He chuckled, the deep vibration sent a flush of heat through me. “We did use to do this a lot back then.”
“Even when there was snow on the ground!” I giggled.
“We better get started on that fire then.”
The sun sank lower in the sky, light of day was draining away as the cold evening breeze blew over us. My hair fell loose about my face, tousled, tangled. I dropped his hand and gathered it up to hold on one side. I’d wished I had thought of bringing a hair tie.
I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
We got to work on building the fire. Flynn started making the fire pit, and I collected the sticks. He had built us a fire in less than a couple of minutes.
I burst out into a fit of laughter, and he whipped his head toward me like I was crazy.
“What?” He studied me with an amused expression on his handsome features.
“Sorry.” I sobered up. “It’s just… back when we’d come out here, you’d take at least half an hour to make a fire. I usually had to do it.”
The corners of his lips quirked upward. “Well, the military taught me a lot of survival tactics.”
The heat from the campfire warmed me as I scooted closer to Flynn. He’d changed a lot, but he was still the same man I’d fallen in love with. The flames licked at the logs and sent feeble sparks to die in the air. “I’m glad. You seem more confident in yourself now. Like you found your element, I guess.”
“Yeah, you could say that. The Army brought it out of me. We had to adapt, and I did. It made things easier. I didn’t expect to be here with half a limb gone. But everything happens for a reason, right?” He stared into the fire, the orange glow dancing on his face.
“If it hadn’t happened, we’d have never reconnected. We wouldn’t be here, right now.” I reached out, my fingertips grazing the side of his face, turning him to look at me.
Our eyes met, and the air between us was charged with static electricity. He leaned closer and rested his forehead against mine. My breath caught in my throat at the swirls of emotion in his eyes. His hand drifted to my hip, and he pulled me against him.
“Is this okay?” His voice was husky and made me melt into him more.
I nodded, my throat dry.
Without any hesitation, his lips brushed mine. I clasped my hands on either side of his face. My thumbs stroked against his beard as our breaths mingled. My heart fluttered inside my chest. His lips against mine felt like home. He felt like home. Our kisses were passionate, raw. I poured everything into the kiss. Every ounce of love, regret, and pain.
A shrill of a phone caused us to jump apart. My hand rested on my chest, my heart rate pulsating against my palm.
“Fuck,” he mumbled, he pulled out his phone and answered it. “Now’s not a good time.”
I could tell whoever was on the other end was a man. Whatever he said caused worry lines on Flynn’s face. “Okay, hold on.” He looked at me. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.”
I shook my head. “That’s fine. Go ahead.”
Reluctance shone in his eyes as he climbed to his feet to take the call. The fire crackled, light from the flames danced across the dark trunks of the trees, twisting in obscure shapes. Glowing embers seemed to move in rhythm with the flames, matching every dip and sweep as orange and red gave way to yellow and white.
I got to my feet and walked toward the edge of the lake. I’d dreamed of kissing Flynn again ever since he left. My head was fuzzy and a permanent smile rested on my lips. Twilight stole the greens of the lakeside reeds, leaving behind a sombre shade that faded into monochrome. The surface of the lake looked like black glass, reflecting the moonlight from above. I hadn’t noticed the sun had gone down. How long had we been kissing? Warmth crept up my neck, and I buried my hands into my hair.
The night brought such a silence that the crackle of the campfire was all that could be heard, other than the far off sound of Flynn’s voice. His voice was laced with concern, and I’d hoped everything was alright.
A few minutes later, his footsteps halted behind me. “My friend, Oliver, is having some trouble at home.”
I turned to face him. The shadows that were cast over his face made him look more seductive than before. I shook away the hormones. I wasn’t some teenager. I was a grown woman, and I needed to be able to control my desire. “Is he okay?”
His shoulders lifted. “I don’t know. I’m worried. He’s dealing with PTSD shit, and apparently his wife and him have been getting into it. She keeps running to her mom’s with their kid.”
“That seems selfish of her.” I couldn’t imagine up and leaving Flynn when he needed me.
“Well, he said he’s been getting violent bursts. Said he gets it because he doesn’t want his daughter to see that side of him.”
I nodded. “I can understand that.” I closed the distance between us, burying my head in his chest.
His arms enclosed around me and I inhaled his spicy scent. I’d missed him. I’d missed his touch, his kiss, and his embrace.
“Ma told me that my dad was in Vietnam. She explained it made him drink, which made him violent.”
I tightened my hold on him. “Have you gone to his grave since you’ve been back?”
“No. I haven’t.”
I nibbled my lip. “You may not be able to let go of that resentment unless you face it head on.”
A few seconds of silence passed. “Do you want to go in the tent? It’s getting cold. I set up the blankets and pillows,” he said.
I’d hoped he’d think about it. I could see the resentment in his eyes
