68. HUNTER
68
“ A re you sure she’s coming?”
I glance at my watch, then glance at Jason as we sit around the bonfire at the creek. The sun is setting, and I stare into the dancing flames while I listen to the crackling sound of the fire.
“Relax, man. Julie said she’ll make it happen. I’m sure they’ll be here any minute now.”
The last few days, I left her alone, hanging out with Jason for a bit. Which was almost impossible when she walked into the bookstore, looking all gorgeous and unbothered like she did in high school. She looked a little less tired than the days before and her gorgeous green eyes sparkled with enough mischief to light me up from the inside out. It was fucking hard to not text her or drive to her house later that night, but the last thing I want is to spook her again. The fact that she’s letting me get as close as I did is motivation enough to not rush my desire to claim her. But the truth is there. I’m still under her skin, like a tattoo, unable to get rid of. Just like she’s on mine.
When I hear a car approaching, I snap my head up, noticing Julie’s red Jeep park next to my truck. I straighten my back, watching Charlotte give her best friend an accusing glare before her eyes roll back and a smile slips through as she exits the car.
“Looking for a loophole to get me out here, Hansen? ”
“It was his idea, I swear.” I point at Jason, then lift my hands in a placating gesture. “But you don’t hear me complaining.”
I get up, smirking, as she walks toward me, and I wrap my arms around her, burying my nose in her hair. Breathing her in, my heart instantly calms down, because all is well in the world when she’s with me.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“I’ve missed you,” I confess, pressing a kiss on her forehead.
“I missed you too,” she whispers with her gaze low and a little flushed, looking up at me through her lashes. A fuzzy feeling forms inside of me as I throw my fist in the air in my mind, considering that a win.
Jason plucks another beer for me and him from the cooler he brought, then grabs two red cups to make rum and Cokes for the girls.
“God, I feel like we’re back in high school again,” Julie says, taking the cup from his hand. We all take a seat on the logs around the fire, drinks in hand. It’s eerie to think how much time has passed, how much has happened, yet when I look at Charlotte, I feel exactly the same.
She sits down next to me, while Julie takes the seat next to her, placing the girls in the middle, and Jason on the far end of the log. The sun is about to set, the crickets are starting up their evening concert, and I’m seriously wondering when was the last time I felt as content as I do now.
“Sometimes I wish we still were,” I mutter, taking a pull from my beer.
“What?” Jason yelps. “Are you crazy? You’d rather be broke and insecure again?”
“When is Hunter ever insecure?” Charlotte turns her head to Jason with an incredulous look .
“When it comes to you,” he counters, and I close my eyes in annoyance as the girls giggle beside me.
“Way to set the mood, Jay.” I raise my beer at him with a slight glare.
“Oh, whatever. It’s not like it’s a big secret between the four of us.” He rolls his eyes, and Julie chuckles at his words. “Let’s play a game! Never Have I Ever! I’ll start.”
Jason’s eyes glance over at all of us as the corner of his mouth curls into a grin.
“Never have I ever—gotten a tattoo.”
We all take a sip of our drinks, and my eyes roll out of my sockets, realizing what this means.
“Wait, what? You got a tattoo?” My eyes peer at Charlotte as she presses her lips into a flat line, then closes her eyes and nods.
“What!” I exclaim. “Where?” I remember every inch of her body, and my dick twitches in longing to have a fresh look now that apparently her body has changed with something I’m not aware of.
She lifts her shirt up with a strained expression, and I read the lines on the side of her belly that make me gasp for air: Love is enough .
“When did you get this?”
“Six months ago,” Julie blurts, taking another sip from her drink.
Charlotte looks away, and I drag my hand over my face as guilt washes over me. It’s a sentence that has haunted me ever since she left me on that sidewalk almost a year ago. “For me, love is enough.”
Her eyes lock with mine, a serious look swirling there, and I keep a straight face as the tension rises between us. It steals the air from my lungs, and I lift the bottle to my lips again to calm my pounding heart.
“Okay,” Julie muses, to snap us out of it. “Your turn, Hunt. ”
I purse my lips, acknowledging Julie’s grim expression, then look up at the sky to think of a question to lighten the mood.
“Never have I ever—used a fake name.” Everyone but Charlotte takes another drink, and Julie turns her head to Charlotte incredulously.
“Come on, Charlie. You’ve never used a fake name? Not even with a guy at a bar?”
“I don’t see why?”
“Because it’s fun.” Julie blinks.
“Because it’s convenient at times,” Jason chimes in.
“How is that convenient?” Charlotte rolls her eyes.
“Because you don’t want to get abused by groupies,” I add, taking another pull from my drink.
“Arrogant much, Hansen?” Julie wrinkles her nose at me.
“He was born like this,” Charlotte counters, giving me a side glance, and I roughly grab her neck, my eyes narrowing while I look at her.
