Chapter 3: Evening Embers

Steve

By the time the sun slipped behind the ridge, the air had taken on that cool, pine-scented sharpness that only mountain evenings seem to hold. We were all a little sun-tired and lake-soaked, but the good kind of tired, the kind that makes you grateful for every moment.

I got the small charcoal grill going on the edge of the porch while Sheri and Emma set out paper plates and lined up buns like they were preparing for a grand feast. Amy leaned against the railing, mug of tea in hand, wrapped in a fleece blanket and watching us all with that easy smile she’d been wearing more often lately. The kind that made my chest loosen every time I saw it.

The hot dogs sizzled on the grill, smoke curling up into the trees. Sheri claimed the first one, loading it with ketchup and mustard in a zig-zag that dripped onto her fingers. Emma followed, two hot dogs and no shame. Amy and I took ours slower, eating on the porch steps while the girls teased each other and licked mustard off their thumbs.

Later, we gathered around the fire pit out back. The flames crackled steadily as we roasted marshmallows on long sticks Sheri and Emma had scavenged and whittled down to sharp points. I burned mine to a crisp, on purpose, the way I always did. Amy rolled hers slowly over the flame until it was perfectly golden.

Emma dropped her marshmallow into the fire twice. Sheri mocked her dramatically both times, then did the same thing ten minutes later.

Watching the girl eat their marshmallows, I remembered last year when I watched Sherri in the river, her breasts were white, the part that had been shielded from the sun, and quite visible. I loved how her small nipples were hard in the cold water. My cock instantly filled up as I watched her “floating” in the water.

Then, a little later, when she’s put on her underwear, I marveled at how they looked in her almost translucent top, and now her nipples were even more prominent as a result of them poking at the cold fabric. I also managed to get a sneak peek at her damp panties, and I saw that she had pubic hair, and once again, I could make out the fairly large outer lips.

After the s’mores, we all leaned back into our camp chairs, cupping mugs of hot cocoa topped with too many mini marshmallows. The stars were starting to show themselves, one by one, punching through the deepening sky. The firelight flickered over Amy’s face as she leaned her head back, her eyes closed, breathing deep like the mountain air itself was healing.

Sheri scooted her chair close to her mother’s and rested her head on her shoulder, silent and steady. Emma lay on a blanket in the grass, one hand tucked behind her head, watching the sky.