CRUSH (9 page)

“Oh! Nice.” He grinned, looking very pleased.
“Glad I could give you something to look at.” He gently tossed the Frisbee in
between his hands.

I tried to snag it, but he was too quick,
snapping it out of my reach with a chuckle. “You thought you were being sneaky.
I can see how you are.”

“Whatever,” I replied, shoving his arm
slightly. “You’re just trying to rub in all your physical prowess.”

He laughed loud, turning to look at me. “I like
you, Goody. I think you like me too. Come on, admit it.”

“Never.” I smiled.

“It’s not that difficult, really—all you
have to say is, Hunter, I like you. Now you try it.”

“Nope. Not gonna say it.”

“I bet I could make you say it.” He quirked his
eyebrow, and I saw it as a clear challenge.

“You could try,” I countered.

“What do I get when I win?” he asked grinning.

“It doesn’t matter. You won’t win.”

“I should warn you—I don’t often lose.”

“Me either.” I laughed. “Give it up.”

He rolled over, tossing the Frisbee aside. He moved
as quickly as lightning, grabbing me and tickling.

“No!” I screeched, clawing at the blanket as I
tried to scoot from his reach. “Stop, that’s not playing fair at all.” I gasped
for breath at his assault.

“Say it,” he ordered.

“
Noooo
 . . .
”

He was killing me—I was so incredibly
ticklish. He rapidly managed to flip me over, and I flailed, trying to push him
away by placing my hands against his rock hard chest. Grabbing me by the wrists
he stilled, holding them down against the ground.

He smiled widely, barely winded, knowing he had
me effectively imprisoned. “Say the words and I’ll let you up.”

I shook my head as I huffed, refusing to give
in as I lay underneath his muscular frame.

His look changed into something
different—something smoldering, and I all of a sudden wondered if he was
going to kiss me. His head dipped closer, until his full lips were a mere
fraction from mine, and I could feel his breath against my skin. Goose bumps
flared over me as he caressed my face with his gaze, and I stopped squirming in
anticipation. I wanted him to kiss me.

“Tell me you like me,” he whispered. He was so
close I could almost imagine the feel of his
lips
as
they moved, but not quite.

I pursed mine together, trying to stop my
mischievous smile. “No,” I replied.

He shook his head. “That’s not an acceptable
answer.”

“Well, it’s the one you’re getting.” I laughed
and he did as well, releasing me and flopping onto his back. The spell was
broken.

I placed my hand on my stomach, trying to calm
the butterflies that were beating in there more like a bunch of bats gone wild.

“This is not over by any means. I will get you
to say it.”

“It’s on.”

He stared at me. “You think I’m kidding, don’t
you?”

“Not at all. I just think I happen to be a
really good person at resisting peer pressure.”

He laughed again. “We’ll see about that.” He
propped up on his elbow. “So what else do you want to do today? I’m having too
much fun to take you home yet—unless you’re sick of me. I don’t want to
keep you prisoner.”

“I’m having a great time, actually. Thank you.”

“You’re having a great time because you like
me, don’t you?”

I was silent, and he chuckled again, shaking
his head. He climbed to his feet and held his hand out. “What shall we do?”

“I have a place I want to show you if you don’t
mind driving out of town a little ways.”

“Just tell me where to go. I don’t mind at
all.”

“Are you taking me into the woods somewhere to
execute me?” he joked as I directed him where to turn.

“No, but on second thought, it might not have
been the best idea to bring your nice car here. I didn’t remember the roads
being so bumpy.”

“That’s okay. I’m not in any kind of rush.” He
cast a glance at me and winked. “I don’t mind going slow.”

“You’re an incredible tease,” I replied, unable
to help my smile. I was not unaffected by his flirting. He knew exactly what he
was doing.

“True . . 
. ,
but you
like
it. Don’t you?”

I couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up from
within me uncontrollably. He was so much fun.

“I’m not going to say.” I bit my lip as I
smiled, and he shook his head. “You may want to slow down or you will drive
your car into the river right around this bend.”

He stepped on the brake, and we came to a stop
before a sandy stretch of dirt that led down to the edge of the water. It was
only about knee deep and around twenty feet wide but had a decent amount of
swiftness to it.

“That’s what I wanted you to see.” I pointed to
the far cliff face. The afternoon sun was angled just right, highlighting the
ancient Indian ruin, which had been built into a cave in the side.

“This is incredible!” Hunter exclaimed, getting
out so he could take a better look.

I followed suit, and we met in the middle,
leaning back against the hood.

“There’s a visitor center and a hiking trail
you can take up into them. It’s down the main highway a bit. The last part of
the trail is pretty rough, though. I like coming here to sit by the river and
enjoy the view instead. It’s so peaceful.”

Hunter cast a grin in my direction before
turning back to the amazing sight. “We should come and hike into it someday.
Can you imagine what it must’ve been like to live in a place like that?”

I shook my head. “Well, I wouldn’t have wanted to
be the kid constantly being sent after water, that’s for sure. I’m thinking
they must’ve been pretty strong to keep on making that climb over and over
again.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I can’t fathom the kind
of work it would take to make a place like that run properly. I wonder if
defense was really that important to survival. Just imagine carrying all that
rock up in there to build it. That’s some serious dedication.” He surprised me
when he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, giving me a friendly squeeze.
“Thanks for bringing me here. This is awesome.”

I felt the heat creeping into my cheeks. I was
happy he was pleased with it. It was one of my favorite places to come sit and
unwind. “I’m glad you like it. I didn’t know if you would. You seemed kind of
horrified when I told you about things there are to do.”

