“Yeah. Go.”
She nodded and took off for the bar, her focus on the blonde girl who happened to be standing near Chris.
Shaking my head, I faced the group, all of us chatting easily. My back was to the sliding door of the house, and the music reverberated loudly around the yard, tons of people milling around drinking, laughing, and playing with water guns. But somehow I knew the moment he stepped out. Like every molecule in my body was in tune with his, sensing him before he was there.
“Hunter!” People called out his name, my stomach dropped like an atom bomb. My body stiffened, the back of my neck prickling. “The Haze is in the house!”
“There he is,” Doug boomed out, raising his drink again. I couldn’t turn around. Couldn’t breathe. My heart thumped heavily against my ribs.
“Hey, guys,” Hunter’s voice drifted over my shoulder, a hand grasping the back of my chair. “Sorry, we’re late.”
We’re?
“Krista, you made it,” Megan said, my head jolting around. Standing right next to Hunter, Krista’s smile tapered when her gaze landed on me. Tall and thin, Krista was dressed in jean shorts, sandals, and a tank, her dark blonde hair in a ponytail. She was pretty but had an even harder edge than Megan. And she had no qualms about showing me how she really felt about me. Sometimes I wondered if it had anything to do with Colton anymore.
She quickly looked back to Megan, an easy grin consuming her face. “Yeah, Hunter thought I needed a night off. Got his mom to watch Cody for an evening.” Krista clutched his arm, beaming up at him. “You should have seen Cody when Hunter walked in. He lit up like a Christmas tree, and waddled over to him, calling him Da-Da.”
“Awww.” Everyone cooed, except me. I wanted to throw up. I got her point, which was most likely aimed at me. Though Hunter was not actually Cody’s father, he was his “daddy.” They were a family, and I could never be part of that.
“Missed the little guy.” Hunter’s hand still gripped my chair, brushing my bare back, his gaze on the group. “Hated being away from him that long. He grew so much.”
I gulped, the pit in my stomach hollowing out.
“Tell me about it.” Krista shook her head. “He’s become such a handful. Curious and into everything. Mama needs a drink.”
“Let’s go, girl. The bar is right over here.” Megan jumped up, grabbing her friend’s arm, the pair heading over to the picnic table.
“Get a drink and sit down, man. You’re home now.” Doug pointed at Megan’s empty chair. “We’ve been watching your girl for you.”
Jones groaned again.
“I appreciate it.” Hunter’s hand slid from the back of my chair to my fingers, wrapping around them, tugging me from the chair. “Jaymerson?” His husky voice fluttered down my legs. “Come with me for a moment?”
I silently followed, his fingers lacing with mine as he walked us through the house, not stopping as dozens of people shouted his name, patting him on the back, congratulating him on his latest win. He nodded, thanking them, directing us out the front door and down the steps. We headed the same way we did the one night I ended up with a tattoo on my arm. The heat of the night instead of the cold and rain gave me a strange déjà vu.
He stayed silent, the sound of crickets and our feet brushing the road filling the stillness between us, his hand still wrapped around mine. Music from cars and lights from the main strip came into view, the sign of the tattoo parlor blinking down the road.
“Finally decide to get the Donald Duck tattoo on your forehead?” I nudged our hands toward the shop.
His cheek dimpled, his gaze dropping to me. “Thought we both were getting Daffy Duck.”
“Matching?” My head shook. “Now that’s just tacky.”
“Oh, okay, that’s tacky? Not the fact you’d have a cartoon character inked on your forehead?”
“It’s Daffy! How could that ever be wrong?”
He stopped us, turning to me, his gaze heavy on my face and body.
“Sorry I was late. I hadn’t seen Cody in so long. He’s growing fast.” He licked his lip, staring at the ground. “Getting my mom to babysit took a lot more time than I thought.”
“I thought she wanted to step up and be part of his life?”
His jaw rolled. “So did I.”
“What happened?”