“Don’t make me show you just how arrogant I can be.”
“I already know.” She licks her lips with a daring glare that has me growling at her through gritted teeth, a small smile hiding in the corner of my mouth. Fuck, she makes it so hard to take it slow if she’s going to keep tempting me with those fuck-me eyes.
“Oh God, get a room, you two.” Julie glares. “Charlie, you’re up.”
Charls’s eyes dart away, and I let go of her again.
“Never have I ever—peed in the shower.” Jason and I both take a sip, making the girls cry out.
“Eeew, you guys are disgusting,” Charlotte bellows.
“What? Why? It literally washes away.” I chuckle, throwing my hands up in question.
“You’re such typical guys,” Julie quips .
“Well, thank fuck, or you’d rather me wear a dress?” Jason gives Julie a mocking look, grinning.
“I accept you as you are.” She jokingly shrugs, and we all start laughing. “Okay! My turn! Never have I ever—lied to someone in this group.” She gives us all a smug grin, moving her head back and forth between all three of us, as I take another pull to answer her question.
“What?” I howl. “I’m really the only one?”
They all hum in agreement, and I roll my eyes at them.
“Whatever. Jason, you’re up.”
“Never have I ever—fallen in love at first sight.”
Jason and I both take a sip, and Julie snaps her head from left to right.
“I know why you are drinking.” She points an accusing finger past Charlotte’s flushed cheeks, then flips it to Jason. “But who are you talking about?” We all stare at him, wondering who he’s talking about.
“No one, never mind,” he mumbles, then gives me a pleading look to keep the game going. I shoot him a questioning look before continuing the game when he slightly shakes his head.
“Never have I ever—gone skinny dipping.” Charlotte’s head slowly turns my way, a scowl on her face. “Drink up, Charls.” I chuckle, taking a drink.
“Asshole,” she mouths, glaring.
“Wait, you went skinny dipping? When was this?” A confused look appears on Julie’s face. “Like, in high school?”
“Okay, next question!” Charlotte calls out. “My turn! Never have I ever—kissed a celebrity.”
Everyone but Julie takes a drink, and Jason wiggles his eyebrows at her. “You know, I’m sorta a celebrity now. Being Hunter’s agent and all.”
She playfully pushes his face away when he leans in. “I dated your brother, you fool. ”
“I hate my brother and he hates me.”
“Which will only become worse if he finds out you’re trying to kiss his ex-girlfriend.”
“I don’t care.” The expression he’s tossing her confuses even me, because is he serious? I know they’ve been friends for years, Jason being there for her when Jackass Jacob broke her heart again, but the look sprouting from his blue eyes right now has me wondering if it’s anything more than that.
“Oh, come on!” Jason’s playfulness slides into his features again, lips puckered. “Just a little kissy kissy?”
“Are you crazy? I have no clue where your lips have been!”
“I know where they haven’t been.” He lowers his voice, a flirtatious look on his face that makes Charlotte and me laugh out loud.
“Oh, no. We are not going to do that flirty talk again like these two.” She gets up, walking to the log on the other side of the fire, demonstratively crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Wait, what?” Charlotte says at the same time I blurt, “Again?!”
“You know I can still grab you over there, right?” Jason deadpans, with an amused spark in his eyes.
“Whatever. Never have I ever—had sex in a public place,” Julie blurts, ignoring Jason’s lame attempts to flirt with her, and our incredulous, narrowed gazes. Brushing it all off with a small laugh, Charlotte and I exchange a conspiring look before taking a sip from our drinks. After that night on the tailgate of my truck, I have never had sex with a girl outdoors again, not wanting to taint one of my best memories by blurring it with other girls.
“Have you never, Jules?” Jason questions in surprise.
“Have you?” she blurts in a harsh tone.
“Nah. But I’d like to. Wanna change that?” The mocking look on his face makes me silently chuckle, while Charlotte watches them with a smirk on her pretty face.
“No,” Julie says, a scowl in place .
“Fine.”
“Is this what we sound like?” I point my finger at Charlotte, and I instantly regret the question when they both bellow in sync.
“Yes!”
“Right,” I mumble, with Charlotte giggling beside me, and I give her a soft push.
“Okay, my turn. Never have I ever—kissed my best friend,” Jason calls out, and my heart stops for a beat.
“I’ll smack those shady grins off your faces if y’all don’t drink real quick,” Julie says with a reprimanding finger in the air toward Charlotte and me. We both take a drink as the tension closes in on us.
“Good,” Julie says, then gives me a do-something look, and I glare at her in response. Looking up at the sky, I think of a question I’d want to know the answer to. I know one, although asking it feels as much as looking for an answer as confessing my own shit. I’m ready for it, but I’m still unsure about her.
When I finally decide to go for it, I glance at Julie, who’s giving me a wink of encouragement before I open my mouth.
