23. HUNTER
23
“ A re you ready?” I turn my truck into an open space between two trees as I turn off the engine and look at my best friend next to me.
She glances around, her eyes roaming the area that’s in the middle of the woods without any sign of life in plain sight.
“Hunt?” she says carefully.
“Yeah?” I hold the door open, waiting for her.
“Is this where you’re going to kill me?” She blinks.
“Kill you? Babe, I can’t live without you,” I cry out incredulously.
Letting out a chuckle, we both exit the truck while I reach in the back to get out my backpack. I hang it on my shoulder while she’s waiting for me on the only path there is. When I reach her, I wrap my arm around her neck, tugging her along as I press a kiss to her hair, glad she somewhat forgave me for my asshole behavior from last night. I was as drunk as a fiddler, yet I couldn’t sleep, wondering if I lost her forever.
Finally, I fell asleep around midnight and luckily woke up five hours later with a newfound determination to fix the damage I’d done.
“Nah, this is not where I’m going to kill you,” I begin.
“Oh, thank God,” she jokes, dramatically gripping her heart.
“This is where I’m going to kidnap you, and keep you for the next thirty years as my personal toy. ”
She stops in her tracks, our bodies disconnecting, and I turn around to look at the scowl on her face that makes my laugh echo through the woods. A bird rustles through the leaves of the noise as I lock my gaze with her jaw that fell to the ground.
“That’s not even flirting anymore,” she states, her hands firmly planted at her sides, though excitement dances in her eyes.
“So, now you do want me to flirt with you?”
“I didn’t say that.” She purses her lips with a busted look on her face before I turn around to keep walking with a smug grin on my own.
“You didn’t have to.”
“You’re an asshole, Hunter.” Her footsteps stomp behind me.
“But I’m your asshole, Charls.”
I wasn’t joking when I said I’m not sure how long I can resist this thing I feel for her. The feeling that makes me want to tear her apart and make her scream out my name.
She’s my best friend, but I’m not sure how long that will be enough for me. For both of us. Last night was a dead giveaway. Since the moment we started spending our days together, I loved getting that sparkle of jealousy from her. It filled my chest with pride and made me feel wanted. But last night was a whole different ball game. Last night was a desperate attempt to get her attention, and I hurt her in the process.
The more days that pass, the harder it becomes for me to let go.
And while at first, I could still keep my hands to myself, I catch myself physically reaching out to her more and more. Wanting to keep her as close as possible at all times.
We keep walking for about five minutes while she’s huffing and puffing behind me, the occasional swear word leaving her lips.
“Are we there yet? ”
I look up at the steep few yards we have to climb, and I reach my hand out to her.
“Almost.” I give her a wink, laying her hand on mine, and I help her up the small hill until we reach the top. She sucks in a deep breath when she notices her surroundings, a look of awe forming on her face.
I bite my lip in satisfaction, pleased to get the exact reaction I was going for.
“Wow,” she whispers, the corner of her lips curling into an amazed smile as she looks up at me. I mimic her expression when she pushes her body against mine in a side hug, and I wrap my arm around her. “This is gorgeous, Hunter.”
“I know. My dad used to take us here,” I explain while we look over at the waterfall in front of us that leads into a clear blue quarry. A line of trees hides this special place from the outside world, only traceable if you know where it is or you spot it from above. The water is deep in the middle, but the edge we are standing on gradually slopes down, making it the perfect spot to go for a swim. “My brother and I would go diving, while my mom and dad would keep an eye on us from the edge.”
Her arms tighten around me, as if she’s grateful I took her here.
“How has this still not been discovered by a bunch of touristy people?”
“Apparently, it’s been some kind of secret in my dad’s family. Wanting to keep it for themselves, my father didn’t even let us take any friends when we were younger. It was the reserved spot for a family day.”
She gazes up at me, and my eyes focus on her plump lips, looking perfect as ever.
“Well, I’m honored. Thank you for sharing it with me. ”
I bite my lip, resisting the urge to press them against hers, going for the second best option by planting a lingering kiss on her forehead.
“Who else would I share it with, babe? Come on, let’s go swimming.”
Grabbing the blanket out of the backpack, I watch how she takes off her Converse, then dips her toes in the cold water. Her eyes pop out of her head, her teeth pressed against each other.
“It’s cold?” I chuckle, setting up everything I packed this morning.
She raises her fingers, pressing her thumb and index finger slightly together.
“Just a little.”
Her feet slowly move toward me, and I plant my ass on the gray plaid blanket that I put over the pebble stones, tapping on the free spot next to me.
“Come, sit. We can wait a bit for the sun to get a little warmer.”
She lies down, then closes her eyes while the morning sun warms our faces. It’s another warm day for this time of year, and it won’t take long before we’ll be fried out here in the sun, but I don’t care. All I care about is having her for myself all day, within the privacy of this special place.
“You’re not going back to sleep, are you?” I softly poke her side.
She peeks one eye open, then closes it again.
“That’s what you get when you, one”—she lifts her finger up in the air—“make me tired as fuck during the night by fighting with me.”
