A slow grin worked its way onto his face and then he winked. “Yes, ma’am. Better watch out. It’s gonna get a little wild here.”
I hurried back to the other side of the railing and joined Beth and Lexi, who must’ve come to watch me ride. They both smiled at me as I joined them.
“Did you see that? Did you see that?” I was still so out of breath I could hardly talk.
“Yep, sure did.” Beth eyed me over the soda she was sipping. “We just saw you all over Hunter. Should we talk about that?”
I burst out in a laugh and wiped the back of my hand across my forehead. “Wait—what? What are you talking about?”
“You and Hunter, girl,” Lexi said, elbowing me and then nodding toward Hunter as he climbed on the bull. “Why didn’t you say anything? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been trying to set you up with someone else. I thought you were just friends.”
“We are just friends.” I emphasized the words and leaned against the railing.
The way Lexi pouted; you would’ve thought I’d just spat on her MAC eyeshadow pallet. “But you’d be so cute together...”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s totally against the rules.”
Beth leaned past Lexi to shoot me a green-eyed stare of disbelief. “You have rules? Seriously?”
I lifted my chin, giving her a proud smile, and held out three fingers. “We have three. The first: protect the secret location of our hangout. The second: always make up after a fight. And last: never fall for each other. So, it’s not going to happen.”
Even as I stated the rules aloud, I got a weird feeling inside my gut. The rules had always made so much sense before. They would protect us. But lately, the way my body was behaving around Hunter had begun to make those rules seem a little too strict...
No. That was just the stress of this week talking.
Hunter and I were friends. Always would be.
“You’re officially no fun.” Lexi tucked her hair behind her ears and then turned to watch the bull begin to move.
Hunter looked like a seasoned pro on that mechanical bull. The smooth way he leaned back and forth and rode the bull through its kicks was strangely hypnotic. A warm tingly sensation began in my stomach, sending heat toward my limbs. I gripped the railing tight with my fingers, too caught up in this magnificent sight to fight it. Ugh—Hunter was quite yummy when he showed off all those muscles in his arms. I could almost feel them around me again, just like the way we’d hugged moments ago.
“Did they speed it up?” I asked, my eyes widening as the bull spun at a neck-breaking speed. It could’ve been my imagination, but that thing was pitching and spinning even harder than it had for me.
Beth nodded. “They slow it down for the girls.”
Despite the extra difficulty, Hunter was rocking this bull. It spun, kicked, nose-dived, and still, he didn’t fall off. His left hand was high in the air, his concentration solidly on the bull, his legs gripping tight. All around us, the 4H kids whooped and hollered their approval. And when the shrill alarm went off, signaling the end of an eight-second eternity, I could finally take a breath again. Hunter really was an amazing bull rider.
“Okay, okay, I give up,” I said, as Hunter dismounted and walked toward the railing that I was leaning over. He didn’t even have that dizzy, fazed look in his eyes. He was solid. Steady as a rock. And looking totally hot with that windswept hair and wearing a cocky smile. My pulse throbbed just watching him strut towards me. “You win. I’m waving my white flag.”
He stepped on the bottom rung of the railing and leaned in toward me, his eyes twinkling. “Charlotte’s surrendering without a fight? I can’t remember the last time that happened. Can I get that in writing?”
“Nope. Not a chance.” My lips curled into a stubborn smile.
“Well, I think the boy deserves a reward for winning,” Lexi said, glancing down casually at her drink, not quite covering up the slight shift of her elbow against Beth’s side.
“Right, a reward,” Beth added in a little bit too eager of a tone. “You did lose the competition, Charlotte.”
The lights around us dimmed slightly. I looked over my shoulder to see the dance floor had been darkened. The deejay had just put on a slow song. Couples were pairing off, heading toward the center of the dance floor. A crazy thought was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“How about a dance with me? That can be your reward.”
