Everything was wrong. So very wrong. What had happened to having the best year ever? It felt so far out of reach, I couldn’t imagine it anymore.
Not even the idea of stealing a crown from Sarah’s head could cheer me up.
It felt like she’d already won.
Chapter Seventeen
Secret hangout. 8 am.
Meet me there.
It’s in the rules.
I stared groggily at those words on my phone as I laid in bed, hugging the comforter to my body. Hunter had texted me late last night and I’d just seen it now. I was surprised the vibrating tone of my phone hadn’t woken me up.
Honestly, it was the worst night of sleep I’d had in a long time. It had taken me hours to drift off. I couldn’t wade through all my jumbled thoughts about Hunter, and Sarah, and Graham. Or answer the question of why the events of last night had me so worked up. None of it made sense. And this morning felt no different. My temples throbbed and it felt like I hadn’t had a drink of water in days.
But there wasn’t much time to recover. The blurry numbers on my phone warned me that I had only twenty minutes to put some clothes on, run a toothbrush over my teeth, and get to our secret hideout. Hunter was right. I couldn’t reject his demands to meet. It was part of the rules. We always had to make up after a fight—no matter how much we’d hurt each other. And so, I begrudgingly slipped my feet into my Toms and went to splash some cold water on my face.
The secret hideout wasn’t far. About halfway between our homes sat a little suburban park with a man-made pond, complete with a cute fishing dock. Part of the park was covered with dense trees where no one seemed to venture. During our many exploratory trips around town, we’d discovered a little hollow back there that was hidden from sight. A place where we could carve our names into the rocks and joke and talk about our lives. It was our secret. And that was where I found Hunter sitting and waiting for me, using a stick to trace in the dirt between his feet.
“Hey.” I crossed my arms and walked grumpily in front of him to sit on a large rock.
Just the sight of him had me steaming mad again. Although, the bags under his eyes and his messy hair did help alleviate some of the worst of it. At least he hadn’t slept well, either. That made two of us.
“Char.” He dropped the stick and rubbed the dirt off his hands. “I’m glad you came.”
“I kind of had to,” I said, glaring at him for a second before tearing my eyes away.
Okay, so maybe I wasn’t completely mad at him anymore. More like confused and hurt. It might have been in the friendship pact that we had to make up, but I didn’t have to make it easy on him.
“Well, thanks, anyway.” He rubbed the back of his head and grimaced. “I wanted to talk about last night.”
I inhaled and waited. Here it came. The apology. He should’ve been on his hands and knees groveling after what he did. I fully expected the works.
“I don’t think you should go out with Graham anymore,” he began, scowling at the ground. “I’ve never liked him. He’s got one of those faces, you know? I don’t think you’re safe with him. You need to dump him.”
My mouth fell open as I gaped at Hunter. So much for an apology. Instead, he was ordering me around? Heck, no. Not on my watch.
“Hunter McNally, you did not just say that to me.” I rose to my feet, my cheeks burning hot. My fists curled at my sides as I glared at him, my whole body quivering with anger.
His eyes grew wide and he held up his hands. “What?”
“After what you did...after the way you acted last night.” I inhaled through my nostrils, trying my best to keep my voice below hysterical mode. “I can’t believe you’d have the nerve to talk to me this way. I want an apology from you.”
He scrambled to his feet, his eyes flashing with matching anger. “For what, exactly?”
“For showing up to ruin my date.”
He huffed and tossed his head. “Why should I apologize to you? I was just trying to protect you. You don’t understand guys like Graham.”
“You don’t get to decide what I need protecting from.” I glued my hands on my hips and continued to glare at him. Anger pulsated in my chest. “Especially not when you show up with her.”
Understanding entered his eyes. He shook his head and laughed hollowly. “That’s what you’re angry about? You’re upset I went with Sarah?”
“Duh! She practically ruined my life last year. Or do you not remember when I nearly drowned?”
His face softened and he took a step toward me. “Of course, I remember.”
“Then, why her?” My eyes blurred with tears.
