by Stasia Black
But Jesus, last night had been about more than just the sex. Sure, it had started out that way. At the bar, he hadn’t been thinking beyond the moment and the urge to have a woman again. That on its own had been a novel and refreshing impulse after a year of feeling pretty dead as a man, apart from the occasional mindless stress relief session with his hand in the shower.
But then she’d come so alive under his touch. She was so responsive. And then he couldn’t bear for it to be like it had been with Janine—impersonal sessions where they’d just used each other until it was only the pretense of a connection between them.
No, he’d wanted Isobel to see him. To really see him. To know who it was she was having sex with.
When he and Janine had been going through their roughest patch yet, Hunter had researched techniques and ways to make the one thing that seemed to be still working for them—sex—more meaningful.
He read books and learned everything he could. But then when he’d approached Janine about trying out some of what he’d learned, she’d taken it as an insult. She thought he was implying she was bad in bed and who was he to think he could teach her anything and—
The whole thing had been a disaster. It blew up into a huge fight. That was when she’d started sleeping on the couch after sex. Using it as a weapon and never talking to him when all he’d been trying to do in the first place was just open the lines of communication. But she just wouldn’t—
He breathed out heavily, stopping his thoughts in their tracks. Going over and over all the things that had been broken in his relationship with Janine wouldn’t do anyone any good.
But then last night, when he’d tried out some of the same techniques with Isobel, she’d been so open to it. In some traditions, you used sex as a way to worship God.
The other person became your church. If you opened yourself up to them, you could connect in a way so much deeper than just at the physical level. Both to the other person and to the divine.
And it had worked. Isobel had felt it too, even if she didn’t know why he was doing everything he was doing. He could see it on her face—he watched barrier after barrier come down until she’d bared herself to him. While he was hard, deep inside her.
It was one of the most raw, intense, and spiritual moments of his life.
And then they’d just let loose—no holds barred. They’d fucked like animals. Or at least like two people with no inhibitions, who were truly naked and vulnerable to each other. He’d always heard the phrase ‘two become one’ but had never felt it so deeply until that moment. Not even with his wife. And with this virtual stranger. He knew he’d feel guilty about it later but in that second he hadn’t cared.
When he came inside her that first time, her body squeezed around him like a vice and his seed had shot from him like a geyser. Goddammit, he’d almost passed out or touched heaven or some kind of crazy shit because he’d never come so fucking hard in his entire life.
“Hunter,” Mel called, jerking his thoughts back from last night—just in time too because his jeans were starting to get tight and that was the last thing he needed in front of his best friend’s pregnant wife. “Good to see you.” She leaned in for a hug.
“You too, Mel.” He could barely get his arms around her with her giant stomach between them.
“Whoa.” He looked down. “I think I felt junior there knee me in the ribs. I don’t think he likes anyone but Xavier near Mom. Is it going to be another boy?”
Melanie’s hands went to her stomach even as her eyes looked heavenward. “Only if God hates me. And you don’t, do you, God? Please not another ten pounder?”
“You guys didn’t want to find out ahead of time?” Hunter asked, doing everything in his power to focus on Mel and not look behind her to see where Isobel was. Would she come out and talk to him? Or did she want to avoid him for some reason? Had last night not affected her like it did him?
Christ, listen to him. Carrying on like he was a school girl biting her nails while a note was passed to the boy she liked, does he like me, check yes or no. He shook his head at himself.
“Oh we tried, are you kidding?” Mel said. “I hate surprises. But the kid got all shy when we did the ultrasound so the ultrasound tech couldn’t tell.”
Oh right. The baby. Hunter forgot what he’d asked her for a second.
Mel shook her head. “I’ve never been religious but I’ve taken to saying hail Marys every night that it’s going to be a six-pound girl.” She patted her belly. “You hear that, Penelope? You’re going to be a petite little baby girl for mommy, aren’t you?”
