by Dawn Klehr
She had thought it was kind of a funny story—maybe one they’d laugh about some day if this thing worked about between them. Boy, was that jumping the gun.
Rebel liked that they had a shared history. Of course it was different when Dad and Stephen were together. She felt more guilt than anything when they were alone back then. Every touch, every look and laugh felt illicit or something—taboo. But now they were in the clear. And the best part was that Justice understood her family better than anyone, and she understood his. It was something she’d never experienced before. And since they’d been at camp, they’d both shared even more.
But Justice did need a little nudge when it came to his dad. He couldn’t hide who his father was forever, and even if it wasn’t her dad, Stephen would eventually date. So why not ease him into being comfortable with it…in a safe place. She did it for him with the very best intentions. Turns out it was a very bad move.
You try to help someone…
That night she tossed and turned thinking about all that happened with Justice. All she wished to still happen. She relived their first kiss on the beach, the way he held her hand by his cabin and how his voice lit her up from the inside. She fantasized that it was him instead of Ryan her first time, and imagined how different it would’ve been. She wanted to go to him right then, climb into his bunk and burrow her way into his strong arms.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she fought every instinct in her body and fell into a restless sleep where Megan took over her thoughts. She didn’t like where they led her. Not one bit.
…
The next afternoon Rebel was a zombie by the time the care packages arrived from home. She didn’t even have to open hers before she started bawling. It was the combination of the hours she spent imagining Justice and Megan together, and then seeing her dad’s block letters on the package that created the perfect storm. She missed home so much.
“Okay, Hart,” Aubrey plopped down on Rebel’s bed, just now noticing her red, ugly cry face. “Oh shoot, are you still upset over what happened with Justice last night?”
“Yeah,” she said between cries. “But also this.” She showed her the package.
“You’re sad that Trevor sent you a care package?” Aubrey pulled her eyebrows together, trying to piece it all together.
More tears.
“Okay,” Audrey went on deciphering the meaning of her whimpers. “You miss home?”
Rebel nodded. She missed home and her dad, both of them actually. Things felt so much safer when they were both there looking out for her, and each other. Had she been stupid to think maybe she and Justice could be that for one another, too?
“And you miss Justice.” She put her arm around her and squeezed. “I get that. But you are freaking me out a little. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry, and it’s making me cry, so let’s stop it and check out what your dad sent you.”
Aubrey unwrapped the package and slowly pulled out each item. It was all of Rebel’s favorites: jalapeño-seasoned almonds, sea-salt crisps, chocolate-covered espresso beans, Swedish fish, and also personal items like cucumber facial wipes, and her favorite coconut-oil lotions. They were especially needed after her rush of a packing job.
“Wow, your daddy is the best.” Aubrey squeezed the bottle of lotion and dabbed in her hand. “Mine wouldn’t have a clue about what half of this stuff is.”
“I suppose it helps that he’s gay.” Rebel managed half a smile. It was a cheap joke, but her dad wouldn’t mind.
“No,” Aubrey said. “It’s not just that. He really knows you—what you like and what makes you happy. He put so much thought into it.”
She was absolutely right, and that turned on her waterworks all over again. “What did you get?” she asked.
“Nothing great, I’ll tell you that. My daddy was in charge this year, so it looks like everything came from a gas station. Look, he even put in a few lottery tickets and this pine tree air freshener. How is this going to help me out at camp?” She shook her head, and the two laughed.
“Care to swap?” Aubrey asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m completely indebted to you for sharing the original basket. You take whatever you want.”
“Oh wow, that’s right.” Aubrey opened up the bag of Swedish fist. “Well, I had to do something. It was your first year here, and the Jessicas were being royal bitches to you. We hated them!”
“We did.” She smiled.
“Thank God they aged out three years before we did.”
The two of them reminisced and shared their care packages, and somewhere between the candy and laughter, the hole in Rebel’s heart got a little smaller. She knew what she had to do.
…
The next morning, she woke up a little braver and less vulnerable. More importantly, she now had a mission. There would be no more running or lying to herself. She would face this thing with Justice—whatever it turned out to be—head on.
If he had a beef with her, she’d let him unload. She would not let fear rule her this time. Then maybe, just maybe they could at least be friends when it was all said and done. Even though she wanted more than friendship from him. A lot more.
But before she could really prepare, he found her down by the lake.
“We need to talk,” he said, taking a seat next to her on the grass.
“Yes,” she agreed. “We do.”
“So can you tell me why you did that to me, Rebel?” He released a long, labored breath. “You knew this was my safe place.”
He was hurt. Honest to goodness hurt. She did that to him, and that knowledge made her fear return to its cozy place inside her head.
“Looks like you found another one with Megan, so…” And there she went, resorting back to her snarky comments instead of being real.
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not changing the subject.”
“Just stating the facts, man.”
Aw, don’t be an ass, Rebel!
“You know, I was finally starting to feel normal again. But you put me in such an uncomfortable position, I had to get out of there.”
