Page 55 of Reign of Light
“More!” I call out once Jorn finishes, and he launches right into another recounting of, shockingly, a time he played a joke on Weston. A cool burst of wind comes off the water, causing sparks to float through the air. I reach down and grab the blanket again, scooting back into Weston’s chest and draping it over us, letting the heat from our bodies fight the chill in the air.
Weston’s shifts his arm under the blanket, his hand sliding over my hip and resting on the top of my thigh. His thumb strokes slowly as we listen to Jorn’s enthusiasm increase with every sentence, and I smile.
Happy.
This is what true happiness feels like.
Sitting on the beach with full bellies and a fire, surrounded by people I love, listening to stories of times that weren’t shrouded in worry and hopelessness. When I first went to the Oasis, I thought I could live the rest of my time here content.
But this.
It’s not at all how I expected tonight to feel after the Voyagers went into the mountain. But it’s real, and if this is how the rest of our days will feel, then I can be nothing but grateful for it.
“Fucking gods,” Weston mutters as I cackle when Jorn tells us about a time where he and a few of the guys lifted Weston’s bathtub out of his room and hid it in the ship. “That was not funny,” he grumbles as I wipe the tears from my eyes and try to breathe over the uncontrollable laughter. “They wouldn’t let me in the showers either. It was awful.”
“I’m sorry,” I gasp, “but you have to admit it is a little funny.” I tilt my head back and see the amused scowl on his face. “I know how much you like to soak in your tub.”
“He was a very grumpy Captain that week, huh boys?” Jorn chides, and a chorus of yells breaks out from the other side of the fire.
“Pick on someone else, Jorn!” Weston yells, and Jorn points over to us.
“You got it, Cap,” he says with a wink, then turns to find Eirlick, proceeding to dive into an entirely new story, one where Weston was not the center.
“Don’t be grumpy,” I say. “I like hearing the stories.” I can feel the shake of his head in my hair and the low grumble of a laugh in response. His fingers stop tracing patterns on my thigh and his hand flattens, wrapping around the inside and sliding a little higher.
His breath brushes my ear, sending a shiver up my spine as his voice grumbles low against it.
“Let’s go to bed.”
“But I’m not tired,” I say, and his responding chuckle has me curling my toes in my boots.
“Neither am I.”
My stomach dips and flutters in anticipation, but I keep my breaths steady and try not to let him see. “Want to make another bet?” Jorn’s story is barely a hum in the background as I wait for Weston’s answer, and it feels like forever of my heart pounding in my ears before he mumbles.
“What do you have in mind?”
I purse my lips, trying to hide a smile, but I can’t help how Weston’s competitive side sparks a thrill inside me. “I bet you can’t catch me, and I can make it back to the ship before you do.”
“Why wouldn’t I just leave with you?”
“Because you’re going to do the captain thing and make sure everyone’s all right, and leave someone in charge, and make sure there’s a plan to bring Fin back.”
He chuckles softly in my ear. “Am I that predictable?”
“Absolutely you are. Plus it gives my shorter legs a head start.” His hand rubs up and down my leg before settling in the same spot, but I don’t let it distract me. “So do we have a bet?”
“What do I get if I win?”
“Whatever you want.”
His hand tightens around my thigh and my breath catches in my throat. “And what do you get if you win?”
“Whatever I want.”
He presses a kiss to the back of my jaw, just in front of my ear before nipping it softly. “You better get moving. Your time starts now.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
