My thoughts were interrupted by Hunter getting into the car. He put the keys in the ignition then turned to me and beamed. “Let’s go have some fun.”
“Oh, because that wasn’t fun?”
He chuckled. “No. That wasn’t fun.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal. I’m actually kind of proud of the way I handled it.”
“You were awesome. Kyle…he’s gonna hear a thing or two when I get home.”
Then we were together, just the two of us, in his car, a sporty gray sedan. It was way cleaner than my Cooper. It even had a fresh fragrance.
“What? What are you thinking?”
“Uhh…do you always keep your car this clean?”
“Hell, no. I cleaned it since I was taking you out tonight.”
He cleaned it for me.
“It even smells clean.”
He exhaled. “Oh, good. I thought maybe you’d detect the odor of chlorine. I don’t keep any suits in here or anything, but that odor seems to cling to me, and the car, no matter what I do.”
“No.” I smiled. “It’s nice.”
He took my hand. “Good.” A few minutes later he asked, “And you said you like barbecue, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Because this place was recommended to me, but if it’s not your thing, we can go anywhere.”
“No. Seriously. Barbecue sounds great.”
“Okay.”
Even though we shot through the three things I came up with to talk to him about before we even got to the restaurant, there wasn’t those awkward pauses two introverts usually had. He was so chill and easy to talk to. We were sitting at a table with a heavy, red vinyl table cloth and I was trying my darndest to not make a mess out of my pulled pork sandwich. Hunter seemed disappointed by the lack of décor. It was a simple brick building angled, on a corner. But that’s how barbecue places were, in my experience. Good barbecue places. The emphasis was on the food and the rest didn’t matter.
I was enjoying scoping out Hunter. He wore tight-fitting black jeans with a black T and black boots, and over that he wore a tan, suede-like jacket. It was all working for him. Hard. He styled his hair more than he did at the pool. It was kind of undercut and the top he wore long and flipped it to the side. The hair, too, was working for him. He had a strong jawline and cheekbones and his eyes were super penetrating in the dimming light. I zoned out a couple of times looking at him and telling myself this was all too good to be true.
“So, tell me again how you know Scott.” He’d gobbled down his sandwich before I was even half done with mine and was quizzing me on my life.
“His mom and my mom were lunch ladies together in Bloomington. Which was before she was his mom. Let me back it up. So…tenish years ago, my mom and her best friend Dani went to a rock concert.”
“The Chase Hatton concert.”
“Right. Tucker, Scott’s dad, was a single father who was a lawyer, but sometimes worked for Chase as a roadie.”
“Okay. Following so far.”
“My mom and Dani snuck backstage at this concert, and Dani met Tucker. Later, they went to a bar, and my mom met Kyle. When Dani married Tucker, he was from Lincoln, so she and her daughter Tabitha moved here.” I took another bite, and he waited patiently. “Well, my mom and Dani are like joined at the hip, so they came to visit us from time to time, with Scott and Zoe and Tabby. Scott, Jake, and I were the closest in age, so we usually hung out together. Sometimes Zoe, too. But she was usually kind of babysitting Tabitha.”
He spun a salt shaker around on the table. “Anything…romantic ever go on between you?” I hesitated a fraction in responding and he jumped all over me. “See, I knew it. You guys were a thing.”
I laughed. “No. We were never a thing.” My cheeks flushed, the heat instantaneous.
He studied me. “There’s more to this story.”
I grabbed the pepper shaker and spun it. “No, there’s not,” but I didn’t even sound convincing to myself.
He leaned forward. “Anybody ever tell you that you don’t have a very good poker face?”
Yes, Scott, actually. But, I kept that to myself. I didn’t think he’d want to hear it. I raised my gaze to his. He waited. “Okay. One time something happened.”
“I knew it.”
“Jake had something going on one weekend when they visited. Like…a sleepover, or camp, or something…. Anyway, Jake was gone, which left Scott and me.” I carefully put the pepper shaker in its place. “He and I always got along better anyway. We’re both kind of goofy. Jake’s goofy, too, but in a more…low-energy way. It’s hard to describe.”
He ran his finger along the top edge of a menu tucked between condiments and a roll of paper towels in a stand of unfinished wood and lead pipe. “So, you and Scott were alone.”
“It’s really no big deal.”
He raised his eyebrows but didn’t look away from the menu, although now he was tapping his finger on the edge. “Well, if you don’t want to tell me….” He shifted his gaze to me.
I was a touch uncomfortable with the conversation. I sat forward, my arms on the table. “Okay. Here’s the deal. No one else knows about this. No one. So you can’t say anything. Ever.”
He nodded and waited.
