Sun Kissed (Camp Boyfriend) (8 page)

His fingers traced my cheekbone and drifted down to my jaw. I tilted my head into that touch, needing to feel wanted. Cared for. This week had been so stressful, worrying the whole time about what I meant to him.

“I’ve been dying to do that,” he admitted softly as he eased back. “It nearly killed me to see you dance with Devon.”

I blinked and swallowed, trying to find the right words. Voices approached as a few laughing girls made their way through the maze. Seth pulled me behind him, guiding me out the other side of the labyrinth. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of the dance before he headed for the kitchen’s dark entrance.

Shoving through the swinging door, we entered the end of the food prep area near the walk-in freezer. The lights were off, but moonlight shone through a window nearby, making everything shades of gray.

A soft moan startled me and I froze.

We hadn’t noticed Madison—another Divas’ Den girl—when we first walked in. But I could see her plastered against a boy in the far corner of the kitchen, her skirt dangerously high thanks to his roaming hand.

Seth steered us to the other side of the freezer where we wouldn’t be overheard. Still, the vision of Madison and her hook-up lingered. I hadn’t even known she had a boyfriend. Was this some random thing or was she like me, keeping things a secret? And if so, did she hate it as much as I did?

“Is this better?” Seth threaded his fingers between mine and dropped onto a wooden bench near an empty coat rack.

I nodded as I sat beside him.

“What’s wrong?” He tipped my chin up to meet his eyes.

“I only danced with Devon because you didn’t ask me.” I took off my glasses to clean them. Or maybe so I didn’t have to see rejection in Seth’s eyes. “I didn’t know what to say to him when you’ve made it clear that … you know. You don’t want anyone to know about us or think we’re boyfriend/girlfriend.”

My voice trailed off at the end, hurt making the words stick in my throat.

He was quiet for so long, I put my glasses back on, hoping I’d see some sign of what he was thinking.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be your boyfriend, Lauren.” His voice was serious. Intense. He sounded older somehow. “I just don’t want either of us getting hurt.”

“How will we get hurt?” I blurted. “I thought we liked each other.”

“We do,” he said slowly.

“So if we are … you know … a couple, other people won’t ask either of us to dance.” I glanced at our fingers, taking some strength from the way he held my hand.

“But once everyone knows about us—” His hand slid away from mine and he stood.

“What’s so bad about that?” I stood too. No way was I letting this go now that I’d brought it up.

“It’s bad enough when people break up.” He turned around to face me, his jaw tense. “But when everyone else knows about it and it turns into this big, public humiliation….”

I wondered if he still had the folded newspaper article that featured the story of his mother abandoning him at daycare. It had made local news because they’d originally thought she’d been kidnapped instead of running away. When I’d spotted it in an open bureau drawer one summer, he’d told me it was the only picture he had of her. His father had thrown out the rest. Could he be afraid that if we didn’t work out, we’d be Camp Juniper Point’s feature story for the summer? It must be why he wanted the secrecy.

“I would never do that to you.” I put my hand on his cheek, remembering how good it had felt when he’d done the same to me. “I would never hurt you that way.”

As soon as I said it, my conscience chirped. What about the fact that I’d first kissed him on a dare? But I’d done it because I wanted to. Plus, technically, he’d been the one to kiss me …

“Me either,” he promised, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and crushing me to him. “I don’t want to hurt you, Lauren. I’m—ah—I’m ready to tell everyone.”

Happiness replaced the tightness in my chest. My head fit beneath his chin, my cheek against his soft, blue polo shirt. He smelled like campfire and laundry detergent and I never wanted to leave this spot.

Seth cared about me and I cared about him. We were a couple.

He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head.

I smiled as my heart beat in time with his.

“So … would you like that dance now?” he asked.

“Definitely.” I peered up at him and he kissed me, his lips warm and soft and perfect.

“Let’s do this.” He linked my arm through his and we stole through the kitchen door back out into the noise and green lights of the Secret Garden.

Pausing by the refreshment stand, he made a point of holding my hand. Then, together, we walked toward our friends in a statement they couldn’t miss.

Siobhan was the first to notice. She grinned and grabbed Alex’s arm, pointing at us.

