Star Gazing (Bonus Scenes Matt & Jules, Jack)

A String of Stars 1

1975

“I wish it wasn’t Christmas already...” Jules touched her chin to the water surface and watched the ripples play in the moonlight as they shimmied across the pool’s surface.

Matt was immersed to his neck also, and although vapors from the warmer water lifted into the cool night air of the canyon, they were warm enough.

“How long are you staying at your mom’s?” Her eyes trailed the big dipper in the clear sky as his fingers trailed from beneath the bikini top he had just untied to beneath the bikini bottoms.

Fingers that were doing delicious things, until they paused with her question. “Cari, I’ve only seen her twice in a year, each time for only a night.

“I know...I know...”

A wisp of his hair, moved when she blew out the discouraged breath. Truly, she was trying not to pout, or at least trying not to let him see her pout. And with that last resolution in mind, she placed her bare feet on top of his to gain a slight inch of height, pressed her bare chest to his, and shivered at the skin to skin contact. Coaxing his head that last little bit, she pressed her lips to his.

Brushing them in a back and forth friction, she pushed out of her mind the much anticipated, yet much dreaded Christmas with her parents. The parental units had not been home last year, or the year before that. On those Christmases, Nina had cooked ahead of time, and left the Holiday meal in the fridge with warm up instructions. Then, the housekeeper had spent the holiday with her own family.

Jules had never turned the oven on. She and Marc had snacked on cold turkey, cold macaroni, and yes, even cold yams with marshmallow topping. They had opened the many gifts beneath the tree and tramped through the wrapping trash as they played new albums, new guitars, and new games. Marc had jumped from the couch to the television set so many times to switch the channel that she finally had pity on him and told him to go surfing. He was a good enough older brother that he had even put up a slight fight.

“No, Juju. Not leaving on Christmas....”

But he finally had jumped in his Gremlin with his newest board atop it, and she had picked up her newest guitar.

Christmas past faded into Christmas present. As if she had conjured him up, Marc bolted out of the house leaving the door open, and then stopped short obviously surprised to find them in the pool. Instead of having the good grace to retreat, he had the gumption and gall to taunt her.

“Don’t mind me, Juju.” Moving about the patio furniture he spoke as he pushed chairs around. “I think I left my weed out here. Go back to whatever you were doing. I’ll just be a sec, really. You are not bothering me. You won’t even know I am here.” A deliberate scrape and clang of a chair refuted the last words.

“Go! Just Go!”

Her shriek skimmed across the water surface. Matt ducked his head to her, and as always, she saw the glimmer of amusement anytime she and Marc argued.

However, he also kept his body to her, a protective hand on her back, shielding her bare front side, even though they were in the shadows.

“Fine sis, fine.” Marc flicked a lighter to the smoke in his mouth as he edged toward the house. “Just remember, I have to swim in that pool too...”

The light from the house dimmed as the glass slid closed, and the curtains were pulled.

“Dammit, he is such a fuck head,” she cursed.

“A what?” Matt pulled back enough to make the inquiry against her lips.

“A mother fucking fuck head--” Seeing the heated glimmer in Matt’s eyes, she cursed again, but directed the new words at him.

He had tricked not only the F word out of her for his own ear candy, but also fueled the fires of his desire with her anger.

“Dmmit,” she retorted instead.