A.J. feigned contempt as he stood up, swirling the remaining contents of his glass before draining it. “He’s such a Neanderthal, implying that girls can’t light a grill. I have more respect than that for you very competent ladies.”
“We’re fine,” Rain confirmed with a smile. “I do in fact know how to light a grill. I may not be an expert on underwater cities or the paths of comets, but that I can handle.”
Allie dried her hands and frowned. “Underwater cities?”
“Ask A.J.,” Rain laughed.
He grinned and refilled his drink. “Excellent, a new captive audience. Grab the burgers and come with me.” Picking up the long spatula on the counter, he waved it at Allie, indicating she should follow him. “I know you
can
do the burgers, Rain, but in all seriousness, I’m happy to help. Come out and join us if you want to hear more of my boring history lessons.”
Chapter 16
The sky was just beginning to darken when they gathered outside to set off the fireworks Jason had brought. Bullfrogs and crickets were warming up for their evening serenade, and fireflies glowed in the shadowy woods.
“It’s nice that we can do this in Connecticut. These are illegal in New York,” commented A.J. as he lit a sparkler and handed it to Rain.
“Ah, we get to the real reason you came here for the holiday.” Rain grinned and waved her sparkler in circles, watching the shower of white light sizzle in its wake.
They all laughed and stood back as Jason lit a fountain in the sand and backed away quickly. It exploded in a stream of red and gold.
When the fireworks were spent, they retired back to the living room to watch television and wait for the meteor shower, which Jason had discovered would start around midnight. Allie had laughed at that and said she would do her best to stay awake, but by 10:30 she apologized and said she had to go to bed.
“Don’t be sorry, you got up early to pack and drive here this morning, you must be tired. Do you want us to wake you up at midnight so you can watch with us?” Rain asked.
Allie shook her head and yawned. “Believe me, you don’t want to wake me up after only an hour of sleep. Unless you’re a sick child, I don’t react very well. You guys can tell me about it in the morning.”
By 11:00, A.J. was asleep on the couch, and when Jason got up to use the bathroom, he veered into the kitchen on his way back and waved the almost empty bottle of spiced rum silently at Rain. She made an appropriate wide-eyed face and smiled at him as he shook his head in mock disgust. “That was at least half full earlier,” he whispered as he sat next to her on the loveseat. “Did you have any?”
She shook her head. “I wanted to be able to stay up. I didn’t drink anything. You?”
“I didn’t want to be tired either. I had the one beer when we were outside doing the fireworks. And I’m pretty sure Allie wasn’t drinking hard liquor.”
“Good Lord, no wonder he’s out,” Rain laughed softly.
“Should I wake him up?”
“Let me try. You’ll probably just shake him or karate chop him.” She smiled and rose from the loveseat as he pretended to look insulted, and then leaned over A.J., rubbing his shoulder. “A.J.? It’s time to wake up if you want to watch the star shower.”
A.J. made an “um-hmmm” noise but did not open his eyes.
“Technically it’s not a star shower,” Jason pointed out. “A meteor is actually the trail of light left by cosmic dust particles.”
“That’s very helpful,” Rain said sarcastically. She shook A.J. gently. “Are you going to get up? You should at least get into bed, A.J.”
He rubbed his eyes and sat up. “Okay, okay, I’m up,” he said sleepily. He pushed himself off the couch a bit unsteadily and shuffled to the bathroom. When he returned, he pulled a soda can from the refrigerator and popped it open. “I would have thought all that caffeine tonight would have kept me up.”
“Well, when the drinks are 90 percent alcohol and 10 percent soda, the caffeine content is significantly lower,” Jason noted.
A.J. raised his middle finger subtly at Jason. “What can I say, I have a very high tolerance. But I think I have to go back to sleep now.” He leaned heavily against the refrigerator, and his pale blue eyes closed, then opened half-way. “Sorry, guys.”
“You’re not coming?” Rain asked, twisting her hands together.
“No, I’m done for the night.” A.J. unhitched himself from the refrigerator and began hauling himself up the staircase. “See you in the morning.”
A.J.’s bedroom door shut and Rain frowned worriedly at Jason. “Do you think he needs help?”
“Tonight? Or in general?”
“In general. I’m starting to think he may have a problem. Maybe you could talk to him?”
