Stroke Of Fear

Chapter Nine

Aubrey

Tanner and I both get texts on the way back to the camp. We have a camp counselor meeting in ten minutes. I can only imagine what it’s going to be about.

“You think they know we’re gone?”

Tanner raises a heavy eyebrow. “If Jake knows I’m sure he went to tell on us. Dumb bastard.”

Twisting my fingers in my lap, I peer out the window. “Well, what do you think we should say?”

Tanner doesn’t seem fazed. His arm rests behind my head, and the other loosely grips the steering wheel. “The truth.” He shrugs. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

He’s right. We’re adults—which, reminds me. “How old are you?”

He glances at me from the corner of his eye and tries to keep a smile from widening across his face. “How old do you think I am?”

I’ve never been any good at this game. “Um, twenty-three.”

He cracks a smile. “Close. Twenty-four. You?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Youngster.”

“You’re only two years older than me. I’d hardly say that makes me a youngster.”

He smiles. “Sexy youngster?”

“Maybe.”

“How about fuckin’ sexy youngster?”

I smile. “Keep going.”

Everyone is sitting in the counselor room when we barge in. Every pair of eyes glances our way. I’m sure my cheeks are blood red, because I feel like I’m holding fire in them.

Mrs. Jones clears her throat. “Tanner, Aubrey, take a seat. We’re about to have a little discussion.”

Shit. I frown and meet Cassie’s eyes. She is smiling ear-to-ear and giving me a thumbs up. My eyes move around the room as we take the seats closet to us. Jake is staring at me, boring holes into my head. Christ, I should be ash on the ground right now. His eyes are black, one swollen. His lip is cut, and he looks worn.

The warmth of Tanner’s hand wraps around my fingers. He interlocks his with mine and guides me to my seat. Jake doesn’t miss the movement; his eyes are fixated on it.

I give Tanner a sideways glance, but he looks relaxed, not at all worried about Jake’s glares.

“Okay, children,” Mrs. Jones says. She called us children, she’s pissed. “I’ve heard about some fighting and…possible inappropriate behavior.” Her gaze travels to Tanner and me. Great.

“Would anyone like to share what the hel—heck is going on?” I almost snicker at her cursing.

No one says anything. Not one soul. Cassie eyes me from across the room and holds back a smile. Eric is doing the same, nodding his head.

Tanner growls. “I assume you’re talkin’ ‘bout me and Jake gettin’ into a fight. Yes, we fought. Aubrey had a panic attack—”

“What?” Jake sits up in his chair. “How? Why? What did you do to her?” His voice starts to rise.

“Nothing,” I snap out. “He saved my life. Twice.”

Mrs. Jones holds up her hand. “Let him finish.”

Tanner’s Adam’s apple bobs in his throat when he swallows. “So, I brought her back to her cabin. Jake was there, saw my arm wrapped around her and came at me. So, yes, I fought him. What was I supposed to do? Let him hit me? I defended myself. Momma didn’t raise no fool.”

I bark out a laugh. It’s not the right time, I know. But, who says that? The corner of his lip rises. “Something funny?” he whispers.

I shake my head.

“Hush,” Mrs. Jones says. Her face is red now. I think I’ll shut up. “Is that true, Jake? Did you come at Tanner?”

Jake’s jaw pops from clenching it so tight. “Yes.”

“Well, I believe Tanner needs an apology.”

“Hell no,” Jake says, sitting up in his seat. “I’m not apologizing to him. He shouldn’t have been with my girl.”

“I’m not your anything, Jake. Drop it.”

“Don’t say that. Don’t fucking—”

“Shut up,” Mrs. Jones interrupts. “Say it. Now. Or you’ll go home and not be welcomed back.”

Jake holds Tanner’s glare. Neither one of them blink. “Sorry,” Jake says.

“Now,” Mrs. Jones interlocks her fingers around her knees. “On to other matters. Where were you two this morning?”

Fuck. I press my mouth together. I’m so not going to say it out loud. Assumptions are going to be made—even if I wanted those said assumptions—they didn’t happen.

Squeezing my hand, Tanner clears his throat. “Last night we went to a place about a mile from here. It’s a little field with a pond. We sat on the tailgate and watched the sunset and then fell asleep. We forgot to set our alarms, so we missed breakfast.”

Mrs. Jones presses her lips together. “There will be no funny business at this camp. I would have to be stupid to think none of the camp counselors would hit it off. That’s fine …”she says, uneasily. “However, there won’t be any sleeping outside of your own cabin at night. I won’t tolerate it.”

Tanner nods. “Yes, ma’am. I promise it won’t happen again.”

She turns to me, her short, gray bob moving with the motion. She lifts an eyebrow. “No, ma’am. It won’t happen again.”

She nods. “Okay, well, we need to get to the next camp activity. You all have your schedules. Get ready. Tanner and Aubrey you’re taking a group of seven camping.” She narrows her eyes. “Behave.”

Cassie snorts, which makes Eric snort. Mrs. Jones closes her eyes. “Get to your activities before I come to my senses and fire you all. Go.” She shoos us away with her hand.