“I—” I interrupt, ready to go into defense mode.
But she brings her other finger up with a shushing sound, making me press my lips together .
“And, two”—another finger lifts in the air, and I eye it amusingly—“wake me up at the crack of dawn. Who does that? Also, were you allowed to drive just now?”
“What? Of course, why?”
She pops onto one elbow, facing me while her head rests on her hand.
“Because I’m pretty sure you went back to the creek last night and had a few more drinks. Maybe even got laid. Anyway, chances are, you’re still drunk.” She rolls her eyes, and I push out a gasping breath. I know she’s joking, but I’m taking this moment to push her buttons some more, anyway.
“One,” I say, lifting my finger, just like she did, “I went straight home after we dropped you off.” She cocks an eyebrow in disbelief. “Two. I didn’t fuck anyone last night, but you already know that since we fought about it for ten minutes. And three, I’d never drink and drive.”
“Good,” she says with a satisfied look on her face, a smile curling the corner of her mouth.
I lie back, looking up at the sky, my hands folded on my stomach.
“You know, Charls. If it was anyone else, I’d think you might be a bit jealous.”
“Right. You mean, just like how you sabotage every date I go on,” she counters, and I slightly turn my head to look at her, met by an amused glare.
“Yeah, exactly like that,” I admit, turning my gaze back to the sky. “I’m man enough to admit that.”
She lets out a mocking huff. “That you fuck up all my dates, or that you’re jealous?”
Her words reach my ear, and I pop onto my elbow, mimicking her stance while my free hand reaches out to cup her cheek, instantly making her face fall a little when I touch her. Her skin feels like velvet in my palm, and I want to move it lower to explore the rest of her body.
“I’m jealous,” I concede. “I’m jealous, Charls. And yes. I’m not afraid to admit that.” Her lips part, the tension rising between us while I wait for her to say something.
“Why?” she whispers, her voice laced with desperation, though I’m not sure what kind. Is it desperate to be more? Or is it the hope to let things stay as they are?
“Because you’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met. You’re sweet, you’re fun, you’re easy to be around, and you’re hot as fuck,” I tell her, pulling a chuckle from her, “but most of all, you’re my best friend. And even though I know it’s not fair to demand your attention all the time, I can’t help myself from feeling like I don’t want to share you . Because I don’t. I want you all for myself, because when I’m with you, I feel like myself.”
“Is that why you took me to this quarry in the middle of nowhere?” she asks playfully, doing her best to remove the tension that is thick and demanding between us.
“Yes.” I laugh. “That’s exactly why I took you here. And I also have some making up to do after last night.”
“You do.”
My tone turns serious again. “I’m really sorry about last night, babe. I was hurt, and I don’t think when I’m pissed. I never meant to hurt you, though.” I give her a pleading look, hoping we can move past this again, and just be us .
Hunter and Charlotte.
Best friends.
Always.
A long, emotional exhale fans my face, her green eyes squinting just a little.
“I want to stay mad at you so bad,” she confesses.
“So why aren’t you? God knows I deserve it.”
“No, that’ s the problem, Hunt.” She spreads her fingers over my jaw, keeping me in place with a strong grip. Her touch burns through my skin, singing my groin alive. All I want to do is slide her on top of me and kiss her like she’s never been kissed. But the sharpness of her gaze demands my attention.
“You don’t deserve it,” she points out, with a bladed tongue, “you don’t deserve any of the crap you’ve been thrown at in life. But neither do I. We shouldn’t take it out on each other. Ever .” Her hypnotizing eyes glitter with frustration, the heated feeling of her palm still fogging my mind. “You can’t take it out on me. We have to be better than that. You have to be better than that. We have to stick together. Do you understand?”
I’m not sure how and why she walked into my life. Sometimes I wonder if my dad sent her to me. Or maybe Logan, since he always loved torturing me. Most times I realize I’m just fucking lucky that she sees something in me that I can’t find. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, convinced one day life will break us apart. But right now, I’m just so fucking grateful I have her on my team. Even when I don’t deserve it.
“Do you understand?” she repeats, commanding.
“Yeah, babe. I hear you.” I pull her close, linking our foreheads as one.
“Promise me.” Her breath feathers my lips, but I still don’t give in. I don’t silence her with the desire I’ve had for so long, because I don’t want to betray her trust. I don’t want her to think I’m not listening. I hear her, and I would promise her the world if I could. “I promise. You’re right. If I could turn it all around, I would.” I let go of her, a trembling feeling ignited in my core when she studies my face with a ghost of a smile.
“I know. It’s okay.”
I let out a relieved sigh, still noticing the fatigue on her face, feeling a bit guilty about the fact that she didn’t get a lot of sleep last night because of me .
“You lay back, take a nap. I’ll make sure there are no bears to come chase us out of the woods.”
“Hunter.” She flicks her chest up, leaning on her elbows. “There are bears here?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got bear spray.”
“Right, that really helps my nerves,” she says outrageously, and I push her body back against the pebble stones with a laugh.
“Just take a nap. We’ve got all day.”