Chapter 1
HAYLEY
“Shit,”
I whispered to myself, looking around. Hoping I’d find a sense of direction on where I’d come from. I must have gotten lost, ending up by a waterhole.
“Well, look what we have here,”
someone whispered from behind me, causing me to stumble back against a tree as he caged me in with his arms around the sides of my head. “I haven’t seen you before. I’d remember such a pretty face and banging body,”
he rasped too close to my face, smelling like liquor and weed. “What’s your name?”
I didn’t recognize this guy, and the longer I stood there, the faster my heart began pounding against my chest. “Hayley,”
I replied, feeling much more vulnerable than before.
“Such a beautiful name, for such a beautiful girl. What are you doing all by yourself in the woods, babe? Don’t you know you can run into a bear or a wolf?”
“Ummm … right. I need to go back.”
I sidestepped him to leave, but he blocked my advance.
“You don’t need to leave. I’m here now.”
My eyes widened. “I want to leave.”
I went to move again, but he wouldn’t let me.
“Naw, I’m not done with you yet.”
“Catch a clue—I’m not interested.”
“I bet I can make you interested.”
“If you don’t let me leave, I’m going to scream.”
I turned my face as he leaned in to kiss me while the sound of another voice echoed through the woods, shouting, “Frank! Leave her alone! You’re scaring her, you jerk!”
I’d never been more relieved to hear a stranger’s voice than I was at that moment. I released a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding when he backed away and spun around.
We both looked in the direction of where the voice had come from. There was a tall, stocky guy with dark hair standing a few feet away from us. I couldn’t make out who he was yet. It was too dark out.
“Mind your own business, Joshua. This has nothing to do with you.”
Walking toward us, he grinned, looking in my direction before nodding to Frank. “You want to stay here with him?”
I peered back and forth between them, sputtering, “Umm … no.”
Joshua laughed, smirking wide.
It was Joshua Co. He was one of the most popular guys in our school. I couldn’t help but smile back at him, feeling relieved he was there with me now. This was the first time he’d ever said a word to me. I didn’t even think he knew I existed.
The reassuring expression on his face kept luring me in. When he caught me staring at his defined arms and broad chest, I blushed and looked back at Frank.
“Oh, I see,”
Frank chimed in. “You want to hang out with him instead? Is that it? Because I’ll tell you right now, he doesn’t do girlfriends.”
Yeah, so I’ve heard.
Joshua chuckled.
“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
He laughed again before nodding to Frank. “You can go now.”
“Screw you, man.”
With that, he spun and left, leaving Joshua and me alone.
Now I was nervous for a whole different reason. I knew all I needed to know about him. His reputation preceded him wherever he went. It didn’t matter what county we were in, everyone knew who Joshua was. It had been that way since I'd moved here in middle school. Guys like them were all the same, every last one of them. Acting like they were hot stuff and owned every place he walked into.
The worst part was that girls fed into their lines, cocky smirks, and no care attitude. Through the years, I’d heard enough to know I needed to steer clear of Joshua, and the fact that he was looking at me in the way guys did in romance movies was unsettling. As much as I didn’t want him to have an effect on me, when one of the most popular boys in our school was devouring you with his gaze, you couldn’t help but feel affected.
With an overconfident arched eyebrow, Joshua narrowed his stare at me, and I swallowed hard. I watched as he continued making his way over to me, one assertive stride after the next.
Slowly, I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly becoming dry. Out of nowhere, it felt as though I was under some spell I couldn’t control or begin to understand. His gaze immediately followed the movement of my tongue, and I found myself taking a step back while folding my arms over my chest and trying to stand my ground.
“Ummm … thanks,”
I expressed, wanting to break the awkward silence. “You kind of saved me just now.”
“I do what I can. Hayley, right?”
“You know who I am?”
“Of course I know the name of one of the prettiest girls at our school.”
My heart beat faster, and I couldn’t help but notice how much he towered over me. He was tall, much taller than my five-foot-three frame. He was probably a little over six feet with dark hair and intense green eyes that had a hint of blue running through them. His chiseled jawline and facial hair only added to his sexy allure.
Not to mention he didn’t look his age. He looked older. It was probably easy for him to buy booze or sneak into clubs which I knew he did with Julian. At least that was what everyone at our school gossiped.
Joshua was unfazed, standing there in all his glory as I tried like hell to ignore his muscular build as he took me in.
“Are you checking me out?”
I blurted, mentally chastising myself.
The one time I needed to sound calm and cool, and I couldn’t pull it off. Not with the way he was staring at me.
“Would you like that?”
“No.”
“That’s not what your body’s telling me.”
“Well, you can’t read my mind.”
He gave me a sexy smirk, making my eyes roll.
“Fine. Try me.”
“I don’t want to embarrass you more than I already am.”
“I’m not embarrassed,”
I shrieked, clearing my throat, my voice giving me away.
“Just remember you asked for it.”
He stepped toward me, leaving no room between us. “You’re shocked that I know who you are, which is funny because I’ve actually asked around about you, but from what I’ve heard you’re messing around with your best friend.”
I gasped. “I am not.”
“You didn’t let me finish. I don’t think you’re messing around with David because you don’t strike me as the kind of girl he’d be interested in.”
He was right. I couldn’t argue with him there.
“You don’t date. You’ve never had a boyfriend. So that tells me you’re either waiting for Prince Charming, or you have no interest in getting hurt. Which, let’s face it, we’re in high school, and the odds of a guy breaking your heart are very likely. Especially since you have no experience?—”
“I have experience.”
He smirked. “I bet you’ve never been kissed.”
My mouth dropped open. “Yes, I have.”
“Hmmm …”
He thought about it for a second. “I call bullshit.”
“I totally have.”
“Alright. Then prove it.”
I shrugged. “It was with this guy from another school.”
“You mean the guy you just made up?”
“I’m not making him up. His name was Joseph, and he was the best kisser. We actually made out a lot. We couldn’t get enough of each other.”
“Right …”
“Stop with the snide comments. I’m not lying.”
“Like I said, prove it.”
“I just did. I told you his name was?—”
“I said prove it, not make up lies.”
“How am I supposed to prove it then?”
I never expected what came out of his mouth next. Never in a million years did I imagine one of the most popular guys in our school would challenge …
“You can prove it by letting me kiss you.”