Strings (1 of 2)

"Hey! That one was mine!" I playfully smack Nathan's arm and grab the metal stick out of his hand. He chuckles as he stuffs my stolen burnt marshmallow in his mouth tauntingly and licks his lips.

I shake my head and quickly look away from his distracting mouth. I push another marshmallow on the stick and hold it over the fire as far from him as possible. He won't be stealing this one...

Once it is burnt enough to my liking, I stuff it in my mouth quickly so he has no time to get it. He smirks at me knowingly. 

I hand him back the stick with a fresh marshmallow on it and swing my legs over his lap, dangling off the side of his chair, so I am facing him. He rests one hand on my calves and reaches the other out with the stick to the fire. 

As he watches at the fire, I take the opportunity to stare at him. The flames from the bonfire make his eyes flash red and his long black curls almost seem auburn in this light. He really is handsome. Seeing him at night in the dark like this reminds me of when we met. It is hard to believe it was only a week ago. I feel comfortable around him like I have known him for months or years, but at the same time he makes me giddy and excited like we are on a never-ending first date.

"When are your parents coming back?" he says, still staring at the marshmallow above the flames.

"In a few days." I answer.

"So we have this whole empty house to ourselves for the rest of the weekend?" he turns to me with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a sly smile. He pops the marshmallow in his mouth and sets the stick leaning against the fire pit.

"It seems so..." I say slowly, grinning, and meet his eyes.

His fingers slowly moves up my leg making my whole body tingle and my smile grows.

"What did you have in mind?" I ask quietly, already knowing his answer.

He flashes me his signature wicked smirk and I can almost hear his thoughts in my head. The excitement grows in me, making me impatient. Especially with his hands still moving up my legs...

"I'll race you inside." I dare him and quickly lower my legs from his lap, stand up, and start running back towards the house before he can process what I said. 

I hear him chuckle behind me and stand up. Within a few seconds, he is in front of me and his strong hands grip my waist and lift me up against his chest. I giggle and wrap my legs around his back and place my hands on the back of his neck under his long curls. I am very aware of his hands just below my shorts on the back of my thighs, holding me up, and his fingers tapping against my skin. 

I smile playfully, looking into his eyes.

"You love to run away from me tonight, don't you?" he teases as he keeps walking us closer to the house, past the pool.

"Maybe I just like it when you catch me." I reply and look down towards his lips. His face is so close to mine right now, I could kiss him easily.

Nathan chuckles. "If you do that now, I may walk us into a tree." I look back up to his eyes and instinctively bite my lip. His eyes darken and I feel his steps quicken, as eager to get upstairs as I am. I lower my mouth to his neck and kiss him slowly, teasing him. I feel a moan in his throat against my lips, making me smile.

"Emily..." he warns in a low voice but I don't stop.

He moves one hand from my leg to open the screen door and close it behind us and then returns it quickly, his fingers digging roughly in my legs as I kiss him.