Smitten (13 page)

“Okay, that’s fine.” She pulled out her order pad. “What would you like?”

Russ gestured for me to go first.

“I’ll take a strawberry,” I said.

“And I’d like two shakes,” he added. “One vanilla, one chocolate.”

“No problem,” she said with a smile. “I’ll get those right out to you.”

“Thirsty?” I asked with a grin after she left.

He shrugged and smiled. “Sometimes it’s hard to choose.”

“I’ve been a strawberry girl for as long as I can remember.”

He shook his head and gave a sly grin. “I like strawberry too. Maybe I should’ve gotten three shakes.”

I laughed. “You’re going to be up the rest of the night on a sugar high.”

“It’s Saturday now. No classes. I can sleep all I want—if my roommate cooperate
s. Some of us weren’t as lucky as others to get into private rooms.”

“It’s been nice, but lonely sometimes. You’re welcome to come sleep in my room while I study if you want. It’s the least I can do after you rescued me tonight.”

“Thanks, but I think you’ll be busy with other plans today.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

“Is this seat taken?” a familiar voice interrupted.

I
turned to see Hunter standing there with a grin, and I gave out a squeal of delight as I jumped up to hug him. “What are you doing here?” I asked, before quickly releasing him and glancing around. “Are you alone? Is it safe to hug you?”

He chuckled and pulled me back into his arms. “I’m alone, and please hug me all you want. Russ called me and told me you were having a hard night. I decided to come meet you.”

We sat down in the booth, and the waitress came with our shakes.

“The chocolate shake was for you!” I said with a laugh, everything making sense now.

“Yeah, I told Russ to order one for me.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me to him.

“How long can you stay?” I asked, wishing we could get back to our
real lives.

“I’m yours for the rest of the day.” He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

“How’s that possible? What about the case?”

“Ripper is working at the station today, and Roberta has plans with some of her girlfriends. I’ll shoot them a text later and tell them I’m spending the day with Chris because he’s having a bad day or something. It’ll all work out. What do you say to taking a day trip out of the area together?”

I knew I was beaming. “I can’t think of anything I’d love more!”

Chapter Sixteen

Cami-

I was home. I stared up the sidewalk toward my parent’s house, excited to surpris
e them this way. Hunter—who insisted Russ come with us—spent most of the drive to Copper City reviewing the aspects of the case before we dropped Russ off at his house.

The police department was getting antsy that nothing new had turned up on Manny and
was getting ready to go ahead and charge Ripper and his boys with Grand Theft Auto. Roberta would be granted immunity for her help and testimony against them. I was happy to know things would be ending soon. I wanted to get back to our regular lives.

“You ready to go in,” Hunter asked, giving me a wink.

I reached over and grabbed his hand. “Have I told you how amazing you are? Thank you so much for doing this.”

“I’d do anything to keep that beautiful smile plastered to your face like it is right now.” He leaned toward me
, and I met him halfway, kissing him on the lips. He slid his fingers around to the back of my head and held me there, his tongue dipping deliciously inside my mouth.

I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped
, and he chuckled.

“You have no idea how good it feels to be able to do this out in the open and not worry about who’s watching,” I said.

He leaned his forehead against mine. “I have every idea. You’ve been so close, but so far away. I want this whole thing to be finished too. But let’s not worry about that right now. I want you to enjoy some time with your parents.”

He hopped out of the car
, came around to my side, and helped me out, the same gentleman as always. I loved his impeccable manners. He held my hand as we walked up the sidewalk together. I tried the handle, but it was locked.

“I left my keys at the dorm.” I rang the doorbell
and giggled. “If they look out the window, they won’t recognize the car. They’ll have no idea who’s here this early.”

I heard a squeal from behind the door
, and it was flung open. “Cami!” my mom practically shouted, dragging me into her arms. “What a surprise! I’m so happy to see you!” She suddenly held me back at arm’s length. “Is everything okay?” A worried look crossed her face as she stared at me.

I laughed. “Everything is fine, Mom. Hunter
 . . . uh, Dylan, thought it would be nice to take a day trip and come for a surprise visit.”

She grabbed Hunter and hugged him too. “You have no idea how much this means to us, Dylan. We’ve been missing our girl something fierce.”

He grinned and hugged her back. “It’s my pleasure, ma’am.”

