Chapter 37
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
REBEL
Gunner Kinsey is my mortal enemy and has been since I was six years old.
I still remember breaking my crayon in anger the day he walked past me on the swings, acting as if he hadn’t seen me.
I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t fall for him again. The moment I did, I’d be a neener, neener, pumpkin eater.
Which, apparently… I am.
That kiss set decades of effort up in flames. The ten foot walls I built, the careful life I curated that erased every hint of our past… poof .
Gone.
All because he said it was real.
That kiss.
The intense look in his eyes.
The heat in the air.
Gunner Kinsey has real feelings for me.
No, it’s more than that.
I saw the truth flash across his face like a message written in the stars. This is more than combustible lust between two people who hate each other.
Gunner Kinsey wants me. Craves me.
And I… I…
“I have to go.” I spin around like the treehouse is on fire and scramble down the ladder. One shoe falls off when I jump to the ground, but I don’t stop to pick it up.
Running half-barefoot down the trail, I fling my car door open. Thankfully, Gunner left my keys in the truck. This is Kinsey land and no one in town is dumb enough to steal from the most powerful family in Lucky Falls.
Twisting the key until the car rumbles to life, I back out of the lot like a crazy woman, nearly slamming into a tree. Just then I see Gunner scaling down the ladder. He notices my slipper and picks it up, glancing at it and then at me.
Slamming my foot on the gas, I tear a path through the orchard and down the road that leads out of the Kinsey farm.
Carol Kinsey is driving up to her garage when I speed past.
Her eyes, as pale blue as Gunner’s widen on impact. The confusion in her gaze shifts to disdain when she recognizes me.
How much deeper would that scowl go if she knew how badly I wanted to keep kissing her son?
My heart tumbles.
I grip the steering wheel and press harder on the gas, trying to outrun those scandalous thoughts.
Gunner Kinsey has feelings for me.
And I… I…
I slam my foot on the brakes as the adrenaline in my blood finally retreats enough for me to think.
What do I feel for Gunner?
I hate him floats through my mind on auto-pilot.
But the negative feelings have lost their sting, overshadowed by all the moments we’ve shared.
I think about the night his head slid on my shoulder in the hospital and about how hurt I was when he left Lucky Falls without telling me. I think about how safe I felt in his arms when he hugged me earlier and how moved I was when he arranged the community service day.
I park the car to the side, my head a mess of tangled thoughts.
Do I like Gunner? CAN I like Gunner after… everything?
I groan.
This is all so complicated. Why couldn’t he keep hating me in peace?
“Stupid Gunner Kinsey,” I grumble, beating the steering wheel. “Obnoxious, massive pain in the?—”
Knuckles rap against my window and I jump.
Gunner is standing outside the truck. Sweat slides down his face and his chest heaves violently.
Did he… run here?
For a split second, I debate starting the car and speeding away again, but his eyes bore through the glass like a fist reaching through the air and choking me. There might as well not be a thick glass between us. He might as well be right here in the car with me, making my knees wobble from up close.
Like a coward, I drop the window a smidge. “What?”
“Get out of the car, Rebel.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I grumble.
“Please get out of the car,” he grinds out.
It still sounds like he’s ordering me, but I give him points for saying please and ease the car door open. However, when I try to hop down, I realize that one foot is bare and I curl my toes in embarrassment.
Without a word, Gunner grips my upper arm, slips his hand beneath my knees and scoops me out of the car. He carries me to the thick wooden fence bordering the Kinsey acreage and plops me down on top of it.
I glare at him. “Rude much?”
“Rude is running away when a man confesses his feelings for you.”
My heart does another running kick at my ribs, but I force myself to remain calm. “I… left my solder iron on.”
He gives me a disbelieving look.
“I wasn’t running away,” I insist.
He holds up my abandoned shoe. “You even forgot your glass slipper, princess.”
Gunner Kinsey should never be allowed to call a woman ‘princess’ in that deep, velvety voice of his. I should call his father and have him arrested.
