Page 61 of Bring me Back

She was right. I was long gone. Angry, disappointed, appalled. I was going to wait until we arrived at the camp and then get him before he returned to Bluehaven. Yeah, I was going to let the kids get in the camp and leave Hallie to get on with that and then…

Well, I actually had the camp forms with me. And Hallie would hate to be the one to bring them in. Until this morning, she had no idea she was going somewhere. Plus, if anyone saw me destroying our own bus driver’s face, they would think I was violent and probably not want me to stay in a camp with a bunch of kids.

That wasn’t going to work. Ok, fine. He was the driver, and I knew his first name. It wasn’t going to be hard to search for him, right? Yeah. It was Bluehaven, after all. I was going to find where Ryan lived and hopefully after an incentive, he’ll give me the name of his other buddy who was there and--

“Dan.” Her warm palm touched my face. “Look at me.”

My eyes found hers, melting a little of the icy rage I felt inside.

“Look at me,” she said again. “It’s over.”

I opened my mouth to disagree, but she shook her head and said it again. “They didn’t break me.”

My heart racing, every breath hurt. It wasn’t fair that I got so worked up about it, and now she had to calm me down. I should be there for her and not the other way around, but I was blinded by my anger. I trembled beneath her palm.

“Don’t let them take a piece of you. It’s not worth it.”

I wanted to argue, but before I could, her lips were on mine.

Iremember Ryan’s eyes on me.

I remember the way he watched me when Katie took my towel and laughed at my helplessness. He snickered behind his hand while nudging Jack Williams. And even though they mocked, I remember the feeling of his eyes on me, devouring every inch of my skin. It took me months until I could see myself naked and not trigger flashbacks.

Sometimes I cried without noticing, tears running free down my face. I felt small and trapped. I couldn’t ever trust anyone.

My mind was filled with questions. What kind of person planned something like that? Who sat around, texted the details, thought about it and gathered the people? They walked down Main Street every single day. They ate at Torres’ and went to Dad’s store. They were out there lurking, and the thought alone was terrifying.

But one day, I stopped crying in the shower. One day, I stopped looking behind my back. And because of those days, I thought, one day I’d see them face to face and not cower.

Life is hardly the way we imagine. I didn’t confront Ryan when I saw him, but I said it was nice to see him. Daniel could think whatever he wanted, but that wasmyvictory.

I looked at Ryan’s face and I did not fall apart.

That meant something. And that impossible man, Daniel Miller, got so angry on my behalf. So ready to take my sorrows for himself.

My past finally caught up with me, and all I wanted was to leave it behind.

So I took Dan’s face in my hands. The scratch of his beard in my palm, the warmth of his breath over my cheeks. The kiss was chaste at first, his firm mouth on mine. My hands slipped from his cheeks to his neck. He brought me closer, his rough palms skating from my hand and up my arm. Tipping my head back for a new angle, I licked his lips lightly and trembled with the fierceness of his groan.

“Be quiet. There are teenagers everywhere,” I whispered.

I felt his smirk on my lips. “Let’s see how much we can get away with, Cricket.”

I tasted his mouth. Goosebumps rose as his hands found my leg and hip, bringing me closer to him. He tasted like toothpaste and something warm, his tongue dominating mine in the most delicious and intense kiss of my life. And it was on a school bus, with a bunch of half-sleeping teenagers.

I bit down on his bottom lip, he growled, sounding unhinged.

“You are going to wake them up,” I taunted.

Instead of replying, his hand took the back of my neck, tilting my head to the side, taking my lips like a starved man. And I lost myself once more, everything was Daniel. All my thoughts, my body and the present.

I was too far gone, but I didn’t find it in me to care.

I nipped his lip once more. His hand held my head in place as we opened our eyes to each other. “I’m too hard to be allowed on a school bus.”

I widened my eyes, afraid to look down at his crotch, but then suddenly, laughter bubbled off me. I laughed, and he followed my lead, my head sagging as he took me and cradled me to his chest. I heard his heartbeat while we chuckled.

“Of all the places… Here is where you decide to kiss me?” He asked.

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