Flirt With Me

by Kristen Proby

  “No, we would be first place because we’re a team, and shopping is a team sport,” Jules says with a laugh. “Okay, now let’s get serious here. Nat, do you have any chocolate cheesecake?”

  “Duh.” Natalie rolls her eyes. “But you don’t get any until we’ve found the perfect dress for Maeve.”

  She turns to me with excitement burning in her green eyes. Natalie is gorgeous, with long, dark hair and a curvy figure. Jules is just as beautiful, but where Natalie is dark, Jules is fair—much like her cousin, Anastasia.

  “We called in a couple of designers to bring some dresses,” Natalie informs me. “This is a televised event, and Hunter is a big deal in the sports world. You’ll want to look your absolute best.”

  I swallow hard, already intimidated. I guess I knew that he was a big deal, but he’s just Hunter to me. The hot guy I’m more than a little interested in. But for that evening, he’ll be Hunter Meyers, superstar fighter.

  Will he be the same person? Will I like him? Will I make a fool out of myself, and in turn, him?

  “I’m thrilled for you,” Jules adds, pulling me out of my reverie. “For both of you, really. I’ve known Hunter for a long time, and I have so many questions. But I don’t want to sound too nosy.”

  Nat and Stasia both smirk.

  “What? I’m not a gossip.”

  “Oh, for the love of God, stop lying to the woman,” Nat says with a laugh.

  “You can ask me pretty much anything you want.” I wink at Jules, who grins in return, but before she can say anything, Nat jumps right to the task at hand.

  “Let’s get you into some dresses, and then we can talk all about the hot fighter,” Nat suggests and rushes over to a doorway, whispering something to the designer or assistant or whoever in the hell is in the other room. Then, she crosses back to me, and a woman follows with a rack of gowns. “I hope you don’t have any issues getting mostly naked in front of us because it’s just faster for you to get in and out of the gowns if you don’t have to dash away between each one.”

  “I’m good to go. I have sisters,” I remind her and whip my shirt over my head, shimmying out of my jeans to stand before them in my strapless bra and panties. “Let’s do this.”

  “Wow,” Stasia says, her eyebrows raised. She lets out a low whistle. “You’re hot, Maeve.”

  “I was just going to say…you have the most amazing boobs,” Jules agrees. “Hunter’s a lucky guy. I bet he loves your boobs, too.”

  “He hasn’t seen them,” I mutter and then look up to find them all staring at me in surprise. “What?”

  “He hasn’t seen them?” Jules repeats. “And he invited you to the ESPYs?”

  “Yeah.” I bite my lower lip. “Is that bad?”

  “That’s amazing,” Jules replies. “Okay, let’s start with the red.”

  “No red,” Nat disagrees. “I think she’d look amazing in green.”

  I smile. Everyone always thinks redheads look good in green.

  Then again, they aren’t wrong.

  “I’d also like to try that white one,” I add, pointing to a long, white dress that looks amazing on the hanger.

  “You can try them all,” Nat reminds me. “Let’s start.”

  She pulls down the white one first and helps me step into it. But when it’s zipped up, and I look in the mirror, I shake my head.

  “It bunches weird around my stomach,” I say, pointing to the offending area. “It looks…off.”

  “Agreed. No bunching, and no ruching.” Anastasia points to the purple gown. “That one. I want to see it.”

  “Okay, while I’m your personal Barbie to dress up as you like, feel free to ask questions, Jules.”

  “Awesome. First of all, Hunter’s fantastic. I mean, yeah, he’s a badass fighter, and he scares people because that’s his job, but he’s so nice. And Rachel is just the sweetest.”

  “She’s been giving him a hard time, but I agree. She’s great.”

  “How did you meet him?” Jules asks.

  “I sold him a house on the island.” I fill them in on Rachel’s behavior lately, and how Hunter wants a small-town life for her. “Even though he’d already chosen a house, he kept asking me to show him more. I thought he was a jerk who just wanted to look at everything we have listed, but he admitted that he wanted to see more of me.”

  All three women stare at me again and then sigh.