“And you missed the rest of what I wanted to say,” he adds.
I swallow hard. “There was more?”
Gunner bends down and slides my slipper on again. “I wasn’t happy about it. I didn’t want to like you.”
His words take me by surprise and I jerk back.
“In fact, I wish I had feelings for anyone but you.”
I scoff and hop off the fence. “Sorry I’m such a burden, Kinsey. How about I just leave?—”
He wraps his fingers around my wrist to stop me. “Because I never in a million years thought I’d get the chance to be with you.”
I spin around slowly.
“I’m not the best at explaining how I feel. The words always come out wrong so I’m going to shut up after I ask you one question.”
To my surprise, Gunner takes out a velvet box from his pocket and cracks it open. I glance at him and then at the pink box in shock. Inside is a beautiful, gold necklace with a pink gemstone at the center.
“Rebel Hart,” Gunner says, “will you be my girlfriend?”
My heart is training for a flash sale at my favorite boutique because it’s doing all kinds of flips and one-armed handstands.
“I…” My eyelashes flutter and I look up at him in shock, “aren’t I already?”
A corner of Gunner’s lips hitches up. “Then I guess you don’t need this.” He snaps the pink box closed.
“Yes, yes , I’ll be your girlfriend, Gunner.”
He scrunches his nose. “Are you only saying that because of the necklace?”
I toss my hair over my shoulder. “What if I am?”
He thinks about it, rubbing his chin.
“You’re the one who offered me a bribe. Don’t judge me for accepting it,” I grumble.
He chuckles.
I giggle.
Gunner takes the necklace out of the box and leans in to fasten it around my neck. He’s close enough that I can inhale the woodsy scent of his cologne mixed with the fragrance of the wildflowers growing by the fence.
Gunner Kinsey likes me.
And, against all odds, I like him too.
And now we’re dating.
Like… for real.
“How does it look?” I ask when he leans back and gives me a soft, affectionate once over.
“Beautiful.”
I blush.
He cradles my face and gives me a gentle kiss on my temple.
A giddy rush of emotions flows over me and I look up at him. “When did you start liking me?”
He tucks his bottom lip into his mouth, thinking it over. “That’s a secret.”
I narrow my eyes.
He gives me a pleased look. “When did you start liking me ?”
“Well, I’m not telling you now.”
His laughter is soft but joyful. “Typical Rebel. Always so…”
“Petty?” I supply.
He scrubs a thumb over my cheek. “Competitive.”
“Same difference.”
I laugh, but then I remember how he totally abandoned me before he left for the away games and I shove him.
He stumbles back, his eyebrows raised.
“If you felt this way, why’d you ghost me before you left town?” I frown.
Gunner glances down. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need the apology. I want to understand why.”
He looks at me, unrest in his eyes. “I give you my word, Rebel. I’ll tell you everything when it’s over but… not right now.”
I blink in confusion.
Gunner takes my hand in his. “Can you give me some time?”
I glance away.
“Please.” He pulls me to him and gives me a hug.
I melt completely. “How many more secrets do you have?”
“What do you mean?”
“Apart from when you started liking me and why you ghosted me.” I lean back. “What else is there?”
He tilts his head.
“You don’t secretly collect toenails or anything creepy like that, do you?”
He gives me a blank look. “Do I look like the kind of guy who collects toenails, Rebel?”
“No, but you can never really be sure. Guys like that don’t walk around with a sign.” Usually. Although I’m sure I could find a toenail collection convention if I looked hard enough online.
He shakes his head in a silent ‘what have I gotten myself into’.
“You’re regretting this already, aren’t you?”
“Never.”
“Are you sure?”
He nods.
“Even though your mom still hates me and I still can’t stand your family and things are only going to get tougher and weirder from here?”
I expect Gunner to laugh, but he doesn’t.
Instead, he gets very, very serious and says, “No matter how tough it gets, the one thing I will never, ever regret for the rest of my days is being with you.”