He chuckled keeping his arm around me loosely.
“I guess it’s more enjoyable when the person you’re with is a great part of the
view too.”

I snorted and shoved him away. I started
walking backward toward the water, keeping him in my sight. “Now you’re just
laying it on thick.”

“And you like it. I can tell by that pretty
blush spreading so nicely over your skin. I think it’s gonna paint you all the
way down to those tiny, cute ankles of yours.” His gaze traveled over my entire
length and back up. “You really should just admit it.”

He was going to do some serious damage to my
heart I was afraid. I’d never felt so easily comfortable with someone in my
life, not even Clay. There was definitely something about Hunter Wilder that
drew me. He made my heart race every time he looked at me. It was exhilarating
and scary at the same time.

“I can’t admit it. You keep reminding me you
don’t have room for girls in your life right now.”

The smile slid from his face, and he grew
serious, his eyes watching me like a hawk from where he leaned. He pushed away
and stalked in my direction, catching me by the arms and pulling me against
him. My hands slid up his chest of their own accord, and my breath caught in my
throat as I tipped my head to look at him towering over me.

“A girl like you tempts me to change my mind.”

He literally took my breath away. I wanted him to
kiss me, but he held me rigidly, not moving any closer. I wanted to know what
his lips would feel like against mine. He made all other guys I’d known pale in
comparison. Deciding to take the initiative, I slid my arms farther up,
wrapping them around his neck and pulling him down closer.

He resisted at first, but then released a sigh
and moved toward me.

I held my breath, waiting for his mouth to
touch mine.

The sound of laughter broke us apart and we
turned, seeing a man and a woman with a couple of small children walking down
the side of the stream.

“Good afternoon!” the woman called to us in
friendly fashion. “Beautiful view, isn’t it?”

Hunter looked at me. “It sure is.” He pulled me
into the circle of his arms, and I thought I might swoon on the spot it was so
romantic. “Enjoying a day of hiking?”

“Yeah, we went up into the ruins earlier. It’s
a tough little hike, especially with kids. We promised them they could play in
the water when we came back down,” the man spoke.

“Sounds like fun. I hope you enjoy it. We’re
just about to do the same thing,” I replied, waving at them as they continued
on their way.

“We are?” Hunter asked grinning softly. “Funny,
but I thought things were headed in an entirely different direction.”

“That’s what you get for thinking, I guess.” I
pushed away and left him, enjoying the sound of his laughter following after
me. I sat down in the sand and removed my shoes, leaving them there when I got
up and moved toward the water.

I wisely dipped a toe in first and gasped. “Oh
my gosh! That is so incredibly cold!” I grimaced and waded in farther.

“Then why are you going in deeper?” Hunter
chuckled.

“Because it’s fun! Come on! Take your shoes off
and join me.” I carefully stepped on the slippery rocks, trying to feel each
one as I went further in until the water reached my knees and the current
splashed up around them. I turned and looked over my shoulder to see if he was
coming, but the motion caused me to lose my footing. I wobbled, furiously
trying to maintain my balance before splashing down hard.

The cold liquid rushed over me, making me gasp,
and my mouth filled with water as the current picked up my body and bumped me
roughly against several of the stones on the bottom. I tried putting my hands
down so I could push my head out of the water, but I couldn’t get enough force
underneath me. I flailed, clawing at the slippery rocks as I tried to gain a
hold, panicking as my body screamed for air.

Resisting the urge to suck in a breath, I
floundered. My vision started going black at the edges and I had the horrifying
thought that I was going to drown in two feet of water. My limbs felt heavy,
like I couldn’t move them properly. I didn’t think I could fight it much
longer. I opened my mouth, trying to scream, but more water rushed inside.

Strong arms grasped me, picking me up and I
coughed, spraying liquid everywhere before dragging a giant breath of air into
my lungs. Hunter scooped me up into his arms, and I laid my head against his chest
as I clung to him, shaking with both cold and shock.

“Just keep breathing, Cami,” he ordered.

I couldn’t reply, shivering as he carried me
out of the water and up the sand toward his car. He set me down, leaning me
against it, pinning my traumatized body there with his hips. He reached down
and pealed my shirt off, revealing my lacy bra beneath. He tossed the top on
the hood and reached for the button on my shorts.

“What are you doing?” My voice was trembling as
I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Trying to keep you from getting hypothermia in
this breeze. Can you stand on your own?”

I nodded and he stepped away, pushing my shorts
down and instructing me to lift each leg. They joined my shirt on the hood. He
reached into his pocket for his keys and popped the trunk, pulling out the
thick blanket we’d used for our picnic earlier, wrapping me up in it tightly
before hugging me.

“Girl, I swear you just took ten years off my
life. Are you okay?” He released a giant sigh as he leaned his head on top of
mine, rubbing my back through the blanket.

I started laughing, and then crying. “I
couldn’t get up. It was so dumb and then I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was
just flopping around like a rag doll.” I buried my head against his chest. “It
was so stupid. The water is so shallow.”

“That current was much stronger under the
surface than it looked. It felt like it took me a year to reach you.”

My knees wobbled, and he grabbed me tighter,
holding me up.

“Come on, let’s get you seated.” He opened the
passenger door and lifted my burrito-wrapped body into the car, settling me
into the seat before crouching down beside me. “Cami, are you sure you’re all
right?”

I nodded. “I’ll be fine. I’m more embarrassed
than anything.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. Accidents happen. How
many fingers am I holding up?”

His question diffused my hysteria, and I
started laughing again. “I can still see, Hunter.”