It felt like I was back in that hospital room, the monitors beeping around me. The overpowering scent of antiseptic wash with each measured inhale. The quiet doctors and the smiling nurses. The shivering cold of my skin that was hard to chase away, even with all the blankets in the world. It had been a hopeless few minutes of my life, back when I’d realized how far I’d sunk into my own misery. This was just as miserable—confronting my best friend.
“Char, she doesn’t mean anything to me.” Hunter was in front of me now, holding both of my upper arms as he stared deep into my eyes. “She was just an excuse to go to the movie to keep an eye on you. I swear it. I’d never do that to you.”
The fight went out of my body as he pulled me close to him. I sniffled against the hard muscles of his chest, wishing that I hadn’t cried in front of him. But it didn’t seem to bother Hunter. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and rested his cheek against my head. I let the scent of his cologne soothe me, just like it had so many times before. And when the anger and the tears were finally gone, something else began to stir inside of me.
His fingertips on my lower back massaged me gently through my shirt. I shifted my hands up to his shoulders and squeezed the muscles there, admiring in their strength. He really was gorgeous. There was no mistaking that, anymore. Even I couldn’t ignore it. The way he made my body tingle was undeniable. My gaze slid up to Hunter’s face. He was watching me, his eyes dark and tempting.
Just like in that storage room.
The world around me tilted.
And so it was, for the second time in a matter of days and without waiting to think about it, I pressed my lips against his. The satisfied groan he made as his hands slid up my back made my stomach clench. I closed my eyes and wove my fingers through the hair at the back of his head. It was softer than I’d imagined. Just like the feel of his mouth sliding over mine. He nibbled softly on my lower lip, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my toes. His breath was minty and sweet—as if he’d just popped a piece of double-mint gum.
The hint of stubble on his chin brushed against my cheek like sandpaper. I removed one of my hands from his head to feel it beneath my fingertips. I loved the sensation. Just like I enjoyed tracing the lines of his strong jaw. His hands moved to cup my face as he sighed and then deepened the kiss, causing my knees to go all kinds of wobbly.
Despite the emotional turmoil of the last few hours, a stirring had begun once again in my stomach. It was powerful and needy, almost like that time I’d tried fasting for a weekend.
I needed Hunter. I wanted him. In a way totally unlike anything I’d felt before.
And definitely in a way that I hadn’t wanted Graham.
My eyes flew open as sudden realization swept over me. This was the reason I’d been so upset last night. And why the last week had been like trudging over broken glass. I’d broken one of the cardinal rules. I’d fallen for Hunter. He wasn’t just my best friend anymore.
My heart wanted so much more from him. And maybe—just maybe, he felt it, too. From the way he was kissing me, it definitely seemed like it.
Just the thought of it made me float on air.
“Hunter...”
I murmured as his touch became more insistent. He broke his mouth free to place hot kisses underneath my jaw and down my neck. He was breathing heavily, his fingers working their way
into my hair. I shivered as goosebumps rose along my skin wherever he touched. It was easy to see that Hunter made me feel alive like no one else did. Kissing him, feeling him touch me, was awakening something inside of me I thought had long perished this past year.
It felt like hope.
I grasped blindly for his hands, caught between wanting him to continue kissing me until I was dizzy and spilling this new found truth I’d discovered. But it couldn’t wait. I had to tell my best friend the wonderful news.
“Hunter, wait. I have to tell you something.”
His hot lips pressed against a spot behind my ear that made me wriggle with pleasure. I laughed and squealed, pushing him away slightly.
“Wait, I have to tell you something,” I said, smiling at him as he stood before me, his chest heaving.
His face was flushed, and his lips swollen. He was looking at me as if he’d like nothing more than to devour me right then and there. I was half-tempted to let him.
“I think I figured out why this week has been so weird for us,” I said, swallowing down the last bit of nerves I held. It should’ve been easy to say after the way he’d just kissed me. Still, it was never easy confessing to your crush. “I like you, Hunter.”