  “That may be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” Natalie says. “I thought my husband was sweet.”

  “Your husband is sweet,” Jules says. “So, you’ve only known Hunter for a few weeks.”

  “I guess so,” I agree. “Not quite a month yet. Do you think it’s moving fast?”

  “I think these things should move as quickly as you’re comfortable with them moving,” Stasia says. “Kane and I didn’t know each other very long before we knew we were in love.”

  “I didn’t say love.” The words are quickly out of my mouth. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Not yet,” Jules says with a wink. “Okay, that’s not working. Let’s try the green. Now, I get to tell you some stuff about Hunter.”

  “Oh, do tell. I mean, if it turns out he’s a big jerk, I’d rather know now before I go to LA with him.”

  “I already told you, he’s awesome,” Jules says with a laugh and zips up the strapless dress, then steps back and taps her lips as we both look in the mirror.

  “Whoa,” Stasia says.

  “Gorgeous,” Nat adds.

  I just stare at the woman looking back at me in the mirror. This dress hugs my curves perfectly but doesn’t make me look fat. And the green really is great with my hair and eyes.

  “Okay, this is the one.” I turn and look at my backside in the mirror. “It even makes my ass look great.”

  “Hunter’s going to swallow his tongue,” Jules agrees. “You’re ridiculously sexy, Maeve.”

  She’s not wrong.

  “What were you going to tell me?” I ask her.

  “Oh, right. I know that what’s in the past doesn’t really matter, but Hunter doesn’t date. He doesn’t take women to awards shows. He’s never been photographed with anyone. He always said that he didn’t want his daughter to look at images of him online when she got older, only to see him with a different woman in each of the photos.”

  “Okay, that’s… I don’t even know what that is, but it’s totally swoony,” Nat decides and props her hands on her hips.

  “And something Luke would have done,” Jules points out.

  “So, the fact that he’s taking you to this event and introduced you to Rachel, tells me that you mean something to him. And I just think that’s pretty awesome.”

  “He can’t possibly have been celibate for the past fifteen years,” I say.

  “No, I’d say not. But he’s discreet and discerning. He’s a professional. And he’s a good guy.”

  “Yeah, he’s a good guy,” I agree and turn back to look at myself in the mirror. “I don’t want to take off this dress.”

  “Here’s one word of advice,” Jules says as she steps up beside me and holds my gaze in the mirror. “Maybe, if you feel comfortable, when you do wear this dress, let him be the one to peel you out of it. Because holy shit. Once he unwraps you from this, he’s going to rock your world.”

  “I should hope so,” I whisper. “Wait, I don’t know if I can buy it. There aren’t price tags on these dresses.”

  “Oh, that’s on purpose,” Nat says, waving me off. “Hunter has it covered. We also have some shoes for you to choose, and he’ll have a stylist on hand in LA to do your hair and makeup.”

  I stare at them, certain I’ve misheard. “Well, holy shit. He doesn’t have to do that.”

  “He wants to,” Jules says. “He was excited about it when he called me. Let him do it. It’s sweet.”

  I glance over when Stasia sniffles. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just so great.” She wipes at a tear. “And you totally deserve to b
e spoiled like this. It’s awesome, isn’t it? To have a sexy guy think you’re the shit and spoil you with fun things and all of that happy stuff.”

  “It’s…disconcerting. And, yeah, a little awesome.”

  We narrow the shoes down to a black pair that goes well with the dress and that I can wear with other things later. They have a red sole.

  I never, in a million years, thought I’d own a pair of red-soled shoes.

  Then, we make our way to the kitchen, and Natalie pulls a cheesecake out of the fridge.

  “Just a small piece for me,” I tell her, already thinking about the fit of that dress and how I don’t want to gain any weight before I have to fit myself into it.

  “Oh, honey, we don’t slice it up.” She takes out four forks and passes them out. “We just dig in.”

  “Aren’t they great?” Stasia asks with a wide smile before scooping up a big bite and shoveling it into her mouth. “These girls know how to live.”

