CRUSH (16 page)

“Hey, bro,
wassup
?”
Russ said, sliding into the booth, catching me by surprise. “Hi, Cami.” He gave
her a little wave.

“Hi, Russ. How are you?”

I loved her leaning against
me—comfortable enough to stay where she was.

“I’m good. I was driving by and saw your buddy,
Clay, on the corner by Hunter’s Camaro, so I figured you all must be meeting
here.”

Cami stiffened in my arms. “Clay’s here?”

I looked through the window and sure enough,
there he was, leaning against my car.

“Be right back, okay?” Cami said, sliding from
my grasp.

“Cami . . 
. ,
”
I warned, feeling insecure about her leaving.

“It’s okay, Hunter. I need to talk to him. He’s
not going to drop this until I do.”

I didn’t want to let her go. “Stay where I can
see you—in case you need me.” I had to try and
play
things
cool. I couldn’t come off as an obsessive boyfriend.

“I will.” She gave me an apologetic look and
headed out the door.

“Everything all right?” Russ asked, looking
concerned.

I shrugged, attempting to play off my worried
attitude. “They’re still having some issues.”

“Were they dating or something?” Russ seemed
confused. “Why’s he freaking out so bad?”

“No, they weren’t, but apparently he wanted to
be. Cami, thinks of him like a brother.”

“Hmm. Interesting and a little weird if you ask
me,” he added.

“My thoughts exactly,” I replied, my eyes never
leaving the two in the parking lot.

Cami-

“Hey, Clay,” I said as I walked up to Hunter’s Camaro.
I leaned against it, next to him. “What’s going on?”

His eyes were downcast, arms folded, and he
looked miserable and lonely despite the fresh, new style he was still sporting.

“I miss you, Cami,” he finally mumbled. “A
lot.”

I sighed heavily. “I miss you too. Honestly, I
do, but I’m not dealing well with the weirdness between us right now.”

“So it’s my fault then.” He kicked a small
rock, sending it shooting across the parking lot.

“Well, kind of, yeah.” I didn’t know how to
make him understand. “I mean, I love the transformation you’ve done to
yourself, but I loved you before. It was always fine with me because you were
Clay—my best friend who’s always been there since I was a little kid. Do
I think you look hot and amazing now? Sure! But just because you’ve conformed
to a new style, it isn’t going to change the way I feel about you. I feel the
same way I always did. I want my best friend back.”

He lifted his head, glancing at the window
where Hunter and Russ were both watching us with avid interest.

“This is our place. Why did you start bringing
him here? Do you know how much it kills me to come by and see you in there
laughing with him?”

“I’ve had other boyfriends in the past. That
never stopped you from walking in and sitting down next to me before. Me being
on a date with someone else
doesn’t
make our best
friend relationship null and void. You’re always welcome to come join us.”

“Boyfriend?” he questioned, and I didn’t miss
the hint of alarm in his eyes. “Is that an official thing or just random terminology
you’re using?”

I folded my arms and looked at him pointedly.
“Yes, he’s my boyfriend.”

He chewed on his bottom lip and glanced away.
“So, I guess that means you’ve been making out with him.”

“That’s
none
of your business.” I couldn’t believe he went there.

“It
is
my business,” he replied angrily. “We talked about this—about the kind of
guy he is and what he’s really after. He only wants you for your perfect
rockin
’ body—like half the other guys in this school
who sit in the locker room and talk about all the things they’d like to do to
you.”

I was shocked. “What’re you talking about?”

“You think he’s the first?” he spat out. “He’s
not. Before he died, I sat and listened to Jordan Henley tell a bunch of other
guys how he was going get you. They didn’t know I was in there. He even made a
bet with some of them about how fast he could do it too. Thankfully, fate
intervened before he could get his hands on you. This guy is no different. He’s
only after one thing.”

“And you feel you need to protect me?” I was
trying to follow his thought process while still reeling from the information
he was giving me.

“I’ll always protect you, Cami. No matter
what.”

“Really?” I asked, staring him down.

He nodded.

“Then tell me, what is it
you
want to do with me, Clay?”

He looked at me funny, blinking a few times in
confusion. “
Wha
 . . . what do you
mean?”

“I mean, what is going on in your head? You
claim to have made all these changes for me, so I would notice you, correct?”

He swallowed hard, watching me closely.

“I think you’re just as guilty as Jordan. You
want to do the same things with me that he did, don’t you? You’re jealous, and
you thought he’d get to me first. Now you’re thinking the same thing about
Hunter. You don’t want me with anybody else because
you
want me. Admit it.”

He was silent for several seconds before he
lifted his hand to gently stroke my cheek. “You belong to me, Cami. You’ve
always been mine, even if you don’t know it yet. I’m waiting for you to wake up
and see I’m the one who’s always been there for you. Other guys have come and
gone. Hunter will too, you’ll see, and when he’s finished with you, I’ll still
be the one standing here wanting you, because I love you.”

I was dumbfounded, unable to reply.

He moved closer. “Choose me, Cami. Please.” He
slipped his hand behind my neck and pressed his lips to mine.

I flattened my hands against his
chest—shoving him away roughly—but he struggled to keep hold of me.
“Stop it, Clay! Quit doing this! Do you hear me?”

The door to the restaurant banged open, and
Hunter ran across the parking lot, followed by Russ. He grabbed Clay by the
shirt and slammed him up against the car, hard.

I couldn’t help it—I screamed.