Everyone piles out of the room. Cassie wraps her hand around my elbow and pulls me out in front of Tanner.

She presses me against the outside of the building. “Details. Now. I need them.”

“Calm down. You sound like a horny housewife. We did just what Tanner said. We fell asleep.”

Her face falls in disappointment. She holds her hand out to the side. “Nothing happened? You didn’t even kiss?”

A smile forms on my face without me knowing it. She squeals. “Oh! You did. Tell me. Was it good? Can he kiss?”

“Cassie,” I say, grabbing her shoulders. “If someone could fuck your mouth with their own, that’s exactly what he did.”

She rolls her eyes back in her head and fans herself with her hand. “Oh, I knew it. He has those sexy lips.”

He sure does.

“Did you see Jake’s face when he grabbed your hand? I thought he was going to run over there and break his fingers. Not that it looks like he can beat him up—I mean, look at Jake’s face.”

I squirm. Even though I’m over Jake, and I’m no longer in love with him like I once was, I don’t want to see him hurt.

I pull at the end of my shirt. “I know. I don’t want him to hurt, Cassie. I just want him to get over me.”

Cassie nods and gives me a hug. “He’ll be fine. He’s a looker. He can get a girl. You’ve obviously seen him in action at the lake, right? Don’t feel sorry for him. That’s what he wants.”

I’m nodding and glancing over her shoulder as she keeps talking. I scan over the counselors scattered around talking. Jake is leaning against a tree, eyes focused on me, with some blonde yapping in front of him.

Then I see the gray eyes I stared into all last night. A grin crawls dangerously slow up his mouth. Cassie’s right. He does have sexy lips.

“Hey,” Cassie says, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

“Sorry,” I straighten my back. “Listening.”

She rolls her eyes. “Right. I was asking if you wanted me to go back to the cabin with you while you shower.”

“Is that a polite way of telling me I need a shower?”

She smiles. “Bingo. You smell like grass.” She gasps. “Did you two make out on the ground?”

I push her shoulder. “No. We made out in the back of his truck.”

“Swoon.” She bats her eyelashes. “That is some sexy country shit right there.”

Cassie waits outside the shower door while I get ready. She hasn’t stopped talking since we got here. I don’t mind. I just pretend to listen while I scrub my body. I imagine Tanner’s hands are still there, trailing over my skin, keeping me warm from the chilly night.

When I’m finished we both head toward the cafeteria. I stuff myself, since I missed breakfast. We leave in thirty minutes for our trip. Eric slams his tray down beside Cassie and waggles his brow.

“So, that was an interesting meeting this morning.” He glances over his drink at me. I’m sure I’m as red as a damn tomato.

I take a bite of my food. “Don’t even start, Eric.”

He laughs, choking on his food. “Oh, come on. We all get it on—” Cassie elbows him in the rib. “Ouch,” he says.

“They didn’t do it, jackass. Get out of their business.” She sips on her drink.

“Right. Like you didn’t run over there and ask her a million questions.”

She moves her lips to the side and narrows her eyes. “I’m her roommate. You’re just embarrassing her. Look how red she is.”

Kill me now.

Someone taps me lightly on the shoulder. I look up and Jake is standing behind me. Damn. He looks like a puppy dog someone’s been beating. Too bad I’m a cat person.

“What is it?” I ask.

He swallows, and it looks like it hurts. Even though I don’t’ want to feel sorry for him, I do. His face is pretty fucked up.

“Can we talk?”

I close my eyes. “Not right now. I’m eating. And I have to get ready to go camping.”

He screws his eyes shut like he’s in pain from hearing that. “Please?” He lets out a breathless sigh.

Cassie kicks my leg underneath the table and gives me the eye.

“Okay, two seconds.”

I follow Jake outside and toward the corner of the building. He stops and leans against the wall. “Aubrey.”

The way he says my name makes my stomach queasy. “Jake.”

He looks down at me, big brown eyes wide. “Please, don’t date him. I miss you. So much.”

I cross my arms over my chest and glance out at the field to my left. “I like him, Jake. A lot. I don’t know if you’ve felt it, but we’ve slipped away. We’re not the same as we were.”

“Because of you,” he says, pointing his finger toward my chest. “You were so closed up when I met you. I was surprised you let me in. Then I realized… you hadn’t. You just went with the flow. I was determined to make you open up with me, but it never happened.” Kicking off the wall, he grabs my chin in his hand, forcing me to look up at him. “Why? Why was I never good enough to open up to?”

I shrug, and move my chin out of his grasp. “I never felt comfortable. After four years of dating you, I didn’t feel like I could tell you why I was so closed up.”

“But he knows, doesn’t he?”

I don’t answer. Jake knows the answer and he wants to hear it. Pressing my lips together, I take a step back. “I have to go.”

“Please?” Jake snatches my arm.

“Stop,” I say, ripping from his hold. “I have to go.”

He takes a step back, looking at me like he’s never seen me before. He’s lost. Eyes wide, lips parted.

I turn and walk toward our meeting spot. I’m through letting him mess with my head.