The Boy on the Bridge

by Sam Mariano

  Anderson scowls as he takes the key ring. “How did you even get my keys?”

  Hunter doesn’t say, but I have an idea. I look back over my shoulder and locate Sherlock. He’s hanging back away from the crowd, leaning against a brick wall and just observing the chaos. When our gazes lock, he winks at me.

  Pickpocket.

  I smother a smile and turn back around.

  “Now,” Hunter says, looking over at me. “You’re gonna need a ride, and a spot in my limo just opened up.” Hunter turns back toward the crowd, still with his arm around me. “If you rode here with me and you’re not on Team Valerie, gather your things and get your asses back out here. I think the dance is pretty much over, and that means the after party starts right now.”

  There’s a cheer from the crowd. The jocks and the popular crowd get to go to Hunter’s parties all the time, but for the majority of senior class, Hunter’s parties are the stuff of legend, completely inaccessible. Tonight they get to be a part of it, and if the cost of admission is dethroning the evil queen… well, it’s a price they’re willing to pay.

  There’s a buzz of excitement as everybody heads back inside to gather their things. Hunter grabs his scepter and puts his crown back on his head, then escorts me back out to the sidewalk.

  Like we’re real royalty instead of the homecoming kind, the limo driver opens the car door and gestures for us to climb inside.

  “Ladies first,” Hunter murmurs, his hand sliding down the small of my back and coming to rest on my butt.

  My heart does a flip. Instant arousal stirs between my legs.

  I probably shouldn’t get into this limousine with him, at least not until the other passengers are out here. He’ll behave if we’re not in the car alone, but until then…

  Hunter pushes me forward. I sigh, climbing in and making my way down to the end. He climbs in after me.

  He places a hand on my bare thigh as he takes his seat beside me. His hand only behaves for a moment, then it slides inward and he squeezes.

  I grab his wandering hand, shooting him a look. “Behave yourself, Mr. Maxwell.”

  He smiles, leaning in to kiss my neck. “Never.”

  “We are not together,” I inform him, trying to shoot him a look even more severe than the last one.

  “Mm-hmm,” he murmurs, ignoring me as he starts to nibble on my ear.

  Shit.

  A shiver passes over my whole body and my eyes drift closed.

  I jump as someone suddenly enters the limousine. On instinct, I start to pull away guiltily, but while Hunter stops trying to melt me with his kisses, he keeps his hand on my thigh and gives it a reassuring squeeze to calm me down.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready to get my drink on,” Melina Eggers says as she drops onto the seat a few empty spaces from Hunter.

  “You and me both,” says Angelina Adkins as she piles in after her.

  “Well, you are heading to the right place then,” Hunter says with an easy smile, welcoming them to the fold.

  “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, Hunter Maxwell? Because you are clearly an angel.”

  I glance over at Hunter, somehow surprised by Melina’s exuberance to prove just how Team Hunter she is. Considering she was basically Valerie’s best friend, I expected a little resistance, but I don’t really know why.

  I knew that’s what these people were like. I even told Hunter that. If he lost all his money and status and somehow fell from grace, they would step over his bones just as quickly to ingratiate themselves with their new king or queen.

  “Oh my God, Riley, I forgot to tell you earlier, but the way that dress sparkled on stage when you were being crowned princess?” Angelina Adkins shoots me a look, like we’ve been friends since kindergarten and we’re always celebrating each other’s successes. “Yes, girl! You looked killer.”

  What?

  Hunter pats my thigh subtly, telling me without words to just go with it.

  “Thanks,” I say a little uneasily. This faux-friendliness doesn’t come as easily to me. “Honestly, I was shocked to get a crown at all.”

  “You should’ve got the big one,” Hunter says, leaning in and softly kissing my neck, right here in front of everybody. “Anyone who thinks she’s a queen and you’re a princess clearly shouldn’t have voting privileges.”

  Melina jumps in eagerly. “Valerie had that whole thing rigged, anyway. You should have totally won, Riley.”

