Page 20

fifteen

Mark

“ D o you think he’ll be okay?” It was very obvious as soon we all got in the car that Sawyer was there against his will and was very distracted. I get it, though. Noah is a lot, and it’s not exactly like my friend is ever on his best behavior.

After an hour of walking around the park and going on various rides, Noah didn’t feel good and wanted to go home.

Not really feeling it either, Sawyer offered to take him.

I know what this is about. Hunter feels weird about Noah, which is fair.

Even I feel weird about Noah. We just click, though, and I’m happy we can be friends now.

As weird as it may seem, we just know each other.

Walking through the park, Hunter laughs a little.

“I think Noah’s going to eat Sawyer alive.

” He winds our fingers together, and I have to grin.

Wide. I feel it stretch the entirety of my face, but that’s what it feels like being near him.

I feel like the biggest idiot in the world, but I don’t care.

It’s just how I feel when Hunter is with me.

It’s like everything is okay when he’s here.

Everything is not okay, though.

My phone buzzes for the third time tonight, but I’m not pulling it out of my pocket and ruining things.

Derrick’s words from earlier still haunt me.

I know Derrick’s a prick, but making me break up with Hunter in that way is cruel.

I know that’s what he’s going for, but I just can’t imagine someone being that awful to another person.

There’s no way I’m doing it. I’ll let him believe it, but I am going to figure this out.

Somehow I will, and with Sawyer in the mix, it’s like the puzzle pieces are connecting.

My main issue has always been why. Why is he framing me and what reason did he have to burn down their restaurant?

Sawyer is Hunter’s best friend, so something must have happened between all of them.

Asking Hunter is out of the question. He keeps everyone’s business private, which is commendable, and also fucking frustrating. And I can’t very well ask Sawyer about it.

Hunter presses a kiss to my shoulder, making me smile. Despite everything with Derrick earlier, I’m having a great time now. Hunter pulls out his phone, laughing. “What?” He shows me the picture—Noah smiling wide with Sawyer looking unimpressed in the driver’s seat.

“Ugh, they’re going to hook up, huh?”

“Probably not.” Hunter laughs. “Would you be jealous if they did?”

“God, no.” I gag. “Sawyer is in for the ride of his life, though, if they do.” After seeing that hockey player in Noah’s room I wouldn’t put it past him. Sure, Noah’s a lot, but dammit, he is charismatic as fuck.

“Noah’s that good?” That’s not what I’m getting at, or really even want to think or talk about.

I know it’s weird. It’s weird to me too, but it’s like ever since we stopped messing around, things between us have just improved.

It’s weird to even think about us fucking around now.

“It’s okay, you can tell me. I’m curious. ”

I think for a moment because yeah, sex with Noah was great while it lasted, but .

. . hollow, compared to this and how I feel now.

It was hollow. “I mean yeah, the sex was whatever. It was good, but . . .” I think for a moment.

“Looking back now, it all just seems so . . .” I try to think of how to say this. “Empty.”

“Empty?”

That night in the woods with Hunter brought me more feeling than any hookup I’d ever had. Not for the first time do I think about him, and what it would be like fucking with the feelings part sprinkled in. “And you no longer want empty?”

“No.” I stop, startling him a bit at the sudden halt. “I think I’ve had enough empty.” I couldn’t feel empty with him if I tried. Being with Hunter is like feeling a thousand things all at once.

A shrill scream makes me jump, and Hunter laughs, grabbing my hand. We’ve played games, gone on a few rides, and now with the night winding down I start to get ideas.

Hunter looks hot tonight—dark jeans, dark-green sweater that fits over his broad chest like it’s fucking painted on.

My mind goes to the locker room and I picture Hunter in that towel, his gorgeous olive skin dusted with dark hair trailing down his chest like a path for me to follow.

He stops, and his attention pulls up. I look to where he’s looking and shake my head. “No.”

“Come on. It’ll be romantic.”

“When I throw up on you and pass out from a panic attack it won’t be romantic.”

Hunter pouts, and fuck, does he have to also be adorable? “It’ll be fun.”

“I am severely afraid of heights. I cannot stress that enough. I will cry myself to death.”

He chuckles softly, cupping my face and smoothing his thumbs along my cheek. “Fair. I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.

What a considerate dick.

My lips purse as I close my eyes. I’m going to do this, aren’t I?

How am I this dick whipped without even getting any dick?

I refuse to look at the contraption in front of me.

It’ll be fine, though, right? Sure, the fall down will be scary as fuck, but I won’t live much longer afterwards to remember it. “Fine.”

“It’s okay. I’m just teasing you. We don’t have to.”

“You know what’s annoying?”

“Wh-what?”

“How kind and understanding you are. It like, Jedi mind tricks me into doing shit I’d never do. Bring me out into the fucking woods—”

“You got a hand job.” My mouth snaps shut. “What’s a Jedi ? Is that a video game thing?”

My eyes widen. “I am going to pretend those words never came out of your mouth.”

“What? What is that—”

“Too many hockey pucks to the brain,” I grumble, and Hunter’s lips waver into a smile. “You’re fucking with me?”

“Mark, I know what Star Wars is. Seeing the look on your face, though, was good stuff.”

“I was about to take you back to my dorm and make you watch them all in theatrical order. Then in cannon order! Then with director commentary because you pissed me off.”

“Please don’t do that.”

“Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Suppressing a smile, he grabs my hand, yanking me roughly against him and kissing me hard.

Just like that. Worry gone. Magic fucking mouth.

Stupid hard body. Warm strong grip. I try and fail not to show the smile on my face seeing Hunter’s cocky grin on his stupidly handsome one. “I think I’m mad at you.”

“Well, damn. I better work on getting back in your good graces.”

