Chapter 5: Hunter

Now that the sun has disappeared beneath the horizon, velvety darkness surrounds us. The only illumination comes from the silvery moonlight that shines down and the bright orange flames that twist from the bonfire.

Skye is wrapped up in my arms as we stand around talking with a group of friends. Even though we've been drinking and partying all day, most of us have paced ourselves, knowing that we'll be here until the wee hours of the morning. If I have my way, we'll watch the sun rise in the eastern sky and dance across the ocean. I can't think of a better way to end our time in high school than by holding my girl close.

"Happy, baby?" I whisper against the outer shell of her ear.

She turns her face just enough for me to stroke my lips over hers. "Yeah."

"Good. I want to always make you happy."

I don't give a shit if my brother thinks I'm pussy whipped. After I dropped her off at home the other day, I had to listen to another rendition of you're too wrapped up in that girl.

It really pisses me off when he refers to Skye as that girl.

She's so much more than that, and he damn well knows it.

Maybe if Mason had someone in his life, he'd be less focused on me. Even as I think those words, I know they're not true. My brother is obsessed with my career. He's so afraid something will happen to derail my rise to the NFL.

And I get it.

The worst has happened. Our parents died and life has been hell without them. If I can claw my way into the pros, it'll give us a little room to breathe.

That being said, I'm eighteen years old. I understand what needs to be accomplished. He can stop treating me like a fucking child and get off my ass every once in a while.

That declaration has her lips quirking into a soft smile before settling on mine.

I'm so hungry for her. I just want to scoop her up and carry her off to a place where we can be alone. There's no better feeling than sinking into the welcoming heat of her body. The moment I pull out, the need to slide right back in again pounds through me.

Maybe my brother is right, and I am pussy whipped.

But guess what?

I don't give a crap.

The two of us are meant to be, and there's nothing that will ever tear us apart. I've never been more certain about anything in my life.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Owen yells from across the bonfire. "Would you two get a room already?"

As we break apart, I give him the finger and call out, "I'd be happy to."

I grunt when Skye hits me in the belly and rolls her green eyes.

"Really?" she mutters, embarrassed to have our PDA pointed out.

I can't help but laugh before smacking another kiss against her lips. "What? It's the truth."

When she sends a mock glare in my direction, I say, "How about I get us a couple more drinks?"

"Just a water, please."

Skye has never been a big drinker.

"I'll have a beer," her best friend adds.

Lanie, on the other hand, likes to party.

"I'll be right back."

With that, I take off, leaving the girls alone. As I pass by a few groups of friends, I stop to talk. Even though everyone has mellowed, there's still an air of excitement hanging in the atmosphere. Life is changing, and everyone can feel it.

Just as I reach the keg, I spot Hannah with Clay, one of the guys from the football team. He's got his hand wrapped around her upper arm as she shakes her head.

My brows snap together as I detour.

I've known Hannah for as long as I've been friends with Owen, and I always try to watch out for her. If I had a younger sister, I'd want people to do the same. Clay isn't someone her brother would want her getting tangled up with. His MO is to bang as many girls as he can and then boast about it to his friends.

It's juvenile shit.

Last year, he made the stupid decision to ask what it was like to fuck Skye. In answer, I blackened his eye and told him that if he so much as glanced in her direction, I'd do much worse.

He's been careful to steer clear of her-and me-ever since.

"Hey," I say, interrupting their conversation. "Is there a problem over here?"

Clay straightens to his full height, which is still a couple inches shorter than I am. If he thinks he can intimidate me, he's wrong.

"Nothing for you to be concerned about, Price."

"Is that so?" I jerk a brow and point to Hannah. "Because she's my concern."

"Exactly how many bitches do you need? Is Skye not enough for you? If that's the case, I'd be more than happy to take that hot piece of ass off your hands."

I take a menacing step toward him before sinking my fingers into the collar of his shirt. "You say one more word about Skye, and I'll fucking beat the shit out of you. Got it?"

He growls but is smart enough to keep his damn yap shut.

When I release him with a hard shove, he stumbles back a few steps and rights himself. His gaze cuts to the dark-haired girl for a few seconds and then returns to me. Before I can say anything else, he swings around, pushing and shoving his way through the thick crowd of partiers.

Once he vanishes, I turn to Hannah and find wetness shining brightly in her eyes. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's female tears. I never know quite how to make them go away. All right, that's not true. I know exactly how to make Skye forget about her sadness. But this isn't my girlfriend. So, I won't be employing those kinds of tactics.

When I step closer, she hurls herself into my arms.

"Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" I hold her close, trying to offer comfort.

She shakes her head before pressing her cheek against my chest. "No. I told him I wasn't interested, but he wouldn't leave me alone."

"The guy's an asshole. If you want, I'll talk to him again and make sure he keeps his distance."

"That's not necessary." She pulls away just enough to meet my gaze. "I think he got the point."

My lips quirk at the corners. She's probably right about that. Although, even thinking about the conversation is enough to piss me off all over again. I'm tempted to find Clay just so I can beat the crap out of him. My guess is that Owen would be more than happy to join the fray.

"Let's hope so. I don't want to have to kick his ass."

"Thanks, Hunter." Her tongue darts out to moisten her lips.

Unlike with Skye, my gaze doesn't drop to the movement, and nothing stirs in my boardshorts. I'm just glad nothing else happened. Ten or fifteen minutes later and it might have been a different scenario.

"Sure, no problem. You know that if I'm around, I'll always keep an eye on you."

"I do." Her palms settle on my chest before stroking upward until her arms can twine around my neck and her body becomes flush with my own. "You're such a good guy." There's a pause. "The absolute best."

An odd moment passes between us. It's one I'm not sure what to make of. It leaves me wondering if maybe I've given her the wrong impression.

Her expression softens as her eyelids lower. Before I can untangle her arms from around me, she stretches up onto the tips of her toes and crushes her lips against mine.

What the hell?

Unsure what to do, my muscles freeze.

It doesn't seem possible that this girl-the one I've always considered a little sis-is kissing me, but that's exactly what's happening.

Now I have to figure out how to put a stop to it.