“What’re you doing?” I whispered.

A sexy smile spread wide across his face as he lifted my foot to his chest. “Trust me?”

“Of course,” I whispered.

He ran his fingers up to my knee, and back down the top of my leg. Then he started massaging my foot.

“Oh my God, Emmett, that feels so . . . good.” I sighed, leaning my head back into the mattress and closing my eyes.

“Does this feel good, too?” he asked, placing warm kisses on the top of my ankle before setting it down on the bed.

“Yes, it does.”

He lifted my other foot up against his chest and massaged it, gently lowering it to the bed, and trailed kisses up my leg. I arched my back as he ran his fingers up under the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my head, tossing it on the floor.

I needed to feel his skin against mine. I reached up and ran my hands over his strong muscles, feeling them move as he pulled his shirt off. He hovered over me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his body down to mine, reveling in every touch of his body as we made love. Afterwards, I snuggled into his chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm in my ear.

“That was amazing, Peach,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

“Mmmm, yes it was, babe. We should forget packing and do that again,” I said.

“The sooner we pack and get through the barbeque, the sooner we can drive home and make love in our own bed.”

I laughed. He was so matter-of-fact about it, like all that really mattered was us getting home, when I knew he damn well he was as excited about the barbeque as I was.

I heard the doorbell ring and hoped it was the girls. I really missed Tamron and Alison. I ran downstairs, past the guys still gaming in the living room with their headsets on. They probably hadn’t even heard the doorbell.

When I opened the door, I was surprised to see John standing there. Usually he only came down from Alaska in the winter months.

John had gone to college with the guys and graduated last year. He and Emmett were best friends from their days back in Georgia right after Emmett and Alec moved up from Florida. I think Emmett chose Auburn in part because John had chosen to go there. I couldn’t blame him. John was a nice guy, and who wouldn’t want to go to a college where you already had a best friend?

After giving him a hug, I invited him in. This would be a real surprise for Emmett. As we walked back to the living room, Emmett came down the stairs. The look on his face was adorable. He was surprised, all right.

“John?” Emmett called.

“Hey, Emmett, what’s up, man?” He looked at me with a devilish glint in his eye. “Hi Peachy,” he added, earning himself a smack on the back of his head from Emmett at the use of his version of Emmett’s pet name for me.

“When did you get in?” Emmett asked.

John shook his head. “About five minutes ago. I drove straight here from the car rental place at the airport.”

“Holy shit, man! I had no idea you were coming. Great to see ya. Damn . . . it’s been too long,” Emmett said, pulling him into one of those back-slapping guy hugs.

“Yeah, long-ass flight, too, but it’s all good man, I got to sit by a hottie. For the first time, I was happy to be by a chatty person. Even got her number. She lives here in Auburn. Girl like that could tempt me from Alaska. Tempt, not convince,” John added after seeing Emmett’s and my surprised expressions.

We laughed, both of us knowing there was absolutely no way John would ever move away from Alaska.

We sat out back and caught up with him over a few beers while I waited anxiously for the girls to get there. Wondering where they were, I sent a quick group text.

Me:

Where the hell are y’all?

T:

A bit snarky aren’t ya?

A:

We’re coming . . . soon.

T:

Don’t tell her. Make her wait.

Me:

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

A:

Don’t worry about Tamron. She’s just pissy because, in order to see you, she has to see Quinn, and they had a fight.

T:

Great. I didn’t want to get Sam involved too, Alison.

Me:

A fight? No way. I’m here, and Quinn isn’t acting like there’s a problem. He’s playing some video game with Riley like he always does.

T:

Fucker.

A:

Relax, Tamron.

Me:

Wow, I really need to get caught up on this.

T:

We’ll be there in a few.

A:

We’re leaving the apartment now.

Me:

Awesome. See y’all soon.

It was rapid-fire texting at its best and we had perfected it. We had an entire conversation in less than three minutes. When the doorbell rang again, I excused myself and rushed inside to intervene between Tamron and Quinn. I wondered what their fight was about, because they always seemed so happy together.

I opened the door and threw my arms around my best friends, each of us squealing our hellos. It wasn’t until I let them inside that I felt the air thicken, and knew it had to be the fight between Tamron and Quinn. I would talk to Tamron about that, and soon. Alison walked over to Riley and gave him a kiss, but let out a shriek when he grabbed her ass as she spun back toward me. On our way to the kitchen, Tamron walked by Quinn without saying a word or even glancing in his direction.

I grabbed us glasses of lemonade then set chips and salsa on the counter for an afternoon snack.

“So, umm, what exactly was this fight about, Tamron? Why are you being so cold toward him?” I asked her in a hushed tone.

“Sam, I really don’t want to talk about it. Okay? I just want to hang with you. We’ve missed you so much,” she replied.

“Tamron. You can’t expect her to accept that answer. First of all, and you know this is true, we wouldn’t let her get away with shrugging us off like that if she and Emmett were fighting.”

“All right. Fine. Damn it. He wants us to move in together,” she explained.

I gasped and brought my hand up to my mouth. She shook her head and continued.

“See, this is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. I can hear it already. First of all, you’re gonna be just like Alison and get all excited, and want us to move in together. I can see it already starting in your composure, you’re all happy and bouncy. I am not in the mood for it. Second of all, you aren’t one to talk about who should move in with who, since you have had your own issues with whether or not to move in with Emmett.”

I gasped. “But Tamron, that’s diff . . .”

“Yeah, it’s different. I realize that, but it doesn’t change the significance on my situation. I’ll tell you like I told him; I’m not ready to move in with him,” she sighed. “Why the ever-loving fuck did he have to ask me? He’s got a good thing here with Riley. I have a good thing at home with Alison. I don’t want to rock that relationship boat. I mean I love him, which is why I can’t move in with him.”

“Okay, but that’s really the best reason to move in with him.” I said softly.

She shook her head. “We’ve been dating for almost two years, and I do miss him when he’s not with me, but what if it doesn’t work out? I’ll lose him! I can’t take that chance. So, I told him no, that it was ridiculous for him to even ask.” She breathed a huge sigh, and laid her head in her hands.”