Chapter 13

13

STERLING

W e sat around the fire for a couple hours, eating, laughing, and catching up. I still got the feeling Jake and Rachel were pissed at me about something, but they weren't obnoxious about it. It was just a look I got from one of them every once in a while, or a slight tensing of their shoulders when I said certain things.

I was about ninety percent sure it was about the fact that I'd missed their wedding. If I was being honest about it, I'd have to admit now that I was back, I felt like shit about not just biting the bullet and flying to Allisburg for the weekend.

Somehow, I'd find a way to make it up to them, but for now, I was just relieved that they weren't holding such a grudge that they didn't want to spend time with me at all. As dusk became night and the moon rose high into the sky, Rachel finally yawned and stood up, patting her belly and glancing at Jake.

"Right. The baby and I are going to sleep while I can still tell her exactly when I'm going to be doing that. Good night, everybody. Jakey, I'll see you later."

"I'll come with you," he said, draining what had been left of his beer before letting out a loud yawn. "I'm about ready to hit the hay myself. See you in the morning, crew."

"See ya," I said.

"Good night," Eric called after them, cracking open another beer and leaning back on his plastic chair. "I guess they should go to bed early while they still can. Any day now, that little girl is going to make her appearance and then she'll be the boss."

Daphne chuckled but also stood, stretching her arms above her head and revealing a sliver of bare skin between the waistband of her pants and the hem of her shirt. Bathed in firelight and shadows, her curves were accentuated with the way she was standing, and my cock swelled at the sight of that one little sliver of skin.

"I'm turning in too," she said. "I may not have a baby on the way, but I do have the fall festival starting soon and that's not going to be a barrel of laughs either. Good night, boys. Try not to set yourselves on fire."

She winked at us and left, and thankfully, I knew better than to watch her go with her brother sitting right next to me. As it was, I took one last look at her juicy, round ass and almost groaned. Then I pretended to have been studying the cabin when Eric cleared his throat.

"This place is amazing, bro," I said quickly, before he could ask what I'd been looking at. "When we first got here, I was worried about how we were all going to fit, but I see now that you don't actually need more than this."

He chuckled softly. "Yeah. When I first saw it, I felt the same way you did, but it grows on you, right?"

"Definitely. How long have you had it?"

"A few years," he said.

While we finished our beers, we kept talking about this and that, eventually landing on the reunion and who would be coming. He tossed out a few names I didn't remember, and a few others that I did, not all of whom I was looking forward to seeing.

When our drinks were finished, he got up as well, glancing at the hammock before looking back at me. "If you start getting cold, remember about the couch. I'll leave a blanket out for you."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." I was actually quite looking forward to this, and as I settled in on the hammock under the trees, catching glimpses of the stars between the branches, a grin inched across my lips.

Feeling more relaxed and peaceful than I had since I'd left Allisburg the first time, I closed my eyes, just about to drift off when I heard twigs snapping.

My eyes opened again and I listened carefully, finally hearing the soft padding of footsteps walk by. I sat up, glancing around until I saw a lone figure walking out on the dock over the lake. I blinked hard when I realized it was Daphne, and then I was getting up before I could even think about stopping myself.

With the stars all above her, she walked to the very edge of the dock and sat down with her legs dangling off, her hands braced behind her and her face tipped up to the sky. I frowned, wondering what was wrong.

"I come in peace," I said softly as I walked up behind her. "Is something wrong? What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep," she murmured, also keeping her voice down so we didn't disturb the serene peace of the night. "Eric is snoring and it was too hot in the loft. How about you?"

"I've just been lying there watching the stars," I said. "It's been a long time since I've seen them like this."

"I can imagine," she replied, smiling at me as I sat down beside her. Her hair was loose now, cascading to her waist in soft waves, her off-shoulder T-shirt swapped for a loose, strappy nightshirt and her jeans for a pair of soft cotton shorts.

Once again, my dick wanted to get involved, but I flexed my thighs, refusing to acknowledge that I actually wanted her that way. "What do you mean?"

"Oh. Just that I've heard a great many things about Manhattan in my life, but none of them have been about the stars. I've always just figured that there's too much light to see them properly."

"True," I said. "I've found a few spots where one can see them, but it's not quite the same."

"What's it like there?" she asked quietly, looking deep into my eyes before she turned her gaze back to the water. "What's your life like there? And don't start giving me one-word answers again. I really want to hear about it."

