The release hadn’t just been a bodily function. It had engaged all of his senses and dislodged some of his trapped soul.
Now Hunter needed to figure out if there was a way to release it without touching Christa. He didn’t want to mess with the pretty mom. Didn’t want to give her false hope, but damn, he wasn’t sure he could keep his hands or lips to himself if she ever decided to bestow on him another lingering glance.
***
Christa made it into the ESI breakroom with a few minutes to spare but with very little oxygen in her lungs. Even though Hunter was in another section of the building, she still hadn’t managed to dislodge the heart beating in her throat that was blocking air. Darn thing had leapt there as soon as she entered the garage and spotted a certain sexy, dark-haired, dark-eyed hunk standing with his broad back to her.
The memory of him naked and hot, pressing her against the wall, his gorgeous muscles rippling as he drove into her over and over had immediately flashed through her mind.
How she’d managed to keep her cool and greet everyone while actually getting her legs to walk across the floor instead of letting her fall on her face, Christa would probably never know. But, damn, she was grateful they held her up.
For some reason, she’d never expected it to be so tough, seeing the guy again and pretending like nothing had happened…like he hadn’t taken her to paradise then returned her to a world knocked off its axis.
Even now, her pulse leapt, and heat spread through her body at the memory.
One she couldn’t repeat.
Christa forced her accelerated heart rate to slow and her mind to concentrate on her friends who greeted her as she walked further into the room.
“Mmm…smells like coffee and berries in here,” she said, shrugging out of her coat before draping it on the back of her chair along with her purse.
Stef smiled at her from her seat next to Mel, a glass of orange juice in hand instead of her usual coffee, and in front of her on the table was an open bakery box full of blue and pink iced cupcakes with piped booties on top. “Loni and Lori can’t make it today but look what they sent over. Aren’t they adorable?”
“Yes, they’re too cute.” She automatically reached for a blue one and grinned. “Sorry, kind of partial.”
Abby smiled at little Mindy cooing in her arms. “I did the same thing,” she said, nodding toward the pink cupcake on her plate.
“Then I’m taking one of each because I’m happy either way,” Stef said, placing the cupcakes on a plate.
Mel smirked. “Since I am totally out of this equation, I’m going to go by the fruit that’s supposedly inside and choose the blue for blueberry.”
Yum.
Christa poured herself a coffee from the maker on the counter by the sink then sat down. “I love blueberries.”
“Like Mel, I’m following my tastebuds,” Rylee said, taking the chair next to her. “I love strawberries, so I’m going with the pink one.”
“You can’t go wrong either way,” Stef said, having already taken a bite from each of her cupcakes. “Delicious as expected.”
“Also, can’t go wrong either way with having a boy or girl,” Christa said, smiling at her friend. “I’m so excited for you.”
Abby nodded. “Yeah, being a mom is great,” she said, then yawned. “And tiring. I think Mindy’s teething. She’s waking up during the night lately…and we finally just got her to sleep five hours in a row. Maybe starting daycare next week isn’t such a good idea.” Her friend wiped some drool from her daughter’s chin and the light-haired, blue-eyed baby smiled up at her mom and cooed again.
“She’ll be fine. It’s a lot harder on the mom. Trust me.” She set a hand on Abby’s arm and squeezed. “I’m always close by for moral support so don’t hesitate to text, call, or come see me.”
Christa remembered all too well how tough it was the first time she’d left her son in the care of strangers. Like Abby, she’d had the ability to take her son with her to work until he became more awake and demanding.
“Yeah.” Stef nodded. “I remember it was tough on Christa. My sister and I had to keep her from going back for Dillan that first morning.”
It hadn’t been easy by any means. She removed her hand from Abby and dug into her cupcake, remembering that time as if it were yesterday.
Not only had she had to face separation anxiety, she’d also had the added stress that Jack’s family would somehow take him, which was irrational. She knew this, but it was still something she still dealt with on a daily basis and doubted it would ever go away.
“Thanks, Christa, and everyone. You guys are the best.” Abby’s gaze was overbright as she blinked. “I may need an intervention next week, so be on alert.”
Everyone smiled and nodded and ate in silence for a bit until Mindy let out a loud sigh followed by several farts.
Now they were all laughing.
“Damn.” Smiling, Mel shook her head. “I hope she doesn’t do that around Lex, or he’ll have a field day.”
Rylee chuckled. “Marilyn, too.”
“Surprised they haven’t picked it up by now with all the guys around.” Stef grinned.
Christa, Mel, and Abby laughed while Rylee snickered.
“Oh, Marilyn has a few different ones in her repertoire. Trust me.”
“Lex, too, but he hasn’t used them in a while and I’d like to keep it that way,” Mel said into her coffee.
Rylee nodded. “Not surprised, but I am wondering when we’re going to address the elephant in the room.”
Christa set her cup down and frowned as all eyes turned to her. Heck, even baby Mindy seemed to be staring at her. “What? I don’t have any elephants hidden.”
Just a hot tiger…
But she wasn’t going to rise to the bait.