She released him. “None of that ma’am crap now. It makes me feel too old. Call me Cecily. Get in here you two. Let me go get your dad. We’ll all have breakfast together. It’ll be perfect!”

We went into the living room while she scurried off down the hall.

“I think she’s a little excited,” Hunter said, still smiling.

I nodded. “She is. So am I! Thank you again for doing this. I needed the break.”

He pulled me into his arms. “Anything for the girl I love.” He glanced over to the sofa. “I have some pretty fond memories of this place too.”

I blushed. “We did have some really hot make out sessions here, didn’t we?”

“We did—all stuff I hope to repeat very soon.”

“I’m game for that.”

He kissed me again, holding me tightly as he tenderly explored my mouth. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the electricity shoot between us
, and I wished I could spend the rest of eternity like this—in his embrace.

A throat cleared behind us. “I see things haven’t changed,” my dad’s voice interrupted and
, we broke apart laughing.

“Hi, Daddy!” I launched myself into his arms, giving him a big hug
, and he squeezed me back tightly.

“How’s my girl?” he asked. “This
is the best surprise to wake up to.”

I released him. “It was Hunter’s idea.”

My dad chuckled and turned to him. “Dylan, thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, sir,” Hunter said, shaking his hand warmly.

“I see Cami still hasn’t converted to using your real name. I thought for sure she would’ve by now.”

Hunter smiled and glanced at me with a shrug. “Circumstances have made it a little difficult for her to make the switch.”

“What do you mean?” my mom asked as she gestured for us to follow her into the kitchen.

“I’
m working undercover and using the same alias again. I thought perhaps she’d told you about it.” He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.

I shook my head. “I didn’t know if I was allowed to.”

“So you’ve been all this time with no one to talk to?” He suddenly seemed upset.

“Russ has always been there if I needed anyone,” I reminded him.

“Is Cami in danger?” my mom asked with a worried expression.

Hunter sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, yes. I’ve placed her in an extremely awkward situation. That’s partly the reason we
’re here today. We needed to escape the intensity for a while.”

I immediately noticed the alarmed look in my parent’s eyes. Memories of what we’d been through with Clay were still too close to the surface.

“It’s not all your fault.” I rushed to defend him. “I’m as guilty as you are. I knew there was a risk of exposure if I met you. I could’ve said no, but I didn’t.” I went to the fridge and pulled out some eggs. “Why don’t you and dad sit at the table while Mom and I make breakfast. You can fill them in on things.” I looked at my mom. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Sure,” she replied. “I miss being in the kitchen with my girl.”

I let Hunter give them all the details while I helped prepare the food, only interjecting my opinion here and there when I felt the need to defend him. I didn’t want my parents to be angry.

“Well, I can’t say I like the idea of my daughter being in the middle of this
, but it does make me feel better to know she has Chris, Russ, and you watching out for her,” my dad spoke when Hunter was finished. “I’m glad to hear the department wants to wrap things up soon.”

“Me too,” Hunter replied. “I’m ready to get back to my normal life. I apologize again for allowing Cami to get dragged into
this.”

“We trust you, Dylan,” my mom interjected. “You’ve already proven how devoted you are
to keeping Cami safe. The bullet hole in your chest tells us all we needed to know about your character.”

The room fell silent for several moments a
t the reference to what happened with Clay.

“Do you see his parents much?” I asked Mom. She knew exactly what I meant.

“I’ve run into them here and there around town. They’re pretty withdrawn from society still. You know how small-town gossip is.”

“It’s not their fault. I don’t want them being ostracized because of something Clay did.”

“Personally, I think they blame themselves for not knowing he was . . . sick. They honestly thought the two of you were an item. They didn’t see the warning signs, and now their son’s dead because of it.” She got some plates out of the cupboard and began setting the table while I started carrying the food over.

“Maybe I should go see them today. Do you think
it would help?”

Hunter remained silent, but I didn’t miss the pursed lips as he glanced out the sliding glass doors toward the pool. He wasn’t happy with that suggestion.

“I don’t know if it would be a good idea or not,” my dad said. “I think they’d be uncomfortable if Dylan came with you, due to his role in the situation. He was here hunting their son.”

“You’re the victim, Cami,” Hunter finally said. “You’re not obligated to make anyone feel better. None of this mess was your doing. It’s not your fault Clay was living in a make believe world, and it’s not your fault his parents didn’t notice what was happening with their own kid.”

