Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
“You and Sam seem pretty close,” Len commented.
I shrugged, not exactly sure whether we were close or not.
“Does that mean you’re not dating?”
A surprised laugh escaped me.
“No, we’re not dating.”
“Cool.”
Cool? What did that mean?
He stuck his hands into his pockets and strolled beside me in silence for several seconds.
“What are your plans after graduation? Are you going to stick around here or go to a university?”
“Stick around here and do some online certifications,” I said.
During the summer, Mr. Clint had mentioned submitting a request for another part-time position at the library.
I wasn’t sure how common knowledge that was and had no intention of spreading the word.
Working at the library would be a dream come true.
I could take online classes and earn whatever certifications I needed on the side.
“That’s good,” Len said. “I was planning on sticking around, too. As soon as basketball is done, I’ll start part-time at Seely Construction. Full-time with benefits after graduation.”
“Really? I would have thought you’d go to University to play football or something.”
He shook his head. “Too much money just for four more years of playing around. If having a degree meant more pay, maybe, but those jobs are too hard to get. It’s smarter to take the job offer I have now than to hope for something better in four years with a debt the size of a mortgage.”
It was a familiar conversation. One I’d had with Mom last summer.
“Yeah. Makes sense.”
We reached the line for the haunted house. At least fifty people were ahead of us.
Len turned toward me. “I wish we’d hung out more before this.”
“Why? Sorry. I didn’t mean it how it sounded. I mean, you’ve never had a problem finding someone to spend time with.”
Humor lit his gaze. “That’s exactly why I wish we had hung out more. You say what you mean. No guessing or games. It’s refreshing.”
“Ah.”
“I’d like to change that.”
“You want me to start lying?”
He laughed. “No. I’d like to spend more time with you. Do you have any plans tomorrow?”
What in the hell was happening? Was this a prank?
I looked around but didn’t see anyone we knew.
“I’m serious,” he said as if reading my mind. “If not tomorrow, maybe we can have lunch together at school. If you’re not interested, I can handle the rejection. But I’m hoping you’ll think about it.”
I nodded hesitantly, still not sure what was happening.
“Clarity!”
Turning, I saw Mirae and the rest. They joined us in line, and the conversation turned to school and activities. I didn’t say much, mostly because I didn’t really care about either topic, but also because I was still trying to figure out Len.
Was he really interested in me? Why?
It had to be the dumb wet T-shirt thing and the fact that he didn’t have a whole lot of fresh options at school. He grew up with most of them. Even though I’d moved here a while ago, I was still “new” compared to the rest.
“Hey,” Sam said softly.
Startled out of my study of Len, I looked up at Sam.
“Hey. Did you get into trouble for feeding him?”
“Nah. They thanked me for keeping him occupied for a while. Did I miss anything?” He glanced at the rest of the group as they continued their debate over which Senior Day lunch they wanted to vote for.
The need to tell Sam everything was so intense that I had to fight to keep my mouth shut. Shaking my head slightly, I glanced at the group who hadn’t noticed Sam yet, and mouthed, “Later.”
He nodded and moved to stand closer to me.
Ugh. Why did I like that subtle hint of protectiveness so much?
It took another twenty minutes for our group to reach the main doors.
“How many?” the guy at the door asked the couple in front of us.
“Just us,” the girl said.
The guy glanced at our group, his gaze landing on Sam and me. “Would you two mind going with them?”
“No problem,” Sam said.
With a guiding hand on my lower back, he brought us closer to the couple.
“Thanks,” the guy said. “Remember, when you get inside, there’s no turning back. Literally. The doors you encounter only swing one way to prevent people from getting turned around. And please remember, no touching the staff.”
“See you on the other side,” Mirae called as the guy opened the doors for us.
I glanced back at the group and saw Len watching me.
Confused, I managed a weak smile and nod before the hand on my back moved me forward.
The door shut behind us, cutting off all the light.
“If I touch something gross, I’m not talking to you the rest of the night,” the girl in front of us whispered. Her companion laughed.
I cowered, stepping closer to Sam. His hand slipped around my waist, anchoring me to his side.
“Level zero?” he whispered.
A quiet, nervous laugh escaped me.
He gave me a reassuring side hug, and we carefully shuffled forward. The quiet movement in front of us reassured me. It only took a few more steps to see a very subtle green light ahead on the left.