  “I think I’ve fallen in love with you guys. I mean, who needs men when you have gorgeous clothes and cheesecake?”

  “Exactly,” Jules says. “Though I’m rather fond of other things that Nate offers as well. Still, this is hard to beat.”

  “Thank you. For everything today,” I say as I take a bite of the best chocolate cheesecake I’ve ever had. “I’m still nervous to go, but at least I know I’ll look good.”

  “Oh, it’s completely our pleasure,” Jules assures me. “And we can’t wait to hear all about it.”

  “I think we’ll need a girls’ night after Maeve gets back to town,” Nat says. “So she can tell us everything.”

  “Agreed,” Stasia says.

  “I’m in,” I reply. “Can we do it on the island so Izzy can come? She just had the baby and isn’t going far yet. But I know she won’t want to miss it.”

  “I love that island,” Jules says. “I think Nate and I should buy a weekend place there.”

  “Don’t you have the beach house down the coast?” Stasia asks.

  “Well, yeah, but it’s the island.”

  I laugh. “I’d be happy to sell you something. Just let me know when you want to look.”

  “You know, we could all come over to the island, the couples, and stay in vacation rentals or something,” Nat says, thinking it over. “Us girls could have our night, and the guys could hang at the pub. And then maybe you and Nate can look for real estate.”

  “You know I love to multi-task,” Jules says, thinking it over. “And I love this idea. Let’s plan it.”

  “The island won’t know what hit it,” I say, already excited.

  The storm outside is crazy. Because we’re surrounded by water, it’s not unusual for rain to come in and stay for a while, but this storm came out of nowhere, and it’s a doozy.

  The wind howls and is probably wreaking havoc on my roof. I’ve known that I need to replace it for a couple of seasons, but I thought I’d be buying my dream house soon.

  “I guess the roof’s back on my list,” I mutter and then jump when lightning explodes, and thunder rails against the house. “Jesus, this is nuts.”

  Suddenly, as if a faucet has flipped on, water starts pouring in through the ceiling of my bedroom, right onto the beautiful dress I’m supposed to wear in less than forty-eight hours.

  Why did this storm wait until the day I brought the dress home to decide to destroy my house?

  “Oh, my God.” I jump out of bed and tug on a sweatshirt and sweatpants, staring helplessly as my room floods. “What do I do?”

  I reach for my phone and try to figure out who to call.

  It’s after three in the morning.

  I can’t call Keegan—I don’t want to wake the baby.

  I could call Kane.

  “Wait, no. I don’t want to wake their baby, either. Why are there so many babies?”

  I rush down the stairs and listen to the roar of the water coming into my house.

  I’m sick to my stomach.

  “Shawn.” I tap my screen and listen to the phone ring. “Come on, pick up.”

  “’Lo?”

  “It’s me. I need help.”

  “What’s wrong?” I can hear that he’s instantly awake and sitting up in bed.

  “My house is flooding. It’s like there’s a river coming through my ceiling. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Do you have ladders?”

  “Yeah, a couple. In the garage.”

  “I’ll be there in ten.”

  He hangs up, and I’m on the verge of tears when I realize that there’s absolutely no way I can go to LA the day after tomorrow.

  So, without thinking, I dial Hunter’s number.

  “Maeve?” he asks, his voice full of sleep. “Are you okay?”

  I have to swallow my tears and try to sound sane and rational. “Hi. I’m sorry to inform you that I won’t be able to accompany you to LA. I hope you have a lovely trip.”

  “Wait, wha—?”

  I hang up quickly because I’m near hysterics.

  Where is Shawn? The water is starting to come down the stairs now.

  Finally, I hear banging on my front door. When I open it, not only is Shawn there, but more cars are pulling in.

  “Jesus, what’s going on?” Kane asks as he hurries out of his Porsche. Keegan comes to a screeching halt behind Kane.

  Maggie and Lexi rush up my driveway, and even Ma and Da climb out of Shawn’s car.

  “What are you all doing here? I just called Shawn.”

  “Don’t you know,” Keegan says, “when you call one, you call us all. We’re a damn phone tree.”