“So help me if you ever touch her like that
again, I’ll have your sorry ass thrown in jail for harassment—after I’m
done beating the crap out of you.”

“Careful, man,” Russ warned, placing a
restraining hand on Hunter. “Someone will call the cops if you fight him here.”

Clay grinned. “I’ll touch her whenever and
however I want. You won’t be able to do a thing about it. She doesn’t belong to
you.”

A dark flush crossed Hunter’s face, and he
looked
dangerous. “No one will ever
touch her without her permission—not you, not me, not anyone—and
you best remember that. I don’t know what kind of sick game you think you’re
playing here, but trust me when I say you don’t want to mess with me. I’ll make
you pay in ways you’ve never thought of.”

Clay laughed and glanced at me. “Are you
hearing this, Cami? Your boyfriend is threatening me. What kind of guy are you
dating?”

“Just go home, okay? Let’s all go and stop this
before things get any worse,” I said, my voice hoarse from strain.

Hunter released Clay and stepped back, but
stayed in between us, holding a protective stance. Clay straightened and looked
down, smoothing his shirt.

“Take it easy on the clothes, Hunter. This
thing cost a pretty penny.” He looked at me. “Remember what I said, Cami. I’ll
be right here waiting as soon as you’re ready.” He smiled appreciatively.

I sighed and left. “Stay away from me, Clay,” I
called over my shoulder, and I suddenly started crying. I stormed into the
restaurant and headed straight for the restroom, not stopping until I was
leaning over the sink. Sobs racked my body as I tried to process everything
that had just happened.

The door squeaked open and strong, muscular
arms wrapped around me. I turned into them, burying my head against his chest.

“Let it out,” Hunter said, running his hand
gently over my hair as he placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

“You’re in the girl’s bathroom,” I moaned. It
was such a stupid thing to say.

“I needed to make sure you’re okay, which you
obviously aren’t.” He swayed gently, and the rocking was soothing somehow.

“What happened to him? That’s not my friend
I’ve known my whole life. Was it something I did? Am I responsible somehow?” I
clutched his jacket like it was a lifeline.

“No. This is nothing you did, Goody. Come on.
Let’s go somewhere we can talk about this. I need to know what he said to you.”

“I don’t want to tell you. It’ll make you
angry.” My lips were brushing against his chest as I spoke, and I wondered if
he could understand my muffled voice.

“I’m already angry, so it won’t matter.” He
continued his soft stroking.

“I don’t want to face him again.”

“You won’t have to. Russ is making sure he’s
leaving. Besides, I think he accomplished what he came here to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think he’s deliberately trying to
stir the pot. You need to tell me what he said, so we can sort things out and
make a game plan for dealing with him in the future.”

I couldn’t help the wry laugh that escaped
against his chest. “You mean there will be more?”

“I think we can count on it, yes. I’m sorry,
Cami.”

Releasing him, I rubbed my hands over my face
before turning to the mirror. I groaned at the black mascara, which ran down my
cheeks in streaks.

“I look like a monster from a horror movie,” I
complained. I turned the water on and splashed some on me.

“You look beautiful, like always, just a little
upset is all.” Hunter got some paper towels and handed them to me so I could
dry off.

A waitress stepped into the restroom. “Sir,
this is the ladies room. I’m going to have to ask you to leave, please.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be rude. I was
checking on my girlfriend,” he apologized.

She held the door open, clearly expecting him
to go.

“I’m okay, Hunter. I’ll be out in a minute.”

He nodded and left the room. The waitress gave
me a stern look before she followed after him.

I was so ready for this day to be over.

Cami-

Hunter was silent as he drove; the only sounds
were the car engine and the low music coming from the CD player. He turned
toward the hills outside of town, and I didn’t ask him where he was taking me.
Regardless of what Clay thought, I trusted Hunter. I didn’t know
why—there was just something secure about him. He was commanding somehow,
authoritative. It seemed an odd way to describe him, but that’s how I felt.

I stared at him. He was so incredibly good
looking, but there was more. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it.

“You seem older than you really are,” I spoke.

He gave a chuckle, briefly glancing sideways
before returning his attention to the road. “Really? You think so?”

I placed my hand on his thigh. “I don’t mean that
badly, or anything. Just sometimes you seem . . . smarter, or
more sure, or . . . something. Sorry, I’m not making much sense.
I want to know more about you.”

A pained look passed over his face, and he
slipped his hand down to squeeze mine. “You will. You need to believe me when I
say I want to tell you everything, but there are still some issues I’m working
through right now. I don’t mean to be cryptic, but I’m not ready to talk about
those things yet. Please be patient with me. It’ll happen eventually.”

“Take all the time you need.” I certainly
wasn’t going to press him for whatever skeletons he carried. I was more than
happy to wait for him to tell me whatever he needed. I was sure a lot of issues
probably stemmed from the death of his parents, which would be very difficult
for him to express. I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like without mine,
nor did I want to.

“I know your uncle’s name is Chris, but what’s
his last name? Is it Wilder?” I asked, wondering about the people in his life.

“Napier.”

“Napier. So he’s your mom’s brother then?” I
assumed this was the case, since their names were different.

“Um, yeah.”

“Do you get along with him well? I mean are you
happy you live with him?”

“Yeah, we’ve always been close. He’s much
younger than my mom, only seven years older than me actually. He’s more like a
brother, and he absolutely
hates
it
when I call him Uncle Chris, so I do it often.” He grinned widely, and it was
infectious, causing me to smile too.