“How are you planning to do that?”

A slow, sexy grin grows on his face. “I have some ideas for after this.”

Gripping the seat of my cart, I squeeze my eyes so tight I see black dots behind my eyelids, and keeping my face buried between Hunter’s shoulder and the seat, I let out a very manly little scream every time the cart moves a little higher.

My stomach flips. I’m not sure how high we are, but between the slow fucking crawl to the top and the five-minute stationary sitting as we ascend to a new level, we’ll be on this motherfucking Ferris wheel until I’m eighty. “You okay?”

“Fucking fantastic.” Oh yeah, this death trap even fucking sways. What a treat! I feel a hand on my bicep, squeezing me gently.

“Hey.” I ignore him as the cart rocks slowly. Seriously, would it be so hard to ask for some stability? This thing is thousands of fucking feet in the air, you know what would make it better? If it fucking rocked!

Oh my god, I need to breathe. I’m going to faint. With my luck, I’ll faint and fall off the ride, but at least I’d be unconscious while I plummet to my death. “Mark.” Slowly, he pulls me to him. My body goes rigid as he carefully tugs me onto his lap.

“What are you doing!?” He’s probably going to throw me off this fucking thing. This has to be the least sexy thing anyone has ever seen.

“Don’t panic,” Hunter whispers. Trusting him, I squeeze my eyes harder. I’m surprised I don’t crush them behind my eyelids. His strong hands pull me onto his lap, and my stomach dips as the cart sways. I latch onto him tightly, like a koala, as I bury my face into his neck.

Hugging me tight, his hands work slow circles along my spine. “I’m so sorry.” He kisses my hair line. “I didn’t know it was this bad or I wouldn’t have asked.”

“I hate heights.”

He chuckles warmly. “Yeah, I understand that now.” He holds me tight. This ride seems fucking endless. We have to be almost done, right? “We’re almost at the top.” Oh, fuck me . Kissing the side of my face, he watches me as I open my eyes just enough to see him. “It wasn’t this bad on the hill.”

“It was dark.” I take a deep, spine-steeling breath and open my eyes wider, keeping my attention just on him and nothing else. “I couldn’t see, it was dark. Fuck, this is awful. I’m going to pass out. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He cups my face, looking right at me. Right through me. “Focus on me. You’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that. This fucking thing is welded together with hopes, steel, and wishes.”

“You’re right. I don’t know. I can tell you what I do know, though.

” I focus on him, on his bright brown eyes.

This close, I can see flecks of gold swirling in them.

I can’t help myself, putting a hand on his jaw and feeling the scruff of his beard beneath my fingers.

I’ve never been with someone with a beard before, but I am slowly loving the feeling of it beneath my fingertips.

“What do you know?”

If I focus on the woodsy scent of his cologne, I can pretend we aren’t thousands of feet in the air.

He continues to stroke my cheek, and the calming touch lulls me into a false sense of security.

“I know that you look so good tonight. That sweater hugs your body, and I love seeing my name across your back. And those jeans . . . fuck, your ass looks great in them.” I smile.

“I love the way you look in sweats but wearing these . . .” He rubs my thighs.

“It’s like a present wrapped up tight just for me.

“I also know that despite our insane best friends, and this, I’ve had the best time tonight.

You’re very brave for doing this. I should have taken you more seriously about the heights thing.

I’m sorry.” Leaning forward, he kisses me softly, and I barely register the slightly swaying cart.

“Don’t stop kissing me, baby. Just focus on me. ”

Pressing my lips harder against his, he distracts me as the cab jerks, rising again.

This time I barely register the movements.

We kiss and I couldn’t give a single shit about what’s happening around us.

Languid and slow, Hunter kisses me stupid.

We jerk to a stop and Hunter looks behind me. I freeze. “What?”

“We’re at the top.” I squeeze him again, fitting my face into his neck, but this time it’s not out of fear. I kiss his neck and breathe him in. “If I hold you, do you want to see?”

Swallowing, I don’t know. I kind of do. Hunter makes the fear less debilitating. “Maybe.”

“I got you.” Fuck, I believe that. Moving slowly, I turn, sitting in his lap facing forward.

His arms wrap around me, holding me against his chest, and Hunter kisses the side of my face then rests his chin on my shoulder.

“Open your eyes.” Reluctantly I peel them open, nearly biting my tongue as I look out over the park.

Holy shit. Damn. Holding me tight, Hunter keeps me there with him. “Pretty, huh?”

“Y-yeah.” I look down at the people below us and my stomach clenches.

They’re just tiny little dots moving around.

Leaning back against him, I tilt my head back and he kisses me again, plunging his tongue inside my mouth.

My fingers find his hair. Growing hungrier with every swipe of his tongue, I don’t even notice we’re moving until Hunter pulls back laughing. “What?”

“We’re almost at the bottom.” Shit, we were kissing for that long? Not surprising. Time melts away when his lips are on mine. I freeze, looking around as the ground below greets us. Not meeting any of the eyes of the fair goers, I slide off his lap. My cheeks burn. “Not so bad, huh?”

I lean in for a kiss, smiling. “Don’t ever expect me to do that again.” He laughs then pulls out his phone and shakes his head. “What?”

“Just Sawyer. They made it back to the dorms. He’s walking Noah to his room then calling it a night.”

“I guess we can’t hope for our best friends to fall in love, huh?”

“Guess not.” Hunter clicks his tongue. “I wanted to ask. Do you . . . want to come back to my house tonight?”

“Your house?” He nods. “Like, to sleep?”

Hunter’s grin grows feral, and the liquid heat in his eyes makes my stomach swoop. My eyes do a slow crawl over his body. I want to put my mouth on every gorgeous inch of him. “I’m sure we’ll get around to it.”