Hunter sighed, dropping my hand. He turned us away from the main street, where people grouped around the ice cream parlor and restaurants, traveling to quiet residential streets. “Some things are better in theory than in action. Especially when she’d rather be drinking and forgetting the fact she’s getting a divorce from my dad.”
“Oh. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. They haven’t really been happy in a long time. They were more partners in business than in love. My father’s indiscretions were deeper than hiding things about Colton. He’d been having an affair for years.”
“Oh.”
“We all knew about it, but I guess there is only so long you can ignore things. The stuff about Colton having a kid changed something in my mom, and now she can’t go back to being willfully ignorant to other aspects of my father.”
“I can relate.” I understood not being able to return to normal after your world changed. I remember the evening of Colton’s memorial potluck. I’d looked at Julia and realized if Colton lived, I could have easily been like his mom—stuck in a loveless marriage, playing the dutiful wife for appearances while he cheated on me. Hell, Colton had already been cheating on me; he had a baby with another woman.
I couldn’t imagine going back to the girl who would have allowed herself to fall into that life just because it was easy. She died in the car that night, along with Colton. And as much pain as I went through, as much as the loss of Colton destroyed me, I preferred the person I had become.
“Still, all she knew was that life, so she’s not handling things well. And Cody is a reminder of all the things wrong right now.” Anger flashed over his face. “I thought spending time with him might change her outlook, help her see what is important, and how Cody is the most important thing in the world. He is the cutest, sweetest kid.”
I loved how much Hunter worshipped Cody, but I couldn’t deny the looming feeling in my gut, the one that told me I would lose this game I didn’t even want to play.
“My mother is not what I want to talk about.” Hunter grabbed my arm, turning himself to face me. He cupped my face, pressed himself against me. “Damn, I’ve missed you.”
“Really?” My nose flared at his intoxicating smell, keenly aware of how his body ignited mine. “I’m sure those promo girls distracted you just fine.” During his races, whether he won or lost, the promo girls flocked to him like sharks on chum. They all had huge pushed-up boobs, ripped abs, and tight asses showing from their skimpy outfits. They’d line up on each side of him, smiling, giggling, and kissing him.
A grin tugged at his cheek. “Jealous?”
“I’m not playing this game with you.” I tried to step back, but he pulled me harder against him.
“I’m not playing anything. I couldn’t give a shit about them.” His voice rumbled, his lips only inches from mine. “I wanted you there.”
“A simple call. Text. An email,” I replied. “That’s all I needed. I want you to go after your dreams. This is an amazing opportunity, but I’m not going to be the girl who sits at home by the phone.”
“Then come with me.” His hands moved into my hair, launching shivers across my skin.
“What?” I tipped my head to look into his blue eyes.
“School’s done. You have no commitments here, right? Come with me to Colorado.”
“I-I can’t…”
“Why?”
“Because. I can’t take off on a whim.”
“Why can’t you? What’s keeping you here?”
“That’s not the point. You don’t get to come back after weeks of silence and act like nothing changed. A simple call would have been nic
e, Hunter. After all we have gone through, I’m not going to be walked all over again. I’ve already been hurt by one Harris brother.”
He flinched. “I’m know. I’m sorry.”
“Not good enough.” I turned away and walked back toward Doug’s house. All the things I found out about Colton, none of them hurt like Hunter’s withdrawal. We had been through hell together. I thought the bond we created, the obstacles we hurtled over, had brought us closer.
His schedule was crazy, I understood that, but I also was done not being important in someone’s life, only taking little scraps provided to me. Colton’s first love and priority had been football, then it was getting laid by any girl he could, while I blindly stood by him, not realizing I was nowhere near the top of his list. He gave me just enough to pacify me, and I accepted it.
No more.
“Jayme, wait.” Hunter clutched my arm, whirling me around. “Please.”
Ripping from his hold, I stepped away from him, his nearness befuddling my brain.
“It’s been insane since I took off. A blur. I haven’t slept or had a moment to myself. But none of that is an excuse. I should have called.”
