When Stars Collide (Light in the Dark #2) (24 page)

We take a few more minutes to catch our breath before we stand and start making our way down the river. I walk as far as I can, until the ground turns into sharp rocks and twigs and then I hop on Xander’s back and he carries me like I’m no lighter than a backpack. Thank God he wore sneakers.

The sun beats down on us, and soon, despite our bath in the frigid water, we’re hot and dripping with sweat. 

“How long have we been walking?”

“One minute longer since the last time you asked me,” he quips.

“Ugh,” I groan. “It feels like forever.”

I swear time is passing at a snail’s pace and the worst part is we don’t know if we’re even heading in the right direction. 

“I kind of want to punch you in the face for this,” I tell him. “But I also kind of want to kiss you, because it’s very sweet of you to carry my heavy ass.”

He chuckles. “I’ll take the kiss over the punch any day—and you’re not heavy.”

“Yeah, you won’t be saying that in ten minutes when your arms give out.”

We grow quiet and a few minutes pass before I say, “What was that? Was that a bear?” I listen again. “What if it’s a werewolf?”

He snorts. “Werewolves are fictional, and I doubt it’s a bear.”

My voice grows shrill. “But we’re near the river, and don’t bears love rivers?”

“I don’t know,” he answers.

“Oh, great. We survived the waterfall and swim just to get mauled by a bear. I did not expect today to turn into an episode of
Survivor
.”

“We’re going to be fine,” he says. 

“You don’t even know if we’re going the right way!”

He grunts. “It’s not like there’s someone I can ask for directions.”

“Yeah, and you’re a guy, so even if there was, you wouldn’t.”

He sighs and mutters, “You’re probably right.”

Fifteen minutes pass and he sets me down to take a break. I stretch my legs as best I can, but without shoes, I’m scared I’m going to step on a poisonous frog or something.

Are there even poisonous frogs in Colorado?

Xander sits down and leans his back against a tree. He tilts his head toward the sky and breathes out heavily. It’s obvious this is wearing on him more than he lets on. 

He stands up a few minutes later and motions for me to hop on his back again. 

I feel like he walks ten miles more before we start to hear shouts.

“People!” I cry. “I hear people!”

Suddenly, I feel like I’m starring in a survivalist movie and a helicopter is going to swoop down low and a ladder is going to fall from the open door, and then we’ll climb up into freedom. 

The shouts grow louder and more distinguishable and I pick up on our names. 

“Over here!” I yell. “We’re over here!” 

Footsteps pound toward us and a group of what looks like park rangers emerge through the trees.

“Oh, thank God,” I mutter.

Xander sets me down and the park rangers fuss over us, making sure we’re unharmed. When they learn that we’re okay they’re quick to give us each a bottle of water, which we gulp down gratefully. Unfortunately, they don’t have a pair of shoes I can use, so I hop on Xander’s back again. One of the rangers offered to carry me but Xander went all alpha and wouldn’t let him. I kept expecting him to pound on his chest like Tarzan. 

The rangers guide us through the woods and back to where we need to be. It ends up being another twenty-minute walk. 

Cade spots us first, where he and the rest of our friends sit at a picnic table, and the idiot starts laughing. Not just a little chuckle, either. Oh no, this is the kind of laughter that keels you over at the stomach and makes tears spring to your eyes. 

“Cade Paul!” I yell, using his middle name since I know he hates it. “Stop laughing!”

The idiot only laughs harder. He deserves a swift kick to the shin for that.

Xander sets me down and stretches his arms. They must feel like Jell-O at this point. Poor guy. 

“You guys look like you just escaped prison or something,” Jace comments.

He’s on my shit list now too.

“Hey—” Rae smacks Cade’s arm “—this is serious. They could’ve been hurt.”

That sobers my brother up real quick, because it’s true.

Xander and I make it to the table and we both sit down, our bodies seeming to fold in on themselves. One of the rangers that brought us here brings us more water.

“Thanks,” I tell her with a grateful smile. If they hadn’t found us when they did we’d still be lost in the woods.

“What exactly happened?” Cade asks, now in concerned brother and friend mode.

I shrug, twisting off the cap of the water. “We both kind of zoned out and when we came to everyone was gone. We ended up going over this waterfall—”

“You fell off a waterfall?” Cade looks horrified.

“Like a baby one,” I explain. “It was probably six feet.”

“Six feet is more than you think,” he says.

I shrug. “It wasn’t so bad. The swim was worse, and then the walk.” Xander grunts. “Okay, so he carried me, so it wasn’t so bad for me.” I lift my foot in the air. “The river ate my shoes. May they rest in peace.” I sigh, brushing my hair over one shoulder. “I could really use a cookie after this. Can we go home now?”

Cade nods. “Yeah, let’s go. You guys need to shower.”

I mock-gasp. “Are you implying we smell? How rude.”

He grins. “You definitely smell, but I’m happy you’re alive so I won’t complain too much.” He reaches over and ruffles my hair.

“Ow,” I cry, when his fingers tangle in the strands. Between the beating in the water and the trek through the woods while sweating bullets, my hair is a matted mess. 

“Sorry,” Cade says sheepishly, untangling his fingers from my hair. I rub the sore spot, glaring at him. 

We stand from the table and head for the area where we parked. It’s not really a parking lot, more like a section of dirt and grass that everyone decided to pretend was one.

