Embraced at Seaside

by Addison Cole

  Clark laughed so hard his chair tipped back. “You think I can teach you how to be romantic so you can sleep with that chick from the bar? Man, move on to the next girl. What do I know about romance?”

  “You’re married. You got a woman to marry you, Clark. There had to be romance involved.” Didn’t there? From what Sky said, everything Sawyer did was romantic. Maybe he was asking the wrong guy.

  “I don’t know. I guess I did some things.” Clark sounded mildly annoyed. “I brought her flowers a few times. Made reservations for dinner, stuff like that.”

  Thinking of the flowers he’d picked from his yard earlier that morning, he said, “That’s romantic? Any jackass can do that.”

  “But that’s what romance is. It’s doing stuff like that because you’re thinking about her and you want to see her smile, not doing crazy things like taking her to Paris to show off.” Clark turned in his chair and typed something into the computer. He spun the monitor so Hunter could see the wikiHow page How to Be Romantic. “Here, study this.”

  Hunter skimmed the headers: Be Thoughtful, Be Creative, Keep Things Fresh, Keep Growing Together.

  A picture of a gift was beneath Be Thoughtful. He thought of her panties and chuckled, then thought of the flowers. Done.

  There was a picture of a dude playing a guitar and a woman hanging over his shoulder smiling. Yeah, that totally doesn’t equate to getting sex. Moving on…The next picture featured books with a note tucked between them, sporting lipstick marks. Jana has an incredible mouth. Now we’re getting somewhere. She could put those luscious lips anywhere she’d like on him, but putting them on paper would be a waste. Next…

  The next picture showed a couple texting. Done. And a picture of a dude cleaning out a car. Not happening.

  Be Creative looked more interesting, with a picture of a couple lying in bed. The woman wore a red bra and panties as she rubbed the guy’s back. He was smiling. Well, Jana hadn’t rubbed his back, but she’d rubbed other things. Done.

  More pictures of couples followed: reading together, drinking wine, holding balloons. Balloons? He skimmed over the next few images under Keeping Things Fresh: holding hands, shaving…He reached up and touched his whiskers. Really? Shaving?

  He heard the front door open, and Grayson’s voice filled the lobby. “What on earth are you reading?”

  Grayson’s face was freshly shaved, his thick hair neatly brushed.

  “You shaved,” Hunter said.

  “I also manscaped. Wanna see?” He pulled out the front of his pants. “Got a date tonight.”

  “You shave for dates?” How did he not realize that before now?

  “Sometimes. You think women like razor burn?” Grayson shook his head like Hunter was an idiot. Maybe he was. He’d never once shaved his face for a date. Manscaping, sure, but his face?

  Grayson pointed to a picture on the computer under the header Keep Growing Together. The picture showed a man lying on his back with his feet up in the air doing some crazy acrobatic position with the woman. Her butt balanced on his feet as she hung upside down, legs in a cheerleading pose he’d seen girls do way back when, hands flying out behind her…while they kissed.

  What. The. Hell?

  Grayson read the caption aloud. “Do activities that raise your adrenaline.” His eyes rose to the title of the article. “Seriously, dude? What are you two doing?”

  Clark held his hands up in surrender. “It’s all him, man, not me. I just got out of this crap.”

  Grayson’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, about that. You and I have to talk. You can’t leave your wife and kid, Clark.”

  “Agreed,” Hunter said emphatically, just as he had last night about a billion times.

  Clark opened his mouth to respond and Hunter said, “Don’t even try,” as Grayson chimed in with, “Get over it.”

  “Whatever. Neither of you are married,” Clark responded. “So don’t give me a hard time. Things are different once you get hitched and have a kid.”

  “Yeah, it’s called owning up to your responsibilities,” Hunter said. “Why do you think I don’t have a girlfriend?”

  “Because you don’t shave,” Grayson said with a laugh.

  “Because you’re a male slut,” Clark added.

  “Because I don’t want that responsibility. You think I want to be the person a woman relies on to listen to her and talk about girl stuff? Really, the thought of listening to drama turns my stomach, and sleeping with the same chick year after year? Man…” He shook his head, although he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a woman next to him besides Jana. Had they been hooking up for that long?