“Never have I ever—been in a relationship with the wrong person.” I quickly take a pull from my beer, avoiding Charlotte’s shocked gaze burning through my skin. Locking my eyes with Julie, she gives me a smug grin, then points her attention to Jason.
“Jay, can you help me with my Jeep? I heard something rattle on the way over here.”
“I don’t know shit about cars, Jules.” He gives her an incredulous look.
“You can look anyway,” she says through gritted teeth, her eyes glaring at him as she softly points her chin at me.
“Oh, right.” He jumps up, giving me a wink, then follows Julie back to the cars .
“Yeah, real subtle,” Charlotte yells at their backs, and I let out a laugh, throwing my arm over her shoulder. My hand starts to rub her arm, feeling the goosebumps under my palm.
“Are you cold?” Not waiting for her answer, I grab the hem of my hoodie, pulling it over my head. “Arms up.”
She puts her red cup on the ground between her legs, then brings her arms up so I can help her put the hoodie on while I place one of my legs over the log so that I have a leg on either side of hers. I smile when her gorgeous head pops into the hood with a sweet look.
“Better?”
She nods in agreement, and I wrap my arm around her neck.
“Come here.”
Tugging her back against my chest, she mimics my stance, bringing one leg over the log so that she can settle against my body. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer, pressing a kiss on her hair.
She lets out a long, content sigh, placing her warm hands over mine, resting her head against my chest.
“You know at some point you have to tell me about whatever is going on with Ben, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“I know there’s something you’re not telling me. Something that’s making you lie to him. You don’t lie, Charls,” I point out.
“Yeah.” She pushes out a breath, not even denying it. “I know. You know at some point you have to tell me what happened with Laurie?”
That’s easier than she might think.
“Nothing to tell. We started dating for publicity, and before I knew it, we became something bigger than that, which never should’ve happened. I should’ve never allowed it to be. It was a bullshit relationship that I stayed in because I thought it was expected of me. I never loved her, and when I realized that, I ended it.”
“That simple, huh?”
There’s skepticism in her voice, and I can’t blame her. But it’s the truth. I didn’t see it at first, but my eyes are wide open now.
“That simple, babe. I can never put anyone before you. And I’m sorry I gave you the feeling that I did.”
Her chest moves up and down calmly, our hearts beating simultaneously, like they’re supposed to.
“It’s okay. You’re an asshole.” She turns her head toward me with a beaming grin on her face. God, I missed that vibrant look in her eyes. “But I forgive you.”
Holy shit . Every muscle in my body freezes for a second, before my heart continues to beat and I blow out a pent up breath that feels like it was stuck for years. She forgives me . It’s more than I deserve and tempting as hell to push my lips against hers, but I manage to resist the urge.
“Is that so?” I tickle her side, and she lets out a shriek.
“Stop that!” She laughs, and it’s music to my ears. “Asshole.” I can’t believe I almost lost this. I almost lost her. She settles back into my chest, and we stay like that for a while until I bring my lips flush with her ears.
“Do you know how hard it is for me to not kiss you?”
She gasps for air, letting out a troubled moan.
“Hunt,” she huffs, and I’m not sure if she’s begging me to cross the line or pleading with me to stop. “Stop flirting with me.” Her voice is uncertain and needy at the same time.
“I don’t think you really want me though, Charls,” I whisper, thinking back to the last time I had her wrapped in my arms at a bonfire.
“Doesn’t matter what I want. ”
My hand grabs her chin, softly forcing her to look at me. The world around us goes silent as we look into each other’s eyes, our lips almost touching.
“What you want is all that matters, Charlotte Roux.”
I’m tempted to close the distance between us, pressing my lips against hers, and the asshole in me is screaming at me to just do it. But I know why she’s still hesitant. I know she still has that loose end to let go of, and I can’t push her into that. It needs to be her.
“I don’t know, Hunter. The world has felt foggy lately, except for the moments I’m with you. But I-I—I just don’t know. It shouldn’t be this way.” The tone of her voice is sad, and my heart cracks a little listening to it. Hating that I’m the variable in this situation.
“Yo, fuckers!” Jason shout behind us. “Let’s go hang out at the bar. I’m getting eaten by mosquitos over here.”
Realizing the moment is over, I take a deep breath before pushing it out, squeezing her tighter, pressing a kiss on her cheek, then I rest my forehead against the back of her head.
“Let me make one thing clear, babe. I’m here to stay. I know I said I want you to be happy, and I’ll be your friend for as long as you aren’t ready to give me any more than that. But I’m not here to be your friend. I’m a persistent asshole, and I’m going to keep trying until I gain your trust again and you give me what I want. Because I want to give you everything. You’re all I see.” I pause, pulling my arms tighter around her torso. “I need you,” I disclose, then give her a slight push to get up.
“Trust me,” she says when she’s on her feet, looking at me with those piercing eyes. “I know.”