by Nicki Night
“You think she’ll have a problem with you staying another night?”
“Hope not.” Hunter looked up again to ensure that she hadn’t made an appearance.
“So are you going to get her number?”
“Probably not. I don’t do the long-distance thing.”
“Where does she live?”
Hunter thought for a moment. “Actually, I don’t know. Never asked.” Hunter pondered the fact that with all the time they’d spent together in the past two days, there was still much he didn’t know about her.
“Keep me posted and let me know if you need a ride from the airport tomorrow.”
“What’s up at the office?”
“Worry about that when you get back. I’ve got everything covered. I need to get to work. Talk to you later.”
Hunter ended the call, retreated to his room and changed into something comfortable enough to exercise in. He needed to work through the pent-up tension in his muscles. Partly from his horrible travel ordeal and partly from the fact that he wanted to touch Chey in sacred places so bad that his muscles ached—very specific muscles.
Trying to stay quiet, Hunter took to the floor in front of the fireplace and cranked out a couple of push-ups, sit-ups, planks and mountain climbers. Then he took to the sturdy coffee table for a few triceps dips. As he reached his last set, Chey came out of her room looking ripe with natural beauty.
Her eyes stretched at the bulging in his arms and Hunter added another set of ten dips for good measure.
“Morning, Hunter.”
He could see through his peripheral vision that Chey had been staring at him. “Oh.” Grunt. “Hey.” He acted as if he’d just noticed her. Jumping up, Hunter wiped the sweat from his hands down the front of his basketball shorts and stretched his arms.
“Looks like you’ve been up for a while.” Chey made her way to the kitchen. “Have you eaten?”
Feeling pumped, Hunter took off his shirt and wiped the sweat from his head and neck.
The move wasn’t necessary, but it did serve his purpose. He hadn’t missed the way Chey’s brows slightly lifted.
“Nah. I usually don’t eat before working out.”
“Oh.” Chey put the coffeepot on and yawned.
“I’ll run and get something for us from the café.”
“I’ll walk over with you. I could use the change of scenery.” Silence descended on the room once again.
Chey was distant this morning. The day before, silence hadn’t stood a chance. Hunter watched as she moved around the kitchen cautiously. He decided to give her some space. He went into his room to shower.
When he got back, Chey was sitting on the couch tuned into the morning news.
“The roads are still closed! Can you believe this?” She spoke to him but kept her eye on the news reporter. “Have you spoken to the airline?” She turned to him with concern etched in the lines of her face.
Hunter threw his hand up. “Flights are starting to go out, but they couldn’t confirm me on anything before tomorrow afternoon.” Flopping on the couch, he continued, “If I could get to the airport, I could try to get on the list for standby, but they said that wasn’t guaranteed and with the amount of people that are trying to get out, it would probably be a waste of time.”
“I just heard on the news that there are trees down all along the roads. Crews are working on cleaning them up now, but that will take hours, maybe even days. You must be so annoyed.”
“Yeah.” Not really.
“You can certainly stay another night if need be.”
“I appreciate that.”
Chey got up and headed for the landline. “I wonder if I can get my lesson today. You can join me,” she said over her shoulder.
“I already called.” Chey stopped walking. Her shoulders slumped. “Yeah,” Hunter continued, confident that she already knew what he was about to say. “That’s a no-go once again.”
“Ugh!” She practically stomped back to the couch, her inner child clearly getting the best of her. “I’ll never learn to ski.” She picked up the remote and cranked up the volume. I guess you’re stuck with me for another day, although I should try to get some work done on that book.”
“I can take care of myself. Do what you have to do.”
The coffeemaker gurgled and sent a rich aroma through the villa. Chey got up and poured two cups without hesitating, handing one to Hunter as if it were a familiar dance that she’d done for years.
Hunter took the cup and sipped, grimaced from the heat and said, “Thanks.”
“Let’s get breakfast and after that, I can come back and work on my book. You can go through my movies or check out Netflix and see if there’s anything you want to watch. I feel so bad that you’ve been stranded for so long.”
Chey and Hunter bundled up in order to brave the cold for the short walk to the restaurant in the main reception area. What they saw when they walked outside stopped them both. In unison, they gasped, their mouths hanging agape. This storm was much worse than they’d realized. Several of the resort’s towering trees were now stretched across the grounds just yards from their door. Some leaned as if they were still deciding whether or not to fall. One tree had even broken through the roof of one of the nearby villas. Debris tumbled across the walkway, being shoved by the still-strong winds. Snow from rooftops flew horizontally, causing them to shield their faces.
Inside the lobby, people were pacing, talking on cell phones, raising their voices at the front-desk clerks, whose irritation now hid behind thin veils of patience. Kids cried. Parents sighed and bounced babies in their arms. Hunter and Chey silently maneuvered through the crowd, in awe of the scene unfolding around them. Hunter looked down and didn’t remember when he had taken Chey’s hand in his. At the restaurant, their thirty-minute wait expanded into a fifty-minute one. Thankful they weren’t dealing with as much obvious frustration as some of their fellow guests, they exercised the utmost patience with every resort employee they encountered.
