Rumor Going 'Round (Lyrics and Love #3) - Lind, Samantha Page 0,16

spring that on her right now. We’ve only ever been friends. Whatever this is that is sparking between the two of us is something that I’m definitely going to attempt to unpack and see what comes of it.

“You coming?” Lee shouts at me from the back doorway.

“Hold your horses; we’re coming,” Lindsay calls out to him, laughing as she takes in his impatient look.

I slip my hand into hers, linking our fingers together. I bring our clasped hands up to my mouth and kiss the back of her hand. “Come on, we’d better get out there before he lights my entire backyard on fire.”

Lindsay laughs as I tug her toward the back door, and it's one of the best sounds I’ve heard in a long-ass time. Since when does a woman’s laugh rank up there as one of the best sounds I’ve ever heard? “Isn’t he a firefighter? Isn’t that the exact opposite of what y’all are trained to do?” she asks, still laughing.

“You’d think.” I laugh right along with her. “But give that man some lighter fluid, and he goes a little crazy.”

“Well, then go save your property,” she encourages once we’re out on the deck. I leave her side, taking off in a jog to catch up to Lee. We safely get the bonfire pile lit, the flames lighting up the night sky.

Everyone that is still here starts making their way over to the fire. I head back for the porch, turning on the outdoor sound system with some country music. I also flip on the outdoor lights, lighting up the pond's pathway and the deck with twinkly lights.

With all the food put away and the table out of the way, the deck opens up and becomes a makeshift dance floor. A few couples make their way over when an older Tim McGraw song comes on. I look around to see if I can find Lindsay. My hands itch to touch her again, to hold her close like I did during the game.

I finally find her on the other side of the fire, sitting on one of the logs that surround the fire pit, talking with Lee and Allison, who obviously showed up while I was busy getting things going. I take in the way Lee is sitting behind Allison so that her back is to his front. His hands rest on her thighs as they face Lindsay. I sneak up behind her, mirroring the way Lee is sitting as I sit behind Lindsay. I slip a hand around her torso, my thumb finding a sliver of exposed skin where her shirt has ridden up from the top of her jeans. I draw lazy circles with the pad of my thumb, taking advantage of any inch of her creamy skin I can get my hands on.

We sit around the fire, shooting the shit with our friends for what feels like hours. The four of us trade stories from some of the calls and patients we’ve all dealt with over the years in our respective jobs. With Allison and Lindsay both nurses, and Lee and I both firefighters, we’ve all got some crazy times beneath our belts.

“I should probably head home,” Lindsay finally says as she yawns. Her head has been resting back on my shoulder for the last thirty or so minutes, and I can feel her getting more and more tired as she melts into me as the minutes pass by.

“I’ve got a spare room if you want to crash here for the night,” I offer.

“That’s okay. I’m not far. I’ll be okay to make it home,” she says, yawning again.

“You sure? I don’t mind at all.”

“I’ll be fine, Tuck,” she says quietly, pressing a little more of her weight into me.

“Then let me walk you to your car. You’re okay to drive, right?” I ask. I know she hasn’t had any alcohol since we’ve been sitting around the fire.

“I’m as sober as can be,” she assures me as we stand up. Lee and Allison are both getting ready to leave, as well, and seeing as how we’re the last four out here, I guess it's time to call it a night myself.

“What’s your schedule this week?” I ask as we make our way out to the driveway.

“I work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday day shift,” she tells me.

“Are you always on days?” I ask.

“Yep. Not many nurses rotate. Unless you’re a float nurse or covering for someone else, you work the same shift; the only thing that