“Well, you do have a flush on your cheeks, which you arrived with I might add,” Rylee said.
“And you were kind of breathless,” Abby said, wrinkling her nose.
She shrugged. “Because I was late and rushing.”
Mel snorted. “Nah, pretty sure it had to do with passing Hunter on your way through the building. You know, the hot guy you had sex with over the weekend?”
Chapter Ten
Christa’s heart dropped to her stomach. Damn. Her friend was way too astute.
Stef grinned. “Sorry, Christa. Might as well face it. You’re busted. This part goes much easier when you just fess up and get it out in the open and off your chest.”
Rylee sat across from her with a knowing look on her face. “It’s true. Plus, you’ll feel better.”
“Besides, there’s nothing wrong with you and Hunter sleeping together. I think it’s great,” Abby pointed out with a grin.
Great? Yeah, it was definitely that.
She twisted around to make sure no one was in the doorway, then turned back around to find her friends smiling at her again. She sighed. “Fine. Okay, yeah, we had sex. But that’s all it was. A one-time release we both needed, and we agreed there would be no more.”
Rylee’s brows rose. “Was that before or after the sex?”
She frowned. “Before. Why?”
Mel snorted. “Then you’ll be having it again.”
“What?” She reeled back. “No. We won’t. I told you, it was a one and done.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to again?”
“Yeah, was Hunter that bad? I mean, I find that hard to believe, given his hotness.”
“He was great. Amazing, actually. My legs still have the wobble to prove it.” She snickered and her friends smiled.
“Then why does it have to be one time?”
She blinked at her sweet friend. “Because of Dillan. I don’t want him to get used to me having Hunter around and risk the chance that things don’t work out. It’d be bad enough if my heart broke, but I won’t let that happen to my son.”
Abby nodded and sighed. “I understand.”
“What if it could work out, though?”
“I’m just trying to be realistic. Plan for everything, and if there’s a chance my son will suffer then I can’t even start down that road.”
“Who says you have to have a relationship?”
“Exactly,” she said. “You’re forgetting that Hunter only wanted sex. One time. He definitely wouldn’t make a leap to relationship, no matter how great we…combusted.”
“You could just enjoy sex for a while. Hunter doesn’t even have to meet Dillan.
Have sex…
Without meeting Dillan…
Her heart rocked. That actually sounded okay.
“Nothing wrong with some hot male companionship now and then.”
But could she just do rendezvous?
“I-I don’t know.” She toyed with her cup as her mind outraced her pulse. “I mean, I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“Do you think you can keep your heart out of it? Because if you can’t, then forget this conversation.” Mel leaned forward to set her hand on Christa’s arm. “But…if you can, then by all means, give yourself permission to enjoy yourself once in a while. Pretty sure Hunter would be on board with that. The guy does seem to go from wooden to alive when you’re around.”
“Yeah. It’s been rather amazing watching the Hunter I remember from childhood starting to return.”
Rylee nodded. “I agree. He’s been emerging more as he sees Christa. And I don’t think it’s the tattoo.”
“Bingo.” Stef smiled, gaining her attention. “It’s being around you, Christa. You need to face it. The two of you are good together. You need each other, if for nothing more than companionship, friendship… with benefits. Whatever works for you both.”
She blew out a breath and nodded. “You could be right.”
Friendship was good. Safe.
And if there were benefits? That was good too.
“’Bout time, you agree.” Rylee grinned. “So, maybe when he gets back from the job he’s going on today, you two can renegotiate your one-time thing to an occasional thing.”
She blew out another breath and nodded before sipping her coffee. Christa really hadn’t looked forward to side-stepping the chemistry that was obviously still there. Her quick “walk-by” a half hour ago proved it.
“I’ve always said that the laws of attraction out-rule any logic.” Mel cocked her head. “You know we’re behind you no matter what you do, or he does or doesn’t want to do.”
Stef held what remained of her pink cupcake in her hand and warmth in her gaze. “Yeah, you need to be comfortable with the decision. Don’t let us push you into anything.”
“Exactly.” Abby set her now sleeping daughter into her carrier then straightened. “We don’t want you thinking you should confront him if you’re happy to leave things as they are, but…well, Hunter isn’t the only one who’s sort of shown signs of life. You’ve been smiling more and just in a lighter mood since you started to tattoo him.”
Christa set her coffee on the table and sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Her friend wasn’t wrong. She had felt more energized and upbeat since she started to work on Hunter. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
She didn’t believe in them anyway.
“At least you’ll have some time to think about it this week,” Stef said. “Hunter is leaving for Dallas with Mac and Dean in a few hours and won’t be back until Thursday.”
That was something Christa had already known and pretty much the reason they were having this conversation. Because of him having to reschedule his session, and her actually at the parlor and both free to ink and…ending up hot and heavy and magnificent against the wall in her booth.
Heat whispered through her veins at the memory. And now that her friends had planted some great food for thought in Christa’s brain, she acknowledged there was the possibility of more heat in her future.