Jason shrugged. “Maybe. But my new philosophy is: ‘A friend in need is dead to me.’”
Rain’s mouth dropped open before she realized he was joking. She balled her fist to throw a punch at his shoulder, but he caught her wrist easily and held onto it, smiling down at her. “I’m kidding,” he confirmed. “I’m not too worried, I mean we are on vacation and it is the Fourth of July. We have no idea what his regular habits are. But I’ll keep an eye on him and bring it up if I can.” His eyes slid over to the clock on the oven. “We should start heading out. There may only be a couple that we can see and I don’t want to miss our chance. Are you still up for it?” He swung her wrist gently and released it.
“Definitely.” Her forehead creased with uncertainty. “I mean, if you want company.”
“Well, you can’t sit next to me, of course. But I can’t stop you from going out on the beach.” He shook his head in exasperation. “Of course I want your company. All right, let’s do this thing. I’ll grab a beach blanket and you should get a jacket or something. Meet back here.” He winked at her conspiratorially.
They arranged the blanket on the sand and stretched out on their backs, leaving an appropriate distance between their bodies as they gazed up at the vast ebony sky. Rain hoped she was doing her part to convince Jason she didn’t feel awkward lying under the stars with him, listening to the quiet music of the night. They had picked a spot away from the lights of the house, and the constellations stood out like pin pricks in the darkness that cloaked itself around them.
Jason was quick to fill the silence. “So, the meteors are just the trails of light left by the comet’s dust particles—those are called the meteoroids and most of them are smaller than a grain of sand. The majority of them will disintegrate before they reach the Earth, but if one does hit, it’s called a meteorite.” He paused and turned his head toward her slightly. “I’m sorry, I’m probably boring you. Nothing like listening to a science lecture in the middle of the night to put you right to sleep.”
Rain laughed softly. “No, it’s interesting. And I’m fine, so stop worrying about me! I may not lead the most exciting life these days, but I have been known to stay up past midnight. In case you didn’t notice, I did better than those other two slackers.”
“Good point. And I didn’t mean to imply that your life isn’t exciting or anything. I’m just worried that we won’t see anything. The showers get ratings called Zenith Hourly Ratings, and this one got a low rating. Only three or four meteors may be visible per hour.”
Rain tightened her arms around her chest. She had put on a white hooded sweater and jeans, but she was still chilled. Hugging herself, she shrugged in the darkness. “If we don’t see one, we don’t see one. No big deal.”
“You’re right.” He slid his hands behind his head and glanced over at her. “Are you cold? I can go get another blanket.”
“No, I’m fine. With a Zenith whatever of three or four, I don’t want to take any chances.”
“You’re not fine, you’re shivering.” He paused. “Scoot over closer to me, I’m radiating heat here.”
Rain’s stomach pitched as she recalled the last time she had huddled close to him for warmth. Thankfully the darkness hid her embarrassment. “Really, I’m fine,” she protested in what she hoped was a casual voice.
Jason moved himself closer to his edge of the blanket. “If you move closer to me, then you can wrap the end of the blanket on your side around you,” he said firmly. “And if you don’t, then I’m going in the house to get another blanket.”
She sighed and shifted closer to the middle, careful not to let their bodies touch. “You’re so bossy,” she commented, feigning annoyance as she gratefully used the remaining blanket to cover herself.
“Much better,” she added. She focused again on the vast sky. “Now, I get that if we see anything, it won’t technically be a shooting star. But is it okay to wish on a particle of cosmic dust anyway?”
Jason laughed. “I think it’s a requirement.”
Her mind drifted as she entertained various wishes, and a contemplative silence spun out between them. She inhaled, ready to interrupt the quiet then changed her mind. The dark stillness felt intimate, but it also felt peaceful.
Suddenly a trio of bright trails blazed across the black velvet backdrop of the sky. Rain sat up eagerly and pointed as they burned into oblivion. “Oh my God, did you see? I just saw three!” She turned to Jason, an animated smile on her face. “Do I get three wishes now?”
Jason sat up as well, laughing softly at her enthusiasm. “I saw them. And I’m not sure what the rules are on multiple wishes. I forgot to look that up.”
“Sheesh, and here I thought you were an expert,” she said, shaking her head in mock disappointment. She tilted her face back toward the heavens, waiting for a reply.
