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16. Hunter

The first bonfire, the one put on by the school and the city council, wrapped around ten. It was held in the grassy meadow outside the high school stadium, and the flames were managed by the Lake Chapel fire department. The mayor was there. Decker Crusade's dad even made an appearance.

Once it was over and most of the town had gone home, we headed to our second location. Bonfire number two is where the real fun is.

"Do you want a drink?" Greedy asks, not so subtly brushing his arm against mine with each step we take. We drove to the North Marina together, along with Levi. Once we parked, we trekked through the woods along a single-track dirt road for fifteen minutes before reaching the clearing.

Lips pressed together, I consider as we take in the scene. The bonfire is set up in the middle, with a handful of vehicles nearby. Music is bumping, and the crowd is humming with anticipation.

Rumor has it we're playing capture the flag.

I'm highly competitive by nature, so I want to win, and I'm not keen on running through the woods inebriated.

I shake my head. "No thanks."

Greedy catches my hand for a heartbeat when we come to a stop near the fire.

With a flirtatious smile, I add, "I need to keep my wits about me so I can beat you at whatever comes next."

With a laugh, he places one hand on the small of my back. The heat seeping through my shirt only increases the excitement coursing through me. I step in close so that our hips are touching.

The tension between us grows as thick as the humid night air.

"Right. You might not want to drink, but I do," Levi announces, startling me.

I was so wrapped up in Greedy I forgot Levi was even there.

With a dip of his chin, Levi skirts around us. "Be right back."

Greedy stays put by my side, his hand still at my back.

"You're not drinking?" I ask.

He shakes his head, his expression suddenly serious. "I drove you here. I had no plans to drink tonight."

A shiver rolls through me. I love a guy who takes responsibility like that.

"Are you cold?" He shucks off his letter jacket without waiting for a response. Then he holds it out in offering.

I bite my lip playfully and shake my head. "A little, but there's no way you're getting me in a South Chapel jacket."

He hits me with that cocksure smolder, lowering his head until he's so close I can breathe in his distinctive vanilla and leather scent. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Artemis."

The whole Artemis and Temi bit was silly at first, but now when he uses either version of the nickname he's bestowed on me?

I shiver again. This time, it's not from the cold.

"Fine," he drawls, his expression still full of heat. "I get it. I'm not getting you in it. Not tonight, at least."

Half the people here are from Lake Chapel High. There's no way I can be seen wearing South Chapel anything. Just standing hip to hip with the quarterback from South Chapel could ignite a firestorm of rumors.

The irony of the situation is that in a few weeks, it won't matter. Graduation is imminent, and my friend group has been drifting apart all spring. So many of them are going out of state, and those of us staying close to home are desperate to create new identities for ourselves. Maybe that's why I feel so confident standing by Greedy's side. That, or I just really, really like being close to him.

"Okay, listen up!" Decker Crusade is standing on a plastic folding table that wobbles precariously beneath him. He must have dragged it out into the woods for drinking games.

"Now that the dog and pony show is over," he says, referring to the first bonfire, "the real fun can begin. We're playing Sticks. It's basically capture the flag with multiple flags. Or, in this case, glow sticks."

A murmur of excitement rises among the group so palpable it sends goose bumps skittering down my arms.

"The teams are Lake Chapel versus South Chapel. The boundaries are the highway and the lake."

Eagerness buzzes through the crowd. Voices rise, and guys slap one another on the back, getting fired up. The forest stretches for a couple of miles between here and either of those natural boundaries. This is going to be intense.

Decker continues. "Lake Chapel will place ten blue sticks in the woods for South Chapel to find. Then South Chapel will hide ten pink sticks for Lake Chapel to find. If you get tagged at any point, you're out. Glow sticks have to be visible. The team to collect all ten first wins."

Now the glow sticks make sense. Anything else, even flags, would be too hard to identify in the woods at night.

"Each team has five minutes to strategize. Finish your drinks, be safe out there, and when you hear three blasts from the foghorn, head back here immediately. We're not losing anyone in the woods tonight."

A few people around us laugh. Per usual, Decker Crusade has thought of everything. Those of us who know him well don't mind playing by his rules. The guy brings a sense of confident control to every situation.

Finished with his instructions, he hops off the table and lands lithely on both feet. His friend Kendrick stands by his side and holds a hand out to him.

Decker takes what he's offering, and then, in unison, they crack the glow sticks, casting a neon glow of hot pink and vibrant blue.

"Ferguson," Kendrick calls into the crowd.

Greedy steps up without hesitation, and he and Kendrick clap each other on the back in a friendly bro hug. Then he accepts the handful of glow sticks and tips his chin at Decker.

