“Is this okay?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
We went to the window and ordered dessert. Hunter paid and we stood to the side to wait for our ice cream to be scooped from the large tubs. When our order was called, Hunter handed me my peanut butter fudge sundae and took his single scoop of raspberry in a cone. I almost felt guilty, and way too fat, but then I remembered that he forgot about me and no longer cared.
Hunter nodded toward a small table in the open air. I set my large cup down and dug in, loving the way the peanut butter and fudge blended to send a sugary jolt through me.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there earlier.”
I huffed. He was going to ruin my chocolate fix with his apology. Especially since it wasn’t making me feel any better.
“You make it sound like you missed my phone call, not dinner with my sister.”
He sighed. “I didn’t mean to, Vicki.”
“I know. And I think that bothers me more than anything else.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not an asshole. You’re a nice guy who was blowing me off. You make it seem like you give a shit-”
“I do,” he insisted.
“But I told you when we got together that I wouldn’t be able to deal with you being a workaholic.”
“And I’m not. This is a different situation. If I had my studio finished, I’d be working during the day like a normal person. Please don’t give up on us because of something that’s out of my control.”
Grr. I didn’t want him to make sense. I didn’t want him to be the sweet, sexy guy I knew he was. I wanted him to be a jerk. Because then I could stop loving him and walk away.
Unfortunately, he made perfect sense.
“You’re right.”
His eyes snapped to mine and a sexy grin slowly curled his lips. “I am?”
“Shut up. You know you’re right. I’m being bitchy because I’m paranoid. I don’t take well to being stood up or forgotten. It’s happened too many times to me.”
“I’m not them.”
“You need to prove that to me,” I admitted. “It’s not fair to judge you based on others, but it’s been my reality. First it’s a little late. Then a lot. Then you just don’t show up at all. I can pretend it doesn’t bother me, but it does.”
“I’m not going to do that,” he promised. I could see it in his eyes. He didn’t want to. He had no intention of letting me down.
I just hoped he was true to his word.
We finished our ice cream and Hunter asked if I wanted to see what he’d been working on for the show. His studio was dark when we got there, but he had lights set up in his studio to work at night. When he turned the lights on, I was blown away.
“Wow,” I gasped, looking around the room. The work I’d seen of his before was good, but the new stuff was amazing.
“They asked me to include three pieces, but I was inspired and kept working. Now I can’t decide what pieces to put in the show.”
“They’re stunning,” I gushed. “You’re truly talented.”
He bowed his head and grinned. “Thanks.”
“Don’t be bashful. You know you’re great.”
“It’s always nice to hear,” he admitted.
“Tell me about these pieces. Where did you get the ideas?”
“From you,” he said, meeting my surprised gaze. “This was the first one I did.” He guided me to a large painting resting against the wall. “That first night in my car?”
My cheeks warmed as I saw what he painted. Lavender for the panties I wore. Gray for the color of his seats. Pink for our skin. It looked like the inside of a stone with crystals in it. Dark on the outside, drifting lighter to the purple colors and finally to the pink in the center. It was stunning and sensual without being overt. It was us, in permanence.
“I want it.”
He laughed and nodded. “I know what you mean. When I painted it, I knew I’d have a hard time letting go of it. That’s why I kept painting. You’ve really sparked something inside me.”
I laughed and went from one piece to the next, seeing his art in a whole new way. I saw us in each one. Laughter, sex, maybe even love. When I worked my way back to his side, I couldn’t speak. He told me how he felt in his paintings and words wouldn’t do.
We came together in a kiss that I felt to my toes. His hands went to cup my ass as my arms went around his neck. His tongue pressed into my open mouth, sliding along mine. There was no rush to our movements, but passion guided us. Clothes eased from our bodies, drifting to the floor in haphazard piles. Hunter rolled a condom down his length then lowered me to the blanket on the floor.
He entered me slowly, savoring every inch of our joining. When he was fully seated inside me, his eyes pinned mine, holding me captive in his gaze. He glided in and out, his body brushing over my clit with his movements and making my head spin.
My heart raced. My pulse kicked up. My breath froze, then rushed from me. My legs lifted and circled his waist. He held one knee, nudging me wider to accommodate his large body.
He pressed onto me, his weight driving me to the floor. His chest hair tickled my nipples and made me ache even more for him. As always, we didn’t speak. He stroked me with his body, making me crazy.
I pulled him down for a kiss, needing that connection with him. He eagerly took over our kiss, his tongue thrusting deep into my mouth, stroking mine and stealing my breath. One hand supported him and the other found my aching nipple, giving it a twist. I moaned, drawing him in closer with my legs.
Hunter picked up speed, his hips forcing me into the ground with each thrust. His breath fanned my face. His hand moved lower, slipping between us, until he found my aching clit. One slide, two, three, and I was screaming his name.
I lost all ability to function as my orgasm washed over me again and again. He continued to stroke me, inside and out, and before I could think, another orgasm was enveloping me.
Stronger. Longer. More.
