“Stevie.” Pocahontas grabbed her arm. “You have to be with me.”
Stevie’s gaze darted over her shoulder to me. “Oh, I can’t.”
“No. Go ahead.” I waved at them.
Stevie’s mouth thinned into a line. Then she looked behind me. I instantly sensed what she was planning. The moment felt like someone pushed the slow-motion button on me but sped everything else up. My mouth opened to stop her.
“Hunter!” Stevie yelled. “Partner up with my girl, will ya? You know how much I hate physical activity. Well, not all.” She gave Pocahontas a wink.
Ohgodohgodohgod. My cheeks scorched with heat as I stood immobile with my mouth partway open. I felt him come up behind me, like his body had minuscule feelers skating over my skin.
“You got her back?” Stevie’s gaze drifted over my shoulder at the form behind. “Because you know I will hurt you if you don’t. You know how much I hate getting dirty or having blood on my clothes, but for her I will.”
“Think I can handle it.” His husky voice vibrated through me, knocking around in my chest.
Stevie grinned, leaning into my ear. “If the running and exertion doesn’t end me first, you have free reign to kill me later.”
“I will take you up on that.” I kept my voice even. She gave me a poignant look before turning to her warrior princess.
I stared after her, chagrin holding my feet in place.
“Jaymerson?” He said my name and my lids shut briefly.
“Yes?”
“Are you going to turn around?”
“Probably not.”
His hands slid down my shoulders, clutched my biceps and spun me around to face him. Hunter’s eyebrows arched up to his black beanie in question.
“I could claim temporary insanity if I killed her, right?”
Hunter snorted. “Anyone who knows her would get behind you.”
I felt myself relax under his hold, but he quickly dropped his hands from me, looking away. “She is definitely not subtle.”
I laughed. “No. She’s not. But it’s why I love her. I need some non-bullshit in my life.”
Hunter lips twisted in a smirk, shaking his head slightly, picking up on the pointed meaning of my words.
Stevie and Pocahontas stood next to me. Jones and Doug were on the other side of Hunter. Megan and Sunny were in front of us. Sunny kept looking over her shoulder shooting me dirty looks. She clearly was not happy with Hunter’s choice of partner. Not that he had much of a choice... damn Stevie.
“All right, everyone. Come grab your monitors.” Will beckoned us over. Pairs of people went up, getting an assigned monitor. The computer savvy Perry was linking our monitors to his laptop. We got ours and moved to the opening of the maze. I pulled my flashlight out of my pocket.
“You ready?” Hunter fished his out.
“Yep.” I nodded a huge grin taking over my face. “Let’s do this.”
Hunter’s gaze darted over my face, scouring it intensely, his eyes glinting.
I was relieved when I heard Will yell out. “Okay, five, four, three, two, one... GO!”
People darted in all directions, like shopping on Black Friday when the doors first open. Hunter grabbed my arm and took a sharp turn, slipping us down a narrow path, away from the swarm.
My feet and heart pounded the frozen earth, fleeing the danger of open space. Thrill fluttered through every inch of me. Watching Hunter slowly jog in front of me turned the flutter into a tizzy of beating wings in my stomach.
I could say I was mad at Stevie, but I wasn’t that good of a liar.
Hunter and I moved through the maze, quickly getting to know each other’s signals without talking. The maze was huge and the key was tiny. The chances of any of us finding it were slim. But it wasn’t about the prize; it was all about the hunt.
We snuck down a long lane, the dried cornstalks frozen in fragile sticks. Hunter suddenly stopped, and I halted my own feet instantly.
“Shhh.” He glanced over to me, putting a finger to his lips.
I nodded, hearing the low-speaking voices and rustling of feet. We tiptoed to the edge of the hedge. He motioned for me to get behind him as he peered around the corner. Hunter’s head jerked back, hiding behind the shrubbery, his arm pushing me farther into the bush.
Sounds of gravel broke underfoot and moved closer. A girl’s voice murmured. Another girl’s, deeper sounding, responded. I could sense them progressing in our direction, choosing our path instead of the other.