Once Greedy has passed the glow sticks out to his teammates, he navigates through the crowd and returns to my side, empty-handed.

Levi appears a moment later, chugging a fruity-smelling drink from a red cup.

Greedy stretches an arm across his chest like he's warming up. I take that as my cue.

"Good luck, guys," I tell them with a small wave.

I make it all of two steps before Greedy captures my hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?"

I glance down at our joined hands, then drag my gaze up. When I zero in on his stern expression, I frown apologetically. "You heard Decker. Lake Chapel versus South Chapel." I shrug. "See you after we beat you."

Levi snickers at my flippant sass, so I shoot him a saucy wink. I love making him laugh.

"No way, Temi," Greedy whispers, gently pulling me back to his side. "You're with us tonight."

With two fingers under my chin, he tips my face up to meet his gaze. When he looks into my eyes, I swear my brain chemistry changes. Every cell in my body is on high alert, tingly and eager for him to come even closer.

"Says who?" I challenge for the hell of it. I'm absolutely not opposed to switching teams, not when I'm under his spell like this, but I don't want to come across as too eager.

Greedy dips close and brushes his nose along my jaw until his mouth is at my ear.

Another shiver runs through me, and my heart takes off at a sprint.

"Says me," he whispers.

He's so close I'm engulfed in the scent of leather and vanilla. His breath ghosts over the sensitive skin of my neck, making my knees weak. In this moment, I want nothing more than for him to kiss me.

I tip my head back and lock eyes with him, licking my lips in anticipation. I'm not shy about making the first move.

But then his hand finds my nape and his lips are at my ear once again. "And based on how fast your pulse is thrumming right now." He guides his other hand down my neck until two fingers rest on the pulse point of my throat. "Says you, too."

I inhale a shuddering breath. Then I look back at Levi.

The instant I zero in on him, he averts his gaze and throws back the rest of his drink. I absolutely caught him watching.

Licking my lips, I regard Greedy once more. "If Decker or any of my friends catch us, they'll have questions."

That cocksure grin I'm learning to love paints over his expression once more. "I guess we better make sure they don't catch us, then."

Once the game officially begins, I'm giddy with excitement. Adrenaline and anticipation fuel me, and Greedy and Levi seem just as eager as I feel.

The three of us make an amazing team. Levi and Greedy are fast, and I'm quiet and stealthy. Thirty minutes in, we've already collected four blue glow sticks.

A fifth comes into view, only it isn't totally visible. It's buried in a pile of sticks and leaves.

While the guys hang back, I sneak forward to grab it, scanning my surroundings to be sure I won't be tagged in the process.

I fumble to take possession of it because it's been worked into the ground well, which is absolutely against the rules.

Those stinkers.

My breathing escalates as I sprint back to where the guys are hiding behind a tree. Thankfully, nobody spots me or taps me out as I make my way into hiding again.

With a hand splayed to my chest, I suck in lungfuls of air, steadying my breathing, and hand the glow stick to Levi. He's got our whole stash in his back pocket.

Greedy pulls me into a hug, and as I loop my arms around his neck, Levi wanders off, pretending to scout the area. It's unlikely there are more sticks so close, so I assume he's giving us a moment.

"I love watching you run," Greedy whispers in my ear, his warm hands pressing into my back as I will my heartrate to settle.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" I ask, breathless, but not just from exertion.

He tugs me closer so we're touching from knee to chest. For the past half hour, it's been nothing but subtle grazes and little touches. It's like each time we're within arm's reach, we can't help but gravitate into each other's orbit.

The way he grazes my back with his fingertips sends sparks skittering through me, while being wrapped up in his arms fills me with a warmth I've never experienced.

In this moment, what I want more than anything in the world is for him to kiss me.

"I love watching you run," he repeats, his tone low, "because I get to fantasize about what it would be like to catch you."

My breath hitches in my chest. Rather than the sweet murmuring I expected, his confession is full of heat. My pulse races and my blood ignites. I lick my lips and tighten my hold on him. I'm practically standing on tiptoes, silently begging him to put me out of my misery and kiss me already.

"And what would you do if you caught me?" My tone is sweet, but I scrape my nails against the short hairs at his nape. There's no masking my eagerness as I inch closer to his mouth.

He hums, then ghosts his lips along my jaw. "I'd hold on tight and keep you forever."

I swear my heart leaves my chest and floats into the atmosphere in response to those simple words.

I'm grinning so wide my cheeks ache when he finally asks, "Temi, can I kiss you?"

"Yes."

I barely get the word out before our lips meet, our bodies press together, and my world tilts on its axis.

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