She had spent the better part of the day in the river's cool embrace, and she was now on her haunches by the fire, ensuring that it was a blaze before the wolves, jackals, and firemen-high on testosterone-took over. The firemen would arrive soon, and Sommy wasn't exactly ecstatic about it. Jessica was all over the idea, claiming how the guy named Buchi was into Sommy, while Elena and Zain were fighting over who got to use the mirror as they prepared for the muscle-laden firemen. Sommy sighed heavily.
"Tonight's going to be great, Sommy," Jessica said, approaching with a drink in hand. "Trust me."
She handed Sommy a plastic cup, and after a quick sip, Sommy wrinkled her nose. "You're trying to get me drunk?"
Jessica winked. "I think you can handle it." She plopped into a chair, stretching her long legs out. "You're going to be nice tonight, right?"
"I will," Sommy said, bellying back in her chair and crossing her arms. "I'll save the best snark for you."
"Great." Jessica gave her a sly grin. "Elena and Zain are practically bursting their britches in anticipation of this."
Sommy frowned as Jessica didn't sound quite right. "And you're not?"
Jessica twirled her foot, her lips curling in a smile that saw her catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "OBA and I have been texting.
Sommy's mind flashed to the fortune-teller's weird remark about a calculator. "OBA? The physics teacher?"
"Yeah."
"Nice." Sommy smiled knowingly as the pieces clicked into place regarding Jessica's constant phone-glued state. "Wait, didn't he have to be good at math to get that job?"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "I know. Crazy, right? Never thought I'd end up with someone smarter than me."
Sommy grinned. "Told you, sometimes we don't know what's good for us.
Jessica raised an eyebrow, and Sommy knew right then and there that she had said too much. Her arms crossed defensively. "Alright, alright. I said all that to say… I'm not so sure I'm ready for that. My pride has been bruised one time too many." She huffed. "Maybe that's best for all.
Jessica stood and dusted her hands together as if brushing dirt off. "Alright. My job here is done. I'm going to see if there's any mascara left. You coming?"
"Why not?"
A half-hour later, a black truck rumbled up next to the RV. Four huge men stepped out—men Sommy and Jessica had met at the airport earlier. Alex dropped a cooler by the fire with a thud as introductions were made. Buchi flashed Sommy a quick grin, but all attention was then caught by Elena as she offered him a drink. Sommy took advantage of the opportunity and hunched slightly in her inspection. His hair, dark, thick, tousled, was simply begging to be tangled by fingers. Then he bent and drew out the beers from the cooler, strong legs flexing muscles beneath the faded jeans. If her wolf were a cat, it would be purring. She had to force herself to look away before her thoughts went somewhere they had no business going.
Jessica turned around to notice Sommy giving Buchi the eye. With a wink in her direction, she faced Stephen, a werewolf whose hours in the gym were a tad too obvious. He preened for her, tugging his shirt over pecs that seemed straining for their freedom. "Clothes are so. restrictive, don't you think?" he said, tugging at the collar.
Sommy made a disgusted sound, but Oga stood close to her and grasped her attention. "He shops in the boys' department," he whispered low, in a voice that only werewolves could hear.
Sommy snorted, turning away. She poked the fire, watching the sparks fly, and Oga offered to help. They segued into a conversation about grilling steaks over open flames, and while Oga was a shameless flirt, grilling skills he had gotten right. So she let him take over. Chelsea had already prepared foil-wrapped potatoes and salads, so there was not much for Sommy to do.
Taking a deep breath, Sommy approached Buchi and made an effort to be friendly with him. He was talking with Elena, but the moment Elena saw Sommy, she brought her into the conversation.
"I was just telling Buchi where we had gone swimming earlier."
Sommy smiled. "It's nice out here. What did you guys do today?"
Buchi shrugged, his eyes darting momentarily to the other men. "Hung out."
That response, casual as it was, sounded aloof. "How long have you been working together?"
"A couple of years." He looked at Stephen. His tone changed. "Excuse me." He simply walked away.
Sommy shared a look with Elena, who muttered, "Let's go check on the salads."
"I'm good," Sommy said, forcing a smile.
Opposite them, Zain burst out laughing, his laughter carrying. Alex bent down, whispering something to him. "Your dimples are cute." Sommy wasn't sure if Elena had heard, but their body language spoke volumes.
Elena elbowed Sommy. "How adorable is that?
"Very," Sommy said with a smile, though her thoughts lingered on Buchi. If he liked her, he sure wasn't showing it tonight. She glanced at Oga, trying to distract herself. He was, after all, a much more obvious option.
"I'm going to check on the steaks," Sommy said, excusing herself. Elena headed into the RV to grab the food. As Sommy neared the fire, she heard the sizzling of beef.
"Those smell amazing," she said to Oga.
Oga grinned. "I'm trying not to eat them before they're done."
Sommy picked up a knife and fork, ready for the "taste test." "Let's check to see if they're perfect."
Oga's face twisted in mock concern. "You're right. Let me."
Sommy handed him the utensils, and Oga cut a piece of steak, holding it out to her. Instead of using the fork, she just leaned in and took a bite of it; the eyes fluttering shut at flavor as she couldn't help herself. "That tastes incredible," she purred, teasing him. "I think I need a bit more.
Oga let out a low growl as his wolf reacted, but before he could take the rest of the steak, Buchi appeared in the shadows, his fangs catching the firelight. He snarled slightly, his gaze piercing. Sommy grinned. Maybe Buchi was interested.
Before she could enjoy her moment, Jessica appeared, storming over. She grabbed Sommy's arm. "We're going for a walk."
"Seriously?"
Jessica dragged her behind the RV, where fury danced in her eyes. "What the hell was that?"
Sommy's cheeks scorched red. "I didn't think he'd care."
"Really?" Jessica crossed her arms.
Sommy sighed. "Okay, it was a dumb move. But-"
"Stop." Jessica's eyebrow furrowed in that way that meant the conversation was over. "Go back out there, and behave.
Sommy began to walk, but Jessica's grin halted her. "Did you see how jealous he was? He totally likes you."
Sommy frowned. "Then why is he acting like such a jerk?"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "He's a guy. It's complicated."
Before they were back to the rest, it was dinner time, and firefighters started telling stories of their work. They talked from hours by then night time Buchi and Sommy were friendly but nothing more. Sommy just couldn't get rid of that feeling that he probably wasn't into her that much. She is a fine girl, but there must be other girls around the jamboree that caught his eye.
Meanwhile, Zain and Alex had become joined at the hip. At the time of leaving, the firemen had to forcefully pull Alex from Zain's lingering kiss to run after the truck for catch-up.
Sommy's heart ached as she watched them. "How sweet is that?"
Jessica leaned to nudge her. "It'll be your turn, too."
Sommy smiled weakly. She opened the RV door, holding it for Jessica to enter. She wanted to believe it, but her doubts would not be fully assuaged. While the attraction between Buchi and her was unmistakable, they just could not get out of the circle of mind games. Sommy was done with that. She refused to get lost in another messy werewolf relationship.
But as she lay there, staring up at the star-filled sky, she couldn't help but wonder-why did she always get drawn to the wrong guys?
She sighed and checked the fire one last time, pasting a smile on her face as she prepared to celebrate Zain and Alex's happiness. even if she wasn't so sure it would ever happen for her.