Then Mel looked sharply up at Hunter. “Of course if it’s a boy, his name will be Peter, and we never had this conversation.” She arched an eyebrow in warning and Hunter held his hands up.
“Conversation? What conversation?”
Mel patted him on the shoulder. “Good. Oh,” she looked over her shoulder and Hunter finally permitted himself to look too. And there was Isobel. She’d changed into a little cotton dress that hugged her curves and perfectly showcased her round breasts and shapely hips. Her dark hair flew all around her in the wind. One of their sessions last night had been in the shower and he’d luxuriated in burying his hands in all that hair while he shampooed it. And then held fistfuls of it when she dropped to her knees and swallowed him deep—
“I’m being so rude,” Mel laughed. “I forgot why I ran out here in the first place. Hunter, this is Isobel, from New York.”
“New York?” Hunter echoed. And it was like a bucket of ice water was just dumped on his head. Isobel said she was from New Hampshire, he was certain. A small town in New Hampshire. She sure as hell hadn’t mentioned New York.
“And this is Hunter Dawkins.” Melanie beamed, missing the sudden chill in Hunter’s tone. “Hunter, Isobel is getting her veterinary degree from Cornell. Isn’t that impressive?”
She was studying to be a vet? How had it not come up last night that she was studying the same thing as he did for his job? This was too much shit coming at him at once. Hunter stared at her. “So do you just go to school in New York or do you live there too?”
Isobel swallowed, looking suddenly nervous. “Well, I just took a semester off from school and have been at home in the city for a little while.”
“New York City?” he clarified.
She nodded, quickly glancing away from him.
So she’d been lying to him last night.
There hadn’t been anything real between them at all.
No soul-searing connection.
Her leaving this morning with no goodbye should have been enough of a red flag.
But Jesus, he was such a fucking cliché. As if the first woman he slept with since Janine was going to be his soul mate or some bullshit. He was such a goddamn sap. Come to think about it, didn’t he think he’d fallen for Janine after a few nights together too?
He had a bad habit of letting his dick do all his thinking when it came to relationships. Look where that had gotten him last time.
He clenched his teeth and extended his hand toward Isobel, but only because it was what Mel seemed to expect. If he never saw the woman again it wouldn’t be soon enough.
“Nice to meet you.” He didn’t bother making it sound sincere. As quickly as he took her hand to shake it, he dropped it.
“You too,” she said. Was it just him, or did she sound sort of breathless? Jesus, was he still at it? He wanted to sock himself upside the head.
He just needed to make his excuses and then get the hell out of here. Go to work. Vaccinations were monotonous but he’d take anything over the torture of standing here trying not to look at Isobel. Even her scent was getting to him. Which was ridiculous because she’d showered with his soap and shampoo, yet he’d still swear there was a scent that was distinctly her.
Was she aroused? Was that what he smelled? Did seeing him after their sizzling night together have her soaking her panties? Everything else might have been a lie, but she hadn’t faked those
orgasms. Hunter had felt them around his cock when she came. He lost count of how many times.
“Hunter,” Mel went on, completely ignorant of the growing tension between him and Isobel, “I was just telling Isobel about how you were looking for a summer intern.”
Hunter’s attention jerked back to Mel at the words. No. If she was going where he thought she was going—hell no.
“She was hoping for a position on the ranch but we’re all full up on workers at the moment,” Mel went on. “But I thought maybe we could do an arrangement like we did with Murray last year and Carlos a few years back. She could board here and drive out to the clinic—”
Hunter shook his head vigorously. “I doubt that’s how she’d want to spend her summer.” He looked at Isobel finally. She had a deer caught in headlights look. “Giving cows and pigs vaccines hardly has the glamour of feeding and riding horses all day long.”
“Did you forget about the mucking out stalls part?” Mel scoffed. “Your job is easy compared to shoveling shit two to three hours every day. Plus, she’s in school for veterinary medicine. Interning with you would be far more interesting.”