Hunter pulled his chin away slightly, surprise rolling over his face. My cheeks began to burn and I had the sudden desire to melt into the floor like a pat of butter. He probably thought I was stepping over a line, because slow-dancing with your best friend was not something we’d ever done before—even in all the years we’d known each other. But he recovered from his surprise quickly with a smile.
“You bet. Let’s go, Char.”
Lexi and Beth could hardly suppress the excitement in their faces as Hunter hopped off the railing and left us to exit through the gate. They both flapped their hands and whisper-shouted at me at the same time.
“OMG, you asked him to dance.”
“Are you sure about that just friends thing?”
“It’s just a dance,” I hissed softly at them, as Hunter strolled toward me. “Don’t have a heart attack over it.”
But the moment he offered his hand to me and I took it, I realized I should’ve been saying those things to myself, because my heart was beginning to beat out of control.
Maybe there was a reason why best friends didn’t dance together to slow country love songs.
And maybe, there was a separate and completely logical reason for why my knees had gone all weak.
Or just maybe...I was breaking one of the rules.
Chapter Twelve
Maybe my ride on the mechanical bull had scrambled my brains. I was pretty sure that was true, because why else would I have suggested to Hunter that we dance together? He must’ve been equally shaken to have agreed. And so there we were, Hunter leading me toward the darkened dance floor and stopping awkwardly at the edge of the crowd to rub the back of his head and shoot me a questioning look.
“This okay?”
I tried to inhale deeply, but my lungs were stuck on hyperventilate mode. “Yeah. This works, I guess.”
“Um...can I...?”
He reached hesitantly for my waist and I nodded, giving him permission to put his hands there. At the same time, my arms reached automatically for his broad shoulders. He tensed under my touch, his back muscles strong and solid. I breathed out as we moved closer together, our torsos touching. The scent of his cologne filled my nose and I swore he could feel my heart thundering through my dress.
“Is this okay?” he whispered as he swayed us slowly to the beat of the music.
I nodded at him, but nothing about this was okay. Not the heat of his hands seeping through my dress, the warmth of his breath against my neck, or the sparks of electricity running up and down my spine.
Glancing up at him, I saw his eyes were closed, his dark eyelashes splayed on his cheeks. A little tension line had appeared between his eyebrows and his mouth formed a sober frown. It was serious Hunter, back again. The old Hunter would’ve cracked a joke right now about the music or the boys in the corner playing foosball. He would’ve said something to smooth over the awkwardness, but it seemed he was out of play at the moment.
“Did you ever have a girlfriend in Texas?”
The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it. That was two times tonight when I hadn’t been able to control my lips. It was becoming a problem.
We’d talked a lot about his time on the ranch in Texas, but he’d never mentioned any girls in particular. And now, I had the sudden and strange desire to know all the details.
Hunter’s eyes flew open and he looked down at me with a flash of amusement in his eyes. “Nope.”
“Oh, okay.” I nodded. Of course not. He would’ve mentioned it on the phone during one of the hundred phone conversations we�
�d had during his year away. “Just checking.”
“Why?” His grip on my waist tightened and he pulled me closer.
It was getting hard to breathe with my chest pressed up to his. I tried to wipe away a stray hair from my face and shrugged. “I don’t know. Just curious.”
“Just curious,” he repeated, emphasizing each word.
He reached up to grab the curl that was bugging me and tucked it gently behind my ear, his fingertips brushing against my earlobe and sending a whole rush of shivers down my back. I stared up at him, my head screaming at me to do something. Anything. But I was frozen in a perpetual slow dance and feeling all too comfortable in Hunter’s arms.
This was uncharted territory.
“Charlotte.” He leaned his forehead against mine, closed his eyes again, and took a deep breath. “This is...nice.”
“Hmmm.”
I clung to his shoulders, my mind shattering into a million pieces and refusing to give me any direction. Was this what I wanted? To be this close to Hunter? And what did he want? He didn’t seem to be pulling away anytime soon.