Crap. Hunter looked over his shoulder, his head flicking up, preparing me for the attack. I nibbled on my lower lip, my finger rubbing over the on button of the flashlight.
A ray of light shot across the ground from a different angle than the pair coming our way. “Got you,” a guy yelled, his voice emanating from another path, directed on the other pair. I realized quickly we were well hidden. He couldn’t see us. Yet.
Hunter swiftly turned, grabbed my hips, and shuffled us deep into the shadowy corner, driving me firmly into the stalks, his body pressed against mine. He tucked his head down, his breath trickling down my neck.
“No, you didn’t get me,” a familiar girl’s voice yelled back. Sunny. Anxiety immediately bolted through my veins. If she saw us like this? Not pretty. “My monitor didn’t go off.”
“Dude. I totally got you.” I knew immediately it was Jones.
“No, you didn’t, and you’re not going to. You can’t even beat me at Wii,” Megan jeered back.
A snicker escaped Hunter, his head slightly shaking. It made me believe this might have been a running competition between the two of them.
“Are you seriously dissing me right now? You won once.” Irritation sang through Jones’s words.
“Four times,” Megan replied. “But come on, Jonesy, let’s see if you can now.”
Strobes of light, feet pounding the gravel, and shouts circled around us. Doug let out a battle cry as both he and Jones ran into our area.
Hunter’s form pushed harder into mine, shielding me completely from view, dissolving us into the shadows. I held my breath as the commotion stirred, coming around us. Hunter’s finger’s dug into my hips, holding us still.
Even with everything going on, I was highly aware of our aligned bodies. My chest pressed to his ribs. The feel of his muscles and taut physique smashed into every inch of mine, stabbing a dozen shrub branches into my back, through my jacket. I lowered my lids, my pulse thumping in my ears, oxygen locked up tight. It was exquisite torture.
“Come on, Megan,” Sunny shouted, forcing my eyes to flare open. Pairs of feet hit the ground, driving away from the area.
“Cowards!” Doug and Jones gave chase, advancing past us.
We both held still for another few moments, our shallow breaths in sync. Twisting his neck, Hunter looked over his shoulder.
“Are they gone?” I whispered.
He snapped back to me, his finger came to my mouth, hushing me, then gazed back over his shoulder. I went still. Heat raced up my back, flooding over my shoulders and up my neck. He dropped his arm, his hand slipping slowly over my lips. I sucked in a breath, my heartbeat faltered, rushing blood through my system.
He took another moment, his head cocked, listening for any sounds, then turned back to me. “I think they’re gone,” he whispered, his mouth barely a few inches from mine. “We’re clear to go.” He didn’t move away. Tension expanded in the air around us. Growing. Poking at us, reminding me of the night we kissed. The nearness of our bodies became the only thing I could think about or feel.
We should move away from each other.
Neither of us did. His gaze dropped down to my mouth.
Thoughts stopped.
The world stopped.
Ever so slightly he leaned forward, diminishing the gap between. My head tilted up, not wanting to stop what was coming. His breath tickled my lips, my lids fluttering closed. His lips lightly grazed mine.
The crunch of gravel sounded behind us, sna
pping our heads away from each other. Hunter went rigid, his back straightening, his head tipping to listen. Footsteps bordered the end of the hedge, nearing us. Hunter’s eyes went to mine, his forehead crinkling in a worried expression.
“Let’s go that way, the far passage,” said a man’s voice I didn’t recognize. Of course, it was the exact passage we were near. There was no way we wouldn’t be seen this time.
Hunter clenched his hands firmer around my waist. I tipped slightly to the side, seeing two outlines heading our way. Hunter’s fingers squeezed me again, trying to get my attention. I met his gaze, his face set with determination. He flicked his head slightly to the oncoming enemies.
We would attack.
Every step brought them closer to us. Any second they would discover us. I drew my flashlight up, keeping it hidden between Hunter and me. My finger hovering over the on switch while my eyes locked on Hunter’s, trying to convey what I was planning.
He seemed to understand because a grin hitched the side of his face. “On three,” he mouthed to me.