I chuckled. "I didn't mean to give you one-word answers before. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Just tell me about it now. Is it as glitzy and glamorous as people say? Do you live in a fancy penthouse apartment? Do you go to all the hot clubs at night and sip French champagne with celebrities in VIP rooms?"

Taken aback, I laughed, shaking my head as I glanced at her again. "No drinking with celebrities on a regular basis, and I don't like champagne, but yes on the penthouse and the clubs. As for the glitz and glamour, I'm not actually sure that it's all it's cracked up to be."

She let out a sigh. "So just tell me then, or are you going to make me pull it out of you?"

"I'm not trying to be difficult," I said. "I just don't have that much to say about it. I'm a slave for work. I go home alone. I wake up alone. I go back to work. I go out with my coworkers sometimes, and that's about it. Oh, and I go to the gym and I run."

She arched an eyebrow when she turned her head to look at me. "You go home alone, huh? Somehow, I find that hard to believe. Not the waking up alone bit so much, but the going home alone? I'm not buying that."

I nearly choked on my spit. "Are you really asking about my sex life right now?"

She held my gaze, her cheeks flushing under the silver light of the moon but her eyes unwavering on mine. "I'm curious."

I groaned, scrubbing my palms over my jaw and kicking my ankle over my knee so she hopefully wouldn't see the bulge in my pants. I couldn't help it. Innocent little Daphne LaSalle was talking to me about sex. The hard-on wasn't my fault.

"Fine. I don't always go home alone. Most nights, I do, but not always, and that's all I'm saying about it." I gave her a stern look and she smirked at me in response.

"Sure, okay. Be shy about it. That's alright."

I scoffed. "Trust me, I'm not shy about it. I'm just not discussing it with you, but since you're so curious, did you really date Peter?"

Her eyes widened and her tongue swept across her lips, completely quiet for a beat. I wasn't even sure if she was breathing until she finally gave me a tight nod. "Yeah, I did. Unfortunately. It didn't end well."

I would've killed for more details, but I didn't ask for them. Her reaction to the mere mention of his name told me it was bad, and I didn't want to scratch open old wounds simply because I was curious.

"What about you?" she asked. "Last I heard, Fiona was planning on marrying you after college. Obviously, that didn't happen."

I snorted, chuckling dryly as I looked out at the moonlight reflecting on the water. "That was never going to happen, but she broke up with me just a couple months after we left here anyway. It turns out going to a different college than the guy you were dating in high school isn't as romantic as she used to make it sound."

"So what happened?"

"She met some hotshot hockey player on her campus and dumped me for him."

Daphne winced. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said. "I never loved her. She didn't love me either. It just took her some time to realize she was never going to."

"I really thought you two were going to get married one day," she said after pausing for a beat. "You were, like, this power couple that everyone thought was perfect for each other."

That made me laugh. When I saw the look she was giving me, I shook my head. "Nope. Not perfect at all. Far from it, actually, but hey, that's ancient history."

"I suppose," she said, falling quiet again before finally releasing a heavy sigh. "I should probably go back inside now."

"Yeah, it's getting late," I said, standing up first and then offering her my hand.

She looked at it for a beat, and when she took it, my entire being itched to pull her into me. I managed not to, but I did let my touch linger on her soft hand for longer than I'd meant to. She dipped her head back, looking right into my eyes, and just like it had that night of the party, something deep inside urged me to kiss her.

It was like she had this forcefield about her, and whenever I got too close, it threatened to suck me in. This time, I even dropped my gaze to her plush, naturally pink lips.

What is wrong with me?

I let go of her hand immediately and took a big step back. Then I slid my hands into my pockets before inclining my head for her to go ahead. "I'll see you in the morning, Daph."

"Good night," she said, sounding a little breathless.

As she walked away from me this time, I did look at her ass. Long and hard.

Until she suddenly glanced at me over her shoulder. "Sleep well on your hammock, North Star. Are you sure you don't want to chaperone the dance with me? I haven't given my mom an answer yet, so think about it and let me know in the morning."

Honestly, I did kind of want to chaperone the dance with her. I suddenly wanted to do a lot of things with Daphne LaSalle. All of the things. But as I settled back down on my hammock under the stars, I reminded myself for the umpteenth time of who she was.

Plus, if it was just Eric I had to worry about, then maybe I'd have gone for it anyway. But Daphne wasn't the kind of girl I'd ever just screw and leave, and I was leaving. In a few more weeks, I'd be leaving Allisburg again, and once I did, I had absolutely no idea if or when I would be back.