The Hungry Heart

by Brenda Gayle

  She stood and walked to where the horses were picking at the sparse bits of greenery. She had said she was unhurt, but he saw a slight limp to her gait. It didn’t seem to slow her down, though. She had repositioned the reins over Missy’s neck before Hunter caught up with her.

  “What are you doing?” he said.

  “I’m getting back on, of course. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Would you give me a hand up?”

  He should have known. Nora was determined, and driven to succeed. He remembered his grandmother using those words to describe her. Of course, at the time, he hadn’t viewed them as positive character traits—he had thought she was a complete social misfit, in her own words “a screw-up.” What he had missed, but his grandmother had seen, was the passion she put into everything she did.

  He took her hands and drew her away from the horses. There was wariness in her eyes as she waited to see what he was going to do. He stared down at her face, taking in the richness of her eyes and the soft pout of her mouth, deliberately making her wait. He drew out the time—the agony of uncertainty created a delicious tension in his body.

  Should I kiss her? Damn I want to. But does she?

  He could see his dilemma echoed as her eyes darkened and her nostrils flared.

  ****

  Nora didn’t think she could stand it anymore. Her body felt as if it was strung so tight that she would snap if Hunter waited another second.

  Maybe it had been a mistake to tease him about flirting with her. Now he would feel he had to prove her wrong. She wanted to be wrong. But did she want this?

  Oh yes, definitely.

  Finally, he lowered his head, just a fraction of an inch, and she rose up to meet him. She felt her knees go weak at the touch of his lips and she sagged. He caught her and held her tight, pulling her against his hard body. One arm was wrapped around her hips, holding her securely. His other hand cupped the back of her head, and she could feel him pulling at the elastic holding her ponytail, and then raking his fingers through her hair as it came loose.

  There were no gentle preliminaries this time, no hesitation. His tongue demanded admittance, and she freely welcomed him.

  She pulled off the leather riding gloves and slid her hands up under his jacket, feeling the warmth of him through the fabric of his shirt. It wasn’t enough. She tugged on the material, freeing it so she could touch his naked skin. She heard his sharp intake of breath as she made contact.

  He sucked gently on her bottom lip, and then began to make his way down the curve of her chin to her neck. She could feel the gentle stroking of his tongue and teeth as he found the sensitive place just below her left ear.

  She arched closer, bringing her hands further up his back, kneading the hard planes of his shoulder blades. Her hips were matching his in a rhythmic grinding dance. She could feel his arousal and pressed even closer.

  Nora knew where this was going, what the outcome would be if she didn’t tell him to stop. She didn’t want him to stop. It was as if every one of her senses was hypersensitive. She was feeling things she’d never felt before—wonder and delight, and a lightness of spirit. It was like the freedom she’d experienced when she was riding Missy—only ten times better.

  What did it matter that there was no hope of a relationship with this man? What mattered was that they both wanted this, here and now. She was beyond reason. She didn’t want to let this opportunity pass her by. She’d done that too often in her past.

  Hunter was unbuttoning her jacket and then her blouse. She gasped as the cold air hit her skin, but then he was there, his breath warm. He slipped a finger along the cup of her bra and freed one breast. The heat of his mouth burned as he took her into him and began to suckle gently.

  She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The throbbing between her legs was growing, and her whole body felt as if it was on fire.

  He had released her other breast and she could feel his thumb rubbing over the rigid nipple. She shivered from the sensation.

  Nora felt him suddenly stop, a brief rush of cool on her chest as he stepped back, before closing the fabric of her jacket in front of her.

  “Don’t stop,” she moaned.

  He bent and kissed her firmly. “Not here.”

  “Why not?” She hated that she sounded needy, but what the hell was he doing? It wasn’t fair to get her all primed and then stop.

  “It’s cold and the ground is hard. I want to take my time with you—make it right.” His voice sounded strained.

  “Then can we go back to the hotel right now?”

  He chuckled and began doing up the buttons on her blouse. “Not yet. We should finish our ride.”