  I am deeply uncomfortable by this sudden sycophantic behavior. “Oh. No, I…”

  “You should come shopping with us tomorrow,” Angelina says, nudging Melina.

  “Yeah, totally,” Melina says, flashing me an excited smile.

  “I can’t, sorry. I have to work. But thank you for inviting me,” I say, flashing a small, apologetic smile of my own.

  “Aw, bummer. Next time,” Angelina says with an encouraging nod.

  The rest of Hunter’s friends make their way to the limo, but I notice they all leave the spot next to Hunter open. Sara and Wally climb in last and fill those spots.

  Sara is beaming as Wally settles his arm around her shoulders. She leans into him and sighs, looking like she’s died and gone to heaven.

  I want to be happy for her, and I am, but a little voice in the back of my head is still concerned. Maybe I shouldn’t be. Wally is Hunter’s friend before he’s Valerie’s. Valerie wouldn’t have thought twice about hurting Sara to get at me, but Hunter wouldn’t condone that. If Wally was only entertaining Sara at Valerie’s command… he wouldn’t be sitting there with his arm around Sara now. Right?

  Hunter leans forward and grabs a couple glasses. I didn’t realize he had popped a bottle of champagne, but he fills two now and hands them to Wally and Sara. “Pass ’em down.”

  That continues until everyone else has champagne, then Hunter grabs two more glasses.

  “Oh, none for me,” I say quickly, before he can pour it.

  “Come on, Catnip, we’re celebrating,” Hunter says.

  “No, I… I can’t.”

  “Why not?” Wally asks. “You prego or something, Bishop?”

  My stomach drops.

  Sara’s eyes widen and lock with mine.

  Hunter’s smile wanes. He glances to Sara, then back to me. “Am I missing something?”

  “No,” I say quickly, shaking my head, but I’m sure my nerves aren’t well-hidden. “No, it’s—I’m just not thirsty.”

  Hunter scowls at me, unconvinced.

  To be fair, I’m not very convincing.

  Since we’re in a car full of opportunistic vipers, he doesn’t press the issue right now, but it’s obviously still on his mind. An accomplished popular kid, though, he has no trouble acting like it’s not and upholding the expectations of his role.

  When we pull up in front of his house, the limo driver opens the door and people start piling out. Hunter places a firm hand on my thigh to keep me from joining them.

  “You coming?” Wally asks, looking back at Hunter as he prepares to exit the car.

  Hunter nods. “We’ll catch up. You go ahead.”

  Wally nods and climbs out, then the limo driver pops his head in. “Onto the final destination, sir?”

  I frown, looking over at Hunter, but he simply addresses the driver. “Not until I’m out. Give us a couple minutes.”

  The driver nods and backs up, then he closes the door to give us privacy.

  “This isn’t the final destination?” I ask, confused.

  Hunter shakes his head. “He’s gonna take you home. I didn’t figure you’d want to stick around at my party.”

  “Oh. Well, no, not really, I guess. But…”

  “Are you pregnant?”

  I shake my head, looking down at my lap. “I’m sure I’m not. But you didn’t use a condom, and I haven’t had a period yet. You know me, I’m a worrier, so I’m just… being careful while I wait.”

  “Other than the lack of condom, do you have any reason to think you mig
ht be?”

  He sounds so calm. This isn’t the reaction I expected. I didn’t want to tell him unless there was something to tell, but I thought if I had to… well, I didn’t expect him to be so calm about it.

  “I’ve made a concerted effort not to look at a listing of pregnancy symptoms. I would probably convince myself if I did, but I don’t know, I’ve been more tired than usual. I also haven’t been sleeping as well, though.”

  “I think not being able to sleep is a pregnancy thing. Something about the hormones. My stepmom was talking about it with my half-sister. She was messing around with some dumb fuck from prep school and her mom was freaking out about her late period.”

  I crack a smile at how protective he sounds talking about it. “I still want to hear all about Italy.”

