“Nineteen.”
Calder gives me a tug, forcing my feet closer, the heat of his body devouring me.
“My turn.”
The heart that I think is still in my chest starts beating out of control. He swallows, and my back arches ever so delicately toward him, repeating his words.
“Your turn.”
He smirks. “How old are you?”
“I’m a senior.”
Going to be… Same difference.
His face lowers as my eyes close. But instead of his lips pressing to mine, Calder runs his nose up my jaw. He inhales, leaving the barest touch of his lips against my earlobe. “Do you really believe in curses?”
I can’t move because my whole fucking body wants to shake. “Maybe.”
“I don’t.” He pulls back, locking eyes with me. “Tell me your name.”
I’m about to surrender in this little game we’re playing, feeling lost in Calder’s magic, when his attention’s stolen by the sound of someone snapping their fingers behind me.
I’m released, my body suddenly cold.
Looking over my shoulder, my eyes land on Hunter as he rounds the corner, and my heart stops.
He stops dead in his tracks, looking between us.
Oh shit. My head swings back and forth, feeling the air change, tension sweeping over us.
Hunter extends his arm, calling me over. “What’s going on here?”
I shake my head because the words aren’t coming out. They can’t. They’re held hostage by the fact that Calder’s still holding a strand of my hair, eyes back on me. Zero fucks given to Hunter.
“Fuck off, little Kelly. She’s busy. Go play somewhere else.”
Calder lifts my hair to his nose, inhaling, and I blink up at the sincerest blue pools as he grins.
“I like your shampoo.”
This time I laugh, sweeping my hair over my shoulder, away from him. Avoiding the growl that leaves his throat as I take a step back, I put distance between us, even when his fingers graze my hand, because this could get ugly fast.
Like he said before, there are more than enough juniors and Roman numerals inside for Hunter to call on. I won’t be the catalyst for a throw-down between the two schools here.
Calder stares at me, crossing his arms, but I shrug, turning my attention to Hunter, who’s mimicking Calder’s pose.
The sound of fabric swishing open draws our collective attention, West chuckling as he walks out. His arm is slung over the girl who was just on her knees, and she’s staring at him like he’s a god.
West’s eyes meet mine immediately, then drop to my bare feet. His smile broadens so much that the shine should sparkle on his teeth.
“Hey, Cinderella. You left something in the tent.”
He holds up my pink Vans, giving them a shake. Jesus. I reach out, snatching my shoes, the whole tragic night hitting me in the gut again.
“Thank you.” I point at the tent, my cheeks turning scarlet. “And sorry about the plus-one—”
I shift toward Calder, walking backward as he starts following me, pointing to myself. “Sutton. And I promise no more screaming.”
He laughs, but I spin to Hunter, who looks like he’s got plenty to say to me. I hold up the sleeve of his flannel that my hand’s folded over. “Thanks for the shirt and the offer. But I’ve had a weird night. I’m just going to go.”
I take four or five quick skips on the balls of my feet over the sand before I look back. The expressions on their faces pull a burst of laughter from my chest. The thoughts they must be thinking. I can almost tell what each is thinking—one with a smirk, the other a scowl, and West looking at that girl’s boobs.
As I turn, Hunter calls my name, but it’s Calder’s eyes I lock with.
“See you in the daylight.”
“I cannot get over that you saw that dude get a blow job.”
Aubrey shimmies her sweats over her hips before reaching up to put her hair in a messy bun. I shake my head, trying not to laugh, falling back onto the bed.
“It was so embarrassing. And loud. Eww. I’m still cringing all over again at what a perv I was.”
Piper throws a pillow at me. “Yeah. I mean, I was super pissed when you made us leave, but this story is so worth it.”
Aubrey snuggles up in her bamboo chair swing, grabbing her water. “So what happened after the criminal let you go?”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t call him that. He’s nice.”
Their heads turn to stare at each other before they begin taunting me. “Oh, sorry. Are we offending your boyfriend?” Piper puts a hand to her chest. “Oh no, Aubrey, don’t talk about her true love that way.”
I scream-laugh, flipping them off. “Fuck off, please, and thank you. And for your information, nothing happened. Hunter walked around the corner, and I left. It was embarrassing. I died. And now we’re here.”
It’s a lie. And I meant to tell it. Guilt blooms, growing and compounding because I just lied as if I do it every day—with a smile on my lips, never skipping a beat. But I don’t want to share him.
Aubrey wags her brows.
“What are you going to say to Hunter now? Like how will you explain? We need a plan.”
Piper inserts a terrible idea, and they start bickering back and forth about what I should do. And I’m happy to let them because my thoughts are elsewhere.
I may have said nothing happened with Calder, but the truth is it feels as if everything happened with him. Like I woke up for the first time in my life. But how do I tell them that I have a hard-core crush on someone they so lovingly refer to as the town criminal?
They’ll just tell me it was lust—that I was horny. And yeah, of course I was. Calder’s insanely hot. The lips, the eyes…the damn tattoos. He’s the inspiration for ruined panties everywhere. But there was more, an attraction I’ve never felt before him.
I let my teeth find my bottom lip.
He felt epic.
My phone dings from across the room, and I push up to my elbows, staring at it.
Calder doesn’t have my number, but everything else tonight has been bizarre—what’s one more thing? The girls stop talking as my phone begins dinging over and over, turning their attention to my face before they both scramble to get it.
Piper nabs it first, tossing it to me and laughing as Aubrey jumps on her back.
“Piper! We can’t trust her to make her own decisions. What are you thinking?”
I’m giggling, opening my texts, offering, “It’s Hunter,” as I scroll to the top of the chain.
“Duh,” Aubrey mocks, jumping off Piper’s back.
They walk over toward the bed, but my smile begins to fade with each step.
“What’s he texting?” Piper nudges as I sit silently.
Hunter: I’m drunk, and you’re not here.
Hunter: Why aren’t you here, Freckles?
Hunter: Is it because you’re slumming it across the tracks?
Hunter: Whatever. Fuck it. Do you. I like my toys brand new anyway.
Hunter: Tiffany says hi.
I drop the phone on my lap, looking up at my friends. They read the messages from over my shoulder, so I don’t have to say anything.
“Can I really be pissed? We aren’t anything to each other.”