The Stolen Heart (Contemporary Romance)

by Emily Walters

  She was afraid that he might not want her like she wanted him and she didn’t want to appear too eager.

  “Alright. I will take a shower upstairs.” He set down his tools and went out to his truck.

  Ashley tried to fight her urge to jump his bones right then and there. He was so gorgeous and sexy. His body was magnificent and every time she looked at him it got harder to not reach for his skin or go to his lips. Not only was he handsome but he was also kindhearted and respectful. That only added to his appeal.

  “I won’t be long,” he said when he got back inside with his clothes and headed upstairs to take a shower in her bathroom. “If you need me just yell.”

  He jogged up the stairs, his backside just as beautiful as the front. Ashley waited at the bottom of the steps and heard the water start. She wanted to move but she couldn’t. All she could think about was him naked up there with the water running over his muscles. Without thinking about it any longer, she went up the steps and towards the bedroom. Each day she had watched Hunter and fought the urge to touch him. Now, she could not wait another second, she was going to find out just how sweet his lips would taste.

  It was so unlike her to be forward and make the first move, but she had a couple life-changing events recently and she was learning that life is too short to not seize the moment and take risk. Knowing that she would be changing her own life, no matter how he reacted, Ashley opened the bathroom door and saw Hunter’s blurred body through the shower’s sliding glass door.

  “Ashley, is that you?” Nothing in this old house was quiet and he had heard the wooden door creak as she opened it.

  “Yes, it’s me.” Her voice was suddenly seductive and surprising to even herself.

  “Is everything alright?” Hunter peeked his head out from the shower.

  “Everything is just right.” She dropped her robe and stood there naked in front of him.

  His blue eyes looked over her in shock but widened with excitement. He slid the glass shower door open and she was now staring at his naked body with her own wide eyes. Every inch of him was impressive and glorious. His chest was broad and his shoulders strong. The tanned skin was smooth and toned and his abs were ripped like an athlete.

  Without saying another word she went to him and he rushed to her. He picked her up in his arms and kissed her, his lips wet and delicious, just as she had imagined since the first moment she saw him. As their lips stayed together, he carried her from the bathroom to her bed and laid her down gently. His hands explored her body frantically as though he had been waiting as impatiently to touch her as she had been to feel his skin beneath her own hands. The warmth and sensation she felt from him was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She was ignited and the flame inside was burning only for him. As they made love for the first time she felt herself falling for more than his body, but also his heart. And as they finished in each other’s arms she stared into his eyes and saw so much more than his past, she saw a future, and it included her.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning meant something new for Ashley. She woke up next to Hunter and instead of being scared she was excited. Her life had been so different since her grandma passed and she had lost her zest for life in these past months. Now, she could feel it again. The sunlight brought a new journey and promise of adventure to her day. She started to get out of bed, but Hunter rolled over and put his arm around her waist.

  “Where are you going, beautiful?” he asked as he pulled her close into him. “I thought your shop is closed today?”

  “It is, but I thought maybe I should make you breakfast.” She loved the way his lips tickled her skin as he brushed them across her bare shoulder.

  “Nonsense. Stay in bed with me.” He kissed the back of her neck softy. “Breakfast can wait.”

  “Maybe you are right.” She turned to face him and take in his gorgeous face in the early sunlight.

  His lips found hers and she felt her stomach flutter with a collision of emotions; arousal, excitement, hope. This man was something special and her heart knew it from the moment she first met him. Just as their bodies were tangled up perfectly together, a loud knock came on the door.

  “Leave it,” he whispered into her ear.

  “I can’t.” She sighed. “It could be important. I will hurry.”

  Ashley threw her robe on and went down the stairs to see who was knocking on the door. When she peeked out of the window she saw that it was Henry.

  “Hey. What are you doing here?” she asked as she opened the door.

  “I just wanted to stop by and check on you.” He held up a coffee for her. “I also wanted to apologize for being a bit rude yesterday.”

  “A bit?” She smirked at him as she took the coffee from her friend. “You don’t have to apologize to me. I know you are just looking out for me. I am also used to you being an idiot.”

  They both smiled awkwardly at each other for a moment. Hunter came walking down the stairs behind her.

  “Who is that?” Henry looked around her to see who was walking through her house. “Is that Hunter? Did he stay here?”

  Henry pushed the door open all the way to reveal Hunter standing there wearing nothing but jeans, no shoes and no shirt.

  “Hey,” Hunter said to Ashley. “I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay down here.”

  “Why would it not be?” Henry was angry again and his eyes were zoned in on Hunter. “You are the one that she should be careful around.”

  “Henry!” Ashley scolded him.

  “I would never harm her,” Hunter told him. “I know that you are her friend and trying to protect her, but I am not the one you need to protect her from.”