  Grayson pointed to the picture on the monitor of the acrobatic, upside-down kiss. “If you’re doing stuff like this, I’m not sure you ever have to worry about getting married. Besides, if you’re trying to learn how to be romantic, you really do need a lesson. Romance comes from the heart, not from an article.”

  “How do you know?” Hunter asked.

  “Did we even grow up in the same house? Everything Dad ever did for Mom was romantic. Coming home at night on time was romantic. Helping with us when we drove her crazy all day was romantic. Come on, Hunt. Working in the hardware store from sunup to sundown was romantic. He did that for her, and for us. To make ends meet and to make sure we all had what we needed and that Mom was happy. Even I could see that.” Grayson stopped at the door to the shop and set a serious stare on Hunter. “And sleeping with the same chick year after year? Look at Pete and Jenna. Sky and Sawyer. They’re happy as clams. You might not want that, but I’m beginning to think we’re the ones missing out.”

  “No way,” Hunter mumbled as he watched the door swing closed behind Grayson.

  “I hate to agree with him, but you have no clue what you’re talking about, Hunter.” Clark turned the monitor back toward him and laughed at the picture. “Although that is some kinky stuff.”

  “Wait, why do you say I have no clue? You’re the one who left your wife.”

  “Yeah, because we never have sex. We never even talk.” The anger in his voice was palpable. “But I still love her. I still want her.”

  “Then call her, idiot. Talk to her. Do those things on that stupid article.” Hunter hoped his friend would do the right thing. Even if he didn’t want to sleep with one woman forever, he knew Clark, and the broken guy in front of him wasn’t the stand-up, loyal-to-the-end buddy he knew and respected.

  Clark just shook his head like Hunter didn’t understand, and the crazy part was, he sort of did. He thought it all came back to not really wanting one woman forever. He’d never tell Clark that, but despite what Grayson had said, Hunter had to question the whole monogamy thing.

  Hunter patted Clark’s shoulder and said, “At least think about it, okay? She loves you, Clark. She texted you a hundred times last night. That’s love.”

  “That’s ‘can you drop off diapers tomorrow,’ because Billy has a cold and she doesn’t want to take him out.” Clark sighed. “And yeah, I dropped them off this morning.”

  “Good man,” Hunter said as he pushed from the desk to return to the shop.

  “Hunt?” Clark called after him.

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for letting me crash at your place. I know this is a messed-up situation, and I know you don’t want me to leave Nina, but I need to figure this out my way.”

  Hunter nodded before pushing through the doors and getting back to work, thinking about what he’d read on wikiHow and about Clark bringing diapers to Nina. That was thoughtful, wasn’t it? Even if she’d asked him to bring them? Surely leaving flowers for Jana counted, too. But he had a feeling that romance went beyond flowers and diapers. He just had to figure out what else there was—and why he cared.

  By six thirty that evening he’d decided that he’d wasted too much time trying to figure out how to be romantic. It probably didn’t matter if he was romantic or not. He and Jana had great sexual chemistry, and he was sure she’d remember just how incredib
le it was and admit she wanted to do it again. All it would take was a few kisses, and she’d be saying, I want you, in her sleep.

  He showered and dressed in cargo shorts and a tank top, pulled on a hoodie, and climbed into his truck. Taking one last glance at himself in the rearview mirror, he studied the scruff on his jaw.

  “Shoot.” He pushed from the cab and headed back inside. He took the stairs two at a time and stalked into his master bathroom. Every muscle tightened against what he was about to do. His head told him he was a fool, but something inside him urged him on. He was making an effort for a woman, and that made his skin feel too tight. He tugged at the front of his tank top, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling. Lathering up his scruffy cheeks, he palmed the razor, trying to ignore the nervous feeling clawing at his gut. As he shaved the whiskers from his jaw, and his clean-shaven face was revealed, he questioned himself again. And a foreign feeling rose within him.

  He felt good making an effort for Jana. But the aftershave was only to ease the burn. At least that’s what he told himself.

