A Date for the Hunt

by Dover, L. P.

  His brows lift. “Seriously? If I didn’t have to wait for the coast to be clear I would’ve been here in less than a minute. I’ve had plenty of practice climbing into buildings to rescue people.”

  I can’t imagine doing what he does, being surrounded by fire all the time. It’s a dangerous job. “How many people have you saved?” I ask.

  Looking up at the ceiling, he blows out a long breath. “Honestly, I don’t know. There were hundreds of people my team rescued when we flew to California last year to help with the wildfires. We also went to Australia to help out a few months ago. That was the worst I’ve ever seen.”

  “You went there?” I gasp.

  A solemn look takes over his face when he turns to me and nods. “That was devastating. We tried to help out as much as we could. I work with a great team of guys.” His lips pull back into a smile. “I say that now, but they’ve also been giving me hell since the show started.” He slides his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through all of his texts so I can see. Most of them are making fun of him because of the back tattoo I gave him. And there are a lot that say I’m hot and for him not to mess things up. It makes me smile.

  “Nice,” I say. I want to ask him what we’re going to do when we go home, but I don’t. It’s too soon to even think about that.

  The intro to the show starts playing on TV and it draws our attention. Hudson stretches his arm over the back of the couch as if he’s inviting me to sit closer. I really want to lay my head against his chest and be near him. I know he wants me too, but if I take that step it’ll lead to something more. Do I want that? More than anything.

  We finish watching the intro and I can’t help but notice that there are more video shots of me and him than any of the other couples. Hudson clears his throat and moves a little closer to me. “Am I the only one who noticed that you and I were shown quite a lot in that intro?”

  I shake my head. “I noticed it too,” I say, keeping my eyes on the TV. I already know the reason for it too. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Hudson staring at me; it makes shiver, but in a good way.

  I look over at him and he lifts his brows curiously. “Do we have your sister to thank for that?”

  “Not exactly,” I answer. “Now don’t get a big head or anything, but she told me that you and I are the favorite couple on the show. Viewers want to see more of us.”

  His grin broadens. “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s awesome. The world wants us together.”

  Rolling my eyes, I slap him playfully on the arm. “Great. I can already see your head swelling.” We both laugh and watch the show. It was pretty cool being able to see the other couples and what they did on their dates. It was easy to see which people were genuine and which ones were faking the entire time. Once the day time footage of all the couples is done, it moves to the dinner where the guys are presented with the gifts. It’s the part of the show I’ve been dreading. And just like I thought, there’s a close up of my face during the time I’m afraid to look at Hudson and see him opening his box that he casually pushes to the side. The entire time, he’s smiling at me and my eyes are turned. I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. Luckily, Hudson doesn’t say anything. We finish watching the show and it turns out the guys who opened their boxes had to leave their eggs on the stage while the women chose who they wanted. The tables have turned. Once they were all matched up with their new partners, the glowing new couples smiled for the camera. I’m more than relieved that I wasn’t up there on that stage.

  “You really didn’t want me opening that box, did you?” Hudson teases. He moves closer and I can feel his warmth on my arm.

  A small smile spreads across my face as I turn the channel to something else which happens to be Dirty Dancing. “What can I say? The thought of you wanting to be with one of the other women made me mad.”

  Hudson gently touches my chin so I have to look at him. I meet his gaze and it’s so hard not to get lost in those gray eyes of his. He stares into mine as if he can see right into my soul. “What are we going to do when we go home? Will you want to see me again?” he asks, his voice low.

  “Depends,” I whisper back. “What do you want from me?”

  He focuses down on my lips and smiles. “Right now, I’d give anything to kiss you.” My heart stops and then thumps wildly in my chest. He moves closer and I do the same. I don’t have any control. My breaths come out fast and I’m dying to feel his lips on mine.

  “Then kiss me,” I tell him.

  When our lips touch, I melt against him. Fire ignites throughout my body and I find myself wanting more. His hand cups the back of my neck and the other is on my cheek, holding me to him. I love every single second of it. I don’t want it to end, but he pulls away first.

  “I wish you knew how long I’ve waited to do that.”

  I smile. “It’s a shame you didn’t kiss me like that in high school. I might’ve had to change my mind about you.”

  We both laugh and it feels good. Something has changed between us. There’s a connection that only seems to grow stronger every second I spend with him. Hudson lays back against the couch and opens his arms. “Want to watch the movie? I promise I’ll just hold you tonight.”

  And that makes me fall for him even more. I lay down and snuggle against his chest. “The answer to your question is yes. I’d love to see you again once we’re back home.”

  He holds me tighter. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”

  9

  Allison

  I wake up in Hudson’s arms and I can hear his heartbeat in my ear. All I remember is kissing him and then falling asleep while trying to watch Dirty Dancing. I sit up and thank God that I haven’t drooled all over Hudson’s shirt. He stretches his arms and smiles. “Morning, cupcake.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve called me that,” I say, laughing. “Is it my new nickname?”

  He shrugs. “It’s cute.”

  “Okay,” I give in. “I kind of like it. But now I want a cupcake.”

  He smirks. “So do I.”

