Page 9 of Ember

“Thank you.” Her gratitude was genuine, as she didn’t want to fall apart in front of an audience of strangers by reliving her past.

“You’re welcome.”

Their eyes met, and Danica found herself drawn to his thick, kissable lips. The air around them thinned, and all the background noise surrounding them began to fade.

“Hey, Tuck,” Cecilia bounced over with a wide smile on her face. Her ponytail swung back and forth as she came to a stop. Danica noted that the woman’s smile slipped a fraction of an inch while looking back and forth between the two, but she quickly corrected herself.

“What’s up, Cece?” Tucker questioned, dragging his eyes away from Danica.

“Wade and Charlie have started up the usual argument about which one of them gets to man the new grill, and you know whenever they get into a pissing match it usually ends in…”

A flash of fire shooting straight into the air caught Danica’s attention, while Tucker shot up from the tree like a bullet.

“How many goddamn times do I have to tell them…”

His voice faded as he stormed in the direction of the grill, leaving Danica and Cecilia alone in an awkward silence. Feeling uncomfortable beneath Cecilia’s penetrating stare, Danica gave her an awkward smile and walked off to find the rest of her family.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to search too hard.

“There you are,” Leanne exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air as Danica approached the picnic table where her family was seated.. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”

“Woman, you ain’t been looking for a damn thing other than a fork to eat them baked beans with, hush up.”

Giggling at the way her father blasted her mom, Danica sank onto the bench and accepted a plate from her sister.

Involuntarily glancing over her shoulder, her eyes locked on Tucker standing in front of the grill. As if he knew she was looking at him, he glanced over, making eye contact with her.

Danica forced herself to look away as a shiver coursed through her. Something in Tucker was calling out to her. And she wanted to fight like hell to resist it.