Sem grins down at me. “Probably.”
A headlight lights up the ground behind us, and I turn around as Whit and Caleb leisurely approach on their ATV.
“Oh, hell yes,” Caleb says excitedly. “Did Luke get the jumbo skyrockets? Because I’ve been dying to see how those explode.”
“I’m glad I grabbed the first aid kit,” Whit replies dryly as Caleb smacks a kiss on Whit’s cheek and bounds off.
Sem watches his cousin’s retreating figure and then turns his gaze to Whit, holding out his fist. They bump it, and then he nods toward where Luke, Liam, and Caleb are talking animatedly.
“Hurry the fuck up, Sem!” Liam shouts.
“I should probably go out there. You coming?” Sem asks me. I look at the rockets and then back at Whit.
“How about you go and I’ll stay with Whit for a bit. I’d like to see how dangerous this is from afar.”
Sem’s eyebrows bunch, and then he nods. “I’ll keep you safe.”
I run a hand over his chest and fist his shirt, tugging him down.
“I know. You always do.” I press a kiss to his mouth and then demand, “Don’t you fucking die or burn off any important body parts. Like your fingers, or your pretty face, or your dick.”
He licks his lips and exhales deeply. “You got it, Maggie.”
When I let go of his shirt, he strides away, and Whit moves to stand next to me.
“You made the right choice. It’s safest back here.”
“I’m starting to see that.” I nudge him lightly with my elbow. “You’re dying a little inside, aren’t you?”
He sighs. “Yes. I usually do when I’m out here.”
“They’ll be okay, right?” I ask.
“God, I hope so.” We stand in silence for a moment, and then he side-eyes me. “So, you and Sem, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“That was…unexpected.”
“I know. I didn’t see it coming. But then again, I didn’t see you and Caleb coming either. Sometimes things just…happen.”
Whit tucks his dark hair behind his ear and nods. “That it does.”
Then the ground suddenly quakes beneath us, and Whit shakes his head, his face paling slightly. “Oh, Jesus.”
In the distance, Sem jabs a giant rocket into the ground. Luke pulls out a….
“Is that…is that a flamethrower?” I ask, but Whit just taps his fingers nervously on his folded arms and sighs.
The wick begins to ignite, and then all four of them shout, running away as fast as they can, their eyes wild with glee. And to be honest, my heart drops a little because they don’t move nearly far back enough when the rocket launches into the air and explodes into a burst of color.
“I need a drink,” Whit mutters next to me. “Ten maybe. Perhaps if I’m passed out, I won’t have to bear witness to this….”
“I think I know what you mean,” I say, eyeing him.
He looks down at me with a small smile. “Glad you’re here, Magnus. At least now I have someone to share this insanity with.”
“Heh. Me too,” I reply as another explosion shakes the ground. I swallow roughly as I see Luke spinning the flamethrower in his hand and pretending to holster it like he’s a cowboy and then frown when I see Sem standing much too close to it.