  If we hadn’t passed out last night, it makes me wonder what would’ve happened if we had more energy. I do want him more than anything, but I don’t want to be stupid. Then again, if it feels right, is it stupid?

  Holding out my hand, he takes it and I pull him up from the couch. “You need to get out of here before someone sees you.” I nod over at the clock. “It’s seven. We have to meet for breakfast in an hour.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me to him. “I wonder what they’re going to have us doing today.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck. “Hopefully, some beach time. We need to get the badonkaskonk off your back.”

  “And here I thought you loved it,” he teases as he kisses me. “I’ve been wearing it proudly.”

  I kiss him on the cheek and push him toward the door. “I know you have, and I appreciate it. I forgive you for breaking my nose.”

  He stops at my door and faces me, his expression serious. “I’m really sorry about that. I know nothing I can say or do can change what I did.”

  I wave him off. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

  “Still,” he says, brushing a thumb across my cheek. “The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you.”

  He kisses me one more time chastely and I really don’t want him to leave, but he has to. I open the door and glance down both sides of the hallway. The coast is clear. “You’re good,” I say quickly. “Go.”

  Hudson takes off down the hallway to his room. I shut mine quickly, hoping there aren’t hidden cameras catching our every move. In all reality, it doesn’t matter if there are. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m falling for Hudson and there’s no denying it.

  There isn’t much time left so I take a quick shower and once I’m done, Ricardo and Annabelle are at my door so they can do my hair and makeup and drop off my outfits for the day. Ricardo braids my hair to the side and Annabelle dabs on a little waterproof foundation to protect m
y face from the sun and also make my skin look flawless for the cameras. The outfits they left are two different bathing suits, one pink and purple and the other black, a light blue lacy cover up, and a floral maxi dress. I was told to put one of the bathing suits on underneath my dress but to pack the other and take it with me to breakfast since Hudson and I will be heading on our adventure right after. They gave me a cute straw bag to put everything in.

  Once they’re gone, I slip on the hot pink and purple bikini underneath the dress, grab my bag with the other bathing suit, and go down to meet Hudson in the breakfast dining area. He’s sitting at our table, wearing a Hawaiian print shirt with khaki shorts. Something tells me that’s not his first choice of clothing, but looking around the room, all the guys are wearing something similar.

  Grinning, I walk over to our table and set my bag down. “Nice shirt.”

  He scoffs. “I look like a palm tree.” His eyes roam up and down my body. “Now you, on the other hand, look absolutely beautiful.”

  I can’t help but smile. “Thanks.”

  He gets up and pulls out my seat. “I had a good time last night,” he murmurs, brushing his lips against my ear.

  Everything inside of me tightens. “So did I.”

  Once I’m seated, he goes back to his. The waiter brings out our breakfast and it’s hard not to feel the tension in the room. The new couples are sitting together and I’m happy to see that Makayla and her new man are smiling as they enjoy their breakfast. She’s the only one of the other women I’ve been concerned about.

  “Maybe that one will treat her right,” Hudson says, drawing my attention back to him. He stares over at Makayla and smiles. “I’ve talked to her guy a couple of times. He’s not bad.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. “Good.”

  We eat our breakfast and just as we finish, Ryan comes in with his camera crew and passes out our envelopes. When he hands us ours, Hudson moves his chair over so we can read it at the same time.

  Allie & Hudson,

  Get ready for some fun in the sun. You two are taking a boat over to Renaissance Island where you can snorkel, take pictures of the flamingos, feed the iguanas, and enjoy some private time in your own cabana on the water. Everything you’ll need is waiting for you there. The sunset is something you don’t want to miss. Also, you’ll be expected to conduct a special intimate interview. The details will be given to you at a later time. All you have to do is walk out to the marina beside the resort and a boat will be waiting for you.

  “Looks like we’ll be over there all day,” I say, grabbing my bag off the floor. “I wonder what the special interview is.” Special intimate interview sounds a little scandalous. You’d think my sister would inform me of this stuff, but obviously not.

  Hudson shrugs and stands. “Don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out. I’m ready to go.”

  Taking my hand, we walk out of the dining room and I can’t help but feel eyes on us. Some of the women glare at me and it makes me wonder if it’s because of the show. There was a lot of footage of me and Hudson. It’s obvious the show has given us more attention. It makes me feel bad, especially since I didn’t want it in the first place.

  Stan and Jean follow me and Hudson out of the resort and to the marina. “The first thing I’m doing is getting out of this shirt when we get there.”

  I bite my lip. “Go for it.” I’m not opposed to seeing him shirtless all day.

  When we get to the marina, we all load up on the boat. From what I’ve read about Aruba, Renaissance Island is a separate small island owned by the resort. It only takes about fifteen minutes to get there. The wind feels amazing as it whips by us and the water is so blue you can see down to the bottom. I can’t wait to jump into it when we get to the island. All I have to decide on is which bathing suit I’m going to wear. The black one is a little skimpier than the pink and purple one I have on so I think I might have to change into that one at some point. Hudson will surely like that.