I sighed, wishing I could make him understand. “I realize that, but Clay was my best friend since I was five years old. He wasn’t crazy the whole time, and I have lots of good memories of him. Despite how things ended, I still love him, and I miss having him in my life. Yes, it’s been hard to forgive him for what he tried to do to me, but his family shouldn’t have to suffer for his mistakes. Besides, I love them too. They were like second parents to me for most of my life.”

I slid into the seat next to Hunter, dished my food, and started eating. The room was uncomfortably qui
et.

“If you want to go see them, you should,” Hunter finally said softly. “I just don’t want to see you suffer through painful memories again.”

I paused, staring at my plate, unable to make eye contact with anyone. “I still think of Clay every day,” I confessed. “And I still have nightmares about that night. But I’m as guilty as his parents. I refused to see the changes in him until it was too late. He’s dead because of me.”

“He’s dead because he tried to rape you
, and he shot an officer of the law with the intent to kill.” Hunter’s voice quickly raised, a scowl crossing his face, and I had no doubt he was angry. “You’re in no way responsible for his actions. You told him repeatedly he was only a friend to you.
He
refused to listen.
He
made the plan to kidnap you. Don’t you try to take the blame for this!”

“Maybe we should talk about something else,” my mom suggested. “Let’s not ruin the day arguing about a past that can’t be changed. It won’t help anyone.”

Silence ensued again, and I pushed the eggs around my plate with the fork, suddenly not feeling very hungry.

“Honey,” my dad said softly. “Would you be willing to go to some grief counseling? It might help you deal with things better.”

“I’m not a head case, Dad,” I spouted back.

“I
’m not saying you are. I’m merely concerned you’re still having nightmares, and you obviously miss Clay even though you’re angry with him. Talking to someone might be beneficial. It can help you work through your feelings.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t want people to think I’m crazy.”

“No one will think that, sweetie,” my mom added. “They all know you went through a very traumatic event.”

“This current situation hasn’t been easy for us either,” Hunter added. “Talking about it would probably help.”

“Would you go with me?” I asked, looking over at him.

“Of course I would. It would help me too.” He placed a hand over mine. “The department has counselors who deal specifically with post
-traumatic stress. We can arrange something through them if you’d like. They have access to all the case details, and we could talk freely about things with them.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” my dad said.

I put my fork down and looked at Hunter. “Can I talk to you privately outside for a moment.”

He seemed surprised, but he put his fork down and stood. “Of course.”

“Sorry, Mom and Dad. Go ahead and eat. I need to get something off my chest with Hun . . . Dylan.” I really needed to put better effort into using his proper name. My brain didn’t want to make the adjustment, though.

Hunter followed me out the sliding glass door, shutting it behind him. I walked to the far side of the pool and stood staring at the morning light reflecting off the water. He came up behind me and rubbed his hands
against the upper part of my arms.

“What’s the matter, Goody?”

It was time to face the music. I needed to tell him the truth, but I was terrified to do it at the same time. I was worried it would destroy everything between us, but I didn’t know how I could go on like this anymore.

I trembled as I turned to stare him in the face. “I hate your job,” I spoke boldly. “I want to be supportive of you and everything you love, but I honestly don’t know how much more I can take.” The floodgates were open now—I couldn’t stop everything I’d been holding back. “It would be bad enough if you were a regular cop, sending you out to keep the peace, write traffic tickets—or whatever it is regular cops do—but I have to suffer in agony every moment you’re undercover. I never know if someone is going to blow your alias
, and I’m going to get a phone call saying you’ve been killed. I’ve been involved in your last two cases, and it’s driving me insane. I have a hard time trusting anyone these days, and I’m constantly looking over my shoulder wondering if someone is trying to sneak up on me. Add trying to stay on top of my class schedule and having some sicko pawing me with his hands and lips all the time, and I’m seriously about to lose it! I mean it. I’m done.”

Hunter’s eyes were full of concern. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

I gave a hard laugh. “Why? Because I know how much you love being a cop, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to choose between your job and me. I don’t want to lose you because I’m insecure.”

He shook his head and ran a hand
against my hair before bringing his palm to my cheek and stroking his thumb across my lips. My eyes watered at the affectionate gesture.