Page 81 of Tinder Embrace
"You spoil me," I scolded gently. "Honestly, I need the walk."
His face fell, and I said, "But you could always walk with me and tell me about your day."
"Deal.” He fell into step beside me. He led me to his bedroom, and I paused at the threshold, taking in his private space.
Jo's room was neat, decorated in soothing blues and grays. It fit her. I’d expected something similar in Davis’s room, but his space wasn't quite what I imagined. The furniture was sturdy. A king bed dominated the floor with a matching dresser and nightstand. Colorful prints of sunsets decorated the walls, both peaceful and cheery, and utterly at odds with my original opinion of Davis, but somehow right.
He dropped my bag on his dresser and reached for my hand, twining our fingers together, tugging me to him. "Hi," he murmured, dropping his forehead to mine.
"Hi," I croaked, throat tight.
Maybe it was nerves about staying over with Jo next door, maybe it was just Davis. Something about tonight felt important, and we'd barely gotten started. I still had hours around the fire with my friends before we could retreat to the privacy of his room.
I shivered, imagining having the freedom to strip him and explore, to be kissed and caressed in return. Spending even one night without him had been torture, but he'd had a late night at the farm, and it'd been a school night for me. Tonight was also a school night for me, and I'd pay the price tomorrow, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Spending more time with Davis was worth it.
He kissed me, a slow caress that nearly stopped my heart with its tenderness.
"I'm glad you could come tonight," he whispered when we broke apart.
"Me too."
Even if the idea of Jo next door made me nervous, I knew I needed to get over it. So I was loud during sex. We were both adults. It might be awkward, but I couldn't change that about myself. In college, I tried, but if I was having a good time, pretty much everyone in a thirty-foot radius was going to be able to tell.
Curse of the noisy orgasm.
Some guys were weird about it, but most seemed to accept it as a badge of honor. After all, at least it meant I came. The silence when I didn't was stifling. Any way you sliced it, background music was a must. At least then we had a chance of drowning out some of the noise when I lost control.
Davis and I walked to the fire pit hand in hand.
The rest of the gang had already arrived, and they greeted us cheerfully. "Hey, Sophie, Davis. Grab some pizza and join us."
"Another time," Davis promised, squeezing and dropping my hand to escape.
I joined Gwen, Jo, Eve, and Izzy, taking the last of the Adirondacks gathered around the fire, and Gwen started the meeting.
"The countdown is on to this weekend. Sophie, the balloonists are all ready?"
I nodded. "Most will arrive Friday night. I've set them up with vacation rentals or the motel further south."
"PR is all set. I've been promoting the weekend events through social media and local newspapers," Eve said around a mouthful of pizza.
"Jo and I have the vendors organized," Izzy said smoothly. "We should have a good mix of artisans and food trucks."
"Any signs of our unfriendly local saboteur?" Jo asked.
"Not yet," Gwen said grimly. "I'm hoping their brush with discovery at the Winter Warmth Auction will discourage any more pranks."
"You'd think, at some point, they'd run out of minions to pay to mess with us," Eve grumbled.
"We're also all on alert now, along with the sheriff," Izzy pointed out. "It's a lot harder to screw with us when we're no longer naively assuming someone won't try."
"I still don't see the point," Gwen lamented.
Eve shrugged. "Maybe messing with usisthe point. If they make it hard enough, maybe they think we'll quit the council?"
I laughed, the chuckles coming from deep in my belly, as I watched Gwen's mulish expression. Clearly, anyone who thought we'd give in hadn't met Gwen. The woman was a force to be reckoned with and held a mean grudge. Just ask Zander Nemitz.
"Asif," Izzy said, sipping at her water.
