The Camp (16 page)

I heard Liam talking on the phone
, and time seemed to have no value any longer. I had no idea how long he was on the phone, or how long it took us to hike back to the camp, or how long it took for the Coast Guard helicopter to arrive. All that mattered was that it was over and we were alive.

I looked out the helicopter window pressing my forehead against the glass. I looked down at the ReBoot brochure that
had started it all, and Liam gently laced his fingers through mine.

The Coast Guard had been able to verify what little we had managed to tell them
over the phone, but it turned out it was my stepfather who was the new owner of the ReBoot camp. Apparently, if I had died before my eighteenth birthday, my inheritance would have gone automatically to Kroy and my mother. He had set this whole thing up. It was hard to believe this type of evilness existed in the world.

I felt the tears surface again and glanced at Liam.

“We’re okay now,” he mouthed to me rather than fight with the noise of the chopper.

“I don’t think I want to do forestry anymore,” I yelled back and a couple of the National Guard guys smiled at me.

Liam squeezed my hand, and I looked at the brochure one more time before tucking it in my bag.

It was over, but now
it was up to us to let our lives begin.

C
hapte
r
N
ineteen

One month later…

My phone buzzed and I looked down. Seeing Liam’s name pop up made me the most excited I’d been since the Coast Guard arrived on the island. My stomach fluttered in a million different directions as I looked over at my roommate’s
empty bed. She had promised me that she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, and I didn’t even know what I thought I was going to do with that information, but I was beyond hopeful.

My phone buzzed again. He was only a block away! I ran over to the mirror and gathered my hair into a loose ponytail, dabbed
on some mascara and lips gloss and ran down the hall.

I pushed the button for the elevator
, and realized it didn’t have the same level of urgency that I had and ditched it for the stairwell. I shoved the door open and flew down the three flights of stairs. It felt like every single step I made had a hop attached to it. I had been counting the days until he got here. I’m sure my roommate thought I was crazy, but I didn’t care. I may have sounded a little obsessed, but she had no idea what we’d just been through.

I did kind of tell her, but
the more I spoke the weirder it sounded. The media had gotten a hold of the story, and the first couple weeks were crazy, so at least she knew I wasn’t lying. But it was an odd first introduction.

My stomach went from flutters of excitement to
anxiety by the time I ran through the lobby and busted through the doors. What if it was too hard for him to separate everything from me? I’d understand. After all, none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for me showing up at the wonderful camp. And to think, I thought the other campers’ were going to be the problem.

A rush of shivers ran down my spine as my mind flashed back to Steph in the makeshift cabin, tied up. If I couldn’t shake the im
ages, how would Liam be able to? I hoped our relationship wasn’t only meant to last on the island, but I had thought a lot about that possibility over the last couple weeks.

S
potting a truck make its way through a four way stop, I almost jumped out of my skin as I saw him stick his hand out the open window on the passenger’s side and wave. I started hopping up and down, not caring how ridiculous I looked to the other students who were wandering around campus.

His friend pulled the truck over to the curb
, and Liam threw the door open and jumped out before the truck had even stopped. I ran as fast as I could as he opened his arms wide for me, and I dove into them with such a force that I almost made us both land on the ground.

Liam started
laughing and spinning me around as I held on tight, feeling his grip tightening around me with every spin. I couldn’t stop kissing every square inch of him that I could reach while I held on tightly. I wanted to speak, but was afraid tears would take over, and for once I wanted him to see me not looking like a wreck.

“Baby, it feels so good to have you in my arms again,” he whispered. I heard the truck door close and looked over Liam’s shoulder as his friend made his way over to us.

My legs were completely wrapped around Liam’s waist, and I had no plans to remove them or jump out of his arms regardless of who I was supposed to meet.

“I’m
Nick.”

“Nice to meet you, Nick. I’m Emma,
” I said, sticking up my hand over Liam’s shoulder to wave. He seemed nice enough, but I just wanted Liam to myself. It had been four very long weeks, with only text, email, and phone to get me through.

“I just had to meet the chick that Liam wouldn’t shut up about for the last several weeks,” Nick said, winking at me. “I don’t think I’ve ever
seen him remember someone’s name for more than a day, let alone for this long.”

I liked Nick more than I knew!

“Enough, Nick,” Liam warned.

Nick stood crossing his arms in front of him. He wore dark shorts that were baggy and low, with a
gray thermal underneath his t-shirt. But his blue eyes caught my attention. They were very warm and completely full of mischief. He began walking so that he would be in Liam’s line of sight, but then I couldn’t see him anymore.

I took a deep brea
th in, smelling the same goodness I remembered in Alaska.

“Do you have any friends?” Nick asked
me, laughing.

I felt Liam’s arms tighten around me
and knew he was flashing a look at Nick that only made him laugh harder.

“I’m gonna take off. I just had to say hi,” Nick said, walking back around Liam
toward the truck.

“It was nice to meet you and even nice
r to hear that Liam could remember my name,” I said, laughing as I slowly released my legs from Liam’s waist and slid down to earth.

“Your
name’s the only one worth remembering,” Liam whispered, as we watched Nick climb in his truck and drive off.

“That was smooth, babe,” I giggled, looking into
the caramel eyes that made me feel safer with him than with anyone else in the world.

“
Wanna come check out my spectacular dorm room?” I asked, almost unable to stop staring at his lips as he began to answer. God I’d missed those!

“Whatever you want to show me, babe,” he replied, letting go of me slightly, placing a quick kiss on my forehead.

Not really wanting to leave Liam’s embrace I begrudgingly turned around and faced the old, brick building that I’d be calling home for the year. There were a few girls huddled on the grass, gossiping and laughing, enjoying the wonderful fall weather, and I knew how lucky I was to be here with Liam.

