Page 101 of Burning Embers
Gerry’s, perhaps?
Before I can even voice my question out loud, the front door of the house is thrown open, and two familiar men race towards me. I catch a glimpse of tan skin, sun-kissed amber hair, and green eyes fireworked with gold.
Emery and Ethan.
Emery reaches the car first and all but yanks the door open. Less than a second later, I’m in his arms, my head nestled just underneath his chin.
I immediately go still in his embrace, almost as if an electrical current shot through me. As a general rule, I don’t like touch. At all.
Yet there’s no denying the heat that envelops me as he holds me close. A feeling of calmness and serenity sweeps over me, and I find myself sagging against him, confident he’ll be able to hold my weight.
“We’ve been so fucking worried,” he growls in my ear.
I can’t help but note his voice is a little deeper than normal. Unbidden, my mind travels back to that moment shortly after the accident, when I could’ve sworn Emery’s face lengthened and transformed…
Emery pulls me out of the car, still keeping his arms wrapped around me, and begins to penguin-walk me to the front door, my feet dragging against the cement.
“We were in the waiting room, but our father said we couldn’t hover,” Ethan adds.
I feel him more than see him step up to my other side.
His hand lands on my shoulder, the softest of touches, before immediately retreating. “But Hale said we could stay at your house until you returned home.”
“More like you threatened me until I gave in,” Hale mutters under his breath as he swings his house keys around his finger.
“I’m fine,” I assure the twins, awkwardly patting Emery’s back.
I’m not used to having people…care about me. It’s unnerving, to put it mildly.
And also exhilarating.
“I heard a crack.” Emery’s voice is muffled from where he has his mouth pressed against my neck. The feel of his lips causes goose bumps to pepper across my skin and my stomach to swirl with a strange heat. “I thought… Well, the only thing that keptme from losing my shit was Hale assuring me that you were okay. But I still needed to see for myself.”
Ethan runs a hand through my hair, and I finally have enough. There’s been too much touching for one day.
I may spontaneously combust if they keep this up. I’m sure my rising body temperature isn’t healthy after the night I had.
I wiggle my body in an attempt to break free of Emery’s hold. Reluctantly, he places me on my feet and steps away.
“I promise you, I’m fine.” I volley my gaze between both brothers to emphasize my point. “I don’t know how I’m fine…but I am. Only a few bruises and a mild concussion. I’ll be good as new by school on Monday.”
Ethan’s lips thin. “You should take the week off. Rest. Relax.”
“I don’t need an entire week off.” I laugh lightly, certain he’s joking, but his face remains serious.
“Do you have bath bombs?” Emery pipes in.
What in the…?
“Bath bombs?”
I give Hale an incredulous look, asking him without words if he knows what’s going on, but his attention is fixed on the twins. His eyes narrow nearly imperceptibly.
“Don’t chicks use bath bombs to relax?” Emery asks, running a hand through his tousled blond hair. “We’ll buy you some if you don’t have any.”
“We can also bring you chocolate,” Ethan adds as he absently unzips his jacket.
What the heck is he doing?