  “Really? And your prison record is evidence of that? You are a criminal and frankly I wonder what you are really after.” Henry stepped towards Hunter but Ashley put her arm against his chest to intervene.

  “Stop it. You are acting ridiculous,” she told Henry but the two men continued to argue.

  “She knows about my prison stay. That is my past. That is not who I am today.” Hunter stepped towards Henry. “You are a cop so I don’t expect you to see me as anything more than a criminal, but my intentions with Ashley are only good. I care about her. I would die to protect her.”

  “Yeah, right, I don’t believe that for one second.” Henry rolled his eyes like an immature teenager fighting with a parent over a curfew. “You are up to no good, I can feel it.”

  “That is enough.” Ashley was tired of the two men puffing their chests out. “Hunter, go in the kitchen and wait for me there. Henry, outside on the porch, now.”

  She was surprised that both men listened to her and separated quickly. The morning breeze was cool and she felt her legs shiver as she walked across her porch and leaned against the rail. Henry followed quietly but she was sure his silence would not last long. He stared out from the porch for a moment and looked into the blue sky. Birds were singing cheerfully and it almost seemed like a happy setting until he spoke again.

  “Are you sleeping with him?” His words were cold and sharp, like the large icicles that hung from her porch each winter.

  “You don’t get to ask me that.” She was through with his jealousy.

  “So you are.” He shook his head. “You are sleeping with that felon. That menace.”

  “Stop. Just stop talking about him like that. Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

  “Oh, don’t act so naïve, Ashley. Like you never knew how I feel for you.” His eyes caught hers and she was forced to admit to herself what she had been denying for years. “You know I love you. I have always loved you. Each day I go without being with you is torture. Everything I do for you is in hopes that you will someday realize how much I love you. You are everything to me, Ashley, and you go and choose to be with someone like him? Why? Why him and not me?”

  “Henry.” Her voice was but a whisper. She reached for his arm but he pulled away.

  “Don’t bother.
Just forget I even said anything.” He turned away and left her porch quickly.

  “Henry, wait!” She called out to him but he kept walking and got into his car.

  There was no point in her chasing him, she didn’t have the words to say that he wanted to hear. As he drove away from her she let a tear fall from her eyes. She had never let herself acknowledge how he felt about her because if she did it would change their relationship. Now, nothing would ever be the same. He could never take back those words, and she could never return them truthfully to him.

  Chapter 8

  It had been five days since Henry left brokenhearted from Ashley’s house. She tried to forget about the words he had said, but they only replayed louder in her mind as she attempted to erase them. Why did he have to say them out loud? He knew what would happen if he did. That is why he never said them before now. But now that she had a new man in her life he felt threatened and said something they would both have to live with forever. Henry was in love with her, and she was not in love with him. It broke her heart to think about it. Some things are better left unsaid and this was a prime example. Their friendship had always been an important part of her life. He was an important part of her life, and now he would not answer her phone calls or text. She even went to his house with cupcakes but he didn’t come to the door. When she dropped them off at his parents’ house they told her that he had been working extra lately to pour himself into the case and he thought he was closer to finding the suspects.

  Ashley had been busy herself at the shop and with Hunter. Her evenings used to consist of coming home to a frozen dinner and reruns on the television. Now she was excited to come home to a new remodeling project with Hunter or to find something fun to get into with him. They were growing really close and making love everywhere around the house. She loved the way he held her tight at night and talked gently to her. His chest would rumble behind her as he spoke. He had slept in her bed every night since the first time and waking up next to him each morning was breathtaking. Sometimes she felt she had known him forever.

  “Okay, so we need new paint brushes and tape. Anything else?” Hunter asked as they stood in her living room looking at the large walls they were going to paint next.

  “No, I think that is all.” She kissed his cheek as he prepared to head to the hardware store.

  “If you keep kissing me and looking at me like that I will never make it to the store.” He winked at her and kissed her one more time. “I will hurry.”

  “You better.” She smiled and locked the door behind him after he left.

  She had never felt like this about someone and it was a wonderful feeling. It was promising and gave her hope for the future. He was giving her a reason to smile each day and he seemed to feel the same way about her. When she was with him she felt careless and free, as though she could do anything because he was there to believe in her and protect her if she failed.

  A sudden knock on her door made her jump. Hunter must have forgotten something. Smiling, she opened the door quickly to tease him for forgetting, but instead she saw a strange man standing in front of her. Hunter’s new dog, Sadie, barked at the door from beside her.

  “Hello,” he said. His black hair was straight and came down just past his ears. His eyes were dark brown and he was smiling friendly at her.

  “Oh, hi. Can I help you?” She was kicking herself in the butt mentally for not peeping out of the window first before opening the door.