  She probably wouldn’t even notice. Jana wasn’t like most women, getting all dramatic over stupid things.

  Feeling slightly emasculated without his scruff, he changed into jeans and forwent the truck, grabbing his motorcycle keys instead on the way out the door.

  JANA HELD THE phone to her ear, listening to Sky tell her who was coming to the bonfire. They’d moved tonight’s gathering from Cahoon Hollow Beach to Pete and Jenna’s home on the bay, where they’d have to use the large hibachi Grayson made. Open bonfires weren’t allowed on bay beaches.

  “Sounds great. I can’t wait to see sweet little Bea and the rest of the girls and their babies.” Pete and Jenna had had a baby girl this past winter, and they’d named her after Pete’s mother, who had passed away unexpectedly a few years earlier. Their friends Amy and Bella had given birth last summer to their daughters, Hannah and Summer.

  “We’ll get to see the baby boys tomorrow at breakfast.” Sky’s excitement made Jana smile. “Jessica and Jamie are coming down late tonight from Boston, and Leanna said she and Kurt are making arrangements to stay at the cottage for the rest of the summer. She’s just finishing up a big jam order tonight.” Leanna owned Luscious Leanna’s Sweet Treats, and she made her jam out of a converted cottage on their bayside property. She and Kurt stayed at that house most of the year; then, like the other Seaside cottage owners, they stayed at Seaside during the summers.

  “Dustin and Sloan are adorable. I can’t wait to see them again,” Jana said, thinking about how cute Jessica and Leanna’s boys were. They’d been spring babies, and there had been a big party to celebrate their births.

  “Want us to swing by and get you tonight for the bonfire?” Sky asked.

  Sky knew that something had happened between Jana and Hunter before Sky had met Jana through Sawyer, but Jana didn’t think she knew they’d hooked up several times since. Even though they’d left the bar together the other night, Sky had probably assumed Hunter had just been making sure she got home okay. Hunter was always making sure their friends were okay. In Sky’s eyes, it wouldn’t look like anything more if Hunter gave Jana a ride to the bonfire, so she told Sky the truth.

  “Um, no thanks. Hunter’s giving me a ride over.”

  “Cool. We’ll see you there, then. Tell Hunt I said to behave.”

  Jana laughed, like that was even a possibility? They ended the call, and she looked over her outfit one last time. Skinny jeans and a batik top should send the not-interested vibe, right? She wasn’t wearing a miniskirt or anything that allowed easy access. She’d even French braided her hair, because she knew that Hunter loved tangling his hands in it as much as she enjoyed him doing it, and if it was tied back, there was no chance of that happening. Jana was well aware that each of these little changes were merely crutches to keep her under control as well as him, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do.

  Since when have I needed crutches? As she slipped on her flip-flops, a knock at the door sent her heart into panic mode. Sheesh. That was new, too. Great. Hunter had gotten under her skin. She needed to find a way to get him out. Fast.

  Squaring her shoulders, she told herself she could resist Hunter Lacroux. She’d had him, and as magnificent as he was, what they had was a revolving bedroom door. Even though she didn’t want more than that, she knew it was better to bolt that door closed now than to enjoy it time and time again.

  Even if every time was better than the last?

  She pushed that thought aside and opened the door.

  Holy mother of all things. Hunter stood in a pair of low-slung dark jeans stretched tight over his thick thighs. His black hoodie was open in the front, revealing a tank top that clung to his muscular pecs. But it was his face that had her licking her lips, hungry for a taste of him despite her steely resolve to remain distant. His chiseled jaw was on full display, clean-shaven, surrounding full, kissable lips and making him even more drop-dead gorgeous than usual. Top off his cleaner image with the black bike helmet under his arm, and he was the perfect contrast of bad boy and gentleman.

  Jana’s cognitive processes stalled.

  When he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, the scent of Tommy Hilfiger mixed with his own potent scent was intoxicating and enticing.

  “Hey, pretty girl.”

  His sexy smile and gravelly tone sent heat straight through her core. “Hey,” she managed, trying to kick her brain into working order as he raked his eyes down her body.