  We dock at the island and once we’re off the boat, there are iguanas everywhere. I’ve seen them at the resort, but the ones on the island are huge. A guy named Sandor shows us around and lets us know when we’re ready for our lunch and dinner we can use the phone in the cabana. There’s actually a lot on the island, even a restaurant. One side is for families, but the other is for adults only. Obviously, that’s where they put us. There are about twelve cabanas in the main area, but we’re led past them down a wooden walkway through the foliage. When it opens up, there’s a single cabana on stilts in the water with the wooden walkway leading right to it. It reminds me of the pictures I’ve seen of the Maldives with all those fancy places on the water.

  Hudson leans in close. “Have any of the other couples been here? I haven’t seen it on the show.”

  Neither have I. I shake my head. “I think we’re the first ones.”

  Sandor flourishes a hand toward the cabana. We have yet to look inside it but I’m super excited. “There’s wine and champagne in your cabana, but if you want something else, call us and we’ll get it for you.”

  “Thank you, Sandor,” I say. Hudson shakes his hand and says thank you as well.

  Once he’s gone, Hudson and I head straight inside the cabana. It’s private, but of course, Stan and Jean follow us. There’s a small kitchen area with a mini-fridge and a sink. What really catches my attention is the bed in the main room. All the windows and doors are open and the white curtains billow in the wind, giving it a magical feel. It’s very romantic, but it’s hard to enjoy it being on camera. It’s not like Hudson and I can really do anything with Stan and Jean in the room.

  Hudson looks down at the bed and I can see the heat in his eyes. Maybe it’s a good thing we aren’t alone. Unfortunately, that just makes me want him more. He peers over at me and gives me that devilish smile of his. “Want to snorkel?”

  Outside, sitting on a table on the deck, is our snorkel gear. I smirk back at him and take off my dress. His eyes widen and I love the look on his face. “Sure. I’m ready when you are.”

  By the way his body reacts, it’s obvious he’s ready for a whole lot more. Who am I kidding? So am I.

  * * *

  With another couple of days of sun, the tattoo on Hudson’s back will be long gone. It makes me a little sad because I kind of like it being on him. However, I do think he’s paid the price for breaking my nose back in high school. The day has been one of the best days of my life. We snorkeled. Ate lunch. Listened to music. Snorkeled some more, laid out in the sun, ate an amazing dinner on the cabana deck which included a whole bottle of champagne. However, we still have no idea what the special intimate interview is all about.

  Hudson sits down on the deck, letting his legs dangle over the side. It’s already seven o’clock and the sun has started its slow departure behind the clouds. Dinner was great and I’m feeling a little tipsy from the champagne, so I sit beside him and let my legs dangle but only the tips of my toes touch the water.

  I gaze out at the clear blue sea. “Today’s been fun. Got to see lots of fish.”

  I look over at Hudson and he nods. “Yes, we did. I think today’s been my favorite so far.”

  “Definitely,” I agree. I glance over my shoulder to see if Stan and Jean are around, but they’re nowhere to be seen. “I wonder where our camera guys are at.”

  Hudson turns and looks too. “Don’t know. I saw them walk off when Sandor came with our dinner.”

  “Do you think they’re hiding?” I ask. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were in the foliage somewhere, hoping to catch us doing something scandalous.

  Hudson chuckles and grabs my face, pressing his lips firmly to mine. It catches me off guard, and I love it. If Stan and Jean are hiding out, they just got an eye full.

  “There,” Hudson says, kissing me again. “I’m sure the guys have been waiting to get that on camera. I know the viewers have been waiting to see it for real.”

  Giggling, I lean into him and he holds me close. “Yeah,
guess it’s about time, but I’m sure they probably caught us in the water.” Hudson stole a few kisses here and there, but we tried being discreet. I breathe in the salty sea air and smile. “You know what we haven’t done?”

  Hudson glances over at me. “What?”

  “We never finished our conversation from a few nights ago. You know, the one where we’re supposed to tell each other five things that we think defines us?”

  Hudson chuckles. “That’s right. We only got through two. Your first thing was that you can’t live without chocolate, and the other was that you love medicine, but couldn’t stomach being a doctor even though all you’ve dreamt of is helping people.”

  I nod. “That’s right. And yours was that you love peanut butter and you use strawberry jam on your PB&J’s. Not going to lie, it killed me when you said that.”

  His brows furrow. “Why?”

  “Because I use strawberry jam too. I hated that we had something in common.”

  A small smirk spreads across his lips. “I’m sure we have a lot more in common, cupcake. You’ll see the more you get to know me. I mean, hey, we both like Jack Johnson.”

  That makes me smile. “Yes, we do.” I was shocked when he started playing my favorite Jack Johnson song on his phone. Banana Pancakes. “Okay,” I say, getting back to the original topic. “Your second defining characteristic was why you wanted to be a firefighter.” His gaze saddens and it hurts my heart. I don’t want to go into detail about it again because I know it’s not easy for him to talk about Lisa’s death.

  Hudson takes a deep breath. “My third defining characteristic would be that I’m a realist. I understand that goodness takes hard work and constant balancing of real life.” My eyes widen and he holds up a hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I wasn’t like that in high school, but when I grew up, things changed.”