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A part of me still does.
Probably always will.
If everything I’ve read online is true, then my sacrifices have been well worth it. Hunter will get snapped up in the NFL draft before graduating this spring. Ever since I can remember, that’s been his goal. If one person deserves for all his dreams to come true, it’s Hunter Price. Unwilling to dwell on my ex, I shove him from my mind and take in the scene before me.
People are gathered together in groups, greeting one another as if they’re long-lost friends who haven’t seen each other in decades. It’s surreal to be surrounded by so many people yet feel so removed from it all. As if I’m more of an observer than a participant. Other than Lanie and Jaxon, I don’t know anyone else. I’m sure people from high school attend CU, but I lost touch with most of them after I moved away.
By the time I make it to the front of the line, I’m antsy and ready to head back to my friends. Even if they’re still going at it. Which is really saying something. I’d much rather stand around as a third wheel than be an island onto myself. I dig through my front pocket and hand over a couple of bucks in exchange for a blue plastic cup before it’s filled to the rim with golden liquid.
The cute guy manning the keg flashes me an easy grin as his eyes drift over my body. When he’s finished with his perusal, his gaze once again settles on my face. Kudos to this guy for not gawking at my boobs like he’s never seen a pair of D cups before.
“Here you go, beautiful,” he says, handing over the cup with a gallant flourish.
This little bit of silliness lightens my mood. “Thanks.”
Our fingers brush as I take the Solo cup from him.
“Next time, cut to the front of the line.” He gives me a flirty wink. “I got you covered.”
I flash him a grateful smile. Maybe tonight won’t be so bad after all.
With my drink in hand, I’m ready to make my way back to Jaxon and Lanie. Only now does it occur to me that they could have moved from the spot where I’d left them.
Who’s to say I’ll even be able to find my way back?
A knot of unease settles at the bottom of my belly. My fingers go to the purse slung across my chest. It’s big enough to hold my phone, but that’s about it. I could always shoot Lanie a text, but who knows if she’d hear it. And I have no idea how to navigate my way back to our apartment. The unsettled feeling that had taken up residence in my gut turns into full-on nausea.
Only now do I realize that walking away was a bad idea. I should have stuck to Lanie and Jax like glue. But standing around and watching them make out felt pervy.
And not in a good way.
With those thoughts swirling through my brain, I spin around and slam into a wall of impenetrable muscle. The impact knocks me off-balance, and I stumble back a step. Before I can fall, strong hands reach out and grab my shoulders, yanking me forward. My breath catches, and my heart pounds at the narrowly avoided tumble.
I shake my head to clear it as beer sloshes over the rim of my plastic cup and spills onto the ground at my feet. I’m lucky it didn’t end up down the front of my top or the shirt of the unsuspecting person I plowed into.
How humiliating would that have been?
Ugh…I don’t even want to think about it.
“I’m so—”
My voice falls off as I glance up, my gaze colliding with narrowed blue eyes. Hunter quickly sets me free as if his fingers have been burned. Neither of us breaks eye contact. All of the raucous noise of the bonfire dies away until it’s just the two of us standing alone in the middle of a dark field.
This is the moment I’ve been dreading.
My eyes roam over his face, cataloging the myriad of changes that time has wrought. When I walked away, Hunter had still been a boy, his lean muscles beginning to thicken. Now the transformation has been complete, and he’s a full-grown man. Hunter has always had size on his side, but somehow, he’s managed to grow both taller and broader. He must be somewhere in the vicinity of six three or four. I have to crane my neck to hold his gaze. The graphic T-shirt he’s wearing stretches tautly across the wide expanse of his chest and hugs the chiseled strength of his biceps. It’s enough to make my mouth dry and my knees soft.
If I have one weakness, it’s for thickly corded arms. All that tightly harnessed power waiting to break free…
A shiver of desire scampers down my spine before I stomp it out.
Unaware of the effect he’s having on me, Hunter’s deep voice cuts through my thoughts.
“What are you doing here, Skye?”
It’s the harshness of his tone that has my gaze snapping back to his as heat floods my cheeks. I can’t stop myself from staring. The little bit of cyberstalking I’ve done over the years has in no way prepared me for coming face-to-face with my ex-boyfriend. He’s grown into his dark looks, becoming even more of a heartbreaker than he was in high school.
My tongue darts out to smudge my parched lips as nerves dance along my skin. I search Hunter’s eyes, looking for any hint of softening, but there’s none to be found. His gaze is as frigid and detached as I imagined it would be. The tiny kernel of hope that our time apart would be enough to heal our past wounds shrivels and dies inside me.
