“Jordan’s racing Hunter.” Breanna crunched on the
remainder of her sucker and winked.
It wasn’t lost on me that Devin stiffened when Breanna mentioned Hunter.
“That was a long time ago, Breanna.” Letting Devin down gently was going to be harder than I’d thought.
“It’ll be one helluva race.” Vic danced over to us. The two passes had given him too much energy to store in his compact form.
“Valid point.” Breanna thumped me on the nose with the stick of her sucker.
“You can watch me run.” Devin recovered from his stick in the mud impression.
It would be my first time watching him race. As well as being the first time I’d seen Hunter again in a long time.
“I’m going.” Aiden put in, as Jordan lagged back to close the shop.
After the initial shock of Aiden promising to show up on race night, they all looked back at me.
Put on the spot, I couldn’t say no. “Fine, geez.” “Whoop!” Breanna hooted and threw a fist in the
air.
Promise made, I hugged my brother and his friends
before following my sister. Jordan stood, only a few feet away, between us and home. For Breanna, it was instinctual, her lips casually brushing his cheek as she went past. I fought the urge to run, to seek shelter from the onslaught of sexual tension that was Jordan.
The corner of his mouth curled, daring me to run.
He might as well have called me a chicken. I stood on my tip-toes and wrapped my arms around him. He was wider than most, barrel chested and strong. The heat of his chest was warm against me, even warmer than the summer night around us.
One large, warm hand sent tingles up my spine when he pressed his palm against the small of my back. It was a hug and so much more. My breath caught…I would never be okay where Jordan Slater was concerned.
“I am glad you’re home, Raelynn.” His whisper was almost swallowed up by the heat between us.
Abruptly, I pulled away and jogged to catch up with my long-legged sister. It wasn’t just the physical yearning he stirred up, I had always wanted more than that with Jordan. A younger, more naïve version of myself thought I would be the one to tame him.
From the safety of my back porch, it was easy to see Devin walking in Jordan’s house, his shoulders slumped, my brother and Vic getting in their vehicles, and Jordan watching me. There was a time I would have thought he was just making sure we had made it home and inside safely.
Now there was nothing safe about the way he watched me.
I beat a hasty retreat into my house, but not before a slow heated shiver of want crawled up my spine.
****
My body had adjusted to constant interruptions in my sleep, allowing me to function on barely more than
a few hours. What I hadn’t grown used to was the jerking awake, gasping for breath, as I clawed at imaginary hands while they squeezed my throat.
As with every time before, I reached with trembling hands for the light as I threw my feet off the bed. When the darkness was washed away and the safety of my childhood bedroom came to life around me, I forced my head between my knees. It took some doing, but my racing heart began to slow and my throat began to open.
Panic attacks, I’d been told. Post-traumatic stress, the counselor at school had said. I’d only gone to see her once. After that, the embarrassment and shame became too much. So, without even graduating, I’d come home.
I told my family I’d just missed them too much.
That lie was the hardest I’d ever told.
With the tips of my fingers, I massaged away what remained of the ghostly fingers that haunted my dreams. I was surrounded by mementos of a happy childhood, my childhood. Stuffed bears and dolls with pretty dresses shared shelf space with trophies. Pictures of my family had replaced the posters of teen idols and race cars. Even sharing a room with Breanna, I’d been happy here.
The memories of that happy little girl I’d once been warmed my skin. I could never be her again. Though I still mourned that loss, I allowed the memories to comfort me. I could pretend that part of me remained.
I was so shaken from the dream that I almost jumped out of my skin when the window across from my bed rattled.
The fear, the dream, all of it went away as I crossed to the window. When we were young, Jordan would rattle our windows when it was time to roll out. I tried not to think about how easily the thought of him had made me forget about the rest.
He greeted me with a cocky grin when I pulled back the curtain and opened the window. “I saw the light on.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re knocking on my window a few hours before dawn.” The mock annoyance in my voice was the only way to hide the excitement coursing through me.
“I don’t have your cell number, I figured this beat waking up…” His voice trailed off as his eyes slid down the length of me. I hadn’t thought to get dressed before opening the window. He’d caught me in nothing more than a tank and panties.