by Addison Cole
And that rattled him to his core.
“We’re supposed to be at the bonfire,” she said softly against his chest.
Part of him wanted to cling to that excuse, wash up and get out of there, but a bigger part of him wanted to stay right there holding her. Which was exactly why he needed to force himself to move.
“We missed the sunset, but we can still make the bonfire,” he said, reluctantly setting her beside him on the bed in the dark room. She looked sweet with the sexy afterglow pinking up her cheeks and the hazy look of a satiated lover lingering in her eyes. Aw, man. She had that trusting look in her eyes again, too.
With a groan he pushed to his feet. “I’m going to wash up.”
He stalked into the bathroom and took a cold shower. When he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, he expected to find Jana clothed and moving around, but she was sitting on the edge of the bed looking tired and sweet.
His heart did that notice me thing again.
“Come on, pretty girl.” The tenderness in his voice was new, too. What was she doing to him? “You need to get cleaned up so we can go.” He pulled her upright.
She pressed her hands against his chest, and after smiling sleepily up at him, she rested her cheek against his skin and said, “You shaved.”
His heart beat a little harder.
“And showered. Twice.” He didn’t mean to sound so rough, but she was talking all mushy-voiced with him, and that wasn’t Jana. Jana was snappy and fierce, not sensitive or the kind of girl who noticed things like whether he’d shaved. He liked that she noticed, but he hated the way it made his insides go soft.
He took her by the shoulders and turned her toward the bathroom, then smacked her butt. “Go on. Get in there or I’ll climb in there with you and we’ll never get out of here.”
“Just like a man,” she said with a little more energy as she sauntered toward the bathroom, looking devastatingly tempting. “Promise me sunsets and give me pleasure instead.”
FORTY MINUTES LATER Jana and Hunter pulled up in front of Pete and Jenna’s house. She’d hoped that the ride over would help clear her head, but the rumbling of the motorcycle between her legs only reminded her of Hunter making her feel all sorts of wonderful. When she was showering and dressing, she’d gone through a bevy of emotions, from curiosity—she was dying to know what other tricks Hunter had up his sleeve—to feeling way too many positive emotions toward him. He’d been sweet and careful with her after they’d had sex. He’d never done that before. Usually they either parted ways without a word, or they fell asleep without touching and she snuck out, as she had the other morning.
She liked that softer side of him. She always knew he had a caring side. He was protective of Sky, and he always seemed to be asking after her, or touching base with one of his brothers, but she’d never seen him that way with any other woman. Not that she’d ever seen him with the same woman twice, and that didn’t escape her mind either. They’d been together too many times already, hadn’t they? Too many for both of them.
And then there was the anger that laced her every thought for giving in to her desires. Anger at herself for wilting beneath his heat and anger at him for kissing her in the first place, and for looking so hot that it was impossible for her to deny him. He’d even shaved, not to mention the cologne. She’d hoped the cool night air whisking across her skin on the ride over might quell her reaction to him, but as Hunter helped her from the bike, looking every bit as sinful as he did when he’d first arrived at her door, she felt renewed lust simmering inside her.
He lifted her helmet off her head and ran his finger over her hair. “I like your braid.” He grabbed hold of her thick plait and gave it a little tug. “Should have thought of that earlier.”
“Geez, you’re such a—”
He smirked as he draped an arm over her shoulder. “Come on, pretty girl. Blink away that desire in your eyes, or they’ll know you want me.”
“Ugh! I don’t want you,” she said as they walked past the house and across the dune. She couldn’t even fool herself. How would she fool anyone else? A breeze swept off the bay, and she shivered. He drew her closer, and as big and warm as he was, she tried to push away, because that’s what they did, wasn’t it? They didn’t snuggle. But he held on tight, and heaven help her, she loved it.
“That’s not what you were saying an hour ago. I seem to remember the words more and yes coming out of your mouth several times.”
“Shut up and take your arm off of me. I thought you didn’t want people to see—” She let the sentence hang in the space between them.