Hunter crossed his arms over his chest. “I run a very small-town practice. I’m sure she’s used to a much faster pace of life. And Cornell is one of the top veterinary programs in the country. She could get an internship wherever she wanted. So if she’s got another option, she should go—”
“She,” Isobel broke in, eyes flashing like something Hunter said had pissed her off, “would be happy for any work, no matter how hard, if it comes with room and board.”
She stepped right in front of Hunter and his spine became even more rigid. Fuck but she was sexy when she was angry. Her blue eyes flashed, her cheeks went pink against the rest of her pale, smooth skin, and her full lips went all pouty. And it pissed Hunter off that he was noticing any of it.
He took a deep breath as he regained his senses. He had to put a stop to this idea before it got a foothold. He loved Mel but apart from Janine, he’d never met a more stubborn female.
“Interning with me means long, irregular hours. Sometimes ranchers will call in the middle of the night with an emergency and my interns are on call with me. Seven days a week. Twenty-four hours a day. That’s what it means to be a rural, small-town vet. You don’t get a pristine little office somewhere with people bringing in their pets who have breathing problems because they’re overweight. These animals have real troubles. And I spend half my day with my arm up their back ends.”
Isobel crossed her arms over her chest and her lips pursed. Thank God, maybe he was getting through.
He continued piling higher and deeper. “Not to mention the mess of record keeping and office work that needs to be sorted. My last intern made a total jumble out of everything and it will probably take weeks to get it all organized again.”
Then Isobel dropped her arms and gave Hunter a saccharine smile. “That does all sound challenging.”
He nodded. Good. His shoulders relaxed. “So you’re going to head back east, then? That’s probably for the b—”
“I love a challenge,” she cut him off. “I’m not afraid of hard work. I’ll be happy to get all your records back in order and I’ve been needing more field training. On all kinds of animals. Not just pets.” She still had that oh so sweet smile on her face.
Hunter could only stand and stare at her. She wasn’t meeting his gaze. No, her eyes seemed locked further south, somewhere in the vicinity of his mouth. Or rather, his lips. When he licked them to get some moisture, her eyes flared slightly. Which made his pants start to get tight again.
Like she had some internal sensor about his arousal, her eyes finally flicked up. Their gazes locked. And for a second, just the merest moment, Hunter felt the same electric connection he had the night before.
Guess she was pulling out all the stops to get this job. Hunter jerked his eyes away.
“Wonderful,” Melanie broke in. “So that’s settled. Right, Hunter?”
Well fuck. Way to back him into a corner, Mel.
He offered Isobel his most insincere smile. “Of course. If she wants the job, it’s hers.”
“I want the job,” Isobel said quickly. Too quickly. What was her deal? He wasn’t joking about a student from Cornell having their pick of internships. Why the hell was she out here anyway?
Melanie smiled wide but Hunter just kept looking at Isobel suspiciously. His only solace was that whatever she was here for, she wouldn’t stay long. That was for damn sure. City princesses like her never did. And anything he could do to shorten the trip, well, he’d be happy to do his part.
“Welcome aboard,” he said, smiling for the first time since Mel brought up the ridiculous idea.
“When do I start?” Isobel asked, a smile that was wide but slightly frantic on her face.
Hunter looked to Melanie. “Are all the horses ready?”
Mel nodded. “The guys spent the morning prepping them. They’re washed down and in the stable.”
Hunter’s attention turned back to Isobel. “No time like the present. If you’re up for it, that is.” He looked her up and down. He stared probably a tad longer than was appropriate but damn, she looked good in that dress. He finally pulled his eyes back up to her face. “If you’ve got a change of clothes.” He nodded down at the strappy sandals on her feet. “I don’t think those will do too well for dirty stable work.”
The bright pink blush that rose on the apples of her cheeks only made her prettier. “Of course I have work clothes. And riding boots.”
“Not work boots?” he questioned.
