She cringed.
He was the only part of Samantha’s life she couldn’t share with her best friend… and that scared the shit out of her.
Chapter Three
Six years earlier
Samantha adjusted the pillow behind her head, glancing up the stairs at the sound of Renee’s cough rattling from the loft of the cabin. She cringed at the wicked sound of it, certain the Montgomerys should come home from their party to take her to the hospital—but as soon as she sat up to reach for her phone, the dull snore of her sleeping friend came drifting down to comfort her.
She smiled, sure it would keep her up all night, and picked back up her book. She’d been reading all week, catching up on her ever growing list. This was their last trip before junior year, but poor Renee was stuck in bed with a bout of pneumonia. Fevers, body aches, and a prescription for antibiotics and rest. The trip had become remarkably uneventful as a result, but Samantha really didn’t mind. She was just happy to be away. From chores, too much heat…and Steven.
Mostly Steven.
The pressure to become his girlfriend was beginning to annoy her. He’d been at her house almost daily, hinting about needing an answer before school started. It was no secret that he loved her. He’d confessed to as much in front of their entire sixth grade band class. Everyone knew how he felt, but until now they’d been just friends. The best of friends.
Samantha loved Steven with all her heart, but she didn’t like him that way. He was her best friend outside of Renee—and she was determined to keep it like that. Dating him would only mess things up. But how could she tell him no without hurting him? To say no, and not have him push her away completely? It was a catch twenty-two in the worst kind of way. No matter which way she said it, her words would be a rejection. A rejection she wasn’t sure their friendship could recover from.
She nestled down in the couch, determined to get lost in her book and not think about tomorrow, but bits of sun steamed in through the tall picture window, reminding her that the day was almost over. That they’d be returning home in the morning. To school, to homework, and big fat decisions.
The front door slammed open, and Tristan strolled lazily into the cabin. He’d just come back from a run and his hair was slightly damp, his shirt off—revealing his perfectly sculpted chest and abs. She swallowed. She didn’t much like him, but she wasn’t blind. He was hot. More than hot. Broad shoulders, washboard abs, with that bad boy messy vibe that everyone loved.
She glanced back at her book, ignoring him like she always did, but before she could read the first line, something heavy settled down at the other end of the couch. She glanced up and found him sprawled at the other end, arms braced against the back cushions, feet up on the coffee table. She cleared her throat, making herself smaller on the other end—because this was odd. Normally Tristan didn’t stick around for this long. Normally he had a crew of people vying for his attention that would pull him away. She knew for a fact there was a cabin full of girls just across the lake who would volunteer for the job. She’d seen them with her own eyes. Splashing around all week, practically naked, obvious in their attempts to grab Tristan’s attention.
Before she knew what he was doing, he leaned forward and snatched the book right out of her hands. “Let’s go swimming,” he said, leaving her mouth open, and heart pounding.
She blinked a few times, not knowing what to say as he placed her novel on the coffee table.
She was so confused by his behavior she had a hard time breathing. “I’m not going anywhere,” she replied, pushing herself to the edge of the couch to grab her book again.
He quickly blocked her. “You haven’t done anything all weekend.”
“So?” she replied, not attempting to hide her irritation. “Renee’s sick—if you haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, I noticed.” He smiled before leaning back in his seat again. “Renee snores like a jackhammer.” A loud grumble came bellowing down the stairs again and Tristan raised his brows in response. “See?”
Samantha laughed, but then shook her head and hit his arm. “You’re mean.”
He shrugged. “Just because she’s sick doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy ourselves. This is our last night of vacation. Monday morning we leave for home. I pack for college, and you get ready for another year of high school. Don’t make me look like a loser splashing around in the lake by myself.”
She grinned at the imagery, but couldn’t help glancing over. “You won’t be alone.” She lifted her chin to the west end of the lake. “Those girls have been dying for your attention all weekend.”
He set his feet to the ground, leaned forward and laughed under his breath. But it wasn’t a laugh of happiness or humor; it was something else.
“What? Are half naked women not your type?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
He glanced over at the kitchen, as though contemplating ending this conversation, but he met her eyes again, offering the bluest storm she’d ever seen in her life. “I wanted to spend my last night with you.”
Her heart squeezed. Like the air had been sucked from her body. She wasn’t sure why, but for some reason he sounded serious.
Samantha forced herself to keep breathing, disgusted by the fact he affected her so easily. She didn’t think it was possible, but she felt even more uncomfortable than before. Why would Tristan want to spend his last night at the lake with her? Why would he want to spend his last night with her alone? And why did the fact he said so cause a conflicted feeling to form in her stomach? A mixture of butterflies, adrenaline, and nausea.
She looked toward the cabin door, battling her wild heart and the parts of her that wanted to let it loose.
“Come on,” he said, bumping her arm with his shoulder. “I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”
She crossed her arms at her stomach, wondering if she was about to throw up.
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that. I’m just surprised the word ‘gentleman’ is a part of your vocabulary.”
His blue eyes danced with amusement and he started laughing. “Go upstairs and change, Sammie. I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.” He pushed himself off the couch, not waiting for a reply, and headed to his bedroom in the basement.
She waited for the door to close before taking a much-needed breath. For some reason, he assumed she would meet him, even without an answer. But she knew why. Because requests like that were all it ever took from Tristan Montgomery. He had the body of a God, all six foot something of him, and his wild surfer boy hair was the blond icing on top of the beautifully sculpted cake. She knew she should ignore him and continue reading, but her heart had never pounded so hard in her life. In spite of herself, she was curious about what it would be like to spend an evening with Tristan Montgomery. Curious to see if what everyone said about him was true…
She smoothed her hair behind her ears and headed upstairs. Renee was buried under a mound of blankets, and rolled on the mattress toward the door when Samantha entered the loft.
“Hey,” Renee said in a hoarse whisper. “Have I been sleeping long?”
“Hey,” Samantha replied, smiling as she sat softly on the side of the bed. “Just all day. How are you feeling?”
Renee shrugged. “Eh, could be better.” She frowned. “Sorry I ruined your weekend.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.” Samantha shook her head. “I finally caught up on all the reading I’ve been wanting to do this summer. For what it’s worth, I’m team Edward.”
Renee wrinkled her nose and flashed a sleepy grin. “What time is it? Are you coming to bed?”
“No…” She looked away. “Tristan actually asked me to go to the lake with him—for some reason I’m actually considering it.”
Renee’s eyes narrowed, analyzing her in a way that made Samantha fear she could see her heart. That she knew Tristan had affected her downstairs, and Samantha’s stomach rolled with the thought of it.
“You should go,” Renee finally stated.