“Hey—”
“I wanted—”
We both look at each other and laugh. Neither of us could ever take silence for that long.
“Go ahead.” I motion. He might as well spit out whatever he has to say before I come in with the whole doom and gloom that was his relationship with Jay. But we need to hash it out if we plan on getting along this summer—that much is clear.
“I wanted to apologize for earlier. When you first got here…”
“Oh.” I nod, remembering the sadness that swirled in my tummy from the look he gave me.
“I was going to talk to you in the parking lot but…” he says, waving behind him.
“But the party came up.”
“Yeah, and then—”
“You went into crazy protective mode.”
He laughs. “Something like that.”
I shift in my seat, not sure if I’m ready to hear why he and my brother stopped being friends. What if it’s something that changes how I see Jay? Or for that matter, Shane.
“I understand your feelings for me are confusing because of Jay.”
Next to me he stiffens, confirming my thoughts. Being around me is hard because I remind him of Jay. Of their lost friendship. That’s what he will always see when he looks at me now.
He glances over at me. “Lyla—”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a black mass hurtling at us seconds before the truck jolts and fishtails, skidding to the side of the dirt road in a whirlwind of dust and horrible crunching metal noises.
It all happened so fast. One second we’re driving, and the next we’re in a ditch with smoke billowing from the hood. My hand flies to my chest, clutching at the loose fabric of my T-shirt as my heart thuds underneath it so hard I’m certain it’s going to rip from my chest.
“Are you okay?” Shane slides across the bench seat, his hands gliding up my arms as he twists me to check for any injuries. When he reaches my face, he tugs it toward him.
If my heart wasn’t already going crazy, it is now. His blue eyes are wild as they scan every part of my face. But there’s something else there. Something I can’t put my finger on, but whatever it is sends a weird thrill through my stomach.
“I’m okay,” I stutter, reaching up to cup one of his hands where it still rests on my cheek. “Are you okay?”
He shakes his head, tugging me toward him in one rough movement. My arms wrap around his neck, returning the bone-crushing hug. We’re okay. This could have been a hell of a lot worse. And now I could kick myself for wanting to sneak out. The camp has rules for a reason and getting taken out by local wildlife is probably one of the big things they try to avoid.
As my breathing evens out, I lean backward. I need to call Scar and let her know what happened. We need to check how bad the truck is damaged. His poor shiny truck. If I had been driving my car, I would have been toast, so maybe the universe was looking out for me.
My train of thought is derailed when Shane’s grip on me tightens. I glance up into his still-frantic eyes, and that’s when I notice his breathing hasn’t calmed down at all. Still frantic. Still coming in sharp bursts. God, he’s got to be so pissed at me now. His truck would have been fine if—
Shane’s lips press into mine, warm and soft but with a demanding edge that leaves me dizzy. I’ve kissed plenty of boys over the years but nothing could prepare me for the fluttery sensation in the pit of my stomach when he captures my bottom lip between his and sucks, emitting a low growl that sounds as if it started somewhere deep in his soul and spent years trying to escape.
Before my shock has the chance to wear off…before I even make a move to kiss him back, a horn honks, piercing the almost silent night with the shrill noise and he’s gone. Back to his side of the truck, hands gripping the steering wheel so tight I can see them turning white in the pale moonlight.
Did I just imagine that?
If my lips weren’t still tingling, I might have believed that my mind made up some crazy story in a panic-induced hallucination. But it happened. My brother’s ex-best friend kissed me and it didn’t feel as if it was some thank God we’re alive kiss. It felt like something more.
I just can’t decide what the hell it means to me.
No.
God, I can’t believe I did that.
I stare at my hands gripping the steering wheel, hoping, praying I hallucinated or bumped my head in the crash.
But no amount of denial will erase the memory of my lips on hers—something I’ve dreamed about for years. Almost as many times as I swore I’d never follow through because this is Jay’s little sister I’m fantasizing about.
His gorgeous, funny, sexy sister.
Nope. Those kinds of thoughts do not mix well with Lyla—the girl who once ate a mud pie at Jay’s urging. The girl he made me promise to stay away from. The girl who ended our friendship because I couldn’t keep that promise. And if someone hadn’t interrupted, there is no telling what I would have done.
If someone saw…well, I’ll be out of here faster than a snap of Mr. River’s fingers.
I smack my forehead against the steering wheel and wish away the situation.
“What…was that?” Lyla asks, her voice tight.
Too scared to look up and confirm what must be shock and disgust on her face, I glance out the side window into the darkness. “That was adrenaline and a huge mistake.”
A mistake that will never happen again, no matter how right she felt in my arms.
With the weight of her stare on me, I slide out of the truck and into the night air. This is Lyla and she’ll want more of an answer, but right now there are bigger problems. Like the smoke that shouldn’t be coming out from under the crinkled hood and the deflated front tire, which means we won’t be driving anywhere soon.
The passenger side door opens and closes as I’m crouched down inspecting the damage on the front bumper. There’s a dent large enough to tweak the hood. Best guess is we hit a deer. And deer and vehicles don’t mix well.
When I sense her presence behind me, I stand and squeeze my neck. This isn’t getting fixed tonight. I already planned on calling a tow for her piece of crap, so I guess I’ll be adding my truck to the list. What fun that will be to explain to Mr. River.
“Think it’s fixable?”
Judging from the amount of damage, I’m not sure if a mechanic can fix it. I shake my head and grip the bumper. A soft breeze ruffles my hair and brings with it the intoxicating scent of whatever Lyla has on. It filled my truck earlier. Filled my senses, making me dizzy, and making me do stupid things.
Things I want to do again and again and again because I will never tire of the way her lips felt against mine.
Shit. I need to get out of here.
“Guess we’re walking.” I motion toward camp. The last thing I need right now is to walk alone with Lyla. I’ve had enough alone time with her, and clearly, I can’t control myself. But we’re out of options. And hey, maybe I’ll stay occupied, so I don’t do something else I’ll regret.
Because I do regret it. Without saying a word, I can tell she does too. I meant what I said earlier. The kiss was a mistake, no matter how much my heart and the rest of my body tries to disagree. The way she accepted my excuse so easily is enough to let me know she does not see me the same way I see her.