“You should have.” I nodded, turning to depart, but his hands grasped my shoulders, twisting me to him.
“I promise it won’t happen again.” His hungry gaze strolled over my frame, then he tugged me into him. “I love you, Jaymerson, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to make it up to you. Please, come with me to Colorado. I would really like you there.”
My mouth opened and shut. My first instinct was still to think of my parents, not to do anything they wouldn’t approve of. Be the good girl. But I was eighteen and no longer had school to worry about.
“Please?” His breath trickled down my neck as he nuzzled in closer, my defenses falling away. Hunter had that effect on me. I tried to fight him for so long, but whatever was between us always won out.
“Say yes.” His mouth brushed mine, just enough to tease me.
“Damn, you really aren’t playing fair.”
“Should have learned that about me in our pillow fight.” He smirked, skimming my mouth again, tugging slightly on my bottom lip. “Come with me. It’s only for a few days.”
Italy wasn’t for another two weeks. A couple of days would be fine; my parents would have to deal. For us, I was willing to do anything.
“You make me crazy, Hunter Browning Harris.” I pressed my fist into his shirt.
“That sounds awfully like a yes.” His fingers locked at the back of my head, his mouth sliding across my jaw. “And right back to you, Jaymerson Vanessa Holloway. You can probably feel how much.”
I could, and it was spinning my head with epic desire. We had gotten close to having sex on various occasions, but interruptions had always prevented it from happening. With Colton, the thought of sex scared me in a general sense, but the feeling disappeared the moment Hunter was near. I wanted him. I always did.
“Yes.” I tugged him closer to me, the months apart vanishing under the weight of my need.
“Say it again.”
“Yes, I will go with you.”
He tugged my head, his mouth crashing into mine. Desperate. Brutal. The ache between my thighs had me groaning against his mouth, greedy for more. His tongue parted my lips, deepening our frantic kiss.
For the first time in months, I felt my soul soar.
Chapter Three
The plane descended on the Mile High City. The flat dry plains of Denver were a stark contrast to the dramatic snow-capped mountains in the background, soaring up to the sky in pitched peaks. The evening sun lowered in the west, shading the plains in deep purples.
My face pressed against the small window, greedy to take everything in. My family never had a lot of money for travel. We took a few car trips to the coast for summer, and one time I flew to Florida with Grandma Nessa, but I was ten and hardly remembered the journey.
Even this small excursion woke something in me, a part that felt desperate to explore the world, to seek out adventures waiting for me. My tiny world, where I had lived so long, had exploded, pushing me out into the glaring world, and I wanted more.
“Oh, come on. One more.” I jerked around at the sound of Stevie’s voice. She sat next to me pleading with the flight attendant, waving her empty plastic wineglass around. “Please. You don’t know how much I can’t be sober right now.”
“I’m sorry, miss, but we’re about to land.” The lady smiled politely, leaning over Stevie’s seat.
“Right, about to. As in, we haven’t yet. I still can get one more.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to take that.” The lady plucked the glass from Stevie’s hand, her forced smile twisting tighter, before she continued her walk down the row, checking for seatbelts and tray tables.
“Cruella de Vil just took my glass.” Stevie stared at her empty palm like someone kicked a puppy. “But...”
“You were going to lick the glass, weren’t you?” I patted her shoulder, the now blonde-and-rainbow-tipped hair sweeping down as she pouted.
“Possibly.” She turned to me, her annoyance bearing down on me. “This is your fault, Whiskey. How did you talk me into this again?”
“Because you love me, and my parents wouldn’t let me go unless you came.”
“I love your parents think I’m a good influence on you. They really should know better by now.”
“You’d think.” I laughed. Except, strangely, my mom loved Stevie. I think she knew Stevie was a wild child, but from the day I met her, she brought the best out of me, demanded I open my eyes and experience life. Her tattoos and piercings couldn’t hide the good person beneath. My dad wasn’t as comfortable with her as my mom, but I think the idea of me sharing a hotel room with a girl eased his conscience, even if it was all a façade.