A grin slid onto his face and he squeezed my upper arms. “I like you, too, Char.”
“No, I mean, I really like you.” I stared up at him, pressing my lips together. “I think...I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“You’re...what?”
The post make-out glaze over his gaze disappeared in one single blink. He pulled back slightly, his brows lowering. It took him a few seconds to absorb what I’d said. And then, I watched as all the blood drained from his face and his hands fell limp to his sides.
“This was a mistake.” He glanced around the clearing, looking everywhere except for me. “We shouldn’t have done this.”
Hurt and confusion shot through my gut like an arrow. I grabbed his arm, trying to pull his gaze back to me.
“It wasn’t a mistake. Everything’s finally clearing up for me. I like you, Hunter. And I know you like me, too. What’s so wrong with that?”
His hazel eyes darted to mine and what I saw there was a deep, raw pain. He disengaged his arm from my hands, stepping back to put some distance between us.
“We can’t do this, Char.” He held out his palms toward me, as if I were going to attack him with my lips. “It’s against the rules.”
I laughed and it echoed in the trees around us. “You mean the rules we made when we were in middle school?”
He nodded solemnly, taking another step away. “We made them for a reason. We can’t do this. You can’t fall in love with me. It’ll ruin everything.”
Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I’d never felt so cold. Not even after nearly drowning. Hunter was hitting me with a blast so frigid I was pretty sure I’d have frostbite on the edges of my heart. I didn’t understand. It was so clear that he had feelings for me, too. You didn’t kiss a girl like that without feelings involved. Why was he shutting me down?
“Hunter, I can’t help the way I feel,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “You ordering me to just ignore my feelings isn’t going to change anything.”
We’d been so naive when we’d set those rules. As if we had a choice who we fell for. It was laughable now. I could see that.
Hunter took a breath that made his tensed shoulders rise. With a stricken expression, he exhaled and then pinned me with his gaze. “Well, then, I guess we can’t do this anymore.”
My mind went completely blank for a moment as I tried to process what he was saying. Was he...? Yes. He was breaking up with me. Not as a boyfriend, but as a best friend. My heart couldn’t comprehend it. What was going inside that head of his?
“Are you serious?” I took a step toward him, only to have him retreat one more. “Do you understand what you’re saying?”
He sniffed and then wiped the back of his sleeve across his face. “I can’t be around you anymore, Char. This was a mistake. A huge mistake. And now, we’ve let it ruin us.”
With a sigh, he marched past me, heading in the direction of his house. I clenched my fists, determined not to let him have the last word. We didn’t let this ruin us. He ruined us. All because he couldn’t admit his own feelings.
“You’re a coward, Hunter McNally!”
He froze for a brief moment, his body tensing. I prayed that he would turn around. That he would come back, give me that Hunter smile that I loved so much, and we could start over. But with a slight tilt of his head, he was off again, leaving me all alone in our secret hideout.
Chapter Eighteen
I was done.
Not even the prospect of total annihilation of my sworn enemy could cheer me up.
As I slouched next to Geminia at the arena, waiting to go through our steps for tonight’s final event and eventual crowning, all I could do was replay that scene with Hunter this morning at our secret hideout over and over again in my head. It seemed like a lifetime ago when I’d first reunited with him here, at this very arena. Things had gone so wrong between us. And now, I was best-friend-less and broken-hearted. Not a very Junior Rodeo Queen thing to be.
I just wanted this competition to be over. To win my crown and finally be officially released from diner duty. It seemed the most I could hope for this summer. Everything else had fallen apart.
“Hey, chin up,” Geminia said, elbowing me. “Look, they brought the horses for us to practice.”
I straightened up, twisting around to catch a look. Maybe, Hunter had changed his mind and brought Carolina to me himself. A girl could hope.
Biting my lower lip, I desperately searched the crowd of cowboys and horses walking toward us. The sight of a beautiful white horse with gray dots had my heart racing. But then my eyes fell on Bree leading her in my direction, and my heart cracked just a little bit more.