“It’s not my eyes they’ll see want in.”
She pried his hand off her shoulder and groaned. “You’re infuriating. You think I don’t see how much you want me in the way you look at me?” She stopped walking toward the group and stalked closer to him. “You think they won’t be able to tell that we’ve just had sex?”
“Not by my eyes.” He shifted his gaze casually to the group at the bottom of the dunes and waved.
“Well. They won’t see it in mine, either.” She stomped down the dunes and tried to force a smile, ignoring his chuckle behind her. She was not going to look at him. Not one single time. Not even a glance.
Their friends were gathered around a roaring fire. She drew in several calming breaths and finally managed a real smile when Sky jumped up and ran to greet her.
“You made it! I thought my brother hijacked you or something!” She embraced Jana, and when Sky walked toward Hunter, Jana made a point of not looking over. She kept her eyes locked on baby Bea, nestled in Pete’s arms, fast asleep.
“Oh my goodness. She’s so precious.” Jana knelt beside him and admired the baby’s tiny pink lips and long eyelashes.
“She’s precious, all right,” Pete said, his gaze shifting over her shoulder.
She assumed he was watching Hunter, but Jana wasn’t about to turn around and check. She felt Hunter approaching. Felt his presence as tangibly as the sand beneath her feet.
Hunter leaned down and took the sleeping baby from Pete’s arms. “Let me hold my beautiful niece.” He smirked at Jana and snuggled his freshly shaven cheek against the baby. Bea had a fluff of dark hair, like Pete and Jenna. The baby sighed as he held her within his heavily muscled arms. Jana had never seen anything sexier than that pigheaded, beautiful man holding the tiny baby. Jealousy tiptoed through her. She kind of wanted to be the baby, all snuggled in safe and warm against Hunter’s chest. His smirk had been replaced with a genuine smile as he lowered his lips to Bea’s forehead.
Her insides went soft at the sight, and she fell a little harder for Hunter.
“Sit down,” Amy said, patting the blanket beside her. Tony, her husband, sat on her other side, with one arm draped over the back of her chair. “We forgot to bring extra chairs, but you and Hunter can use Hannah’s blanket. She’s in the playpen fast asleep.” Amy pointed to two playpens behind Tony. “Summer’s asleep in the blue one.”
“Thanks.” Jana sank down to the blanket, determined not to keep staring at Hunter as he reached one hand into the cooler beside Grayson and somehow managed to grip two bottles, while still holding Bea with one arm.
“So, did you figure out the whole romance thing?” Grayson asked.
Jana’s eyes leaped to Hunter. Romance thing?
The annoyed look in Hunter’s narrowing eyes told her that Grayson had just slipped up.
As if he’d heard Jana’s thoughts, Sawyer asked, “Romance thing?”
Hunter sat down beside Jana, still cradling Bea, and handed one of the drinks to her. When she didn’t take it, he arched a brow and smirked, as if to say, Take it, or they’ll know something’s up.
She reluctantly took the drink, trying not to let her heart swell at the scent of the baby and Hunter mixing together.
“Clark’s having trouble with his wife,” Hunter explained. “I was trying to find ways for him to help their relationship.”
Sure you w
ere.
“Romance will usually do it.” Sky leaned her head on Sawyer’s shoulder. “That’s how Sawyer won me over.”
“I think everything Tony does is romantic.” Amy reached for her husband’s hand.
A wisp of her blond hair blew onto Amy’s cheek, and Tony tucked it behind her ear, then leaned over and kissed her. “What was it that you said last night? Seeing me changing Hannah’s diaper was like watching mommy porn?”
The girls laughed and Caden, Bella’s husband, said, “Bella tells me that listening to me sing to Summer is better than listening to Adam Levine or Luke Bryan.”
“Bella?” Jenna said. “You lie to your man like that?”