The words ‘I love you’ burned my tongue. I wanted to say them. To tell him I’d be there no matter what. To prove that I trusted him, not only with my body, but with my heart.
But they wouldn’t leave my mouth. My lips refused to part and let the words out into the world where they couldn’t be taken back.
And the moment passed. He shouted with his own orgasm, filling the latex between us. When his body was done, he collapsed onto me, his weight once again pressing me onto the floor.
I waited, my hands running down his back and my legs tight around his waist, for him to roll off. To break our connection. I felt his cock shrink and slip from my body, but Hunter still didn’t move.
After a few minutes, I started to worry he’d fallen asleep on me.
“Hunter?” I whispered, trying to get him to look at me.
He grunted. “Can’t move. Fucked me to death.”
I laughed softly. “I think that’s supposed to be my line.”
He shook his head, his hair sliding over my cheeks. “No, you definitely killed me. I’ll never think about another woman again. I couldn’t look at one if I wanted to.”
“Oh, please. You’re going to have plenty of wealthy, skinny women at your show.”
“I don’t care,” he said, finally rolling off me. “I won’t even see them if you’re in the room.”
“You want me here?” I asked, my voice rising.
“Of course,” he said, taking my face in his hands and kissing my cheeks and nose. “Why wouldn’t I?”
I shrugged. “You never said you did.”
“I assumed you knew. Vicki, will you please come to my show next Saturday evening?”
I grinned and nodded. “Of course.” I thought back to Olivia’s lingerie shower and knew it was the perfect time to invite him to girls’ night. “My friends all want to meet you. Do you think you could come with me Tuesday night?”
“I thought that was girls’ night?”
“Well, yeah, but all the husbands a
nd boyfriends come, too.”
“Ah, so I’d meet them all?”
I nodded. “Is that okay?”
“Sure. Any I should be worried about?”
I shook my head. “They’re all pretty protective. Drew knowing you will help.”
“He’ll be there?”
I nodded. “Of course. That’s how I met the rest of them. His wife used to have my job. Carrie. When she had Joel, she left to be a stay at home mom.”
“Ah, makes sense.”
“So, do you think you can make it?”
He nodded. “Definitely. I’ll be there.”
“Great. Next week is Olivia’s wedding so things might be a little crazy, but they all want to meet you.”
“Wedding? The same weekend as my show?”
I nodded. “The wedding is Friday night. Olivia actually invited you, but I figured you’d be too busy with the show.”
He shook his head. “By then, everything should be done. I’d love to go with you if the invite is still open.”
“I’ll double check with Olivia, but I imagine it is.”
“Good. Then it’s settled. Tuesday night is girls’ night. Friday is the wedding. And Saturday is the show. Sounds like a good week.”
I smiled and accepted his kiss. He made love to me again before we headed home. He promised to get together over the weekend and that he’d be at girls’ night.
And for the first time, I wasn’t waiting for him to let me down.
Chapter 22
Monday I spent almost the whole day at Hunter’s studio. Drew finished all the work in the gallery the week before, but he wanted to get as much of the rest of the space done that week as possible. Especially the studio since it was possible people would wander in there during the show, according to Hunter.
Hunter was in the gallery. Artwork was arriving Wednesday to start setting up, but he was working with the owner of the flooded gallery to figure out where to put everything. When I heard him laughing, I couldn’t help but smile.
“You really like him, don’t you?” Drew asked as we sealed the concrete floor. The original plan called for wood, but Hunter said it would end up ruined and liked the idea of stained concrete. Drew had a skim coat of concrete applied the week before, but the concrete guys didn’t have time to stain it for another month. We decided to do it ourselves, with a little advice from the professionals.
“I do. Is that okay?”
He shrugged. “Makes no difference to me. We just like to see you happy.”
“Carrie?”
He shook his head. “All of us. You might be Xander’s and my employee, but you’re our friend also. We like to see our friends smile.”
“Thanks,” I said, not knowing what else to say. I’d only known Drew for almost a year. I liked him and Xander instantly, as well as Carrie, but I honestly never believed I’d find a family with all of them. “I invited Hunter to girls’ night tomorrow,” I blurted.
“Really?”
I nodded. “Do you think everyone will be okay with that?”
“Yeah, why not?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never brought a guy before. Just my sister. I feel like I’m overloading the group.”
Drew threw his head back and laughed. “Hardly. They’ve always welcomed new people.”
“How long have you known everyone?”
“Xander and I went to college together. The first one besides him was Mandy though. I met her when they were dating, actually, the day they split because Xander was a dumbass. I’ve gone to girls’ night off and on, but I started going regularly when Carrie and I got together.”
“And you’re sure no one will mind?”
He shook his head. “Definitely not. We all got invited by someone. They’ll want to meet him. If you’re worried about it, call Carrie. She’ll ease your mind. And she’ll make sure you don’t back out and cancel.”
I laughed. “Thanks, Drew. I might do that.”
We worked side-by-side until lunch when Drew said he was going to run home and see Carrie and Joel. He invited me, but I declined, not wanting to intrude on their family time. I was going to run out and get a sandwich when Hunter came in.
