Stroke Of Fear by Alla Kar Read Free Book Online Page A

Tanner. Oh, shit? Why am I leaning against him? How long had I been doing that? Please, God tell me I’m dreaming.
       I take two large steps forward, trying my best to get the hell away from him. I can’t even look at him. Maybe I’ll fake sick. Yeah, just start dry heaving and then excuse yourself.
       I feel Cassie tug on my arm, and I sit down beside her. “Aubrey, here.” The campfire cracks and a few sparks flutter down like fireworks.
       Cassie wraps her arm through mine. “I totally saw you with Tanner. I almost pissed myself. Did you see Jake’s face?”
       Jake? Had Jake saw? “I have no idea what happened. It was like I blacked out but not really. I felt relaxed. It was so fucking weird.”
       Cassie squeals—lightly—in my ear. “You wanna fuck hi—”
       “Aubrey or Cassie? Either one of you have a spooky story to tell?” Mrs. Jones keeps her voice friendly, but she is giving us a pay attention glare.
       I nudge Cassie and she nods. “Yeah, of course, I do.”
       Of course she does. Cassie starts talking, I have no idea what’s she saying, because I catch Tanner’s gaze from across the fire.
       A young girl, probably around ten, is hanging on his arm, in mock terror. Her small glasses cover huge blue eyes. She’s adorable. She keeps pulling his arm down, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to look at his clothes since we got here. They’re easy to ignore with that face to compete with. A long-sleeved gray T-shirt is hugging his chest. He has on the same holey jeans from this morning, with work boots on. It’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. The moonbeams, rooting for me tonight, shine down, giving me a view of his face. The line in his jaw is hard, strong. A shadow of thin facial hair scatters along his cheek. My thighs warm at the site.
       A small smile moves up his jaw, showing a dimple on his right cheek. As if he couldn’t get any hotter. Cue the fucking dimple.
       He lifts an eyebrow and tilts his head toward the right. What? “Aubrey! Can you hear us?”
       Shit, are they talking to me? “Huh?”
       A few campers start to laugh , but Mrs. Jones gives them the evil glare. “Cassie finished her story. Do you have a scary story for us? Maybe something scary that happened to you.” She’s smiling. She has no idea.
       Gripping my yoga pants into my fists, I stare at the ground. She has no idea what a truly scary story is. She doesn’t know that I’ve been to hell and back.
       Pulling at my yoga pants, I shake my head. “I don’t have any scary stories.”
       Some of the kids boo and beg me to tell them something. “Come on, Aubrey. You have to know at least one.”
       Gritting my teeth, I shake my head again. “I don’t have any.”
       “Aubrey —”
       “I don’t,” I cut off Mr s. Jones. Every pair of eyes watch me. Tears start to build and heaviness presses down on my chest. Before the tears can travel across my face, I stand and run. Damnit . I know I’m being a baby, but I can’t think about it. My throat starts to close up—a thick lump that always keeps me from breathing.
       The trees are starting to get thicker, the night growing colder. I don’t care. I just want away from them. I’m not going to be the freak. The one whose demons are always lurking in the distance. I won’t let them know the pain of my past. I won’t be anyone’s pity party.
       When my legs can’t go anymore, I collapse against the ground. It’s cold, hard and limbs are poking me in too many places to count. I focus on steadying my breathing. My therapist once said to slow down, make the world go by your rules. Relax. Closing my eyes, I breathe in and then out several times until I’m calm. I watch the stars shine through the trees. The branches blow in the wind, sending a few leaves falling to the earth with no choice.
       I smell him first. It smells like outside.