Page 7 of Infatuated
I wave to the crowd and shove my hands in my pockets, rocking back on my heels.
Holden smacks me on the arm and leans in to talk quietly. “I saw her first, you know. Plus, don’t you alreadyhavea girlfriend?”
“Hadis more like it. We broke up, and fuck if it doesn’t feel amazing to be rid of her.” Mom scowls at me, and I know she heard me swear. I mouth an apology to her and lower my voice further. “She’s going to school at UCLA and forgot to tell me she even applied.”
“Shit.” His face lights up as he elbows me in the ribs. I pull back from him and rub the tender spot. “That means you and I can have some fun this summer. It sucked being the lone wolf while you were basically married to the girl.”
I keep glancing at Lana, and she looks between the two of us and licks her lips.What are you thinking about, dirty girl?
“It did not suck. You chase so much tail, I think you’ll hate having the competition.” He smirks, and I knock his hat off the back of his head. I follow his line of sight, and he’s staring at Lana like he can see through her clothes. “Don’t,” I say firmly.
He looks at me and smirks. “Whatever, man. I’d love to get to know Lana for the two weeks she’s here.”
“What if she has a boyfriend?” I cross my arms over my chest and glance out at her. She’s talking with another girl around the same age as her. The two of them smile at something, and she bats her eyes at me, a smile playing on the corners of her lips. The other girl is cute, but she’s got nothing on Lana.
“The way she keeps looking at us, I have a feeling she’s single.”
* * *
After dinner, I help Holden get the campfire going. All the guests are mingling as they wait for us to get the s’mores fixings out. I’m ready to pass out after such a tough session, but then I catch a glimpse of Lana and get my second wind.
She’s sitting at a table, still reading that damn book of hers. Her dad walks over to her and says something. She scowls and puts the book down, joining the rest of the guests. I wander over to the table and pick up the book, reading the back.
Romance.It’s a damn romance. Sheisa dirty girl, after all. Kasey liked this shit, too. Made me try out a few things she read in them, and I always knew when she had been reading. She would practically pounce on me.
“Can I have my book back?” I glance up to find Lana with her hand out, palm up.
I look at the cover again and back at her, a knowing grin tugging at my lips. “Depends. What do I get out of it?”Why the hell did I say that?
She raises an eyebrow in surprise and shrugs. “I don’t know. What do you want?”
To run my fingers through your silky hair. No, to run my nose along your cheek. I need to know if you smell as good as you did earlier. Or maybe to see if your pink lips taste like cherries or strawberries. All the images I conjure up do nothing to stop my dick from growing in my pants.
“Lana, come on. I thought you were getting your—oh,” Molly, the other teenage girl, says. “Hi, Tristan.” She waves and looks down.
“Hi. Molly, is it?” She nods. “Happy to have you here atBlack Stallion Ranch. You ladies having some s’mores tonight?”
“I was thinking of enjoying the rest of the sunlight by the water, reading. Molly said she wanted to check it out, too.”
She takes her book from me and turns, muttering something about having a good night. Molly is hot on her heels, giggling as they walk out of ear shot. I sigh and walk back to the fire and take a seat next to Holden. We help a few of the younger kids get their marshmallows on a stick, and when everyone has had their fill, we clean up, leaving the fire burning.
Slowly, the guests leave as the sun dips behind the mountains. Most people want to get an early start fishing, hiking, or trail riding. I enjoy this part of the night when it’s quiet and allows me time to think. I poke the fire with a stick, sending embers flying into the night air. My phone buzzes, and I pull it out of my pocket as Kasey’s name flashes across the screen. I silence the ringer and pocket it again.
“You get service here?” Lana asks from behind me.
I turn to look at her. “Yeah, why?”
She wraps her arms around herself and gnaws at her unpainted thumb nail. “I don’t have service, and I’ve been trying to reach out to a friend all day. Your mom set me up on the Wi-Fi, but it keeps dropping.”
“Okay,” I say, drawing the word out, waiting for her to continue.
“Can I use yours? I promise it’ll be quick.”
“How about you sit by the fire with me for a few minutes and tell me about yourself. I like to get to know some of our guests.” I lean back and relax into my camping chair, waiting for her to talk.
She sits and leans forward, resting her forearms on the top of her knees. I notice a glint of something—maybe mischief—in her eyes. “Oh yeah? All the guests? Should I get my parents out here, too?”
She’s baiting me, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. “Sure. I’d love to get to know the Robinsons. Where in Connecticut are you from?”