I unbutton my shorts and let them drop before stepping out of them and my blue bikini bottoms.
With my bottom completely bare, I take my time, waiting for Wolf to turn from stoking the fire. I let myself enjoy the warmth against my bare skin, and when he finally turns to scope out one of the chairs, he sees me stepping into the soft pair of bed shorts I brought.
His breath looks like it stalled in his chest, and he’s not even hiding it. It’s like he’s trying to discern if he’s really seeing what he thinks he is. “What are you doing?” he asks.
“Nothing, just changing.”
“Molly, we’re out in the?—”
“Middle of nowhere.” I interrupt him with the reminder that this is a private stake of land with plenty of seclusion and no one around. “No one can see me… Except you, and you’ve seen it before.” I reach for the strings behind my neck and pull them loose.
“What’s this about?” he asks, and it looks like he’s trying to stay casual. The pull at the side of his mouth seems to take a little effort as he joins his hands, rubbing at the spot where my name is tattooed across his ring finger.
I pause in thought, letting my eyes dart to the fire before moving back up to his. “You tell me. Does it bother you to see me naked?”
“No, it doesn’t bother me.” He blows out a breath, but the shift in his stance and hand through his hair belie his words. “Just surprised.”
“Well, we’re married, you better get used to it.” I sigh, half in sexual frustration, half in dramatic display as I pull my bikini top off, leaving my breasts fully illuminated by the firelight.
This time, I hear his breath roll out of him as he raises his chin.
Every molecule of my skin is aching for his rugged touch, and I rub at the back of my neck where the knot of my bikini strings has been sitting all day. I take my time, letting him take it in. His eyes are dark as he stares at my chest a moment longer before shifting his gaze up to my eyes. Getting restless, I reach for my hoodie jacket and turn to slip my arms in the sleeves. I’m all for enticing him, but I think the ball is effectively in his court now. If he wants me, he needs to act on it.
I turn and take a seat in one of the chairs, setting the blanket on the arm of it, and lean back, propping a foot up on the seat and hugging my knee.
“Well, I get the feeling something is bothering you so…if you want to talk it out, go for it.”
He crosses his arms and sniffs, looking up at the sky before clearing his throat and looking back at me. “Are you into my brothers?”
“What?” the word bubbles out of me on an incredulous laugh. “No… Why?” I ask, even though I have an idea where this is going and curse myself for not hating it. I don’t want to play games with him, but I’d be lying if I said some jealousy from this normally stoic man isn’t pretty hot. It adds just another layer ofsecurity too. But on the flip side, I know how I’d feel if he was feeling something for someone else.
“You were getting along with them pretty great today, which is good, of course. But the talking and laughing…”
I raise my shoulders. “It feels good to havepeople, Wolf,” I point out, feeling a little bit bitter that I have to.