Hunter didn’t think her blush could get any redder but she proved him wrong. She squared her jaw and glared at him. “I thought I’d be working here with the horses.”
He waved a hand. “Better than sandals. I’ll grab the vaccination kit. You change. But hurry up about it. I have several other calls I need to make today.”
He started walking around the house toward the stables without another look back.
He could handle her working for him. She’d be no different than any other intern. He could keep entirely professional about this. Clinical even.
And he’d finally learned his lesson. Maybe the one Janine had been trying to teach him all along. Sex was just that—sex. Biological impulses seeking release. He’d been deluding himself trying to find some deeper, spiritual meaning in it.
By no means would he make the mistake of letting Isobel or any other woman anywhere near his heart again.
Chapter 6
ISOBEL
Isobel ran to the trunk of her car and popped it, grabbing some leggings and a t-shirt as quickly as she could, along with her riding boots.
God. Riding boots. She knew she’d look ridiculous wearing riding boots all day doing veterinary work. But she’d been in such a rush when she left New York, it was a miracle she’d even grabbed the boots.
She flinched, thinking of how Hunter had sneered at what she was wearing. The entire encounter had been cringeworthy.
Yeah, sneaking out this morning had been a coward move, but she hadn’t expected… God, Hunter had been so nice last night. Turned out in the light of day he was a real asshole.
Ugh, she didn’t have time to think about it. She had to get her butt in gear. She grabbed her toiletries bag with her deodorant and toothbrush and then hurried back toward the house where Mel was waiting for her on the porch. She directed Isobel upstairs to a room at the end of a long hallway.
“Once upon a time, aka, about fifteen years ago, this place was a resort,” Mel said. “Sort of a dude ranch where tourist could come stay and pretend to be cowboys. Good for us because it means every room is already set up.” She opened the door and gestured for Isobel to go first.
She immediately saw what Mel meant. It was like a hotel room, complete with its own attached bathroom. Though at the moment it looked more like a storage space.
“I’ll have one of the guys get this stuff cleared out and s
heets on the bed before tonight.” Mel gestured toward the cardboard boxes stacked up along one wall and the bare mattress.
“Oh, don’t go to any trouble,” Isobel said. “I’m happy to do it. Just leave the sheets on the bed and I can—”
“Don’t be silly,” Mel waved her away. “I’ll let you get changed.”
Mel closed the door behind her as she left. Isobel only took one more moment to look around the little room. Hardwood floors. Wooden paneling that went up half the wall, painted a soft eggshell that matched the rest of the wall. Otherwise, the walls were bare.
She glanced at the mountain of boxes. She hated to inconvenience them, but she was too happy to have a place to stay to balk too much.
Speaking of—her having a place to stay depended on her working for Hunter, so she better get her butt in gear. She hurried over to the restroom and set her bag of toiletries down on the counter. She brushed her teeth and changed clothes in record time and then jogged back downstairs.
In her rush, she almost collided with Mel at the bottom of the stairs.
“Oh,” Isobel exclaimed, stopping just short of plowing into her. “Sorry!”
“Common hazard of living here with so many people coming and going. Come on,” Mel waved Isobel to follow her. “It’s easiest to get to the stables from the back door.”
She led Isobel through a big common area that had a couple of long tables, a few leather couches, a fireplace, and a huge flatscreen TV. The lodge was all wood and decorated very simply with a few large oil paintings of landscapes and a huge antler chandelier overhead.
At the end of the room were double pocket doors that led into a restaurant-style kitchen. A couple of men sat at a table set up in a small dining area off to the side beside a large bay window.
“Nicholas. Mack,” Melanie said. “I’m glad we caught you. This is Isobel, she’s going to be staying here while she’s Hunter’s intern for the summer.”
One of the men stood up when Mel and Isobel entered. He was a huge guy with a barrel chest and shoulders so large he looked like he could bench press an ox. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” He had kind eyes and light brown skin. “I’m Nicholas.”