Page 25 of Just Can't Fall for the Enemy

It took a moment to remember what happened and who he was, this shirtless man sitting on the ground with my head in his lap. And I most definitely didnotstare at the hardened chest only inches from my face.

Sophie, pull it together.He’d just made a joke about lifeguarding. I tried to recall his words. “Oh, dear,” I managed. “I wouldn’t have survived that.”

“Truth. I don’t remember much from those years. Mostly that Mr. Rothburt picked his nose when he thought we weren’t watching.”

I sat up, my full memory returning. “I fainted?” Oh no. He must have carried me to shore and stretched me out here, fully unconscious. Panic swept through me as strongly as the sudden dizziness.

“I—I’m sorry,” I said. “Not sure what happened there. I’ve come here a hundred times and never had a problem.” Of course, I usually got out within ten minutes. Who knew how long we’d been talking? “I’m so embarrassed. Thank you for . . . for saving me.” I had to drag that last part out.

I despised feeling like a damsel in distress.Somuch.

“Look,” Tanner said, smiling with a warmth in his gaze I hadn’t seen before. “You want to keep your friends safe, and I respect that. And I haven’t chatted with many Huckleberrians yet. But there’s one thing I absolutely know is true.” He brushed a piece of ratted, limp hair out of my eyes, sending a different kind of heat across my skin. “The ones I’ve gotten to know so far are definitely worth protecting.”

Things were . . . not going well.

I still lay in bed with my PJs on despite the bright late-morning sunlight bursting through the blinds, staring at the ceiling that clearly needed a fresh coat of paint. Every time I thought about yesterday, I wanted to kick myself.Way to go, Sophie.I came so close to getting through to him and then my body failed me spectacularly, erasing all my progress. If anything, I gave Tanner the impression that we wanted him here. That Ineededhim.

And then I thought about yesterday again, and my stomach soared to the sky. For hours after the hot-springs incident, he’d watched me with such concern, such care, that it melted something inside of me I thought forever frozen. Or maybe that was just the hot springs trying to melt my guts. He’d even texted me five times since dropping me off, urging me to see a doctor to make sure I was okay. My quick call to Doc Susan finally gave him peace of mind. There was already a text at 8:00 a.m. this morning to check in. I hadn’t answered. Physically, I felt fine. Mentally? Emotionally? I was a disaster.

He’d saved me. Plucked me right from the water and carried me around like some victorious hero, the helpless princess draped in his arms. I imagined those arms cradling my unconscious body, his watchful gaze on me while he prepared to give me CPR. If I’d stopped breathing, he would have leaned over and placed his beautiful mouth on mine—

Wow, Sophie. Get a grip.

I felt humiliated and elated at the same time, two parts of myself at war inside. I never wanted to see him again. I wanted to see him again right this second, to experience his touch once more but awake so I could remember how it felt. I wanted to pretend it never happened. I wanted to tell the entire world.

I smashed the latter voice down and banished it to the far ends of the wilderness. Romance had no part of my life right now and definitely not one with a YouTube star who hadn’t lived more than a week of his adult life in the same place. He exploited a city and then moved on without caring what would happen afterward.I knew this. He hadn’t even denied it.

And yet.

I shook my head to clear it and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The events of yesterday changed nothing. Tanner seemed determined to continue with his episode, which meant helping him see reason wouldn’t work. There was a lot to be done in preparation for the harvest carnival this evening. After yesterday’s disaster, tonight had to go perfectly.

Meaning, of course, that it had to go as imperfectly as possible.

The harvest carnival was already packed by the time I arrived. I’d planned it that way—longer lines meant more frustration. But long lines weren’t going to deter Tanner Carmichael. No, I had bigger plans than that.I waited on the curb of the parking lot as he pulled up and slid out of his car. I braced myself for the conversation I knew would come when he discovered I’d tricked him about the costumes, but he was nothing but smiles when he saw me—and also dressed in black from head to toe, leather jacket and all. He carried a plastic bag in one hand and his camera case in the other. It took me a second.

“Danny Zuko,” I said with a chuckle when he reached me. “Nice. Grease is always a good choice.”

“I’m glad you think so because I figured you’d ‘accidentally forget’ to dress up, and I brought a little something to ensure I wasn’t alone.” He set his case down and opened the bag for me to peer inside.

I snorted. “I amnotwearing tight leather pants.”

“It’s only fair. I’m melting inside this jacket.”

I opened my mouth to tell him it looked hot, too, and he should leave it in the car, but I thought about the double meaning and snapped my jaw closed.

“I’ll wear it,” a voice called out.

We turned to find Lucille striding toward us, her blonde waves bouncing over her shoulders.

Tanner closed the bag. “It was just a joke. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, no,” Lucille said, taking the bag with pristine baby-yellow fingernails. She flashed him a brilliant smile. “Don’t be silly. Danny can’t go to the Huckleberry Creek Harvest Carnival without Sandy. It’s in the rules.”

“Is it, now?” Tanner looked hesitantly back at me. “I guess—”

I yanked the bag from Lucille’s hands as she gave a petite, startled yelp. “I’ll wear the stupid pants.” Then I strode toward the restrooms, Tanner’s chuckle following me all the way.

A few minutes later, I emerged to find Lucille and Tanner engaged in conversation, her hands moving animatedly. He laughed at something she said—not the fake, scripted one from his show but a genuine one—the type he offered me when we were alone. The sound pierced me like a lightning bolt. I found myself slowing to stare at them, my gut stirring with something that felt an awful lot like hurt.

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