Alex howled in approval so that everyone else turned to see what was going on. Trinity, Jackie, and Piper blew exaggerated kisses our way. Seth’s friend, Julian, hooted and clapped. Eli wrapped his arms around himself and turned, his hands sliding up and down his back like he was making out with someone. But what else would I expect from Eli?

They were all glad for us. Maybe they’d guessed about us all along? Seen this coming? Regardless, I could have floated away like one of the helium balloons bumping along the ceiling.

As Seth turned me in his arms to dance with me, I stared into his amber eyes and hoped I would never let him down.

Chapter Six

“Get a room!” Jackie heckled from behind when Seth pulled me off our hiking trail and snuck another kiss. I grinned at her over my boyfriend’s shoulder and a thrill shot me through me that
yes
, I could say that now. We’d been official for two weeks, but I still felt surprised every time he held my hand or kissed me before the counselors noticed.

Seth squeezed my waist and we raced back in line as our camp director, Gollum, rounded the bend.

“What’s the holdup, people?” His tomato of a face was pulpy red.

“Just enjoying the view.” Seth shot me a meaningful look that made me giggle. Siobhan and Jackie doubled over and made exaggerated gagging sounds as they passed us.

We scampered further up the trail, hoping for a dark nook or a wide balsam fir to sneak in another kiss. So far, we’d managed four and I hoped for number five before we reached Tennent Mountain’s summit. Seth’s lips made me feel as lightheaded as the elevation, but I couldn’t get enough.

The smell of pitch permeated the crisp air, the cooler temperature a welcome escape from the July heat. Dark fir trees flanked the deep, rutted path like tall sentinels, silent witnesses to every snuggle Seth and I managed. Being near each other was irresistible. PDA was off limits. But we couldn’t stop touching as we trotted in and out of the sunshine leaking through the boughs, slowly putting more distance between us and the camp director bringing up the rear of the twenty-person hiking party.

Birds called in the echoing wilderness and I wanted to sing with them, my heart soaring higher than my feet could carry me. I glanced at Seth’s profile, struck by the way his hair flopped across his forehead, the slanting of his eyebrows that were a shade darker than his sandy hair, and the golden gleam of his eyes when they flitted my way. I glanced over my shoulder, saw nothing of Gollum, and twined my fingers in his reaching hand. I was here to appreciate natural beauty, but Seth was all I could see, hear, or think about.

“Having fun?” Seth helped me leap over a mud patch and onto a rock.

My hiking shoes slipped a bit on the mossy stone and he snaked an arm around my waist. I looked up into his warm gaze. “Definitely.”

We stood there, grinning like idiots, until a throat cleared loudly in the hush.

“God. You two are sickening.” Alex’s gum snap rousted a bird from the ferns. It flew squawking into the gloomy thicket, its agitation matching Alex’s. She put her hands on her slim hips and tapped her foot. “Susannah sent me back to see what was keeping you and to check on Gollum.”

“He’s a couple minutes behind us.” Seth looked over my shoulder. “So it looks like the coast is still clear.” He pulled me close and pressed his lips to my forehead. I flushed warm at the contact and swayed on my feet, wishing we could be alone.

“Gross,” groaned Alex. “We’re eating lunch at the Black Balsam Knob clearing so hurry if you want any brownies.”

“I’ve got all the sweets I need,” Seth said and waited until Alex huffed away to join my laughter. “I think she thought I was serious.”

“Weren’t you?” I batted his arm and jumped to another rock. “Maybe I’m too sweet for you to handle.” I leapt further up the trail to another boulder. “Or too fast.”

I made it only two jumps farther before he caught me around the waist and swung me, my giggles so loud Gollum hollered from below, “You two had better not be up to any tomfoolery.”

Tomfoolery?
I clamped a hand over my mouth at the crazy word but Seth’s laugh set me off. We sprinted to Black Balsam Knob and burst into the bright clearing. The sudden light stung my eyes and we halted at the edge of the tree line, waiting for my glasses to tint.

Seth pulled on a pair of black-framed shades. The wind ruffled his hair, the color high in his cheeks and his left dimple popping in a broad grin.

“Listen.” Seth lowered his sunglasses and peered over the top. “There’s this brook a little ways in the woods called Kammach Springs. I promised my cabin I’d hike back down with them, but I really want to show it to you. Can you get away from the girls and meet me? There’s a marker, and it’s not far off the trail. I want to tell you something and it’s the perfect spot.”