  “It seems we have a lot to talk about,” Hunter says, leaning in and absently kissing my forehead. “Well, I’ve gotta make an appearance in here, but once I do, I’m coming to your house.”

  “You are?”

  He nods. “Leave your window unlocked.”

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Riley

  When I get home, thankfully Mom and Ray are already in bed, so I’m able to slip into my room without explaining why a limo dropped me off instead of Anderson in his Lexus.

  I close my bedroom door and pace nervously, unsure how to prepare for Hunter coming over. I’ve imagined him climbing back through my bedroom window about a million times over the years, but now that it’s actually happening, I don’t feel prepared.

  I unlock my bedroom window, but I don’t know what to do after that. Should I change out of my dress? I don’t know.

  I put the tiara on my dresser and take my hair down while I wait, but I leave the dress on. I’m brimming with nervous energy, my stomach in knots. I tell myself there’s no reason to be so nervous, it’s just Hunter… but it’s not just Hunter. It’s Hunter in my bedroom.

  Even though I tell myself I won’t need them, I walk over to the end table beside my bed and crack open the drawer.

  I’m absolutely not going to have sex with Hunter Maxwell again tonight… but, just in case, I bought a pack of condoms. I didn’t want to have to rely on him to bring them again since that didn’t go so well last time.

  Totally not going to happen, though.

  I am 100% certain.

  Still, I open up the box and toss the individually wrapped condoms in the drawer so they’ll be easier to get to if I need them.

  Which I won’t.

  Obviously.

  Behind me, I hear a noise from my window.

  Startled, I drop the condom box and slam the drawer shut like I’ve been caught doing something wrong.

  When I spin around, wide-eyed and guilty-looking, I see Hunter Maxwell climbing in my bedroom window.

  My heart jumps.

  It thinks it belongs to him, the stupid thing.

  “What have you got there?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” I say too quickly.

  He cocks an eyebrow and walks closer. “Nothing, huh? Why do you look so guilty? You got another boyfriend stashed in there I’m gonna have to get rid of?”

  I crack a smile and roll my eyes. “Yes, he’s three inches tall. Good luck finding him.”

  Hunter smiles, closing the distance between us and reaching behind me for the drawer pull.

  I push my hands back against the drawer, keeping it closed. “No peeking. It’s an invasion of my privacy.”

  “I guess you better distract me, then,” he challenges.

  My heart thuds in my chest as I look up at him. He towers over me, and he’s so close, it’s overwhelming.

  I want to be light on my feet, I want to be glib and engage in light-hearted banter, but it’s like I’m 14 again, alone with a boy for the very first time.

  I can scarcely breathe, let alone wield my wits.

  Seeking to kill the mood and settle my rocky stomach, I say, “We should probably discuss the potential pregnancy situation.”

  Hunter shakes his head, his gaze still locked on me. I can feel it, even though I won’t look up at him. “Not exactly what I had in mind.”

  “It’s important.”

  “If you’re pregnant, we’ll figure it out. If you’re not, we don’t have to. There, matter settled.”

  “That’s not…”

  “Riley.”

  His voice makes my heart drop again. I finally lift my gaze to meet his. “Yeah?”

  “Stop talking.”

  My heart lifts up as if on wings. I open my mouth to object, but before I can, Hunter locks an arm around my waist and brings his other hand around to the back of my head, trapping me against him so he can lean down and press his lips to mine.

  Just like that, half the common sense in my head flies out. My body responds eagerly, tingling in unspeakable places as I wind an arm around his waist and kiss him back.

  I don’t want to want him, but God help me, I do. I don’t know how I can ever not want him.

  My heart beats frantically as he kisses me, and it’s not even a demanding one. He starts slow and soft, knowing I’m nervous. He lures me in with gentleness, stealing the breath from my lungs and the strength from my legs. By the time he slides his hand between my thighs and caresses me there, my body is so tense, I cry out.

  He takes advantage of my parted lips to force his tongue between them. I gasp against his mouth as he deepens the kiss, gripping my hip and turning me so the backs of my legs hit the bed.