Breakfast was consumed mostly in silence, save a few brief inquiries by their waitress and some forced small talk between the two of them. That same silence dominated their walk back to the villa.
Once inside, Chey shook her head. “Wow! I had no idea.”
“Neither did I.” Hunter took a seat on the stool near the counter that divided the kitchen from the main space.
Chey walked toward the picture window centered in the back wall. Folding her arms across her chest, she shook her head. “Wow! Looks can truly be deceiving. I mean look at this view. It’s so beautiful,” she sighed. “Peaceful. I never would have guessed all this mayhem lay in wait right outside the front door!”
Chey walked back over and sat on a stool next to Hunter. “I have been looking forward to this vacation for months. I couldn’t wait to go skiing and snowboarding and take the shuttle into town to eat and do some souvenir shopping for my family and then write by the fire. I really hope this gets better before it’s all over.”
“I’m sorry things aren’t going the way you expected.”
Chey clucked her tongue. “No. I’m sorry. Here I am complaining and you’ve been trying to get home for the past two days. There’s still hope for me.” Chey sucked in a lungful of air and blew it out. She turned to face Hunter. “How was your trip before—” she waved her hand around “—all of this?”
“My frat brothers and I did all those things that you’re looking forward to doing. We hung out in town, rented snowmobiles, skied. We’re pretty adventurous.”
“That sounds like fun. I guess I’ll have to live my vacation vicariously through you. Tell me more.”
Hunter obliged her curiosity, sharing stories about their adventures, as well as ones he’d engaged in with his brothers. He was happy to put a smile on her face. Since she had opened up a little, he d
ecided to ask her a few questions.
“So why are you here alone?”
“Whoa! That was subtle,” Chey teased and raised her brows.
“A beautiful woman like you?” Hunter relished in the reddish hue that warmed her cheeks, brought on by his compliment. “Why travel alone?”
“This is part celebration, part test.”
“What are you testing?”
“My ability to live life on my own...and on my own terms.”
“Bad breakup?”
“Kind of.” Chey turned away.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Not really.” Chey paused. “Let’s just say our expectations weren’t lining up.”
Hunter took a slight turn in his line of questioning in order to keep her talking.
“So where are you from?”
“A small town several miles outside Woodbridge, Virginia.”
“I have a cousin in Woodbridge. I grew up in a big city. I always wondered if I could do small-town living.”
“And I often wondered what it would be like to live in a big city. It always seemed so intriguing.”
“Any brothers or sisters?”
“One sister.” Chey didn’t look at him as she answered. He could tell she didn’t want to reveal too much, but he was eager to know more about her.
“What do you do?”
“Right now I’m a student—again.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. I took some time off to help my parents out. They have a great little shop in our area. We try to bring our small-towners a few big-city options. Now that the store is doing better, I’ve decided to go back and finish school.”
“What do you sell?”
“Mainly clothes and accessories, but it’s kind of like a variety store. My mom crochets and we get a decent amount of orders during the holidays or when someone has a baby. We also sell some of my dad’s favorite cigars, as well as scented candles, fragrances and a few home-decor items.
“Cool! What are you studying in school?”
“Chemistry.”
Hunter stretched his eyes. “Wow. So you’re pretty smart,” he chuckled.
“Silly!” Chey laughed. “I guess I am.” She wiggled proudly.
“Hey, how about we watch another movie? I have more popcorn.” Chey stretched her eyes as if she were giving him the offer of the century.
Hunter took the hint. She was done talking. “Sounds good. As long as you don’t fall asleep on me again.” Hunter’s core almost responded to the memory of her sleeping in his lap.
“I guess I wasn’t very good company last night.” Chey stood from the stool. “Speaking of which, I don’t even remember going to my room and getting in bed,” she laughed. “When I got up this morning, I wondered how I got there. You would have thought I was drinking.” She seemed tickled by her words.
“I carried you.”
“Huh?” Chey inclined her ear toward Hunter, still chuckling. “What did you say?”
“I said...” Hunter’s purposeful pause was designed to make sure that she heard him “...I carried you.”
Chapter 10
Saved by the ring! “Excuse me.” Relief shrouded Chey as she reached for her cell phone and shot off to her room to speak in private. Her insides had warmed when he said that he’d carried her to the room.
“Girl! Your timing couldn’t have been better,” she told her sister, Deanna, the second she answered.
“What happened?”
“Remember the sexy...” Chey peeked toward the door to make sure Hunter was out of earshot “...stranger I told you about?”
“Yes, crazy. The one you let stay in the villa with you. I still have the picture of him in my phone from when you texted me the other day. If your behind came up missing, I was going to send that sucker to ABC News! Shoot! I must admit, he was handsome as hell. Does he know you took that picture?”
“Heck, no! The flash was off and I acted as if I was checking my hair. I actually took several pictures. The one I sent to you was one of the best.” Chey thought for a moment. “You didn’t tell Mom and Dad, did you?” Chey felt her heart race a bit at the thought. Prone to worry, her mother would have a fit if she knew Chey allowed a stranger to sleep in her villa and she was traveling alone. “I didn’t mention it when I spoke to her and I don’t want you to either.”