The somersaults my stomach were doing were threatening to make my knees buckle. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. I kind of liked it. Just like I enjoyed the soft feeling of Hunter’s hair as I worked my hands up the back of his neck. The scent of his cologne had become intoxicating, to the point where I was having trouble thinking of any possible reason why these feelings I was having toward my best friend could be wrong.
I could’ve been lost in those sensations, if I hadn’t glanced over Hunter’s shoulder to see a thick-armed man swiftly moving toward us like a rhinoceros on a rampage. He wore a brown t-shirt that stretched tight over his barrel chest and a terrible scowl that could’ve made a baby cry. His black baseball cap made it harder to recognize him, but a second later, his name came to me in a rush. It was Bree’s ex-fiancée, Steven, advancing on us. And he wasn’t slowing down.
“What are you doing here?” Steven spat, grabbing Hunter’s arm to yank him away from me.
I stood, frozen in my spot, as Hunter’s whole demeanor changed. He morphed from the quiet, steady boy holding me gently, to someone I didn’t recognize, with a puffed-up chest, hardened jaw, and equally scary scowl.
“Don’t touch me,” Hunter growled, pointing at him with his index finger. “Not if you want to keep all of your teeth.”
“This is my turf, boy.” Steven’s hands curled into white-knuckled fists and he shifted his stance. His thick brows arched. “You don’t belong here. You and your trashy momma never should’ve come back. This town doesn’t have room for the likes of you.”
Indignation swept over me as Hunter stood there silently, matching Steven’s threatening glare.
“Yes, it does.” I instinctively grabbed Hunter’s hand, threading my fingers through his, and squeezed it. No way would I stand by as someone insulted my best friend and his mom. I might not have understood what was going on here, but I knew I couldn’t let him hurt Hunter like that. “This is their town, too. And there are people here who love them.”
Steven’s gaze flicked to mine for a mere second before it returned to Hunter’s. Apparently, he’d classified me as a non-threat. It didn’t matter. I’d stand by Hunter’s side for anything. Even for a charging bull.
Or, a raging lunatic.
“All right, that’s enough.” The man from the mechanical bull came striding over and planted his hand firmly on Steven’s muscular shoulder. “This is a family event. If you can’t behave, you’ll be asked to leave.”
Steven shrugged off the hand with a disgruntled noise, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile. “Family’s overrated. I’m out of here.”
He marched toward the exit, leaving Hunter quivering from head to toe and rage swirling in his eyes. I looked around. Most of the bar and grill had quieted down for this little scene and still stared at us like we were monkeys in a zoo. My gaze landed on Sarah, perched at her bar stool. Her expression mirrored Steven’s disgust, her eyes glued to where my hand held Hunter’s.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” I said, tugging Hunter toward a nearby hallway.
He needed somewhere to cool off. And we needed to talk.
The hallway was lit by a single weak lightbulb hanging from a cord. We passed a men’s restroom and then a ladies’ room. At the end stood a heavy black door. I pushed through it, unsure where it led, but not really caring in that moment. All I wanted was to get Hunter to a safe place. Away from prying and judging eyes. To a place where he could return to the gentle and protective Hunter I knew—the one that didn’t look like he had murder on the mind.
“Oh, look. It’s a storage room,” I said, flipping on the dim light and shutting the door behind us.
It was about the size of my bedroom at home. The walls were lined with shelves overflowing with jars and canned goods. A couple buckets of corn sat stacked near the door. And several large bags of rice had been thrown in a heap in the far corner.
“Come on.” I pulled him toward the bags and took a seat, tugging him down with me.
He’d been festering with silent rage this entire time, his eyes still blazing with heat. I knew he wanted to explode. I could see it in his face. But that wasn’t Hunter. He didn’t lose control. His self-control was pretty amazing. And it wasn’t until we were sitting side by side, my hand still holding tightly to his, did he finally punch the bag of rice beside him with his left fist.
“I hate that guy,” he muttered, punching the bag again. “I hate him so much. I wish he’d leave this town. No, wait. Scratch that. I wish he’d never been born.”