His expression was tender, his voice so intense that it struck a chord that vibrated to my fingertips. Whatever he had to say was important to him … I definitely wouldn’t miss it. I nodded, loving the way his face relaxed at my response. Had he imagined, even for a second, that I’d say no?

We ambled across the stony field peppered with feather-topped grasses that tickled our calves. A colorful array of blankets, backpacks, and campers were strewn across the treeless spot, the Smoky Mountain range a dramatic backdrop behind them. Bam-Bam had told us on a previous hike that fires had swept through the Pisgah National Forest years ago and places like this had never recovered. It was a sad story, but I appreciated the panoramic view the bald spot provided.

Shining Rock loomed straight ahead in multiple shades of green, and to its left was Cold Mountain, as dark and formidable-looking as its name. Birds of prey looped in lazy circles high above the swaying conifers, their colorful plumage a bright contrast against the azure sky. Seth’s hand wrapped around mine for a second and my chest expanded with more than air. I’d made this climb before, but the sight was even more beautiful now that I shared it with Seth.

My heart had never felt so full—not even on nights spent identifying stars with my father or charting comet paths. This moment was magic. And that magic was Seth.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.

“The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Seth murmured. The strange note in his voice made me glance his way and I met his steady gaze. His amber eyes looked darker, the expression in them so vulnerable I nearly melted on the spot. I’d seen lots of expressions on his face over the years, but this was the first time I’d ever seen him look hopeful. And I was the one who’d given him a reason to feel that way. To believe in someone again. To trust his heart.

It felt good, but … scary. It made me think relationships were more than hearts and roses but also … responsibility. Trust. When someone gave you their heart it came with a “Handle with Care” warning. And I’d promised that I’d never cause Seth pain. His mother had hurt him enough.

“You two lovebirds want some brownies?” Jackie waved a couple of wrapped chocolate squares and my stomach grumbled. I was hungry after hiking for a couple hours.

Seth nodded and caught the treats she winged at us as we closed the distance to my friends.

“Thanks.” I sat on a plaid blanket and pulled out my water bottle. No way was I eating chocolate without liquid to rinse out of my mouth gear. The rich flavor exploded on my tongue and I finished the brownie in four bites. “Any more?”

“You can have mine.” Seth lowered himself beside me and pulled out a bag of trail mix. “I’ve still got plenty of gorp.”

I admired the way the sun turned the fine hairs on his arms to gold and the play of his muscles beneath his tanned skin. If only they were wrapped around me now. But no way could that happen with the counselors watching.

“So how many times did you two kiss?” Jackie tossed a grape in the air and caught it in her mouth.

Siobhan pushed up her slipping glasses and leaned forward. “There’s a running bet and the winner doesn’t have to carry his or her gear on the way down.”

“His or her?” I looked up and started at the sight of the Wander Inn guys crowding around us.

“Yeah. My money’s on seven.” Vijay gave Seth a light shoulder punch. “Seth is the Man.”

Anger surged through me. So now I was just some object to be betted on like a horse? My eyes narrowed and I pulled away from Seth, my back rigid.

Julian spread a forest-green cape on the grass, the light glinting off an ornate silver clasp. “For the record, I didn’t vote.”

Seth frowned at the guys until they stopped smiling and looked away. A few even muttered, “Sorry.”

Trinity sat, cross-legged, across from us, her open palms on her knees, eyes closed. But in the sudden quiet her lids fluttered then opened. “What’s going on?”

Alex’s mouth quirked sideways and she spoke in a newscaster voice. “In today’s headlines: Seth and Lauren made out. In related news: they kissed.”

Trinity rolled her eyes then closed them again. “Wake me when something different happens. Oh—and they kissed four times.”

Seth and I broke into sheepish grins and the group groaned at our silent but obvious agreement.

“Never bet against a girl with a third eye.” Julian pointed his walking stick at Vijay. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I ate Seth’s brownie and eyed my friends as they divided Trinity’s belongings. While they were definitely happy for me, I’d started to sense their slight frustration too. Was I getting too wrapped up in Seth? Neglecting them? We had been sitting together at all the nighttime activities, and signed up for some of the same daytime ones too. In between, we’d met up and walked together. But I still ate with my cabin, and talked to them after “lights out”… though mostly I talked about Seth. Were they over it? I glanced at Seth. Us?