“Good,” the girl breathed.
We approached with more confidence and turned the corner to what looked like a murder scene. The top half of a woman rested on the table. A guy loomed beside her, chainsaw poised over her middle. It roared to life, making me jump, and the guy I’d thought was a mannequin started to move.
The girl with us screamed and clung to her friend, who laughed again as the chainsaw came down.
Spatter started to fly.
My eyes went wide, and my stomach lurched.
Sam’s hand on my waist tightened, and he spun us, shielding me with his body.
When I looked up at him, his other hand brushed my cheek.
“It’s fake. You’re safe.” His words were barely audible, but I heard and nodded jerkily.
He tilted his head to the side, indicating we should move. I looked that direction and saw the other couple was already pushing their way through a door. Sam moved us in their wake, continuing to block my view and the spatter.
As soon as the door closed behind us, the chainsaw went quiet. I heard the girl’s harsh breathing and whispered pleas to find the exit.
“Seriously?” her friend said. “I paid fifty dollars for our tickets.”
While I understood his sentiment—it was hard to be that wasteful—I also understood hers. My heart was still racing from the last scare. When Sam’s hold started to loosen, I snagged his hand in both of mine.
Level zero adventurers did not let go of lifelines.
We walked down a hallway with dark, netted openings I didn’t trust. Nothing was visible behind the netting. How deep was it? Deep enough for a person? My steps started to slow at the first one.
Sam stepped in front of me, tugged my hands to his shoulders, and picked me up. I didn’t need any additional encouragement. I wrapped my legs around his waist, like I had in the field, and buried my face in his neck so I wouldn’t see anything.
His hand smoothed down my back as he walked then turned sharply.
“Shh,” he said softly.
I lifted my head. It was too dark to see his face in the recessed bay, but on the other side of the netting, I saw someone with an axe raised overhead walk by. I hugged Sam more tightly, my breathing speeding up.
His hands captured the back of my head and gently coaxed it to his shoulder.
He was right. It was better if I didn’t look.
A scream rang out. I jumped in Sam’s arms. His hand slipped down my back, stroking over my jacket, soothing me as he left the netted nook. He walked forward confidently and ducked into another netted bay.
The axe man walked past us again.
I ducked my head, breathing heavily against Sam’s neck. The arm anchoring my waist tightened, pressing me into him a little more firmly.
Why? What was happening? Another scary thing?
He left the nook, moving quickly. I listened to the quiet creak of a door and lifted my head to pitch blackness. Eyes wide but seeing nothing, I listened. My back touched a wall. I dropped my head to Sam’s shoulder, tucking my face against his neck, instinctively trying to breathe quieter.
Between his hips pinning me to the wall and my legs around his waist, he didn’t need to hold me up. His hands smoothed down my arms as he curled around me, ducking his head so his breath warmed my cheek.
My fear vanished, replaced by lust so strong that a small sound escaped me.
Suddenly, every point of contact ignited in my mind. His hips against mine. The heat. Our chests pressed together. The softness. My heels digging into his back, holding him in place. Making him mine.
I needed more.
More contact.
More heat.
I needed to feel his hands on me, which didn’t make sense because they already were. His hands had traced their way back up my arms.
It wasn’t enough.
I lifted my head, caught his jaw between my hands, and kissed him.
The simple brush of my lips against his ignited a hunger I didn’t understand. I needed tongue and teeth. I needed to taste him.
My mouth opened, and I sank into Sam. His taste was everything. The feel of his tongue against mine. The need for more intensity rose. I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth and bit it lightly.
He tore his mouth from mine.
“Clarity.”
The rough, tormented way he said my name was like an ice bucket dumped over my head.
What had I just done?
Mortified and breathing hard, I started to untangle my legs from around him, wishing I could disappear.
He caught my thigh and hoisted it back around his waist.
“We need to leave before the next group catches up,” he said softly. “Hold on. I’ll get us out faster this way.”
Face aflame, I dropped my head to his shoulder and held on. The rest of the haunted house was a blur as the kiss replayed in my mind. Sam’s taste. The need that had flooded me. It was a confusing jumble that made my heart hurt. He hadn’t wanted to kiss. I’d forced myself on him.
When we reached the doors, he stopped. This time, he didn’t catch my thigh as I untangled my legs from his waist.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I mumbled, hurrying away from him.