I reached over to grab his arm, halting his assault on the grains. “What was that, Hunter? What happened between you guys? Why do I have the feeling you didn’t tell me everything?”
His gaze flicked to mine, holding so much grief and guilt that it nearly knocked me over. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. With a hesitant intake of breath, he squeezed my hand.
“Steven...was beating up on my mom.”
I inhaled sharply and pressed my free hand to my mouth. That was the last thing I’d expected to hear from him. “He hurt Bree?”
Hunter nodded, the muscles in his jaw flexing. “She hid it from me for months. I didn’t find out until I walked in on it one day after freshman year. She’d accidentally opened up some of Steven’s mail. He smacked her with the back of his hand, giving her a bloody lip.”
Sorrow fell over me like a wave. How anyone could hurt Bree was beyond me. She was unbelievably wonderful. She deserved better.
“What did you do?” I asked in a hushed voice.
His grip on my hand tightened as his eyes darkened with memory. “I did what any kid would do if he saw someone hurting his mom. I ran at him, fists flying. It barely fazed him. He ended me with a coldcock to the temple. When I woke up, he was already on his way to work a nightshift. Mom and I packed up that house in less than a half hour. We told everyone Grandpa had broken his leg, but we were just trying to escape.”
His confession shook me to my core. I stared at the loose grains of rice on the floor, my brain trying to catch up with my ears.
“Wait—that’s why you left so fast?”
He nodded. “I guess hitting me was the last straw for Mom. She knew he wouldn’t leave us alone without a fight. So, we went to Texas and Grandpa helped us find a lawyer to make him move out. According to the protection order, he’s not supposed to come within thirty feet of either of us, but I guess that jerk doesn’t know how to read.”
I felt unbelievably sad and angry at the same time. Angry that Steven was so completely awful. And sad that Hunter had gone through all of this without me. I was his best friend. We were supposed to tell each other everything. He’d been hurting and I’d been totally blind to it.
“W-w-why didn’t you tell me?” Tears filled my eyes and I tried to blink them back. “I could’ve helped you.”
Defeat entered the tired lines on his forehead, and he
leaned forward on his knees to frown at the ground. “Char, I just couldn’t. He pounded me into the ground like a puny ant. I was weak and pathetic. I didn’t want to tell you that. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”
I stared at the side of Hunter’s stricken face. Now it made sense why he’d been so sure that he’d changed in the past year. And why he’d taken on something as crazy as bull riding. He was trying to make up for that moment. The moment when he’d failed to take down the bad guy and protect his mom. My heart ached for him.
“I’d never think less of you.” I gripped his knee tight. “Never. Do you hear me, cowboy?”
A weary smile pulled at his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now, you have no more reasons to keep anything from me. I want to be the first to know if you’re in trouble. I mean, for real. Who was the first person I called after I made an idiot of myself and nearly drowned?”
He let out a puff of air and grinned. “Me...”
“Yeah. That’s right. I’m the queen of stupidity, but I still called you. That’s what best friends are for—to get us through the worst and best in life.”
His hazel eyes flicked up to mine. “Okay...you’ve got a point.”
“Dang right, I’ve got a point.” I huffed and tossed my hair over my shoulder. “I’ve matured a lot too, over this year, you know. You’re not the only one.”
He chuckled low and throaty, his thumb rubbing a small circular pattern on my hand that was still holding tightly to his. The sensation lit my skin on fire and all at once, those feelings and emotions from dancing close to him cascaded over me again like Niagara Falls.
“I’m sorry I lied to you.” Hurt echoed in his eyes as he stared down at our hands. “I’m sorry I wasn’t a better friend. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for your terrible year. And I’m sorry you had to see all that.”
I watched his lips form the words, but all I could hear was the heart-breaking sorrow that came from deep within him. Moving closer, I splayed my free hand on his chest. Every part of me wanted to pull him toward me and wrap him up in a hug so tight he’d never doubt the affection I had toward him.
Dare You to Resist the Bull Rider (Rock Valley High Book 4) Page 10