“And?” She desperately needed to know the rest of the story.
“And I left with Megan as an escape—” he started to explain. “No, wait, stop trying to get me to talk about that. This is about what you did.” He poked his finger to her chest, and she could tell they both instantly felt the connection, because they froze for a second or two. Then she grabbed ahold of his finger and didn’t let go.
He looked at her, and his eyes warmed then before he closed them. “You are making me crazy, Rebel.”
Tell him how you feel. Just tell him.
“Well, flattery will get you everywhere.” She leaned back in the grass, staring up at the clear sky, trying to hold her fear at bay. Her insides quivered when he followed.
Justice stretched out next to her, propping his head up so he met her eyes.
“Tell me why you did it,” he demanded.
“To help.”
“Help what? Help everyone laugh at me?”
She had no idea his insecurities ran so deep. It didn’t make any sense to her. He was Justice freaking Brody for crying out loud. “No. I did it because I’m not ashamed of it, and I don’t want you to be, either. I also want you to be able to talk about your dad without losing it.”
“I’m not ashamed of my dad, Rebel. But you need to know that—this life—it wasn’t easy for him. It wasn’t easy for him to tell my mom, or me and April…the neighbors and our freaking church minister. It wasn’t easy for any of us. And it happened pretty damn fast. Can’t I have a minute to get used to the idea, some time to escape it all? I’m sorry I’m not as evolved as you are. But the hardest thing I ever had to do was watch my mom fall apart—not to mention having my parents sitting on opposite ends of the stands at the football games surrounded by the gossip.”
“I get that,” she said, for the first time trying to see things from his point of view.
As
much as she wanted to pretend she was the more evolved person, it simply wasn’t true. But maybe she could be.
So without judgment, she listened.
Chapter Twenty-One
Justice
A few of the counselors walked by to get ready for the day’s events. They didn’t pay him, or Rebel, any attention. It’s not like they were doing anything indecent. Well, not like where they were headed the other day before Harper yanked Rebel from his arms. But something about the way they were lying in the grass seemed somewhat illicit. Like maybe they could be doing something they shouldn’t.
But that was probably just him.
After they each bared their souls, things were getting back to normal. Precisely why his mind was currently in the gutter—after all, normal for him was wanting Rebel. At the moment, he wanted every part of her. He ached to feel her touch him again, to brush his lips against hers, and run his fingers through her hair.
When he left with Megan, he’d never felt so betrayed. The looks and the stares from the other campers practically paralyzed him, and Megan offered a lifeline. He took it without thinking. But that’s where it ended. They walked back to the cabins, and he dropped her off at hers before making a quick getaway. Though as he calmed down and thought about it overnight, he began to see things differently. Rebel was an open person about most things—she didn’t pretend to be something she wasn’t. She lived in truth, and her response wasn’t to hurt him. He knew that but really needed her to say it out loud. Mostly, he needed to know she understood why it hurt him.
Now she had.
He kept talking to keep his mind off it all, which included blathering on about football and his workout regimen. Anything to keep him from making a move on her. Anything to keep her there with him. He couldn’t mess this up again.
When he finally stopped talking long enough to take a breath, she parted her lips, and he half expected her to yawn or make some smart-ass comment about his yakking. What he didn’t expect…was the kiss she planted on him.
It happened so fast that his eyes stayed open. Rebel’s did too. In the strangest way, it made it more intimate. He held her deep green pools as long as he could, as she peppered his lips with feather-light kisses.
He could feel his pulse in his throat, as everything seemed to move in slow motion. Until she edged his mouth open, deepening the kiss. That’s when everything went dark. He either closed his eyes, or he passed out. He couldn’t be sure.
It didn’t seem real that she’d be making a move on him. Still, there they were—all lips and tongues and hands. And the next second, he lost every last ounce of restraint he’d been clinging to.
Sure, one would think that kissing Rebel for a second time would be easier. Like going back to a favorite football field. Once you’ve been there, you could just take it easy and enjoy the ride. Didn’t work out that way.
The more he had with Rebel, the more he wanted.
Plus, this was nothing like the first time. That had been an impulse, a test. Now there was so much more between them. They knew each other’s secrets and fears, which made it all the more intense.
When he moved closer to her, their kisses were dangerously approaching PG-13 status. He definitely wanted to know what that entailed. PG-13 with Rebel Hart. Just the thought made him stall for a moment, giving her time to pull back.
Shit.
She seemed to sense his frustration that their second kiss was over, and she laughed. But not at him. With him. “That was…something.”
It was more than something. Rebel had this way of making time stop whenever he was with her. She made him forget about everything. But once he got his bearings back, he quickly scanned the area around them to be sure nobody saw them. They had to be careful.
“Why did you do it?” he asked, breathless.
“To shut you up?” She threw his words back in his face.
