15. Jack #2
And then Violet and Poppy start cackling.
Walker leans back against the bar, crossing his arms, shaking his head. “Damn.”
The guy stares at her, open-mouthed, then turns to his friend, as if to say, Can you believe this shit?
The friend just mutters, “You had it coming, man.”
The guy mutters something under his breath, throws some bills on the table, and stalks off, wiping at the front of his pants.
Cami, completely unbothered, goes right back to sipping her drink, like she didn’t just set fire to the guy and run him off.
I don’t move. I don’t breathe. I just stare at her. The woman who is supposed to be my enemy. The woman who fights me at every turn and drives me insane defended me.
And she did that without knowing I was watching. She turns back to her drink, acting like she didn’t just do the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
And suddenly, I have a serious fucking problem. Because I don’t just want Cami. I need her. I move before I can talk myself out of it, cutting across the bar until I’m right behind her.
She senses me before she sees me, stiffening slightly before turning, raising a slow, teasing eyebrow. “Well, if it isn’t Bridger Falls’ most eligible bachelor,” she drawls, taking a sip of her drink. “You here to sign autographs, or are you still pretending to be too cool for your adoring fans?”
I cross my arms, desperately trying to keep my shit together. “Didn’t know I needed a bodyguard, Cami.”
Realization flashes across her face that I heard, and she looks away for a moment.
“You don’t,” she says lightly. “I just really wanted to ruin that guy’s night.”
“Uh-huh.”
She smirks.
I should leave it there. Shouldn’t push. But I’m not built like that. Not when it comes to her. I step closer. Not touching, but close enough that I know she feels it.
Close enough that I can smell her: vanilla, whiskey, and something warm that’s just… her.
“You always go around defending me?” I murmur.
She lifts her drink. “I defend all helpless creatures.”
I chuckle, low and slow. “Helpless?”
She shrugs. “What else would you call a man stuck on a reality dating show he clearly doesn’t want to be on?”
Touché.
“Look at you,” I say, tilting my head. “Acting all unbothered right now.”
She smirks again, but this time, it flickers, just for a second.
And that’s when I know. She cares. Maybe she doesn’t want to. Maybe she hates she does. But she does.
And I like that way too much.
I lean in, dropping my voice low. “Kinda sounds like you like me, Wilder.”
She scoffs, flustered. “You wish, Jessop.”
Oh, I do. I really, really do. And that’s a whole other problem entirely .
She huffs, turning back to her drink. “You’re lucky, you know.”
I lift a brow. “How’s that?”
She flicks a glance at me. “Because if anyone’s gonna talk shit about you in this town, it’s me. And I’m not sharing.”
I lean against the bar beside her, close enough that our arms brush when she lifts her drink. She doesn’t pull away. Neither do I.
"Come on," I murmur, voice low. "Admit it."
She takes a slow sip of her whiskey, her gaze locked on the mirror behind the bar like she doesn’t even see me standing here. "Admit what?"
"That you like me."
She makes a noise that’s somewhere between a scoff and an outright laugh. "I’d rather admit I enjoy stepping on a pile of Legos."
I grin, turning my body slightly toward hers. "And yet, here we are. You, ruining a perfectly good whiskey just to defend my honor."
She shrugs. "Maybe I just hate whiskey."
I lean in, just a little, staring down at her. "We both know that’s not true."
Her breath catches, just for a second. It’s so small, so quiet, I might’ve imagined it. But I didn’t.
Because suddenly, the air between us isn’t just charged, it’s an electric storm.
I see it in the way her fingers tighten around her glass.
I’ve spent my whole life pushing this woman, waiting for the moment she’d push back. And now?
Now, I want to grab her by the hips, pull her against me, and make her forget every single reason she’s ever had to hate me.
But we’re in a bar. In public.
So instead of doing what I want, I do the next best thing. I crowd her just enough to make her notice. Just enough that when she finally looks up at me, her breath hitches again. "What do you want?" she says, exasperated.
You.
The word nearly slips out. Nearly.
Instead, I grin. "Just wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"For letting everyone in this bar know that if anyone’s gonna ruin my reputation, it’s you."
She finally smiles, and damn, if it doesn’t hit me square in the chest. She shakes her head, setting her drink down with a soft clink. "You’re welcome."
I tilt my head, considering. "Or maybe you just like things difficult. Or you just like hearing yourself talk.”
"Maybe. But you’re still standing here, listening." She huffs, exasperated, but she still hasn’t moved.
And neither have I.
Then, before I can talk myself out of it, I reach out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her hair falling down in waves like she finally let it out of that damn braid she was wearing.
She freezes. For a split second, everything stops. The bar noise fades. The people around us disappear.
It’s just her. Just me. Just this moment that neither of us were ready for.
Her lips part slightly, her pulse flickering at her throat. I could kiss her. Right now. She knows it. I know it. But then?—
"Hey, lovebirds!" Ollieyells from across the bar, ruining my life. "You gonna make out, or can I buy another beer without throwing up in my mouth?"
Cami jolts back like she just remembered where we are.
I turn slowly, glare set to lethal. "Knock it off, Ollie."
He grins. "Not a chance."
Cami shakes her head, clearly needing an escape. "I’m getting out of here before I commit a crime."
She moves toward the door, but at the last second, she brushes past me, her fingers trailing lightly against my arm.
It’s barely anything. But it’s everything. I watch her go, half-tempted to chase her, half-tempted to let her run.
Instead, I grab my beer and mutter under my breath, "Yeah. I’m really screwed."
Ollie pats my shoulder. "Glad you’re finally catching up."
I throw a peanut at his head.
It doesn’t help.
Because Cami just knocked my world sideways, and for the first time in my life, I don’t want to fight her about it.