teeth, I pushed back on him. “We need to talk. Let’s just go out front, and talk for a sec.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, looked down at the floor, then back up to me.
“We can’t be gone long; I need to go check on Hailey.”
Hunter and I made our way out to the front of the house, and I heard someone call my name. I turned around, and noticed it was Ricky, one of the football players from high school.
“Hey, Ricky, what’s going on? Are you down here for the night, or are you staying somewhere?”
“A couple of us from the team rented a house down the road for the summer. We got wind that you were throwing a party, so we stopped by. Is Hailey here with you, too?” For as long as I could remember, Ricky had a crush on Hailey, but Hailey was not having anything to do with him.
“Yeah, she’s out on the back deck with my brothers and Jaylinn. I’ll catch up with you in a little bit.” I gave Ricky a hug, and walked down the front steps. Hunter and I walked down the driveway, away from the blaring music, and the people gathered on the front porch.
“What’s going on with you and Ricky? You know Dominic has a problem with that asshole.” Hunter asked, glaring at Ricky over my shoulder.
“Nothing is going on with me and Ricky. We’re just friends. You know, I’m allowed to have friends.”
“Why did you have to hug him then?”
“UGH! Are we seriously doing this?” Hunter shook his head. “Dominic only has a problem with him because he told me that he saw Dominic and Alexis together after one of the games. Look, I’m not having this argument with you. Let’s just go back inside. I need to go check on Hailey, and Dominic should be here soon.”
I started walking away from him. “Wait!” Hunter called out, and I stopped walking, but I didn’t turn around. “Please don’t be mad at me. I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
“Yeah? And what’s that?” Hunter took a few steps towards me, pushed his body flush against my back and whispered in my ear, “Keeping you away from me, CC. You know I want you. Fuck, you can feel it.” To prove his point, he shifted his hips so that I could feel his hardness. “We both know I just can’t have you.”
Hunter backed away from me, and walked back towards the house.
CHAPTER THREE
Hunter left me standing in the driveway, all hot and frustrated, as he walked back into the house. Yes, I knew he wanted me. That was clear. What I didn’t understand was why he would tell me this now. He knew I was with Dominic. I needed to clear my head before I could walk back into the party, so I took the little path beside the house that led to the beach. I watched the waves crash and the moon dance on the ocean for a little while before I went back to check on Hailey. I couldn’t imagine how trashed she would be if she were still drinking.
I was walking between the sand dunes when I spotted Hailey sobbing, sitting on the bottom step with Mason and Hunter hovering over her. I bent down to her level so I could see her. “Mase, what’s wrong with her?”
He looked annoyed and disgusted. “I don’t know. She is either crying about her ex-boyfriend, her one-night stand from last weekend, or her own puke. None of those things are worth her tears, though.”
Hailey had a different relationship with Mason than she did with Jackson and Cooper. I had asked her a few times if she had feelings for Mason. She had always denied it, so I left it for them to figure out.
“He…had…Slam Station…carved…into his…headboard…and he wasn’t…even any good at it.”
Hailey spoke between sniffles and hiccups. She was trying to get over Matt, but going about it the wrong way. This was the third one-night stand she had this month. Lucky for her, Mason does not know about them. There was no telling what Mason would do to them.
Trying my hardest not to laugh at her, I reached over and put my hand on her knee. “Shut up, and let’s get you upstairs.” I seriously hoped she was done running her mouth. I knew she was going to regret saying that tomorrow.
She tried to stand up, but nearly fell over. “I’m not sure if I should be