  “I don’t want to ride anymore,” Nora said, watching his hands, not prepared to help in any way.

  He had finished with the blouse and began fastening her jacket. When he finished, he cupped her face and bent to kiss her gently. As he started to pull back, she grabbed his head and held him in place, not the least bit interested in being gentle.

  “Whoa, honey. I’ve only so much self-discipline,” Hunter said when she finally released him. “I’m doing this for your benefit. If we leave now, they’ll know what’s up. It’s your reputation I’m trying to protect. They’ve already given up on mine.”

  Nora looked up at him. His eyes had turned an inky blue, and she could see a throbbing at his temple that told her he really was struggling to keep himself under control.

  “Okay, but what do you think? An hour?” She waited. “Two?” she added unhappily.

  He laughed. “About that.”

  Chapter 14

  Nora stared at Hunter’s undulating back. Miss Haversham followed Nicholas Nickleby along the trail that wound its way along the base of the mountains. The mare didn’t seem inclined to challenge Nora with another toss, but then Nora didn’t feel much like trying to exert her authority over the animal either. She just wanted the ride to be over.

  They had stopped after about an hour to eat the sandwiches and cake Betty had provided for them. Hunter didn’t relinquish his hold on her after helping her dismount. She liked touching him and being touched by him.

  Now, with the stable in sight—just across the field—she resisted the urge to force Missy into a gallop. Her heart felt like it was beating in her throat, and she tried to force herself to breath slowly to quiet her nerves. Becca had convinced her to try yoga a couple of times, but she had never been able to achieve the peaceful state of Zen the practice promised.

  She had decided while watching Hunter sleep the morning after her apartment had been broken into that if he ever repeated his offer for sex, she wouldn’t let it pass. It wouldn’t mean anything to him, of course. But why did it have to? He made her feel things she’d never experienced before—sensations she wanted to explore. If he could blow her away with a kiss, imagine...

  She shifted uncomfortably in her saddle. Who knew horseback riding was so sexual? She was unable to look away from Hunter’s hips swaying with each of Nick’s steps.

  He turned back to look at her and she felt a flutter in her stomach as he smiled. She liked the way he looked out for her—it surprised her that it didn’t make her feel weak or defensive. Her parents had been so over-protective she knew she had the tendency to overreact to any display of concern for her well-being. With Hunter it was different.

  She’d been taken aback by the depth of the jealousy she’d felt when she saw that woman—Taylor—with Hunter earlier.

  Nora wasn’t jealous because she felt she had any claim on him, but jealous with the knowledge that Taylor and Hunter had slept together. Nora didn’t know when it had happened, only that they had. It was the way Taylor acted around him, as if she knew she had experienced something Nora hadn’t.

  Nora could have kicked herself when she’d invited Taylor to come along with them today. It had been an impulsive taunt, not dissimilar from the posturing that had gone on between Hunter and Billy Bower at Prime the other night. Fortunately Hunter had ni
xed the idea of Taylor joining them. That probably meant he wasn’t sleeping with her at the moment, Nora reasoned. She was quite certain, however, that Taylor would like to change that.

  Was she really ready for this? To have sex with Hunter Graham? She didn’t have nearly the experience he did. Would that matter to him? She wasn’t used to feeling this vulnerable. She was always confident and in charge of her work at CAN. But this? This was totally different.

  As soon as they entered the paddock Hunter jumped down from Nick and helped Nora dismount. He kept hold of her waist and raised a hand to brush the hair out of her face. She hadn’t bothered retying it—Hunter seemed to like her hair loose—and the wind had really picked up, tossing it wildly about.

  “So, how was your very first horseback riding experience?” he said.

  “Fine. Great.” She took a few steps and tried not to wince at the pain. Her bottom hurt from her fall and her inner thighs felt as if she’d gone ten-rounds with the ThighMaster and lost. Still, she wasn’t going to let a little soreness get in the way. “Can we go now?”

  He bent and kissed her briefly. “Soon. I’ve got to rub down the horses and put away the tack. I can be really fast, though.”

  “Can I help?”