  I break away, trying to catch my breath. “Hunter…”

  “Sh,” he says, pressing his lips against mine again as he slides his hand inside my panties.

  Oh, God.

  I want to say no, but a sharp spike of pleasure nearly splits me in half just feeling his fingers against my flesh.

  I want more. I want to feel him inside me again, I want him naked and driving into me here in my bed, making it impossible to ever lie here without thinking about him again.

  It can’t happen, though. I can’t let it.

  “Hunter, stop,” I say, reaching down to push his hand away.

  He sighs. “Not this again.”

  He says it lightly, but it reminds me of how badly this all went last time.

  I know it’s not the same this time. He’s not doing this to humiliate me in front of his friends, but that memory still stings.

  And not as much as the bomb he dropped on me afterward.

  “I can’t do this with you,” I tell him, shaking my head and looking down.

  He reaches a finger under my chin and lifts it, making me look at him. “Sure you can.”

  I shake my head sadly. “No. I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  My heart aches at the sound of his voice, so low and soft, but hard and hungry at the same time. He’s trying to be patient with me, but he’s running out of patience. He wants to rip whatever obstacles there are between us out of the way and clear the path forward.

  I want that, too. The problem is, the obstacle is him.

  I don’t know how to say that. It feels mean.

  While he waits for me to answer, Hunter pushes a strand of fallen hair behind my ear. He does it so casually, he robs the breath from my lungs, then his hand lingers.

  He caresses the curve of my jaw almost absently, his gaze locked on me like a savage hunter observing the prey he’s about to devour.

  There’s tenderness there, too.

  It’s the tenderness that grips me, that keeps me from pulling away when I know I should.

  The tips of his fingers start to trail slowly, softly down the curve of my neck. My whole body tenses as if in preparation for an attack. The breath gets stuck in my lungs, and I can scarcely breathe.

  I feel cornered, but I’m not. He’s in front of me with a bed behind me, sure, but I know if I push Hunter away, he’ll let me.

  But I don’t, and that’s where his power over me lies.

  Inside me. All the soft, tender places he touched four year
s ago. The girl I was then never really had a chance to get over him, and now the girl I grew into has some weak spots just for him.

  I bet he loves that.

  “You know why,” I tell him.

  “Valerie.” There’s a flat sort of disinterest in the way he says her name. He doesn’t like the taste of her name in his mouth. He doesn’t even like mentioning her here in this moment that should be all ours, and I certainly don’t like hearing it.

  I nod.

  “We’re done,” he tells me, like that’s the problem.

  “That’s not the issue, and you know it.”

  “It is the issue,” he argues, trying to make it simpler than it is. “Or, it was. Now it doesn’t have to be. I fixed it.”

  I look up at him. “You broke it.”

  He doesn’t respond immediately. When he does, he says, “I did, but then I fixed it.”

  I shake my head, looking away from him. It’s easier to move away from him now, so I take advantage and walk to the foot of my bed. I need some distance from him, and there’s open floor over here so I can’t get trapped as easily.

  “No, you didn’t. I warned you, Hunter. I told you which line not to cross, and you crossed it anyway.”

  “And I told you not to tell anyone about Dennis. You did, and I got sent away,” he states. “That’s the past. It’s over now.”

  “No.” I shake my head.

  “Yes. You hurt me, I hurt you. Let’s stop hurting each other.”

  I spin around to look at him in disbelief. “It’s not the same, Hunter. You hurt me on purpose. I never did that to you.”

  Frustration flits across his face. He turns his head and looks out my bedroom window. I watch his jaw clench, note the irritation flickering in his gaze, but when he looks back at me, he surprises me a little by saying, “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

  He says the words like they don’t mean anything, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t make a difference.

  It rubs me the wrong way.

  “Great. I’m glad you’re sorry,” I say shortly.

  “I am,” he snaps right back. “I think I’ve been telling you how sorry I am in a bunch of different ways since I realized I fucked up.”