Mayra pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’s amazing how love can change a person.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me behind her to the shore. “Come on, girl. This is your initiation into the Girl Gang.”
“But, but…” I didn’t have a good enough reason why I didn’t want to jump.
When I made it to the bank, I saw Freak out in the water, just watching me.
Mayra tugged on my arm again. “Come on, girl. Let’s make him jealous.”
“Mayra,” I gasped.
“What?” she laughed. “Everyone can tell he likes you, but he’s being a broody biker about it.”
“He’s not talking to me,” I said quietly.
Mayra squeezed my hand. “Hang in there.”
The problem was, I didn’t have anything to hang onto.
*
Freak
“Five bucks says one of them loses their top.”
I glanced over at Slayer. “You’re an ass.”
He shrugged. “Just saying.”
Clash slapped him upside the head and held Raven’s phone up with the other hand. “You ever see Raven without a top on and you’ll be dead, brother.”
“Same,” Boink muttered. “No one will find you if you see Mayra’s tits.”
Slayer held his hand to his chest. “Whatever happened to bros before hoes? Dicks before chicks? Songs before thongs? Guys before thighs?”
“They started getting sex on the regular,” I laughed.
Clash and Boink both nodded.
“Like you’re one to fucking talk. You and Carnie were looking cozy.”
I watched the girls climb up to the top of the falls. “Were.”
“Is that all you’re gonna say?” Slayer laughed. “You’re talking in code, brother.”
The girls line up on the edge and held hands. “Something was happening. Now, it’s not.”
“What did I miss?” Clash asked.
“You missed Freak being a dumbass.” Boink shook his head. “He’s getting tripped up on something that shouldn’t matter.”
“She got three nipples or something?” Slayer folded his arms over his chest. “‘Cause if she does, I can tell you right now, if you just block it out of your mind, it doesn’t matter.”
The three of us turned our heads to look at Slayer.
“I don’t even know if I want to know.” Boink shook his head.
“Pretty sure I want to know,” Clash chimed in.
“She doesn’t have three nipples.” No need to start a rumor about Carnie. “I also want to know the story.”
“Clash!” Raven yelled.
“Oh, shit,” Clash mumbled. He positioned the camera and gave a thumbs up. “Ready, beautiful,” he shouted.
“Three, two, one,” the girls shouted in unison, “GO!” They all jumped, hair flying, loud shrieking, and a huge splash.
They surfaced laughing and splashing each other.
“You actually get a picture?” Boink asked.
Clash scrolled through and started laughing. “She is going to delete all of these. I better send them to my phone before she does.” Clash quickly sent the pictures to himself, then showed the pictures to us.
“Oh, fuck,” Boink laughed. “Mayra has like ten chins in that one.”
“But Raven and Wendy look good in it,” Slayer pointed out.
Clash flipped to another one. “And now Raven and Wendy’s mouths are open so wide, it looks like they are trying to catch flies.”
The only person I was looking at in each picture was Carnie. There were a couple of goofy ones, but the one that I was stuck on was where her hair was floating above her and she had a huge smile on her face. She looked free and beautiful.
The girls swam over, and Raven grabbed the camera. “How did they turn out?” With each swipe of her finger, her face fell a little bit more. “Sweet hell. Look at my chins.”
“Chins?” Mayra asked. She leaned in and looked at the phone. “Don’t worry, my chins decided to join for that one, too. I think that must be a new record for me. Looks like I have six.”
Wendy leaned in on the other side of Raven. “That’s only cause your boobs pushed up into your throat.”
“Oh, Lord, I don’t even want to look,” Carnie laughed. “Just delete them now, and we’ll pretend that never happened.”
“But it was fun,” Raven whined. She scrolled through the photos again. “I’ll look at them when we get out.” She waded to the shore and tossed her phone on a beach towel. “Who wants to jump with me again?”
Wendy and Mayra swam to the shore and followed Raven back up the falls.
“Anyone gonna remind her that she was the one who just wanted to float on her back the whole time?” Clash shook his head and dove under the water.
“Can we go under the falls?” Carnie asked. She was treading water and slowly making her way over to the falls.
Boink nodded. “Yeah. Swim under the cascading water, and there’s a little cave.”
Carnie didn’t need to hear anything more. She dove under the water, and Slayer elbowed me. “Better go follow her, brother. Don’t want anything to happen to her.”
I rolled my eyes but knew he was right.
After I flipped him off, I dove under the water and followed Carnie.
*
Chapter Thirteen
Carnie
This. Was. Amazing.
After I dove under the waterfall, I surfaced on the other side and was surprised to see an actual cave. I swam to the edge of the cave and was able to stand without treading water.
The loud scream of Raven jumping from the top echoed, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I pulled myself onto the rocky edge and sat with my feet dangling in the water.
Freak surfaced in the water in front of me. My plan had worked. Except now, I had no idea what I was going to do. I wanted to get Freak alone to talk, but now came the hard part of actually talking.
He slicked his hair back and swam closer.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I drawled. I saw that in a movie once. It seemed a smooth thing to say, but once the words came out of my mouth, I cringed.