“Ugh. So, Scott and I were goofing around,” I said it fast, like ripping a Band-Aid off. “Things got a bit carried away, is all. We kissed and….” I gestured vaguely. He didn’t say anything, so I was forced to go on. And I kind of wanted to tell somebody. I mean, I couldn’t tell my mom or Zoe or Dani…. “The next time they came to visit, it was super awkward. He practically begged Jake not to leave. Jake did ditch one thing he planned to do, but one of his good friends was having a birthday party, and this girl was going to be there, so… Scott was like, ‘It’s just a birthday party. He’ll have one next year.’” He and Jake were playing some video game, but it was a one-person game so they were taking turns and it was Jake’s turn. So, I texted Scott. I was sitting four feet from him, but I texted and told him if he was that uneasy with me there, I’d pretend to be sick and go to my room for the night. He read it, stared at me for a long moment, and typed something back. I expected him to say, ‘No. That’s cool. You don’t need to do that,’ but when I read the message it said, ‘Okay.’ It hurt me, and I thought I was going to cry, so I went in right then and told my mom I had a headache and was going to rest. Several hours later Scott knocked on my door and asked to come in. He apologized, and we ended up kissing some more. And that was the last time.” Still, he remained quiet. My heart beat hard against my ribs. “I worried when we moved here it would be awkward, but he was totally cool. He knew I went through some shit, and he was supportive of me. And he was dating a few girls. So we’ve been friends, and friends only ever since. There is absolutely nothing between me and Scottie McCord.”
He seemed to relax. He took my hand and rubbed his thumb along its top. “I’m glad to hear that.” He noticed my empty plate. “You’re finally finished.”
“What? Because I didn’t wolf down my sandwich whole and actually like chewed it.”
He laughed and stood. “Come on.” Once we were outside in the cooler air, he draped his arm around my shoulder. It was so good to be taken care of.
Then I had to poke at that sore spot, like a wiggly tooth. “Are you sure you haven’t done a lot of dating before?” He looked at me sideways. “You seem so comfortable with it.”
“Yeah. It’s kind of weird.” He didn’t explain further so I dropped it. When we got to the car he didn’t open my door right away. “Did you have a good time?”
Shit. Is it over that quickly?
I leaned against his car, dropping my head for a second before answering. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”
“Good.” He came closer. Would he kiss me? My heart picked up its pace. The wind was blowing my hair like crazy. He lifted it and tucked it behind me. “Do you want to do something else? I don’t want for t
his to be finished so soon. Miniature golf? Or a movie?”
Honestly, I just wanted to be alone with him. “Uhh…could we, maybe…take a walk? Like we did earlier.”
He smiled. “That sounds good to me.”
He opened the car door for me and we took off. After a bit I asked him, “So where are we going?”
“To the park.”
“But the park is closed.”
He grinned. “Not to us it isn’t.”
That statement made me a little nervous, but he seemed so excited by the idea, so I went along with it. When we reached the park he drove past the entrance, took the next right, and then pulled into a street I never noticed before. Overhung by trees, it was really only a short driveway of sorts ending in a large gate. He parked the car. Two others were already parked so he left room for them to turn around.
I peered out the windshield. Beyond the gate I could see the huge lights of the park. “What is this?”
“I’m not sure. I think it was supposed to be an entrance at some point, or maybe was the entrance, I don’t know.” He gave my hand a squeeze. “But tonight, it’s our way in.”
He got out, so I followed suit on my side. “Are you sure about this?”
“Relatively sure.” He was walking to the trunk of his car and popped the release.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting some beach towels I have back here.”
I came around to observe and possibly help him. The trunk was full of junk. A gym bag, first aid kit, his lifeguard fanny pack, some tools, a Tom Clancy book, and another black bag, along with some loose crap. He had a stack of towels in his hands.
“See. I’m not that neat. I threw all my stuff in the trunk when I was cleaning to hide the mess.” It was actually reassuring as I wasn’t the neatest most of the time. Nearby voices shouted and laughter filtered through the tree branches.
I peered at him. It was dark where we were. The bright lights of the pool couldn’t penetrate the branches, bushes and trees surrounding us. “Who’s that?”
He listened. “I don’t know exactly. People skinny dipping.”
Skinny dipping? Was he expecting me to get naked with him? The thought of seeing all of him had its appeal, but I wasn’t comfortable with baring myself. The blood drain from my face. “Is that what we’re doing?”
I guess he heard the slight shake in my voice, or maybe my wide eyes gave me away. “Oh, no.” He walked toward the gate with me by his side. “You said you wanted to go for a walk, right?”
“Yes. Then why do we need towels?”
“In case we want to sit. To protect us from that goose poop.”
“Ahh. Good thinking.” I stared at the gate, a good dozen feet tall, at least. It was chained and padlocked. He seemed so self-assured.
Has he taken other girls here?
I had to ask. “Have you done this before?”
He shook his head. “Never. But Terry Kennedy told me about it. You know Terry?”
I nodded. “He goes to Southwest. He’s a nice kid. He doesn’t pick on me.”
“Well, I’d hope not. I’d hate to have to kick his ass.”
I smiled at him. It was nice to have someone in my corner. We arrived at the gate. He threw the towels on the ground then bent and laced his fingers together.
“Okay.” He looked at me expectantly.
“We’re climbing it?”
“Yeah. Unless you can’t…” He started to straighten. I put a hand on his shoulder to keep him down.
“No. I mean, I can climb it but…couldn’t we get in trouble?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “That’s what makes it fun.”
I peered up. “Uh-huh.”
“Terry said no one’s ever been caught before.”