“I didn’t say a word. Get back to what happened.”
Chey told her about how much she enjoyed their time together the day before and how he’d just told her that he’d carried her to bed last night. She also filled her in on all the mayhem the storm had caused and the fact that she still hadn’t done any skiing.
“Wow. Every time I speak with you, there’s a new adventure. I don’t need reality TV anymore. When I need a little dose of crazy or some ‘you won’t believe this’ to heighten my day, I’m going to call you from now on.”
“Hush it, silly. Anyway. He’s staying another night.”
“Hmm. Are you sure about that?”
“He’s been here for the last two nights. What’s going to happen tonight?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to wait for the report tomorrow.”
“Anyway!” Chey chided her sister. “I’m hoping to finally get on the slopes tomorrow.” Chey changed the subject and they chatted about her upcoming visit home during spring break. When they were finished, Chey called and spoke with her parents while gathering the other movies she’d promised to get from her carry-on bag. She’d kept Hunter’s presence a secret from them. Chey couldn’t possibly tell them she was sharing her villa with a strange man.
Purposely, Chey left all of the romantic comedies behind and brought only the action flicks out for their enjoyment. She didn’t want Hunter getting any ideas, even though she’d already imagined what it would be like to kick caution to the curb and become intimate with him. If he made a move, would she resist? Hmm. From the way he looked at her, she knew he wanted her as much as she would have liked to try him out. The sexual tension crackled louder than the logs in the fireplace. She had already imagined what it would be like to feel his lush lips on hers. She was borderline upset about the fact that he’d carried her in his strong arms and she didn’t even remember. She’d never be able to reminisce about what it felt like to be in his arms. What a waste!
Chey shook those thoughts from her head and went back into the living room. She stepped slowly and quietly when she realized that he was on the phone. Laying the movies out on the coffee table, she waited patiently for him to finish. Based on the professional tone of his voice, she assumed the call was about business.
“Hey!” Hunter placed his hand on her shoulder.
Chey jumped. She had been so engrossed in going through the movie selections that she hadn’t heard him approach. His touch startled and excited her.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just letting you know I was off the phone.” Hunter rounded the couch and sat. Leaning forward, he scanned the movies. “Now, what are our choices?”
“You pick this time.” Chey spread the movies farther apart so that titles would show clearly.
“Whoa! You have the first Iron Man?” Hunter beamed. “That’s one of my favorite movies.”
“Me too! Let’s watch it. You do the honors—” Chey handed him the DVD “—while I pop the popcorn.”
Together they stood and proceeded to fulfill their designated duties.
“I actually have all of the Iron Man movies. I thought I brought them with me, but it seems I only have that one.” Chey unfolded the bag of popcorn and placed it in the microwave and then leaned on the counter waiting for it to pop.
“I haven’t met many women who enjoy these kinds of movies.”
“You’ve never met me.” She was t
esting this flirting thing out and decided she enjoyed it.
Hunter stopped what he was doing and cast a smoldering gaze with one brow raised. “I know you now.” The timbre of his voice had fallen a few octaves. The bellow tickled her core.
“Well, there’s a lot you still don’t know,” she teased.
“And we can fix that.”
Either the room got warmer or someone had set a match inside her belly. The microwave dinged, saving her from trying to think of a comeback. Hunter winked and turned his attention back to the DVD.
Chey poured the popcorn in a bowl and joined Hunter on the couch. Halfway into the movie they heard a loud crack, a pop and then a substantial boom. The TV fizzled and went black. The time on the DVD player flashed and then disappeared. Both of them sat straight up.
“Oh my goodness! What was that?” Chey didn’t realize the grip she had on Hunter’s arm until he tried to pry himself free to go and explore the issue.
Chey let go, hoping she hadn’t broken any skin with her nails. Picking up the remote, she randomly pushed buttons in an attempt to get the TV to come back on. Then she stood, went to the TV and hit the power button several times. Nothing happened. Once again Hunter threw on his coat and went outside to assess the situation. Chey could hear him talking to someone but couldn’t make out what he was saying.
She ran to her room, got her coat and met Hunter outside. He was talking with a neighbor from a nearby villa who was apparently just as clueless as he was. People were coming out of their rooms with puzzled looks that matched hers and Hunter’s.
“I’m going to reception to find out what’s happening. Go back inside and I’ll be right back.” Protectively, he covered her hand with his before trotting off.
Inwardly, she smiled. She liked Hunter’s protective nature.
Chey stayed outside chatting with another guest for a few moments before heading back inside. Walking around the villa, she checked to see if there was power in any of the rooms. She found none. Chey collapsed on the couch, moaned and fell over, pressing the side of her face in the cushions.
“What else could go wrong?” Immediately, she sat up. “I didn’t mean that!” She looked toward the ceiling, knowing that was the worst question one could ask in a crisis.