  Hunter was a kind and patient teacher, showing her how to remove the saddle and harness from Miss Haversham, and explaining how best to dry her off. Even though the day was cool, the horses were still sweaty under their heavy paraphernalia.

  Despite her desire to return to the hotel quickly, she enjoyed taking the time with the horses. She loved the musty smell of the stable, the combination of horses and straw. She loved the feel of the powerful muscles of the horses’ flanks and how it contrasted with the softness of their muzzles.

  After feeding Nick and Missy, and ensuring each of the other dozen horses had a treat, they walked hand-in-hand back toward the Graham homes. Hunter cut through the backyard of Betty’s house and headed directly to his car.

  “Don’t we need to say goodbye?” Nora asked. She really should thank Betty for her hospitality.

  “Nope.” He continued walking.

  “Hunter!” A voice barked from behind them.

  “Shit.” Hunter muttered under his breath, but he stopped and turned. “Hey there, Anna-banana.”

  “Where are you two going?” Anna asked, glaring at each of them in turn.

  Nora hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. She glanced at Hunter. Anna was his cousin, she’d let him deal with this.

  “We’re heading back to town,” he said. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Oh no you don’t. Everyone’s coming for dinner.”

  Nora felt Hunter sag. “Everyone?” he said. “Look, Anna. We’ll do it another time, okay?”

  “No, it’s not okay. Mom’s been cooking all day. I can’t help it if everyone thinks you coming home is a big deal. Suck it up, Hunter. You’re staying for dinner.”

  Hunter looked like he was about to argue with her and Nora was afraid he was refusing to stay for her benefit. But she could wait. “Of course we’ll stay,” she said.

  “Good.” Anna spun on her heels and headed into the house.

  Hunter took Nora’s arm and stalked after his cousin. “Now is not the time to discover your social skills,” he whispered hoarsely.

  She smiled sweetly up at him, ignoring the dig at her past gaffes. He wanted her.

  ****

  Nora smelled a fantastic blend of delicious aromas as soon as they stepped into the house. “Roast beef?” she asked.

  “It’s a cattle ranch. All we ever have is beef,” Hunter snapped.

  Nora winced at his tone. He was in a bad mood. Well, she wasn’t thrilled at postponing their lovemaking either, but she didn’t want to offend his family. It seemed important to them that they—Hunter, at least—stay for dinner.

  “How was your ride, dear?” Aunt Betty’s arms were outstretched to take their jackets.

  Nora felt her face go red again. Focus on horses, she told herself. “It was fantastic. I loved it.”

  “I’m so glad you had a good experience. Sometimes people think they like horses, but then when they actually get on them...well, you know. It’s not quite what they expect,” Betty said.

  “Yeah, it was an experience all right,” Hunter said, taking Nora’s elbow and leading her into a large living room. “Trust Nora to piss off Missy so much she actually threw her.”

  “Not Missy.”

  Two older men stood as they entered the room. The one who spoke and came toward them was the spitting image of Hunter, only older. His hair was close-cropped and silver, but he had the same boyish smile and pale lavender eyes that scrutinized her with concern. “Are you all right, my dear? Did she hurt you?”

  “Oh no, I’m fine. I don’t know why Hunter is making a big deal about it.” Nora couldn’t take her eyes off the man. Wow, if genetics were anything to go by, Hunter would be just as devastatingly handsome in old age as he was now.

  “Dad, Uncle Ike, this is Nora Cross. I believe you know her brother-in-law, Attorney General Robert Pearce,” Hunter said. “Nora…my father, Benjamin Graham, and my uncle, Isaac Graham.”

  Ike was a few years older than Benjamin, but there was no mistaking the two were brothers. Both men were tall and muscular, and moved with an ease that belied their age. Nora knew they must be in their seventies, but they could easily pass for men twenty years younger.

  While Betty remained in the kitchen, Anna played hostess ensuring everyone had a drink—Nora, Ginny and Anna had white wine while Ike took a beer. Nora noticed neither Hunter nor his father drank alcohol, and she wondered if they had stopped drinking after Elizabeth’s death by a drunk driver, or if they had always preferred cola.