  “Wow, you look hot.”

  His eyes darkened as he set his helmet beside the door and slid a hand around her waist, tugging her in close. Her resolve disappeared as he took her in a hard, hungry kiss. There was nothing romantic or polite about it. It was a kiss of white-hot desire and it made her head spin. As he held on tight, she gave in to the desire that had been simmering since last night at the bar and pushed his hoodie off his shoulders, clawing for skin. In one swift move he shook off the jacket and kicked the door shut. His eyes were dark and possessive as he reclaimed her body against his.

  “Jana.”

  Her name was drenched with need, igniting new flames inside her. He made her feel wanted and sexy, and in the space of a second she was racing through the virtual revolving bedroom door. Their legs bumped and tangled as they kissed and tore at each other’s clothes, moving toward the couch.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he said, prickles of desire racing through her.

  He kissed her again, obliterating her remaining thoughts. Hunter knew just how to sooth the chaos from her mind.

  He drew back, challenging her with his eyes. “Say it, pretty girl.”

  Darn you. He grinned, a cute and somehow also cocky grin.

  “Not a chance.” She arched against him, knowing he couldn’t resist her any more than she could resist him.

  He lowered his cheek to hers and pressed the unfamiliar smooth skin to hers. He’d never been clean-shaven in all the times they’d hooked up, and boy, did she like the feel of it. She loved the scratch of his whiskers, but this? This ratcheted up the hotness, and her curiosity, even more.

  “You know you want me,” he said seductively in her ear.

  “Shut up and put that mouth of yours to use,” she said with just as much vehemence. “Kiss me.”

  “Don’t play with me, Jana. You know you want me.”

  She ground her teeth together. “That’s a lot of big talk. How about some action? Or maybe you’re scared you won’t hit the mark this time?”

  “I always hit the mark.” He pressed a tantalizing kiss on the corner of her mouth.

  She curled her fingers, wanting to touch him, but she’d be damned if she’d tell him so. “Prove it.”

  “I’ll prove it, all right.”

  Finally he was going to satisfy her and forget this silly nonsense he had in his head of needing to hear her admit how badly she wanted him. Wasn’t it obvious by the way she was practically drooling over him?

>   His devilish grin turned softer, as did his tone. “What is it, pretty girl?”

  As she stared into his eyes, seeing all that heat, all that desire meant just for her, she was surprised that she saw something more this time—concern. She’d seen that look in his eyes dozens of times, but always aimed at his siblings and closest friends. And, she realized as he ran his finger down the length of her arm and touched his lips to hers in a kiss so tender it made her insides melt, that she trusted Hunter.

  “Take me,” she whispered against his lips.

  Chapter Six

  IT WASN’T THE words Jana said that sent him into action—although he loved hearing his favorite request coming from her. It was the look in her eyes the moment before she’d said them, a look of trust that stirred something deep inside him. And made him realize, maybe for the first time ever, that the thundering in his chest was coming from his heart. His heart had never come into play with women before, and it took him a moment to process that and finally move past it and regain his momentum.

  He loved being with Jana, seeing the desire in her eyes, and knowing it was all for him.

  At least tonight.

  That thought usually didn’t bother him, but now his gut twisted with it.

  As he carried her into the bedroom and made love to her, he bit back the urge to tell her that he hated thinking about her with other guys. That was too weird. Too foreign. Too much. He wanted to love her until she wasn’t able to remember ever being with another man.

  He told himself she was with him now, and that should be all that mattered. The here and now. But the lines he’d always drawn in the sand blurred.

  They lay together afterward, and he gathered her in his arms. “I’ve got you,” he whispered, his heart making itself known again with fast thumps and a tightening in his chest.

  He held her for a long time, brushing her hair from her cheeks, stroking her arms to ease the ache he was sure she felt from holding him too tight. Cradling her against him, he tried to make sense of the unfamiliar emotions washing through him. Gone was the urge to roll away from her and fall asleep, or leave. He wanted to sit right there, holding her until she had her strength back, until he was sure she was okay.