The silence stretched out, and she stole a glance in his direction. He was studying her profile, his jaw set in a hard line. His sharp gaze cut through the darkness, causing her heart to stutter.
She drew her eyebrows together in confusion. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you excited?”
“Something like that,” he said in a low voice. He reached his hand out and brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek.
Rain’s eyes widened and her lips parted as her breath caught in surprise. He lowered his gaze to her mouth, his hand moving up under her hair to cup her head. Pulling her face toward his, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly.
Rain was momentarily stunned, but her eyes closed reflexively and her lips began to move with his. Then Jason kissed her more firmly, and the rest of her body responded. She moved into his embrace even as her mind worked crazily to keep up with the situation. Why was he doing this? What did it mean?
Jason deepened the kiss, and her mind let go of its questions as her body took over. He moaned when her tongue touched his, and she twined her hands around his neck as he pulled her even closer. Gently, he lowered her down on the blanket, but then his kisses became forceful, demanding.
His strong body covered hers, and she returned his bruising kisses with similar urgency. As his hands tangled in her hair, his hips crushed against hers with potent desire.
A gasp escaped her swollen lips as Jason’s hand found her breast under her plain pink bra. Why hadn’t she worn nicer lingerie? And then the unwelcome answer hit her: Jason was not an option for her. He might not be engaged, but he wasn’t exactly free, either.
She had to stop him, to ask him what they were doing. But his lips were devouring hers, his rough thumb rubbing her taut nipple. Summoning all her willpower, she turned her head to the side to break the kiss. It made no difference, as Jason trailed his kisses along her jaw line and down her neck.
“Rain!”
Her eyes flew open as her name rang out through the darkness. Brandy, she thought, terror shooting through her veins. She drew in a startled breath, and Jason’s body tensed protectively over hers.
“It’s just Allie,” he murmured in her ear.
The screen door banged shut. “Rain? Are you out here?” Allie called, her voice frantic.
Jason groaned, cursing softly. He kept Rain pinned under his body for a brief moment, then rolled off her gently. Lying on his back, he looked politely at the forgotten stars as Rain scrambled to fix her clothes.
“We’re over here,” Rain shouted, waving at Allie’s silhouette under the porch light. Allie was holding something to her head, and as she hurried toward them, a fresh bolt of panic surged through Rain.
“Something’s wrong,” she whispered to Jason. She jumped to her feet and ran across the damp sand. Allie’s racking sobs were audible now, echoing through the night air. Jason jogged behind Rain, allowing her to reach Allie first.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Rain grabbed Allie’s free hand. Her other hand was holding a towel to the back of her head.
Allie’s words were choked with tears. “No. I was so scared. And I’m bleeding.” Her chest heaved with shuddering breaths.
Rain wrapped her arms around her friend, rubbing her back comfortingly. “We’re here now. Can you tell us what happened?”
“Let’s get her inside first,” Jason said, gesturing toward the house. “Is that okay, Allie?”
Allie nodded miserably, wiping at her face with shaking fingers. She let Rain guide her back across the beach.
“I’m sorry,” Allie said with a sniffle as they sat her down at the kitchen island. “I know I’m not making much sense.”
“Please don’t apologize,” Rain said soothingly, pulling the towel away from the back of Allie’s head. Her blonde curls were matted with dark blood, and Rain parted the hair carefully to reveal an ugly gash. Small drops of bright crimson were still oozing from the cut.
Jason peered over Rain’s shoulder. “It doesn’t look too deep. Scalp lacerations bleed a lot though.” He grabbed a clean dishtowel and held it under the faucet. “We need to clean it,” he said, passing the wet towel to Rain.
Allie winced as Rain dabbed at the wound. “Can you tell us what happened, sweetie?” Rain asked gently. She smiled gratefully at Jason as he slid a glass of water in front of Allie.
“I had a terrible nightmare,” Allie said. Her hands trembled as she lifted the glass to her lips. “It was so real. I was in bed, in the dream, but I was trapped. My body was completely paralyzed. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t move; I was struggling to breathe. I could hear Brandy whispering, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“I was fighting to wake up, and when I did, I was gasping for air. My lungs were burning and my vision was blurry. But I thought I saw something in the room with me.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself protectively.