“I’ll say. ” He snuck his hand under the flannel, finding her breast and teasing her through the thin cotton of her tank.
She moaned, leaning close to nip at his jaw, then leaned in for a deep kiss. “Now I’m burning up,” she whispered as she parted from him. Her eyes were glazed with desire.
He swept the hair from her face. “You’re so beautiful. ” His eyes went to her mouth, so glistening and tempting. “I could kiss you forever. ”
Those lips curled into a sexy smile, “I was hoping you had other things in mind. ”
They kissed again, until they were both breathless. He tugged at her hem. “Maybe we should take this off. ”
“I think we should. ” She sat up a little, leaning on to his body for support, trying to wrestle off her top. But as he helped if off, the sleeve tugged on her cast, and she grunted.
He froze. “Wait, are you sure?” His body raged for her, aching for release after knowing such fear for her safety, but he didn’t want to do anything she wasn’t ready for. “I can wait. ”
“But I can’t. ” She held his gaze, the firelight casting gold light along the side of her face. “Billy, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. ”
His heart was full as he smiled at her. “Then I know what we need to do. ” He rolled onto his back, and she gave a little surprised chirp as he swept her above him. “How about this?”
She gave him a naughty smile as she sat astride him, nestling him into just the right spot between her legs. “Mm. This. ” She leaned down to steal a kiss. “This is good,” she whispered against his mouth. “There’s just one problem. ”
“Is your arm hurting?” He gripped her hips, ready to swoop her back onto the floor.
“What arm?” She laughed, shaking her head. “Don’t worry, I promise it’s not the arm. ” She swayed her hips, grinding into him. “The problem is, too many pants. ”
He had to suck in a breath—he would not accidentally lose it in his uniform trousers like a teenager. “We’d best take care of this whole pants situation. ”
They made quick work of the rest of their clothes, and when he pulled her back atop him, he remained seated, keeping her straddled, facing him on his lap. The fire had warmed the room, and the afghan fell from her shoulders. He swept his fingers up her naked back, lacing them into her hair, luxuriating in the weight of it in his hands. “I need you closer. ”
“Mmm,” she purred. “Closer is good. ”
He let those silky blond waves slide from his fingers and cradled her lovely face in his hands. “I’ll keep you close forever, Sorrow. If you’ll have me. ”
And she did.
Forty-four
It was a gorgeous day for a festival, the sky a cloudless, robin’s egg blue. Spring snowmelt had the falls rushing, visible in peekaboo glimpses from the picnic grounds.
Sorrow felt someone come and stand at her shoulder. She knew without looking that it was her sister. Tucking hands in pockets, she leaned back into her.
Despite all their sisterly bickering and rivalry, when the shift finally happened in their relationship, it’d been a quiet one. She saw clearly now how the lodge was Laura’s place, and that it was Sorrow’s turn to spread her wings.
It was a giddy day when she’d handed over her management duties. Her big sister’s first order of business was putting Sorrow in charge of revamping the tavern menu. Dad had grumbled, but there was no arguing with a united front. As for Sully, he was as thrilled with the change as she was, claiming if he never baked another Prospector’s Pie, it’d be too soon.
She and Laura had been a team ever since, and the festival was the latest thing to benefit. It was still early in the day yet, but the festivities were already an obvious, unabashed hit. For a few minutes, the two of them simply stood there, watching in contented silence. Between Laura’s marketing savvy and Sorrow’s talent with people and cooking, it was shaping up to be the most successful event the town had ever seen.
Laura wrapped an arm around her, giving her arm a squeeze. “You done good, baby sis. ”
“Me?” She edged away to catch Laura’s eye. “You were the one doing all the work behind the scenes. This festival never would’ve happened without you. ” Sorrow raised a hand, silencing her sister’s protests. “Seriously. This whole town wasn’t the same without you. I was stupid not to see it sooner. ”
Their moment was broken by screams and laughter swelling in the distance. “That’d be the pie toss,” Laura said, looking toward the games at the far edge of the field.
They caught sight of Ruby and Pearl Kidd headed their way, with Marlene and Sully walking several paces behind. The two were holding hands.
“How awesome is that?” Laura whispered.
“Totally awesome. ”
“Wonder what the old aunties think about it?”