“Wow, this looks amazing.”
I stood and looked around. The concrete stain was shiny and looked like polished stone. The high gloss finish would make cleaning up drips of paint easier. But if they didn’t come up, the mottled colors would all blend. We hoped.
“Yeah, it’s a great choice. We should have known to let the artist pick things like finishes.”
He peered around the room then crossed to me. His arms were around me and his lips on mine before I had a chance to think about what he was doing. I melted into his kiss, feeling like I’d been away from him for too long. He kissed me until my breath burned my lungs and my toes curled in my sneakers. I thought about all the times we’d made love in that very room and cursed the other workers who made it an impossibility right then.
He finally pulled back, keeping me close, and whispered, “I wish we were alone.”
I snickered. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
My stomach rumbled, loudly enough that he could hear it. “It sounds like you’re hungry for more than just me.”
“Yeah, well, it is lunchtime.”
“Oh, is it? I hadn’t noticed.” He smirked, telling me he knew exactly what time it was. “I came in here to see if I could talk you into going to lunch with me.”
I pretended to consider it until he pressed another kiss to my lips. “Well, if you insist.”
“Good.”
He drove us to Sandy’s Wiches, since it was casual enough that we wouldn’t look out of place in our work clothes, but with great food. We ordered and found a table while we waited for our lunch to be ready.
“You still want me to join you tomorrow night?” he asked when we had sandwiches in front of us.
I looked up at him, wondering if he was going to try to get out of it. “If you want to.”
“Yeah, of course. I just want to make sure you hadn’t changed your mind or anything.”
I shook my head. “I said something to Drew about it. He said everyone wants to meet you.”
“I’ll already know a few people, right?”
“Yeah. Drew, Carrie, and Peyton. I don’t think you know anyone else though.”
“How many people are there?”
“Including the kids?” He nodded. “About thirty.”
“Seriously?” he asked, freezing.
I nodded. “Most of them are married or in serious relationships. Only four of us are single. Peyton and Wyatt are starting to come, but Sawyer is only there occasionally. I know he’ll be there tomorrow because he’s in Olivia and Ethan’s wedding Friday night.”
“Oh, that’s right. Where’s the wedding?”
I shook my head. “If it’s too much, you don’t have to go to the wedding.”
“No, I want to go. You’re the maid of honor, right?”
I nodded proudly. “I am. It’s been a lot of fun. Ethan is a bit of a crazy groom, but Olivia is very level-headed and practical. Seeing the two of them plan a wedding is entertaining.”
“I bet they appreciate the help. You seem to be incredibly organized.”
“I am. I’ve always liked things just so. I imagine that comes from having a sister who is so all over the place most of the time.”
“Really? I don’t see that in her.”
I resisted the urge to snap he’d know more about her if he’d shown up for dinner Friday night. I’d forgiven him for it, and bringing it up was not going to help anyone.
“She’s particular with work, but at home, she’s a mess.”
“Well, the sister I’m really interested in getting to know is the one sitting across from me. I’ll learn about Peyton over time. You though? I want to know everything.”
His words warmed me. He was back to the doting boyfriend. The guy he was when we started dating. The guy who didn’
t let me down. He said things would change when the gallery was done, and I was already seeing it. We could balance work and a relationship. I finally breathed easier. He wasn’t like the others.
After lunch, we went back to the gallery. Hunter gave me a kiss that I’d never forget before we walked inside, and a promise that he’d see me the next night. I worked the rest of the day in a cloud, feeling like things were finally as they should be.
I couldn’t have been happier if I tried. I had a man I loved, one I was fairly sure felt the same. I had great friends and an awesome job. What more could I have asked for?
I got to girls’ night a little early on Tuesday so Hunter wouldn’t be there without me. My friends were amazing, but they were also very curious and not afraid to ask the hard questions.
Charlie handed handed me a plate of cupcakes instead of letting me grab one from the end. “I heard you’re bringing a friend tonight.”
I nodded. “Is that okay?”
She laughed. “Of course. I’m looking forward to meeting him. We all are.”
“Thanks. I’m nervous.”
She laughed again. “I understand that. The first time Max came with me I was a wreck. He’d already met everyone when Mandy had Elise, but I was still nervous. Has he met Peyton?”
“Yeah. A couple times when he’s picked me up. He was supposed to come over for dinner Friday night but got hung up at work.”
“That’s frustrating, isn’t it?” I nodded. “Max gets hung up a lot. The summer is harder since he’s working outside. His clients always want to give him advice about how to do their landscaping. He’s nicer about it than I would be.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think I’d want someone telling me how to do my job. Especially someone who hired me because they either have no desire, no time, or no talent.”
Charlie laughed loudly, the tinkling sound of her laughter filling the space. I noticed Max’s head swivel to watch her, a look of pure adoration plain on his face. I wanted Hunter to look at me like that. When we were having sex, I felt so connected to him, and even when we were together, but that blatant look of love wasn’t something I’d noticed yet.
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