  The conversation was light, and Nora was surprised at how comfortable she felt joining in. Hunter’s father and uncle were charming, hardly the dour authoritarians he’d made them out to be.

  As they rose to move into the dining room, Hunter took Nora’s hand and rubbed his thumb along her palm, sending sparks of electricity up her arm.

  “No dessert,” he whispered, releasing her hand to pull out her chair.

  She was seated between Benjamin and Anna, and across from Hunter. She could feel one of his long legs reach out under the table and rub his cowboy boot up her calf. How did he do that? Even through the thick denim of her jeans she was becoming aroused.

  The smug smile on his face told her that he knew exactly how he was affecting her. The “ah-hum” from Anna and the pointed stare she gave Hunter told Nora that she knew, too. It didn’t stop Hunter, though, and he continued to run his foot up and down her calf.

  Thank goodness he wasn’t sitting beside her. Who knew what he’d do then? She shivered as an image of wandering hands under the table linen came to her mind.

  “Anna ran the figures for the ranch, and the numbers are up all around,” Benjamin said. “The first quarter results from that restaurant of yours seem solid.”

  “Yes sir,” Hunter said. “Some of it may be the novelty of a new restaurant, but I believe with such strong numbers in the off-season, we’ll make a killing when tourist season hits high gear.”

  “I’m very impressed. It was near genius launching a restaurant branded with our beef. At what point do you think it will be solid enough for you to hand over the reins and take over at Tres Hermanos? Ike and I would like to retire while we’re still able to enjoy ourselves, you know.”

  Nora felt Hunter freeze. Beside her, Anna seemed to have gone very still also.

  “It’ll be a while yet,” Hunter said, looking down at his plate to focus on cutting his beef. “Any news from Michael?”

  “Yes, he called this afternoon,” Betty said. “He’s accepted a contract at a ranch near Las Cruces. He’ll be there a few weeks, he expects.”

  “You mean he’s leaving his nice tidy office to go to a dirty, smelly ranch?” Hunter sounded incredulous.

  “Michael’s the director of ecology with the Museu
m of Southwestern Biology, in Albuquerque,” he said to Nora. “He never leaves his office. I can’t believe he would voluntarily go to a ranch.”

  “It’s one of those small dude-style resorts,” Betty said. “He’s been asked to do an environmental assessment. The owners are hoping to get some government funding to stop a big development project.”

  “Down in Las Cruces?” Hunter turned to Anna. “Didn’t I read somewhere that Roundtree was planning on developing a resort down there?”

  Anna took a long sip of wine. “Yes. It’s called Wildhorse Pass.”

  “So Michael’s taking on Frank Hart?” Hunter said.

  “Actually, it’s Callum’s project,” Anna said, a slight hitch in her throat. She took another sip of her wine.

  Hunter looked sharply at his cousin and raised his eyebrows quizzically. He didn’t say anything, but Nora saw concern in his eyes. Something was going on between the two of them.

  “Callum? Good for him, following in his father’s footsteps.” Benjamin’s voice made Nora jump. “I always liked that boy. Got a good head on his shoulders. There’s nothing a father wants to see more than his son carrying on the family business.”

  The dinner continued with discussions about the current state legislative sitting, the new round of international trade talks, and whether the recent warm spell was the result of global warming. Nora wondered if anyone else noticed that neither Hunter nor Anna participated much in the conversation.

  When Betty rose to get dessert, Hunter announced that he and Nora had to leave. Despite his family’s protests, Hunter remained firm and ushered Nora to the door.

  He seemed distant on the car ride home. She didn’t know if his father’s comments had upset him, or if his mood was the result of whatever was going on between him and Anna. Nora wanted to ask, but worried that her questions would seem too intrusive.

  Family relationships were complicated, she realized, thinking about the situation between her and Karen. They were only two people. Imagine magnifying it three times or more.

  Hunter pulled into his parking spot in the garage behind the hotel and turned off the engine. He made no move to get out.