But never at her house. She didn’t want Hunter and Dillan to meet. That had managed to somehow not happen yet, even though her son had been around the ESI guys a few times. Christa had the feeling Hunter had seen to it himself. Her heart squeezed even though she knew it wasn’t just her son he seemed to avoid. It was all children.
Which sent up red flags in her head, but she immediately dismissed them. They didn’t matter because she wasn’t looking for a relationship with the guy.
But the friendship and occasional thing? Sort of like booty calls?
Heat returned to flood her veins and memories of his hot mouth scorching her body, his talented hands driving her wild, and his incredible thrusting and stroking and the way he’d taken her out of herself and transported her to a paradise she never knew existed.
Yeah…she blew out a slow breath. More of that worked for her. She was definitely warming up to the idea, although all the contemplating could be a waste of time.
Just because the attraction was still there didn’t mean Hunter would want to act on it again. It was something she was willing to let time tell…and Hunter decide.
***
The weekend came and went, and Hunter was proud of himself for not giving in to his urge to seek Christa out to assuage his deep-seated need to lose himself inside her sweet warmth again. He had no right or claim, so he’d thrown himself into work and exercising horses and even a few beers with the guys last night.
But now Monday was half over, and that damn need rushed through him at the sight of the woman walking into the back of the bakery after Lori answered the knock and opened the door to let her in. Hunter sat at a table in the corner of the kitchen with Dean and RJ, enjoying an afternoon pick-me-up.
The fragrance of fresh apples wafted over to him and he marveled at how he could detect Christa’s scent over the delicious aromas of all the baked goods in the building.
An afternoon pick-me-up of an entirely different kind flashed through his mind.
He blew out a breath before drinking his iced tea.
Can’t happen.
Somehow, when the woman had scratched through his surface and unleashed some of his humanity, she’d seeped in.
Dammit.
He was messed up. Needed to get his head on straight, confront and work through all the shit he’d done the past few years. There was no room for her.
“She can help.”
Hunter wasn’t sure if he’d heard that in his head or if it was one of his buddies until he glanced at them and noted two serious gazes full of understanding and knowing.
He kept his features blank, pretending not to hear and damned glad the women had whisked Christa away to one of the long stainless-steel tables on the other side of the room.
“Good try,” Dean said. “But it won’t work.”
RJ chuckled. “Yeah, we’ve been in your shoes and recognize the denial and self-preservation in your silence.”
Dean bit into his second cinnamon bun and nodded.
Hunter ate his bear claw with only a shrug as a response.
As far as he was concerned, the subject of Christa wasn’t up for discussion. It had closed when he’d left the parlor the Saturday before last.
It had to. He needed to do the right thing by her.
Which was to leave her alone.
“Pretty sure I know what’s going on in your head,” Dean said. “And you’re probably as wrong as I was in thinking that staying away was the right thing for her. Loni had seen it an entirely different way.”
Hunter understood what his buddy was saying but his circumstance was different. Dean had apparently originally planned to leave Harland County when he’d gotten involved with Loni. Not the case with him and Christa. The issue wasn’t because he might be leaving, it was because he was staying and didn’t want people to talk behind the single mother’s back. Didn’t want it to ruin her reputation.
Because all he could offer her was occasional sex, and he doubted that was how Christa saw it.
“Talk to her,” RJ said.
“Do not assume anything. Women hate that and we usually end up finding out that we had things wrong. So, whatever it is you think she wants…don’t. Ask her and see if it fits into what you want, then go from there.”
Before he had a chance to reply, Dean waved Christa over.
Asshole.
“Hey, Christa,” the idiot said. “How’s Dillan’s arm?”
RJ nodded. “We heard he broke it.”
Broke?
Damn.
Hunter’s heart actually squeezed.
But considering the rare appearance of compassion appeared at the little boy’s expense, he didn’t celebrate.
Christa sighed, her skin a little pale and tight with exhaustion. “Yeah. Three days ago. Luckily, it was a clean break.”
“How’d it happen? Tree?” RJ asked.
She shook her head, remorse clouding her gaze. “No. He was playing superhero and jumped off our coffee table before I could stop him. The table wasn’t very high, but he landed on it just right…or wrong, I guess.”
“That’s all it takes,” Hunter said.
Applying pressure to the right area did that too, but his prior training wasn’t something he cared to bring up.
She nodded.
“Bet he’s comes home with a cast full of signatures today,” Dean said gently.
Again, she nodded, this time with a little more light in her eyes. “Yes. He already garnered a few at the shelter yesterday. I wanted to keep him home, but he insisted the animals needed his help, so I wasn’t about to discourage his compassion.” She sniffed, wrapping her arms around herself. “He’s a great kid.”
Ah, hell.
The urge to reach out and grab her hand rushed through him, so he gripped the edge of his chair instead.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m managing. Thanks.” She smiled at him, but her brown eyes were overbright as she blinked in an attempt to remain strong.
It gutted him…another feeling unveiled.
Swallowing a curse, Hunter was on his feet, ushering her into the nearby storage room, wondering, not for the first time, where the hell the kid’s father was and why the sweet woman had to handle everything on her own.
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