Chapter One
Cami-
Watching from my dorm room window, I couldn’t help staring dreamily as Hunter got out of his Camaro and jogged along the sidewalk below. His body never ceased to impress me, his quick lithe actions causing his sinewy muscles to ripple underneath his clothes—muscles I loved to run my fingers over all the time.
As if he heard my thoughts, he glanced up, catching me spying on him, and that thousand-watt grin of his made an appearance. His dark hair rippled slightly in the breeze, and he tapped the watch he was wearing. Instantly, the butterflies, which had temporarily gone missing, were back in my stomach. For a moment, I’d forgotten where he was taking me tonight—to meet his parents.
I gave a little wave of acknowledgement and signaled I’d be right down. Going to my bed, I grabbed my handbag before checking my appearance in the full-length mirror one last time. I hoped I was dressed okay. My thin, white blouse with short-capped sleeves hugged my figure nicely and overlapped the top of my gray trousers. I’d paired gray sandals that showed off my nice summer pedicure, complete with my French tipped toenails.
Sighing, I appraised my thick red hair I’d left hanging in the naturally curly waves Hunter liked so much. A knock at the door interrupted me, and I hurried to open it.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” Hunter said, eyeing me appreciatively before he entered the room and swept me into his arms. “You look amazing!”
I blushed, laughing before I realized he was holding me in both his arms. “Hunter! Err . . . Dylan, you’re not wearing your sling!”
He grinned as I traced over his bicep to his shoulder, resting my hand gently there—the memories of him being shot still too fresh in my mind.
“I went to the doctor today. I don’t have to wear it anymore. Everything is healed nicely.” He bent to lightly kiss my forehead. “And I told you before . . . , call me Hunter if you want. It’s still my middle name, and it doesn’t bother me one bit.”
“I worry it’ll be awkward around your family. They won’t know who I’m talking about.” I gave a small laugh and shook my head. “I’ve been trying to retrain myself, but it’s been difficult.”
Ever since I’d found out my boyfriend was actually an undercover cop posing as a student at my high school, I’d struggled to switch from using his alias, Hunter Wilder, to his given name, Dylan Wilcock. The problem was, my mind had firmly implanted him as Hunter. He continued to reassure me it was okay to call him that, but I felt a little weird since no one else did. Well, no one else besides Hunter’s best friend, Russ, that is.
Russ had thankfully made a full recovery after being nearly poisoned to death by my previous best friend, Clay. He was very grateful to Hunter and the role he’d played in saving his life. It seemed he was almost Hunter’s shadow now—moving here, to Tucson, for school as well and continuing their friendship as if nothing between them had changed.
I liked having him here too. Granted, we’d only been at U of A for a week and had spent most of that time settling in to our new places, but it was still nice to have a familiar face on campus to hang around with occasionally.
“Don’t worry about it, Cami. Relax and be yourself tonight. My family is going to love you.” Hunter leaned in closer, quickly placing a soft kiss against my cheek, and I gave him a questioning look. “What?” he asked with a laugh.
“A kiss on the cheek? Really? I must be losing my touch.”
He flashed me another incredible grin. “I didn’t want to mess up your makeup. Besides, there will be plenty of kissing later on tonight.” He winked at me.
“You seem pretty sure about that,” I teased back, running my index finger over his amazing lips. He grabbed my wrist, stilling it, and sucked my finger into his mouth. Laughter escaped, and I bit my lower lip.
Slowly he released my finger, and the grin was back as he bent toward the side of my head, his warm breath brushing against my ear. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I have something special planned for you later at my place.”
Goose bumps flared over my skin. “Special?” I managed to squeak out.
He nuzzled his face into my hair. “I’m finally out of that damn sling, and my muscles are feeling good after therapy. I figured you and I could celebrate together. What do you think? Maybe cuddle on the couch and watch a movie?” He paused, pulling away to look at me. “Or we could skip the movie and make out instead.” He grinned.
Mental images of the two of us tangled in each other’s arms flashed through my mind, and my heart rate kicked to about a thousand. “Why do I get the idea you’re hoping I’ll choose the second option?” I smiled, loving the excited look on his face.