  “Yes, I am actually looking for my friend Hunter. He gave me this address,” the stranger told her.

  “You are a friend of Hunter’s?” She looked him over. He was not a bad-looking guy, with a rough but handsome face, he might have actually been handsome if her heart was not elsewhere. Sadie pushed against her leg to see the person outside, but Ashley held her leg in place to block the dog from escaping.

  “Yep. My name is Gavin.” He reached his hand out to her and she almost feared shaking it, but she told herself it was time to stop being so paranoid and it would be rude to ignore his handshake, so she went ahead and let him shake hers. Sadie finally broke through the door but Gavin reached down and stopped her from getting past him. The dog didn’t really want to go any farther anyway, she was only interested in the man standing in front of them. Gavin got down on one knee and petted the dog, who was wagging her tail and licking his face. “Well, hello, puppy dog.”

  “Her name is Sadie and I am Ashley. Hunter is not here right now. He ran to the store. Do you want me to have him call you when he gets back?” she asked. “He shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Well, that sucks. I actually got dropped off here by a co-worker since we were on a job site not too far from here. I figured I would stop by and hang out with Hunter and have him take me back home later.” He shook his head. “I should have called him first but my phone died. I am sorry. I did not mean to intrude or interrupt you. I will just walk to town and call a friend for a ride.”

  “You don’t have to leave. You can wait on the porch for him if you’d like.” She smiled.

  “Sure, that would be great.” He walked away from her doorway and sat in the rocking chair.

  Ashley closed the door and left him alone on the porch, but as she begin to walk to her kitchen she stopped herself and turned back around. This was rude, her grandma had raised her with manners and taught her to treat guests better. This man was Hunter’s friend and she could not just leave him in the hot sun on her front porch to wait for him to get back. Correcting her bad etiquette, she went back and opened the door to invite him inside.

  “Gavin,” she called to him. “Come on in and wait for Hunter inside.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked as he stood up and walked to her.

  “Yeah, come on in. You must be hot after working in this heat. I will get you a sweet tea and a sandwich.”

  “You are too kind,” he said as he followed her into the house. “This is a lovely home you have here. So much charm and character.”

  “Thank you. It was my grandparents’. Hunter is helping me restore it and add to the character and charm.”

  “Is he?” Gavin entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. His dark eyes looked around the room. “Hunter has always been helpful. He has an eye for scoping a room and knowing exactly what to do with it.”

  Ashley poured him a drink and sat in front of him.

  “Do you work on homes too?” she asked as she got the lunch meat from her fridge and started making the guest a sandwich. Sadie sat at her feet hoping to catch a dropped piece of meat. Hunter spoiled the dog so she was now begging anytime someone ate or even walked towards the kitchen.

  “No, I usually work on commercial building instead of residential, but I will take any cash I can get.” He took a drink of his tea. “That is good sweet tea.”

  “Thank you. My grandmother taught me a few tricks with everything in life, but she always said that the best homes run on love, laughter, and sweet tea.” She set the sandwich down in front of him and then took a seat in the chair across the table.

  “Your grandmother sounds like a smart woman.” He ate his sandwich.

  “She was. So, how do you know Hunter?” she asked as she watched him eat. “Did you grow up together?”

  “We met when we were teenagers but we haven’t hung out in a while. We used to have good times together. He was my best friend. I am just hoping that we can be good friends again now that his life is going well.” He locked eyes with her and she wondered if he meant when Hunter had gone away to prison. “How did you meet Hunter?”

  “Me?” Ashley took a deep breath as thought about the robbery and her first encounter with him. It was hardly the story she wanted to tell at the moment. Instead she kept it simple. “We met at the bank. We caught each other’s eyes.”

  “He must have made quite the impression on a pretty girl like you.”

  “I guess you could say that.” She wiggled in her chair as she thought about the way they met. “He made me feel saf
e.”

  “Safe?” He raised his eyebrows and gave a half smile. “He has always been protective. Once we were in a bar and he guy bumped into our friend. Hunter didn’t appreciate it and demanded the guy apologize but when he refused Hunter smashed his face onto the bar counter until the guy said he was sorry. Yeah, he always kept those close to him safe.”

  Ashley looked at the man puzzled. He suddenly didn’t seem so friendly but instead sneaky. Why was he telling her that story? Gavin smiled, but there was something sinister in the grin, as though he was hiding something behind his lips. She wasn’t sure whether she was just being paranoid again or if her instincts were right when sending alarms to her senses. Either way, she was regretting letting him inside and not leaving him on the porch.

  “What are you doing here?” Hunter came barging into the kitchen and stared at Gavin as though he were an enemy not a friend.