“Umm. Let’s hope we’re not the first.” I kicked off my sandals. And put my foot into his hands.
“Hmm. I guess I didn’t think this through very well. Are you sure you want to climb barefoot?”
My hands were on his shoulders. Adrenaline rushed through me. I was usually a rule-follower, but maybe it was time for a change. “Yeah. I’ve got this.”
“Are you sure?”
I looked down at him, at my tiny foot in his big hands, and suddenly I wasn’t afraid anymore. “Come on, Reynolds. Give me a hike.”
He gave me a wide grin. “Okay.” He lifted me and I stretched toward the wire. “Wait.” He lowered me again. “I’ve got a better idea. Get on my back.”
“What?”
“You can climb up and stand on my shoulders.”
I wasn’t at all sure that would work, but I was in this far. “Okay.”
He crouched and I started to put my feet on top of him. “No. Just get on with your arms around my neck, and you can scale me when I straighten.”
I jumped on board. He straightened.
“Geez. You don’t weigh a thing. Reach above my head and grab the fence.” I did as I was told and from there it was easier than I expected. I had about a foot more to climb. Clutching at the wire with my fingers, I stuck my feet in holes and maneuvered my way up. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing I ever did, but it was bearable.
“That a girl.” He threw the towels over. One cleared the fence, one got snagged on the top. “I’ll get that.”
The scariest part was swinging to the other side. “Who-o-oah.” I wasn’t nearly as secure without the use of my feet.
“Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath and mumbled to myself. “You’ve got this, Elise.” Giving him a weak smile, I dropped my legs on the other side and was forced to change my grip. I panicked for a few seconds as I scrambled to find holes for my feet, but once I did, it was fairly easy to get down.
“Shit!” Hunter exclaimed, wiping a hand across his face.
A rush of exhilaration and relief pulsed through me. I grasped the fence again, as I let go to drop to the ground. Hunter immediately covered my hands with his.
I was breathing hard and laughing. “That was so scary.”
“You scared me.” He stared at me. “Come here.” He pushed his face against the fence and I did the same and he gave me an awkward kiss.
“I’m sorry, Elise. Sometimes I don’t think. I should have never made you do that.”
“You didn’t make me do anything. I’m good.”
“Well, okay.” He let go of my hands and gripped the fence higher, assessing his climb. Then he looked at me. “Not much of a first kiss, but I’ll do better on the other side.”
It filled me with tingles. “Then get your ass over here, Reynolds.”
He smiled and began to rapidly scale his side. He had to scooch himself along the top to get to the towel and unhook it from where it got caught in the fence. Then, without hesitation, he flipped over the top and, taking huge steps, he was on the ground in seconds.
He exhaled. “Whoo.”
I was laughing and grabbed his hips. “You did it.”
“Yeah. And now….” He drew me in, running his hands beneath my hair. My pulse exploded as I gazed up at him. He hesitated, peering into my face. The waiting was excruciating.
I pulled myself closer to him. “You promised.”
He grinned and then lowered his mouth to mine. The kiss wasn’t hesitant or hard, but somewhere in between and it made the rest of the world disappear until it was only our lips, seeking each other, our tongues exploring. It ignited something in me. Desire, I guess. I simply wanted more of him. Apparently he was also fueled by passion as he buried his hands in my hair and became more frantic. He separated from me after a bit and laid his forehead on mine, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.
“Shit.” We stood like that for several seconds, breathing. His eyes flashed open. “Was that…okay?”
A smile eased its way across my face. I couldn’t speak, but nodded and giggled. He rubbed his thumbs over my lips, then bent in and took them again, slower, but more intensely. So this is what it’s like to be kissed by him. It was way better
, and way different from what I anticipated. My barely restrained response was what surprised me the most. I didn’t know anyone could move me that way. When he parted from me this time, he drew my head into his chest.
“Man.” He released me and stood staring at me. “Maybe we should walk.”
“Okay.” That was fine with me. I wanted to savor what just happened. He produced my sandals from behind his back, where he stuck them in his waistband. I slipped them on, he grabbed the towels, and we began our walk. The holding hands was natural and the quiet between us comfortable.
He looked at me, and I at him. He chuckled. “That was seriously hot.” I laughed. “We need to do more of that.” He drew me in closer, sliding his arm around my shoulders so we were walking hip to hip. Staring straight ahead he said, “Tell me about your brothers.”
I busted out. “I frigging love the way you jump from one thing to another.”
“You do? Most people don’t.”
“I think it’s cute.”
The corners of his lips turned up. “So I’ve got that going for me. Your brothers.”
“Ooh. So bossy. I don’t remember what I told you already.”
“Very little.”
I watched our feet on the path, mulling it over. “Ryan, my oldest brother—he’s…twenty-seven, I think,” I calculated using my age as a jump in point, “yeah. Twenty seven. He’s…awesome. He’s smart and he’s funny and he’s Mr. Social Butterfly. He was even friends with the teachers in high school. And he has a big heart. He’s always watching out for me.”
“Where does he live?”
“Well, he’s finishing grad school at Columbia College in Chicago where he works for WGN.”
Hell Hath No Fury Page 14