“Didn’t feel like jumping with the girls again?”
I shook my head. “Once is enough for me.” Once I was at the top of the falls, I remembered why I didn’t want to jump. Heights terrified me slightly. Okay, a lot.
“I think you were the only one who actually looked good in the pictures Clash took.”
I tilted my head to the side. “I might beg to differ. I saw the one where my nose looked like my nostrils could swallow the space station.”
Freak scoffed. “Okay, so they all weren’t good, but you definitely didn’t have fifty chins in any of them.”
“Does this mean you’re actually talking to me now?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Freak was finally talking to me again and I had to attack him like a viper.
“Didn’t stop talking to you, Carnie.”
I rolled my eyes. “Then what exactly was it?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t have anything to say.”
“What happened from yesterday morning before my family showed up, to now?” I had gone over the whole day fifty times, and I just couldn’t figure out what had happened.
Freak kicked his feet up and floated on his back. “We really need to do this, Carnie?”
“I thought we were doing something, and then, suddenly, you act like I’m a huge pain in the ass.”
Freak floated around, his arms slowly moving in the water.
“Freak.”
He ignored me and kept floating.
I watched him, the tattoos on his stomach bright and vivid. He drifted close to where I was, and I decided I wasn’t going to just sit here and let him ignore me.
I dropped into the water. My feet hit the hard rock of the bottom, and I pushed myself up. I landed with a splash on top of Freak. He wrapped his arms around me, startled. He pulled me to his chest and planted his feet on the rock
. We had drifted out a bit, and I was able to touch bottom.
My arms wrapped around his neck, and my face was inches away from his.
“Jesus, Carnie.”
I wiped the spray of water from his face. “Sorry, but I didn’t know how else to get your attention.”
“Jumping on me seemed like the best idea?”
It did. I wasn’t exactly great at the whole being flirty and coy thing. “Yes. This is a problem for you?” I tangled my legs with his and anchored myself to him. “You’re like a buoy.” Another thing I should have just kept in my head.
He sighed and wrapped his arms slightly tighter around me. “We talk, and then, we go back with everyone else.”
I didn’t really want to leave our little cave, but if agreeing meant Freak would talk to me, then that’s what I was willing to do. “Okay. I’m good with that.”
“You think we can talk without you hanging on me?”
I shook my head. “I’m good right here.”
“Carnie,” he said softly. I could see this was affecting him, but he was fighting it.
“What happened, Freak? What did I do?” I needed that question answered more than anything.
“I was talking to Pipe.”
“Okay,” I drawled. I didn’t see where this was going.
“He told me how old you are.”
I blinked slowly. “Uh, go on.”
“That’s it, Carnie. I know you’re only twenty.”
That was his issue? He didn’t like how old I was?
“Yeah. And I’ll be twenty-one next month. I don’t see a problem here.”
“Doll, you’re twenty, and I’m thirty-one.”
I had figured he was in his thirties but I didn’t really see it being a problem with him being thirty-one. “You’re gonna have to spell this out for me Freak, because I don’t see why that is holding you up so much.”
“You’re twenty and have your whole life in front of you to figure out. You don’t even know if you want to be a chef or something else entirely.”
“So you’re mad that I’m undecided about what career I want?”
I couldn’t see how what I wanted to do for a living had to do with Freak. Of course, if we actually went for the long haul, my job would matter to him, but right now, before we even started, I didn't get it.
“It’s more than that, Carnie.”
“Then tell me,” I demanded. “You and I were just getting to know each other, and somehow, you ended us before we even started.”
“We started, Carnie, but I didn’t want it to go any further.”
“Why? What do you know that I don’t?” I trailed my fingers up his neck and over his lips. “Why can’t I have you?” I whispered.
“Carnie,” he growled. He wanted me. I was inexperienced and honestly was just flying by the seat of my pants with my feelings, but I knew he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
“Would it really be so bad if you and I kissed?” His lips were soft under my fingertips. “Just one kiss.”
His hands splayed across my waist squeezed slightly. “Doll.”
My eyes darted from watching his lips to his eyes. He hadn’t called me that since this weird silent treatment started. “One kiss, Freak. That’s all I want.”
His eyes flared with desire. “This isn’t good.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Maybe it’ll be great?”
My fingers dropped from his lips, and I held my breath.
“Fuck it.” One arm stayed wrapped around my waist, and his free hand trailed up my back. His fingers delved into my hair. His lips descended onto mine, and my eyes fluttered shut.
I melted into his touch, and the kiss was a million times better than I could ever imagine. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I pulled my body close. A moan escaped my lips, and it felt like the thing I was always missing was right in front of me.
“Carnie,” he whispered against my lips.
“Yes?” My eyes were closed, and all I wanted was for his lips to be against my skin.
He kissed me again. This kiss was filled with need and desire. My mouth opened, and his tongue glided against mine. I gasped at the touch and clung to Freak. I didn’t want this to end. I didn’t want to go back to two minutes ago when I was fighting for this moment.