“Hey!” Bella leaned in to Caden’s side. “Neither of those guys could look as hot as my hubby does with Summer. They couldn’t hold a candle to him anyway. You’ve never seen my man wearing nothing but his holster and police boots.”
“And she never will,” Pete said as he pulled Jenna onto his lap.
Jana glanced at Hunter, who looked hot as sin no matter what he wore, and even more handsome holding a baby. It had been almost a year since they’d first hooked up, and in the months since Sawyer and Sky came together, she and Hunter had continued hooking up—and arguing like cats and dogs.
Was that why she always snuck away while he was sleeping? To avoid a morning argument? To ensure he knew they’d shared nothing more than a night of fun? She had no idea what the reason was, but she knew it irritated Hunter. Mostly because he claimed that escaping was his modus operandi, and Jana thought that made doing it even sweeter. She loved having the upper hand.
“Tell them the truth, Hunter,” Grayson urged. “He and Clark were looking up how to be romantic.” He laughed, and Jana felt her jaw drop open at his unknowing reveal of Hunter’s truth.
Hunter shrugged and sucked back his drink, like it was no big deal.
Now, as she thought of Hunter searching how to be romantic after she’d thrust the challenge on him, she felt a little bad for always sneaking off.
She shouldn’t keep watching him, but she was unable to look away as the others rattled on about romance and online information. She shouldn’t feel like she wanted to reach out and touch him and tell him that looking up how to be romantic might just be the most romantic thing she’d ever heard in her entire life. But it was, and as her hand touched his arm and the words fell from her lips, she discovered that a moment of silence mingled with a single look could hold a million meanings. Tangled up with surprise and disbelief, she saw gratitude in Hunter’s gaze. Genuine, heartfelt appreciation, and that made her body warm for a whole new reason. She liked that reason a lot. In fact, as a smile spread across her lips, she realized—or maybe accepted—that she liked Hunter a whole lot, too.
Chapter Seven
THE NEXT MORNING Hunter set out for an early run, hoping to shed the tension nesting in his shoulders and outrun the emotions spiraling inside him. He tried to make heads or tails of what he’d felt last night when he was with Jana, but by the time he’d finished his run, he was no less confused.
Running had never done it for him, but he’d hoped this time might be different. If nothing else, at least it woke him up after a lousy night’s sleep.
He went into the shop early. Just the sight of their warehouse and shop brought a modicum of relief. He and Grayson had bought the property a few years earlier at auction. The purchase had also included a building that was right off of Route 6, the main highway through the lower Cape. They’d planned to make that building into a showroom, but they were so busy from the moment they got started that they sold their work as quickly as they could make it. With the help of Pete and their good friend Blue Ryder, both skilled craftsmen, they’d renovated the barn into an office and workshop. They’d replaced the old wooden floors with concrete, built a brick forge, installed proper ventilation systems, and brought in power. The custom shelving and machinery hubs brought a sense of organization to their creative chaos. The showroom idea had gone by the wayside, and the building remained empty.
Hunter didn’t trust himself to work with the forge until he had his mind and body under control. The forge was the hearth used for heating metal. Safety had to come first, and in his line of work, that meant being in total control at all times. He definitely did not feel in control of his emotions. He’d been trying to figure out why Jana wouldn’t admit she wanted him when she so obviously did. It shouldn’t matter one way or the other, but she was sending him mixed signals, and it was pissing him off.
He was still coming up with a theme for the sculpture for the community beautification competition and was trying not to stress as days were passing by without a firm direction. He laid out the pieces he’d fabricated the other day and decided it wasn’t so bad, even if he wasn’t feeling bonded to it yet. Maybe if he worked on it for one more day, it’d speak to him. He hadn’t been blocked creatively in so long that on top of everything else, it annoyed the heck out of him.