Stevie hadn’t been terribly hard to convince, even though she complained and said she was only going for me. We both knew it was a lie. Chris was in Denver. She couldn’t stop the pull of him any more than I could with Hunter.
At first my parents had been resistant, Dad responding exactly like I figured he would. “No.” He shook his head, his face set, his voice obstinate. “No way. End of discussion.”
“Dad, I’m eighteen,” I said calmly, trying not to react to his response.
“Good for you, but I still said no. You are not flying off to Denver to see that man-boy.”
“He has a name, Dad. Hunter.” I gripped the back of the dining room chair, facing both my parents in the kitchen. Grandma Penny and Reece sat on the sofa behind me.
“Jay-Jay, I have to agree with your father,” Mom said softly. She was trying harder to accept Hunter in my life, but I think his two-month absence gave them false hope we had moved on from each other.
“Why?” I tipped my head, knowing exactly their reason, but wanted to see them squirm. Say it out loud. “I’m taking off for Italy soon. Denver should be nothing compared to that.”
“That’s different.” My father set down his beer, shaking his head.
“Why?”
“Because…”
I blinked innocently, waiting for him to continue. His panicked expression flashed to my mom for help.
“That’s for school. This is…” Mom tapered off, giving my father the same desperate expression back.
“About sex. Just say it.” I folded my arms.
Dad spit out his sip of beer, pounding on his chest as he coughed, his face reddening. Did they realize the trouble I could get into abroad? It was all an illusion. When I was there they wouldn’t really know what I was doing and could feign innocence. But letting me get on the plane, heading to Hunter, they couldn’t pretend.
“Think of it this way—instead of going to the Florida Keys for the senior trip like all the people in my class are doing, where there will be extensive drinking, partying, and sex happening, I’m going to Denver. Sharing a room with Stevie.” I probably should let her know she was going with me.
&n
bsp; “You two need to stop being so freaking uptight,” Grandma Penny shouted from the couch. “Let the girl go!”
“Mom…” My mom shot her mother a glance.
“What, Amy?” Grandma swiveled around. “I remember you sneaking out several times for a boy. Running off to be with whatever boyfriend you had at the time. Like the concert in New York with that guy who was ten years older than you. What were you? Sixteen?”
“Mom,” my mother exclaimed, her head wagging. “Not helping.”
I lifted my eyebrows at my mom. I heard bits and pieces over the years of Mom’s wild teenage years. Where had that girl gone?
“This is not your place, Mother. Our house, our rules.
“Thank you.” Dad nodded emphatically.
Grandma Penny shook her head. “Yes, it is your house, but don’t act like you weren’t young once and never did rebellious things. Hell, Jayme is an angel compared to you. Don’t push her until she rebels like you did. Jesus, girl, you were the bane of my life those years, always in trouble. But now I realize it was because your father and I were too strict with you. The more we tightened the reins, the more you acted out.” She turned to me. “Don’t make my mistake. Jayme is a good, responsible, smart girl. She acts more like an adult than her actual age. Let her experience life. Don’t be so scared of losing her that you forget to let her live it.”
I whipped back to my parents, not giving them a chance to respond. “Stevie will be there, and I will call and text all the time. But I am going.”
Dad rubbed two fingers over his chin, a sign of agitation. “And where is this money coming from that will get you there?”
“I’ve saved some money from my birthdays and graduation.” I was one of those responsible kids.
My dad frowned, probably hoping he had me on that one.
“And if she didn’t have some, I’d give it to her,” Grandma shot over her shoulder.
“Mother…” My mom sighed, tipping her hip into the counter. I could see her caving. “Stevie will be there?”
“Yes.” It wasn’t quite a lie, because I knew Stevie would do this for me. She always had my back.
Broken Love (Blinded Love Series Book 2) Page 3