I wanted Freak, and I was going to have him.
“More,” I gasped when he pulled away.
His eyes were hooded, and I could tell it physically hurt him to stop. “Carnie.”
“I like it better when you call me doll,” I whispered.
He stared at my lips, and I felt the air change.
I felt Freak slipping from the cocoon we had created in that cave. His mind was crashing back to Earth, and he was remembering all the dumb reasons he thought we couldn’t be together.
“Freak,” I whispered. I tried to tighten my hold on him, but I knew it was too late.
“One kiss, Carnie.” He looked toward the falling water. “One kiss is all we get.”
He pushed off the rocky bottom, drifting us closer to the edge of the cave, and my feet touched the hard rock. His hands released me, and he gave me one last look before he dove under the water and I was left all alone.
I got my kiss, and I wanted more.
*
Freak
I shouldn’t have done that.
We shouldn’t have kissed.
I pulled my shirt over my head and tugged it over my damp body.
I kept trying to tell myself the reason I didn’t want to start anything with Carnie was because I didn’t want her to get hurt, but I knew I would get hurt, too. Carnie wasn’t the type of girl you had once or twice and you went on with your life.
Carnie was girl who would become your life.
“Yo,” Boink called. “The girls are all ready to go.”
I finished lacing up my boots and grabbed my cut.
After I had swam out from under the waterfall, Carnie had followed, but nothing was the same. The fun mood that had existed was gone, and I just wanted to ask Carnie if that one kiss was worth messing everything up.
I walked along the path back to the bikes, and I heard a branch snap. The girls were about ten feet in front of me with Carnie bringing up the rear.
Boink was behind me with Clash, and Slayer was in front of the girls. I heard another branch break, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a branch that was about head height move.
“Gun!” I took two huge steps and dove toward the girls. I managed to grab Carnie around the waist and catch Mayra’s arm. I dragged them down on the dirt path right before three gunshots rang out. I covered both girls with my body and saw Slayer had quickly turned to grab Wendy and Raven.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Boink and Clash had drawn their guns. They were both pointed in the direction I had seen the branch move.
Clash gave a quick nod to me, and then, he and Boink took off in the direction the shooter had run.
“You good, Freak?”
Carnie’s arm was wrapped around my waist, and her face was buried in my chest. Mayra was tucked to my side. “You girls good?” I rolled off to the side, and I saw they were both okay but definitely terrified. “All good. How about you guys?” I asked Slayer and the other girls.
Slayer nodded. “Yeah. Pretty sure the shots hit the trees.”
“Now what do we do?” Mayra asked.
Carnie sobbed, and I felt her tears soak through my shirt. I rubbed my hand up and down her back and nodded to Slayer. “Let’s get them to the bikes. From what I was able to see, there was only one guy, and Clash and Boink are on his ass right now.”
Mayra scrambled to her feet, but Carnie clung to my chest.
“Let’s go, doll.” I lifted her up in my arms, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I nodded to Slayer, and we all quickly made our way down the rest of the path.
“She hurt?” Slayer asked.
I shook my head. She wasn’t hurt, at least not physically.
She wa
s just terrified out of her mind, and I couldn’t really blame her.
Bobby had just resurfaced, and he almost killed her.
*
Chapter Fourteen
Freak
“She’s finally sleeping.” Wendy pulled the door shut behind her. “Mom and Elle were in there for a bit, but I convinced them they needed to let her rest.”
I stared at the door. “We shouldn’t have gone to the falls. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking believing I could keep her safe out there.”
“This wasn’t just your fault, Freak. With Bobby disappearing, we all kind of were lax.”
I looked down at Wendy. “It’s my job to keep her safe, no one else’s.”
Nickel rounded the hallway and spotted me. “Yo, Freak. Leo just got here.”
We had gotten back to the clubhouse over an hour ago, and once Wrecker had heard we were fired on, shit started moving. “Stay with her.”
Wendy nodded. “Don’t plan on leaving her.”
That was all I could ask for. At least I knew Carnie was safe in the clubhouse.
I followed Nickel into Church and sat down next to Slayer.
He looked over at me with an arched brow. “She okay?”
She wasn’t, but there wasn’t anything Slayer could do about it. “She’ll be fine.” At least, I hoped she would be.
Leo was sitting next to Wrecker with two of his goons behind him.
“Tell me what happened,” he demanded. All Wrecker had told him on the phone was we had been attacked and he needed to get his ass to the clubhouse right now.
By the time Clash and Boink had caught up with Bobby, they only caught a glimpse of him climbing into a black van with someone they didn’t know behind the wheel. Clash said he had managed to get a couple of shots off, but they hadn’t done more than cosmetic damage to the van.
Wrecker ran over everything that had happened at the falls and everything leading up to Leo sitting in the clubhouse again.
“Do we know if it was a man or woman with Bobby?” Leo asked.
Clash leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “We didn’t see a face or anything, but from the silhouette we saw, it looked like a man.”
Freak (Fallen Lords MC Book 7) Page 9