“How’s Steph doing?” I asked. We had traded lots of texts back and forth, but I knew I’d get a straighter story from Liam.

“She’s doing better than I probably would have,” he replied. “I’m amazed at that girl’s strength. I always knew my cousin was strong but I certainly didn’t know she was like that.”

His eyes glistened and he
dropped his gaze down to me. “Just like you. I knew there was something special about you, but I never imagined you were such a badass,” he murmured. “My mom always told me to look for a strong woman to marry someday and I think I found her.”

“I don’t know if you’re trying to sweep
me off my feet or something, but I already arranged for my roommate to be gone for the night,” I said, breaking away.

“Did you now?” his voice low, as he pulled me
back into his arms, gently nuzzling my cheek. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the day I met you.”

His combination of strength and
softness was devastatingly addictive.

“Me neither,” I gasped breathlessly as he slid his lips up my neck.

Clapping and cheering erupted from the group of girls who were sitting on the lawn.

“That’s what I’m looking for r
ight there! That look in a man’s eyes,” she yelled and all of her friends started laughing. “Don’t let him go.”

“I never would,” I hollered back, unable to hide my grin.

His eyes held a brightness that I had never seen before, and it created a desire between us that I couldn’t wait to explore.

“I better take you inside before anyone else tries to claim you,” I teased.

“I’m already taken,” he whispered, sliding his arm around my shoulder as we walked up the steps to the dorm. I glanced over at the group of girls and the one who spoke gave me a wink and my smile only grew.

He let
go of me and opened the door to the lobby.

“
I have an entire punch card of meals to use up before fall quarter starts. Are you hungry?” I joked.

“Only for you,” he growled.

“I had no idea you were this smooth back in Alaska,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re a player.”

“You just bring it out of me,” he said, throwing his hands in the air innocently. “It probably
only works on you.”

“Who said it’s working?” I grinned, pressing the elevator button.

“Just a hunch,” he said, sliding his arms around my waist, nestling his chin into the crook of my neck.

The elevator opened up
, and we both stepped in and as I pressed floor three a guy stepped in the elevator. Darn! I liked where this elevator ride had been going.

“Liam,” the guy said. “Good to see ya, man.”

My eyes darted to Liam who looked severely uncomfortable as he glanced at the hitchhiker and then over at me.

“Don’t act like yo
u don’t remember me,” he joked, smiling.

“Nah, Nathan. I remember you,” Liam said, his expression completely void of anything we had been experiencing only minutes earlier.
“How’ve you been?”

“Better than you it sounds like,” Nathan replied, glancing over at me.

“This is my girlfriend,” Liam said, and the introduction suddenly nullified everything else that was going on in the elevator between these two. Liam called me his girlfriend. Attempting to play it a little cool, I just nodded at Nathan and wrapped my arm around Liam’s again and waited for the elevator to let us out on our floor, which it did within seconds.

“Nice to see ya, man,” Nathan said. “Hope to see ya around.”

“Yeah See ya,” Liam said, almost pulling me off the elevator.

“Girlfriend, huh?” I asked, as we walked to my room.

“I kind of assumed,” he said, suddenly sheepish.

“I love it,” I said, unlocking the door to my room. “Who was that guy? There seemed to be a creepy vibe?”

“Just a dude who was down the hall at the dorm from last year,” he said, dismissing the weirdness, but I knew there was more.

I pushed the door open to reveal our tiny dorm room. My bed was directly in front of us, with a small chest of drawers and shelves that I had hung with double-sided tape that I secretly hoped wouldn’t come tumbling down on me in the middle of the night.
The label promised it wouldn’t, but it just didn’t compute.

“This is exactly how I imagined you,” Liam said, smiling as he closed the door behind us.
“It’s perfectly fitting.”

“What does that mean?” I said, folding my arms suddenly taking stock in everything I had placed around
the tiny space. It looked pretty nondescript to me.

“
Your desk is completely organized and rather than makeup in every spare corner, you have books. Your bedspread is completely bright and cheery, and you’ve got a teddy bear sticking out of a backpack that I think you probably tried to hide,” he said, grinning widely.

“Whatever. I’m proud of Henry,” I said, snatching him out of the bag I tried to hide him in and tossed him on the bed.

As I turned
from my expert bear toss, Liam cupped my chin gently and brought his mouth over to mine. Our open mouths became one as he slid his lips across mine. My desire for him grew more and more frantic with every deepened kiss as the gentle rhythm of his mouth pressing on mine took me to another world.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, as his lips traveled along my jaw toward my neck.

I bent my head back, directing his lips down my throat as I felt the lushness of his lips against my skin. My breathing became more ragged as he continued placing kisses along my collarbone, before scooping me in his arms.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“For what?” he asked hoarsely.

“Still
wanting to see me,” I replied.

His hands dropped to his side, and he took a step back from me.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, bewildered.

“Because of everything back—”

“Don’t ever say that. I love you, Emma. I have since the island.”

My world
began spinning and my knees began to weaken before Liam swept me to the bed with him, hugging me tightly.

“I love you too,”
I whispered.

He continued
to hold me, and I could feel his heartbeat racing with the same desire I was experiencing.

“I feel closer to you than I have to anyone, but I feel like there’s still s
o much I need to know about you,” I said quietly, turning to face him as I propped my head on my elbow. “You mentioned you may never go back to where you grew up when we were back on the island and you never said anymore.”

He was quiet and looked away.

“I don’t want anything to ruin what we might have,” he said quietly.

“Babe, with everything we’ve already been through, I don’t think a little past bagg
age will be what messes with us,” I offered. “You know more about me than anyone and I’d like to be able to say the same. Steph mentioned that you didn’t always have it easy, but she wouldn’t elaborate. She told me it was something you needed to tell me, not her. So I’ve waited and still don’t know anything.”