The way she instantly nodded and let me touch her hand made hope swell in my chest. Hope that she felt the same way as me about us. Hope that there could actually be an us after everything that’d gone down over the last month.
I dropped her hand and directed her down the hall, heading for the cafeteria. Groups of students watched us with open mouths and wide eyes as we passed, but they didn’t dare to say anything about the two of us hanging out together. They wouldn’t. Not to me.
We stepped into the cafeteria, where at least half the school was gathered for coffee and food before classes began for the day. I raised my free hand and clicked my fingers. “Hey! Listen!”
Everyone went silent and turned to look at me. Surprise registered in a multitude of faces as they saw Laney standing by my side.
“I need you all to know I made a mistake,” I said, raising my chin high. “Laney Collins is off the blacklist. From now on, you all leave her the fuck alone. Got it?"
Most of the students nodded mutely, but a few sitting toward the back whispered to each other behind their hands, foreheads creased in confused frowns.
I cut my eyes at them. “I’m serious. From this moment on, if any of you say or do anything to her—or if you even look at her the wrong way—your life here is fucking over,” I said. “Understood?”
Everyone nodded again.
I smiled thinly. “Good. That’s all.”
I turned and strode out of the cafeteria. Laney stayed at my side. “It’s amazing,” she said breathlessly. “The way they all listen to you.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
She came to an abrupt halt halfway down the hall and grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop as well. “Seriously, Hunter. Thank you for doing that,” she murmured. “It means a lot to me.”
I slid two fingers under her chin, making her look up at me again. “You shouldn’t thank me,” I said. “You never should’ve been on that fucking blacklist in the first place.”
“I know, but I’m grateful anyway. I just wanted you to know that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The expression on her beautiful face was so trusting. So earnest. So goddamned irresistible.
Fuck.
“Come with me,” I muttered. I grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall again, footsteps pounding fast and loud. About five yards before the exit that led out to the quad, I made a sharp left and took Laney into a narrower hallway that was always empty at this time.
When we were well and truly alone, I stopped and pushed her up against the wall, fingers digging into her shoulders as I towered over her. Her eyes widened, and her voice turned breathless. “Hunter… what are you doing?”
I lifted my hands to her face, stroking my thumbs over her cheekbones. Her breath butterflied over my lips as she stared up at me, sending a jolt of electricity through every cell in my body.
The air between us was heated. Pressurized. A few more seconds and I wouldn’t be able to stop my need for her from exploding right out of me.
“What are you doing?” she repeated.
“What I should’ve done yesterday,” I said, bowing my head to meet hers.
Then I finally kissed her.