I nodded.
One.
Two.
Three.
He then twisted his upper half sharply to the side, out of my way. At the same time, my thumb rammed at the button shooting light from my torch.
“Tag!” The beam of light hit the girl’s chest, dinging her monitor. “Tag!” I slid it over to her male partner, doing the same. Both were out.
“Dammit,” she cried out, stomping her foot. She was a gorgeous, leggy blonde. Even bundled in a beanie, scarf, and puffy jacket she looked stylish. Her skintight jeans and thin-heeled boots were not necessarily suitable for running around playing flashlight tag at night, but she didn’t look like the kind who dressed for comfort.
The man swore, throwing down his flashlight, breaking the top off, the batteries spilling out. Someone has a temper. He was shorter than her, and not at all attractive with his small brown eyes, round face, and pug nose. He had an air about him. You could see it by the way he pinned back his shoulders, held his head, and puffed his chest out so far he might topple over. He was trying extra hard to convey to people he was the shit. He strutted around the space, kicking dirt up.
“It had to be you.” The guy motioned to Hunter.
A huge smile broke over Hunter’s face. “Bet it stings, huh, Zack? Can’t even beat me here.”
“Just wait.” Zack pointed at him, his chest puffing up. “I won’t go easy on you because of the accident.”
“There’ll be no need. You’ll still only see the back of my head.” Hunter cocked his eyebrow up. His demeanor was always self-assured. Not arrogant, but matter of fact, as if he knew something the rest of us didn’t. Colton and his guy friends were always goading, taunting, and trying to outdo each other in everything. Hunter never gave that impression, even if his words were saying it.
Zack rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling under his breath.
“Come on, Zack.” The girl sighed, brushing her long, silky hair off her shoulders. “At least now we can go get a drink and slip into the backseat of your car.”
That seemed to pacify Zack’s tantrum. “Yeah. You actually did me a favor,” Zack said to Hunter, grabbing the back of the girl’s neck, steering her away like a pet. The possessive ownership turned my stomach. But her brown eyes glinted at his touch, letting him lead her. Zack stuck his finger at Hunter. “Expect a different outcome this weekend.” Zack and the blonde strolled down the path heading for the exit, his hand moved to her ass.
“What a douchebag.” The words fell out of my mouth before I even thought.
A snorted laugh came from Hunter. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“What was he talking about? About not going easy on you?”
Hunter frowned in the direction Zack disappeared. “Everything with Zack is a competition. Ignore him.” He didn’t actually answer my question, but I didn’t pressure him to explain. Hunter was secretive, unlike Colton, who had been an open book.
Silence expanded between us. We shouldn’t have been partners. Being near each other was asking for trouble.
Hunter cleared his throat, glancing around. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Which way?” The moment the question came out, loud pounding feet and a cry from the path where we were headed came hurtling our way.
“I see you, Whiskey,” Stevie’s familiar voice sang down the lane. A spray of light, flickered at our toes. I jumped away from the light with a chirp of alarm.
Hunter instinctively grabbed for my hand, swiveling us around, and we ran down another path. Adrenaline blasted into my legs so I didn’t experience any pain or stiffness. I still hobbled a little, but Hunter’s limp was a lot more noticeable. I glanced over my shoulder as we escaped. Stevie had stopped, bending over her legs.
“Damn all this running,” Stevie gasped. Her girlfriend patted her back. “Who voluntarily does this?”
I giggled. I loved that girl.
“They got away,” I heard Pocahontas say to her.
“Oh. Good. Does it mean I can stop running now?”
“You ran two feet,” her partner responded dryly.
“Yeah. Whew. I’m exhausted.”
The grin on my face only grew and turned into exhilaration as Hunter and I escaped again. I had never felt so free. So happy.
“This way.” He took a severe curve, getting us away from them. The lane was empty and dark, but we could hear voices and yells of other teams close by. With our hands still locked we went down the trail, coming to a three-way fork. He slowed his pace, both of us out of breath. Yells from behind jolted us again. I yanked his arm, taking us down the path closest to me.