We say goodbye to Nova and Jace, even though we’ll see them later at the barbeque, and get in Cade’s Jeep. I’m glad now that he drove and we all rode together, because I feel like collapsing, and I’m sure Xander does too. 

I click my seatbelt into place and lay my head on his shoulder. In no time I’ve fallen asleep and I don’t wake up until the car stops in the garage. 

I sit up, blinking rapidly as the garage forms around me. 

“I’m so tired,” I whisper to Xander as we head into the house and then up the steps.

He nods, opening the door to my room, then closing it behind us. “I shouldn’t be, but I am,” he agrees. “I think now that the adrenaline has worn off I’m exhausted and now it’s beginning to set in how bad that could’ve been.” He stares at me seriously. “Come here,” he whispers, his voice husky. 

My heart stutters. He has that look in his eye—the one that promises so many wicked and delicious things—and suddenly, I’m not so tired anymore.

I take a step, and then another, until his hands grasp my waist and he pulls me flush against his body. My hands land on his chest and I look up at him a moment before his lips descend on mine. He kisses me like he’s scared it’ll be the last time and I can taste the fear he held at bay while I was the one freaking out. 

He suddenly grows frantic, pulling my shirt up and off my body as he backs me into the bed. 

“Need you,” he whispers in between kisses. “Right now.” He reaches for his belt buckle while I kick off my shorts. In only a few seconds’ time, there are no clothes left between us and we fall onto the bed, a tangle of limbs. He separates only long enough to grab a condom and put it on, and then he’s inside me and we’re both crying out in relief. There is no foreplay, we’re both too desperate. I didn’t even know I needed this, but I did. I
so
did. 

I grip his hair and his fingers dig into my hips hard enough to bruise. We’re both frantic, close to losing our grip on reality in a matter of seconds. It’s never been like this before—except for maybe Vegas, but I can only remember that in short blips—but I don’t mind it. Sometimes you need slow, and other times you need to fuck hard, pure and simple. 

My back arches and I come. He pumps into me two more times and then he comes too. We both pant, gasping for air, with our limbs tangled together.

I nuzzle my head into his neck and my eyes flutter closed. I want nothing more than to wrap my body around his and drift off to sleep for the rest of the day. Alas, the real world beckons. 

We give ourselves a moment to catch our breath and then we head for the shower.

We’re going to be more than a little late to the barbeque, which will probably piss my dad off, but it was unavoidable. 

Well, I mean, I guess the sex was technically avoidable, but after our day, I think we deserved a moment to ourselves.

When I get out of the shower, I towel dry my hair and then gather it up in a bun. I don’t want to bother taking the time to blow dry it and style it. I change into a pair of high-waisted shorts and a red crop top. I grab my white Converse from my closet and sit down on my bed as I slip my feet into them.

Xander comes into my room at the moment Cade yells up the stairs for us. 

“Are you guys ready yet? I mean, seriously, how long does it take to shower? Did you drown in there?” 

“We’re almost ready,” I call back. I snicker as a thought runs through my mind. “You know, when we moved in here I was worried about having to listen to those two have sex all the time. Never thought it would be us.”

He places one hand on either side of my hips and leans down so his nose brushes mine. “I don’t know about you, but I’m glad.”

I laugh. “Oh, I am.” I waggle my brows. 

He chuckles huskily, and I want nothing more than to pull him down into the bed with me and start all over again, but I know we need to go, so instead, I press a quick kiss to his lips and stand. 

I take his hand, and say, “Let’s go.”

I park my truck behind Cade’s Jeep—Rae and him went ahead of us since we were taking too long. Music blasts from the backyard and a few neighbors stand in the front yard chatting. The Montgomery’s yearly Fourth of July party is always a neighborhood affair. 

Thea hops from the truck, and I follow her around the side to the gate that leads into the backyard. 

I hear a splash and some yelling when someone jumps into the above-ground pool they always have set up for this occasion. 

Thea and I make our way around the yard, saying hi when people greet us, but for the most part we try to keep to ourselves. 

“Hey!” her dad yells cheerily from the grill, waving a pair of tongs back and forth. “Are you hungry? These just came off.” He then points to a plate full of hot dogs.

“Starving, actually. Thanks.” Everything is laid out like a buffet so you can grab what you want, but before I can head to the table, he grabs my arm.

“Haven’t had a chance to congratulate you on making the team. I’m proud of you. Wish I could say the same for my piece of shit son,” his voice grows dark.

Mr. Montgomery has always been intensely into football, and followed Cade and me closely, especially Cade since he’s his son. I can remember once, when we were little and our team lost, he drove us home and went off about how one loss leads to another and to always,
always
win no matter the cost.  

I very carefully maneuver out of his hold. “Thanks,” I say, giving him a tight-lipped smile. 

He claps his hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to be at every home game. I promise you that.”

I nod. “Cool.”

This might be the most awkward moment of my life. But if I’m being honest, there’s something about Mr. Montgomery that’s always been …
off
. He has this intense, off-putting way about him that instantly puts me on edge. Like he’s someone that’s dangling precariously from a cliff and one wrong word will send him off. I mean, I’ve never seen him lose his shit, but there’s something in his eyes—something that’s not quite right.

I’m finally able to get away from him and I join Thea at the table where she’s finishing her plate.

“What was that about?” she asks, her eyes shifting nervously from me to her dad behind me. 

I shrug and pick up a plate. “He just wanted to congratulate me on making the team.”