He decided to fabricate curls of wrought iron that could be used to accentuate just about any design. The scroll bender machine allowed him to focus on the task at hand without the danger of burning himself or anything else around him. He laid out the pieces of iron he intended to curl and set out the sections, the parts of the machine he’d drop into place to allow for a larger curl around the first. Once the parts were laid out he began curling the iron. Whether he was heating metal, hammering it into place, installing rivets, twisting, curling, or designing on paper made no difference to Hunter. It all made his adrenaline rush. He loved taking an idea and bringing it to life. Life was a palpable element in all of Hunter’s designs.
Every piece of art he created, whether architectural or for show, got the same attention to detail. He preferred to bring textures and naturalistic elements into all of his creations. His favorites were elements that symbolized growth and stability, or fluidity and change.
“I’m here,” Clark called to him when he arrived.
“Gray’s going to be late,” Hunter hollered back, remembering his brother mentioning it last night.
He knew Clark had planned to meet one of their buddies for dinner last night, and when Hunter had arrived home, Clark was on the phone in the guest bedroom. He assumed—hoped—he’d been talking to Nina.
Clark brought a to-go cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee back to Hunter.
“Thanks, man.”
“You were gone when I got up this morning. I thought you’d need it. Have fun at the bonfire?” Clark’s eyes still appeared tired, but if he was tired from talking to his wife all night, maybe that was a good thing.
“Yeah. It’s always good to catch up with everyone. And it was great to see Bea. She’s really cute.” After holding Bea last night, seeing her sweet face, and smelling her baby scent, he’d thought about how innocent babies were. How they relied on the adults around them to love them and keep them safe. As he looked at his friend now, he couldn’t fathom how Clark could leave his son. If Hunter had a child, he couldn’t imagine leaving it while he went to work, much less moving out.
“I heard you on the phone when I got in last night. Things better with Nina?” Hope filled his chest as a smile spread across Clark’s face. And, he noticed, Clark had shaved today. That had to be a good sign. He’d never noticed stuff like that before. Jana must really be getting to him.
“Nah. Robert and I hit the Beachcomber last night. Met this hot blonde and—”
Hunter ground his teeth together. “Tell me you didn’t mess with her.”
“No, I didn’t mess with her. We talked, man. That’s it.” Clark shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, his annoying grin still in place, which further angered Hunter.
Everything pissed him off lately, but after hanging out with his friends last night, feeling the love of each couple, seeing the evidence of their love in the babies’ faces, he was even more upset over Clark’s separation.
“At one o’clock in the morning?” It came out as an accusation, and
Hunter didn’t try to soften the message.
Clark’s smile went flat. His brows drew into an angry slash. “Yeah, what’s it to you? We talked. We didn’t fool around. I never touched her. We talked.”
“About…?” Hunter crossed his arms, unwilling to ease up.
“I don’t know. Billy. Marriage. Life.” Clark paced, and Hunter knew he’d gotten to him.
“With some chick you met at a bar? You shared the details of your marriage with her? Clark—”
“What?” The venom in his voice rivaled the disgust moving through Hunter.
Hunter knew he was on the verge of saying things he would regret. He took a step back, trying to regain control.
“Don’t you think you should be putting your time into your relationship with Nina? The mother of your child?” As he said the words, he pictured Clark out at a bar, sidling up to a random pretty woman, while Nina sat at home with Billy, probably crying her eyes out over their separation.
“Come on, Hunt,” Clark said. “I thought you were on my side in this.”
“I am on your side. But I gotta be honest, Clark. I’m on Billy’s side, too. Have you thought about what Nina’s doing while you’re out drinking and picking up women?”
“I didn’t pick her up.” Clark began pacing again. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Nina won’t talk to me. She said I need to grow up. Grow up!” He scoffed, shook his head. “I work my butt off to keep her and Billy in a nice house, to put food on the table…”
“Listen, Clark, I don’t claim to know much about relationships, but maybe Nina needs to feel like a woman as much as you need to feel like a man.”
Clark stopped pacing.
“Think about it.” Hunter leaned against the workbench. “I know it’s been forever since you guys have had sex, but take that further. When’s the last time you had wild, crazy, uninhibited sex with your wife?”