His bad leg was not ready for my change of direction. “Shit!” He pitched forward, his feet tangling with mine, tripping us. I yelped as he hit my back and both of us went down in heap of arms and legs. The impact of his body dropped me hard, skating my face and hands over the rocks. He stumbled over me, trying not to fully fall on me. His face planted over my shoulder, half of his frame covering mine.
We both lay there for a moment. I lifted my head to look at him. “Are you okay?”
He twisted his head to look at me. “Damn. That hurt.” A slight smile played on his mouth. He rolled off me onto his back. “You don’t provide a lot of cushion there, girl.”
“Then next time I recommend you being on bottom.” I instantly bit my lip. The blatant sexual insinuation hung in the air.
Hunter stared at me. Slowly a bad-boy grin hinted along his mouth. “Take turns?”
We watched each other.
I burst out laughing. Nerves and humor at the entire situation surged from deep inside, inducing the kind of laughter which hurts your stomach and pulls tears from your eyes. Hunter’s chuckles joined mine. The two of us sprawled out, giggling till we couldn’t breathe. When our laughter turned to spotted gasps of air I heard him call me.
“Jayme?” He rolled over to his side, flicking his chin to the hedge in front of us. “Look.”
I picked up my head, glancing to where he pointed. There on a bush across from us hung a key.
“Are you kidding me?” I exclaimed, guffawing at the luck of our fluke plunge.
“Seriously.” Hunter shook his head, rolling up. “That’s a little strange.”
“Freaky.” I pushed myself to sit, groaning as my body responded to the fall. “Damn, we went down hard.”
He nodded. I wiped at the tears dampening my face with my knuckles. Dirt covered my hands, and I rubbed my palms together, dropping embedded pebbles from my palms.
“You’re bleeding.” He reached out touching my cheek, then quickly let his hand drop.
“So are you.” I pointed at his forehead.
“War wound.” He grinned. My mouth responding in kind. He pushed himself to his feet and held out his hand, helping me to mine. “Come on. Let’s grab the key and claim our prize.”
I stared at him with a huge impish smile.
“What?” He e
yed me curiously.
“You have gravel up your nose.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Our prize ended up being a car trunk full of beer, various bottled cocktails, and a few sodas, which we shared with the whole group in the parking lot.
“See, wasn’t I right?” Stevie threw her arm around my shoulders, coming up to Hunter and me. “Pairing you two up? You work well together. Like two fine-assed ninjas.”
I shot her a warning look. She winked back.
“Think it was more gravity than our ninja skills.” Hunter chuckled, playing with the wilted label on his beer someone forced in his hand. He had yet to take one sip from it. It was more like a prop to him. Something to hold. Drinking and driving wasn’t even a fleeting thought to us anymore. We had been forced to learn that lesson painfully.
The light from the barn lit the side of his face that was scratched up. The incident of our tumble flashed in my mind. As if I were a marionette being controlled, my lips tugged at the corners of my mouth, instantly covering my face in an enormous grin, until a snicker escaped. Hunter caught my gaze, his eyes glinting with the shared joke. Lightning crackled up my spine. I looked down at my feet nudging at a rock.
“Yeah, what did happen?” Stevie motioned between our scratched faces, with one eyebrow curved. “Things tend to get really physical when you two are left alone together.”
Shut up, my eyes conveyed to her. I didn’t want him to know I told Stevie about the night we made out on the floor of the physical therapy room.
Instead of getting weird, Hunter laughed, nodding his head. “It seems so.”
“Where is your girl?” I asked Stevie, wanting to distract her from the topic of Hunter and me.
Stevie looked over her shoulder, shrugging. “Not sure.”
“Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise already?”
“It’s why I don’t bother learning their names.” She nudged me with her hip, dropping her arm from me. “She’s too sweet, not experimental enough. She only likes girls.” Stevie winked, tapping both mine and Hunter’s butts. “And with asses like his, I can’t leave out either. It would be too selfish and cruel of me. You good here for a bit?” She took a few steps away from us.
Shattered Love Page 19