“Hey, beautiful girl.” Bree beamed at me and pulled Carolina in front of me. “Special delivery.”
I tried to smile at her, but my lips felt like they’d been filled with cement. “Thanks, Bree.”
Her smile faltered as her gaze took in my face. She reached out to squeeze my shoulder. “What’s up, sweetie? You look like someone’s died.”
Tears burned in my eyes as I looked away. It did feel like death had been here. And it had stolen the love of my best friend away from me.
“I’m fine,” I lied, hugging my arms around myself.
“Nuh uh, I don’t buy it.” She stepped closer. “Hunter was acting just like this after he got home this morning. That’s when he asked me to deliver Carolina to you. Did you two fight? You’ll make up. You always do.”
I shook my head and stared up at her with despair. “Not this time, Bree. Hunter broke it off between us. He was dead serious. You know he never lies. We’re done.”
Concern reflected in her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak and then shut it. She handed me Carolina’s reins and then squeezed my hands.
“Char, as much as a mother hates to admit this, my son isn’t perfect. He’s got his baggage. I’m to blame for most of that. But I know one thing for sure, he loves you. You’ve been his best friend for most of his life. A friendship like that doesn’t just fall apart in a week.”
I sniffled and looked up at her, my heart rate pounding in my ears. Bree might as well know the truth. It didn’t seem right keeping it from her.
“It can fall apart—especially if I tell him I have feelings for him. Feelings that a girl shouldn’t have for her best friend.”
Her eyebrows arched and her lips made an O shape. She crossed her arms over her chest before giving me a sympathetic smile. “Don’t give up on him, baby girl. Not yet. I’m sure things will settle soon.”
As much as I appreciated Bree’s endless optimism, this was one time when I knew it wouldn’t pan out. Hunter had never acted like this before. He was usually the level-headed one of us. The one to smooth things over in a fight. This tim
e was different. This was permanent. And I was just going to have to figure out how to live with that.
“I guess I’ll see you at the rodeo tonight,” I told Bree as I patted Carolina on the nose. At least she seemed happy to see me. The way she nudged my hand was nothing short of adorable and would’ve made me feel better if it weren’t for this massive boulder of hurt crushing my chest.
With a warm hug and wishes of good luck, Bree headed off and I joined the other girls in the arena with our horses. A line of cowboys sat perched nearby on the arena fence watching our practice. Graham was among them, wearing a scowl worthy of Severus Snape.
I wondered if he’d been caught sneaking out last night. Manure duty was sure to make anyone look sour. Hopefully, he’d been able to get back home okay. Our gazes met and I was surprised to see the scowl dissolve off his face. He shot me an apologetic smile, as if he regretted how last night had ended, and then a quick thumbs-up.
I returned his smile, pushing the unpleasantness of last night out of my head. Maybe, Graham wasn’t as bad as Hunter thought. Hunter didn’t know everything.
Just like he didn’t know that falling for each other would ruin our relationship.
“Ladies, please mount your horses.” Ms. Gentry stood on the bleachers just outside the arena. She’d been running us through the figure eight patterns on foot and now it was finally time to go by horse. “Remember, poise and elegance. This score will determine the winner of the contest.”
I used a stool to climb into my saddle and adjusted the reins in my hands, just like Hunter had taught me. Not all the girls in the competition were as steady in their saddles. It was obvious Hunter had been a good teacher.
Thinking about him made the wound in my heart split open again. Still, I did my best to ignore it. And when we began walking the figure-eight pattern, I almost felt bored, it was so easy.
That was, until Sarah came barging up with her beautiful black horse and its braided mane. She cut Carolina off, nearly running us into the fence surrounding the arena. Normally, I would’ve just scowled at her back. Maybe started imagining all the ways I could trick her into shaving off the precious hair on her bloated head. But I was in no mood for any of her crap today. So I urged Carolina into a trot and pulled her in front of Sarah’s horse, forcing them into a complete stop.
Dare You to Resist the Bull Rider (Rock Valley High Book 4) Page 14