  “What’s he doing here?” Maggie asks, pointing to Cameron, who I’m just as shocked to see.

  “Don’t you know?” he says, echoing Keegan. “We’re a phone tree.”

  Maggie rolls her eyes and keeps her distance from Cameron as Da climbs my porch steps.

  “What’s happening in there?” Da asks and pushes his way through the front door, coming to a stop at the sight of the river of water making its way down my stairway. “Oh, for the love of all the saints. You have a mess on your hands here, Maeve, me love.”

  “I know.” Tears threaten once again. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Is that Hunter?” Maggie asks, pointing to the car parking down the block, and the figure running from it toward my house.

  I’d recognize him anywhere.

  “What in the hell is going on?” he demands when he gets up to my porch, pushing his way through the others.

  “I have a catastrophe on my hands,” I reply and gesture to all of the water. My brothers are running about, deciding what to do. “And the beautiful dress, my beautiful dress that you gave me, is ruined. I can’t just leave. I don’t have anything to wear anymore.”

  “Okay. Okay, take a breath.” He doesn’t even care that my entire family is here. He just pulls me into his arms and hugs me tightly.

  “Is that Hunter Meyers?” I hear Cameron ask as he climbs the stairs with Kane. “What in the hell? I’ve been gone too long.”

  “That’s Cameron,” I say against Hunter’s chest. “He’s a good friend of the family. Kane’s best friend. And I think he’s in love with my sister.”

  Hunter kisses my head. “I’ll introduce myself to him when we’re hanging tarps outside. Are you okay? I’m going to help the guys and get this water taken care of.”

  “Oh, you don’t—”

  “She’s good,” Maggie assures him and takes my hand as he hurries off to join the other guys. “I really like him.”

  “Yeah.” I swallow the tears and brush at my face. “He’s kind of great.”

  “Did you see his arms?” she whispers in my ear.

  “Girl, I’ve been looking at those arms for weeks. It was nice of Cameron to come help.”

  She shrugs a shoulder. “Yeah. It was.”

  But that’s all she says. We all huddle in my wet living room, my ma, Lexi, Maggie, and me, as the guys shout orders at each other
, climb ladders, and throw ropes and tarps.

  “I don’t want Da on a ladder,” I mutter and shudder at the thought of him falling. “Definitely not in this rain. And it’s dark outside.”

  “He’s handled worse than this,” Ma assures me. Suddenly, the river down my stairs slows to a trickle. “Looks like they covered the hole.”

  “Everything’s ruined.” My voice sounds hollow as I stare at my original hardwood floors. “What a mess.”

  “There are water restoration people we can call in the morning,” Maggie says, patting my back.

  “It is the morning.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I think that’s all we can do for tonight,” Kane says as he and Cam walk downstairs, and the others come in from outside. “It’ll at least help to stop more water from getting in. But you can’t stay tonight, lass. It’s not safe.”

  “She’ll come home with me,” Hunter announces.

  Silence falls.

  My brothers, father, and Cam all look at each other, then cross their arms over their chests and turn to Hunter.

  “Is that so, then?” Da asks, his voice as cold as I’ve ever heard it.

  “I hate to interrupt this testosterone standoff, but given that I’m a grown woman, I’ll decide where I’m staying.”

  I grin as all of the eyes in the room turn to me.

  “I’ll go stay with Hunter. He has room, and it’s not far from here.”

  “You’ll do well to mind your manners,” Da warns but then pats Hunter on the shoulder as he walks past him.

  Everyone files out of the house, and I just stand there for a moment, unsure what to do next.

  “We should go get dry,” Hunter suggests, his hands on my shoulders.

  “I can’t even take much with me,” I say. “It’s all wet. I have my purse. I guess I could go gather some makeup and my toothbrush.”

  “In the morning,” he says and kisses my head. “Come on, let’s go to my place and get warm. Wait here. I’ll go get the car.”

  He runs down the block to his car, and I lock the door, then wait on the porch as he pulls into the driveway.

  “I don’t want to sit in that gorgeous seat in these wet clothes, Hunter.”