It was only days since he said those words to her after that first kiss, only a few yards from where they were now. It seemed more like months, years even. So much had happened since then, but now that they were back to the scene of the first crime, it couldn’t’ have been more perfect. And all he kept thinking was, it was one lucky lake.
…
Rebel
This was one lucky lake.
Two kisses and camp wasn’t even halfway over? Not to mention those kisses just so happened to be with the dreamiest guy ever to step foot in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She was beginning to believe that maybe all this love stuff wasn’t so bad, or scary. Maybe she’d just put her sights on the wrong person. Because there was nothing better in this world than lip-locking with Justice.
He was so dang easy to swoon over. Sweet, kind, gorgeous, and just enough of a smartass to keep things interesting.
That day, she kissed him for no other reason than because she wanted to. It made her happy. She’d been thinking about what Justice said after Gray tackled him, “We all go sometime, so why not go down doing something you loved.”
That’s how both of her dads felt. That’s how she wanted to live, too. She wasn’t quite at that point yet, but there was no denying that making that first move on Justice had been a huge first step. And they continued to take several huge steps together every chance they got.
It wasn’t easy. Justice told her all about the meeting he had with his coach before he left for camp, and about his anti-drama policy for the summer. She had no idea how bad it was.
“Coach told me that I needed to get my head right,” he’d said. “And if I hold it together and stay out of trouble without adding any more complications to my life, I can try out in the fall and get back on the team. But he was clear, no more fighting—whether people are trashing my family or not.”
“So this?” she’d asked him, wagging her finger between them.
“Wouldn’t be good if he found out.”
And though she may have told his coach where he could shove with his stupid rules, she understood why Justice couldn’t. Football was too important to him, and his future depended on it.
“But it’s not forever,” Justice continued. “Now that our dads aren’t dating, it takes away some of the drama factor. I just need to let things settle down, keep a low profile, and get back on the team.”
Trouble was, people were always around, and no matter how stealthy they tried to be, the counselors watched them like hawks. They could smell a hookup a mile away. Well, not Dane. He actually gave them a thumbs-up one morning when they were sneaking down to the lake. Not so such for the others. Honestly, nothing made them happier than to keep Justice and Rebel apart. So they had to get creative.
Slipping out after sunset or before dawn to meet in the dark, stealing kisses behind the trees, finding ways to touch when nobody was looking. No opportunity was wasted.
And though they talked and joked about doing other things, Justice did not turn in his V-card. But they did make out on occasion, and talk, and hold hands. A lot. That’s all either of them were ready for anyway.
More importantly, they grew closer in other ways. She didn’t push him to do or say or be anything other than who he was. And he didn’t push her to put all her weird phobias and worries behind her—which was a good thing, because Parent’s Day was looming, and she was a total head case.
It used to be her favorite part of camp, having her dad meet everyone and see how she was spending the month away. Now it only brought her dread. What would her dad think if he found out about her newly found affection for Justice? Would he be able to tell?
And worse, what if anyone else discovered that she’d fallen for the enemy?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Justice
A camp dance was so not Rebel’s style, but he’d asked her anyway, and she’d told him to pick her up at her cabin. As he approached, it was lit up, and shadow after shadow passed by the windows. It looked like they were having a party. The knot that already tied one on in his gut tightened. Why wouldn’t she tell him about it?
; He was nervous. More than he’d ever been at the homecoming dance with Tiffany. With Tiff, it wasn’t so much nerves as it was dread. He was with her because he thought he should be. It was like a rite of passage that he just wanted to get over, like passing a driver’s test or taking your SATs. He didn’t enjoy it.
With Rebel, he wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing or where they were going. He couldn’t think that far ahead. Because now that she’d bulldozed her way into his life, he couldn’t imagine his world without her in it. So as much as he worried about what was in store for him tonight, he didn’t turn back.
As he approached, he was relieved to hear only female voices. He wasn’t the jealous type, but something possessive inside him always came to the surface when Rebel was around. He’d better learn to reel that in, because Rebel wasn’t the type to put up with it. That thought made him smile. He liked that she always spoke her mind, whether she was asked to or not.
He walked up to the deck and stood to the side, peeking in the window. What? Why were all those little kids in the room?
The girls, ages ten to thirteen, sat on the beds and the floor, while Rebel and Aubrey stood before them. The teachers and the students. Hmmm, this should be good.
Rebel walked back and forth the front of the room, like a drill sergeant addressing her soldiers. Except she didn’t look the part. She was wearing her signature jeans shorts, which he loved. A little too much. But instead of her dark concert tees or flannel, she wore a white top with a red cardigan over it. He didn’t know shit about fashion, but she looked great in red. It was actually perfect, and the knot in his gut turned into something different all together.
He had to physically stop himself from swooping in to kiss her.
He really wanted to kiss her.
For him, being with Rebel was like when he first learned to ride a bike. Once he mastered it, that’s all he wanted to do. It was a way to escape the bullies. Sometimes he would just go out and ride—wind in his hair, the speed, the sound, seemed to make everything go away. Then football did the same for him.