Page 110 of Hope & Harmony

Eyes On You

CHAPTER 1

HAYLEY

“Shit,” I whispered to myself, looking around. Hoping I’d find a sense of direction on where I’d come from. I must have gotten lost, ending up by a waterhole.

“Well, look what we have here,” someone whispered from behind me, causing me to stumble back against a tree as he caged me in with his arms around the sides of my head. “I haven’t seen you before. I’d remember such a pretty face and banging body,” he rasped too close to my face, smelling like liquor and weed. “What’s your name?”

I didn’t recognize this guy, and the longer I stood there, the faster my heart began pounding against my chest. “Hayley,” I replied, feeling much more vulnerable than before.

“Such a beautiful name, for such a beautiful girl. What are you doing all by yourself in the woods, babe? Don’t you know you can run into a bear or a wolf?”

“Ummm … right. I need to go back.” I sidestepped him to leave, but he blocked my advance.

“You don’t need to leave. I’m here now.”

My eyes widened. “I want to leave.” I went to move again, but he wouldn’t let me.

“Naw, I’m not done with you yet.”

“Catch a clue—I’m not interested.”

“I bet I can make you interested.”

“If you don’t let me leave, I’m going to scream.”

I turned my face as he leaned in to kiss me while the sound of another voice echoed through the woods, shouting, “Frank! Leave her alone! You’re scaring her, you jerk!”

I’d never been more relieved to hear a stranger’s voice than I was at that moment. I released a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding when he backed away and spun around.

We both looked in the direction of where the voice had come from. There was a tall, stocky guy with dark hair standing a few feet away from us. I couldn’t make out who he was yet. It was too dark out.

“Mind your own business, Joshua. This has nothing to do with you.”

Walking toward us, he grinned, looking in my direction before nodding to Frank. “You want to stay here with him?”

I peered back and forth between them, sputtering, “Umm … no.”

Joshua laughed, smirking wide.

It was Joshua Co. He was one of the most popular guys in our school. I couldn’t help but smile back at him, feeling relieved he was there with me now. This was the first time he’d ever said a word to me. I didn’t even think he knew I existed.

The reassuring expression on his face kept luring me in. When he caught me staring at his defined arms and broad chest, I blushed and looked back at Frank.

“Oh, I see,” Frank chimed in. “You want to hang out with him instead? Is that it? Because I’ll tell you right now, he doesn’t do girlfriends.”

Yeah, so I’ve heard.

Joshua chuckled.

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

He laughed again before nodding to Frank. “You can go now.”

“Screw you, man.” With that, he spun and left, leaving Joshua and me alone.

Now I was nervous for a whole different reason. I knew all I needed to know about him. His reputation preceded him wherever he went. It didn’t matter what county we were in, everyone knew who Joshua was. It had been that way since I'd moved here in middle school. Guys like them were all the same, every last one of them. Acting like they were hot stuff and owned every place he walked into.

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