by Addison Cole
He shrugged. “I’ve got time to wait if you do.”
“Really?” She scrunched her nose, looking impossibly cute.
“You’re my only plan for tonight.” He leaned in for a quick kiss. “But only if you tell me about this dance studio you want to open.”
“It’s still a little unbelievable to me. I’m trying to come to grips with it all, so it’s hard to talk about.” She hooked her finger in the front of his pants, and he could see the excitement in her eyes, tempered by worry.
“Do you want to try? Or would you rather not share it yet?”
Her forehead wrinkled, and her face grew serious. He hated the idea of being locked out of something so important to her, but he wouldn’t push if she wasn’t ready.
“It’s okay, pretty girl. Tell me about your current job. Why do you want to quit? Is that something you’re comfortable talking about?”
She explained about her boss leaving town on what was supposed to be a short-term basis but had turned into months, and how she was forced into taking over the job of a full-time manager. Irritation tightened his chest at the thought of Jana being taken advantage of.
The line moved quickly as she explained. After getting their cones, Hunter pulled her in close again as they walked back toward Main Street eating their ice cream.
“Have you talked to your boss about hiring someone new to handle some of the work you’re doing?”
She ran her tongue around her ice cream and peered up at him from behind a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. Holy cow. There was absolutely nothing sexier than Jana eating ice cream.
She licked her lips and nodded.
He was wrong. Jana licking ice cream from her lips was neck and neck with her tongue sliding over the mound of ice cream. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“You’re killing me.” He tightened his jaw and forced himself to look away. “Warn me next time not to get you ice cream unless we’re alone.”
“Why?” she asked with feigned innocence.
He leaned down and spoke directly into her ear. “Because if you’re going to use your tongue like that, I can’t be held responsible for what will happen.”
She mouthed a silent, Oh.
They finished their cones as they continued down Main Street and turned by the library, heading toward the harbor.
“Let me get this straight. Your idiot boss won’t give you a raise or hire someone else.” He wanted to have a little talk with Marco.
“Nope.” They turned the corner and the pier came into view. “So when I told Bella and the girls about it the other day, they asked what I really wanted, and ‘open my own studio’ just sort of came out. And you know the girls. They’re so confident and so eager to help everyone.” She shrugged. “Before I knew it, we were strategizing about renting the recreation center at Seaside for my classes. We met with Theresa yesterday, and I guess she’s checking into things and the ball is rolling. Everything is happening so fast.”
He tipped up her chin so he could see her eyes. He saw a hint of fear there, like a baby bird standing on the edge of a nest for the first time. Certain she can fly, but what if…Seeing that doubt in her eyes startled him. Jana put on such a strong front that Hunter felt like he’d peeled back another layer of her, revealing a little more of the real Jana.
“Do you want that? Your own studio, that space?” he finally asked.
It took her a long time to answer, and in the quiet, he studied her for hints as to what she was thinking and felt himself getting lost in her instead. She looked younger, softer tonight, with the flowers in her hair and a dress that on anyone else would look too fancy, but on Jana looked, well, perfectly Jana.
JANA FELT HUNTER studying her, but not in the way she was used to, when he was thinking about all the dirty things he wanted to do with her. He was looking at her like he truly wanted to hear what she had to say. Like he really cared.
“I think I do,” she answered quietly. “The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. But really? What do I know about running a business?”
“You’re running a business now.” Hunter took her hand and they walked around the bend, passing the Pearl, the Bookstore Restaurant, and the playground.
“I guess.”
“You said you’re not only teaching, but handling the billing, the marketing, and the administration. You’re already there, Jana.” Hunter led her to the middle of the grassy field between the tennis courts and a row of cottages and looked out over the harbor.
“When I was eleven or twelve, my family used to come here every so often. We’d get ice cream, walk along the beach. I never knew why my parents took us here, of all places, when we lived in Brewster, but I eventually found out that this was one of my mom’s favorite spots. It was where my parents met.” Hunter’s gaze turned serious, and her heart ached for his loss.
“You must miss her very much.”
“I do.” He nodded, and his voice softened. “But I know she’s still in here.” He covered his heart with his hand. He blinked several times, and when he changed the subject, she knew he didn’t want to talk about his feelings. “My father had a knack for teaching each of us what we wanted to learn. He bought Matt every book under the sun, about all sorts of topics that I’d never find fun, but for whatever reason, Matt loved them.”
“He must still.”
Hunter smiled. “Yeah. He loves teaching at Princeton. And you know my dad taught Pete to refinish boats, and he taught Grayson and me how to forge metal. My mom was never really happy about him teaching us something that was so dangerous, but after a few years, that changed. She saw how much we loved it, we proved we were responsible, and she saw how close Grayson, Dad, and I were from working together. And, eventually, she was okay with it.”
“You’re lucky he was so interested in spending time with you guys. My parents are living proof of generational gaps. They supported Brock’s fighting, but other than that, they think we should all have nine-to-five jobs, and Harper and I should be married with two point five children. I have no idea how none of their four children ended up in conventional jobs.”
Hunter tucked her hair behind her ear and lightly stroked her cheek. Coupled with the tender look in his eyes, it was such an intimate gesture that it made her shiver.
“My father taught us that some people aren’t meant to follow other people’s dreams. That’s what I’m getting at. One evening when we came here, my brothers and sister and I were running around, and I saw my mom and dad standing right here in this spot. They were standing close, like this.” He stepped in so close their thighs brushed.
“I remember thinking about how I never wanted to forget seeing them like that. The next day I started my first real metal sculpture. It was the first time I felt inspired by something. Instead of just welding and forging to create something cool, I felt driven by an image. It was a sculpture of them, standing right here. It took me months to complete it. I could only use the forge when my father was around, and he worked a lot, because he owns the hardware store, as you know.”
She had a hard time imagining Hunter waiting for anything. He took; he didn’t wait.
“Anyway, after I made that sculpture, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I also knew, because my mother was quite practical and believed in telling things as they were, that my chances of making a career as an artist were slim, but I wanted it more than I wanted anything else in the world.”
“That’s how I feel about dance. I love everything about it. I get lost in it, Hunter. I’ve never really felt that way about anything else except boxing and…” She stopped before saying you. Quickly turning away, she brought her fist to her mouth. I do lose myself in you. She wasn’t ready for this. She trusted Hunter, but she didn’t trust this quick turnaround he was making. Her life was a crazy mess right now, and she didn’t trust herself enough to see things clearly and make smart decisions.
“And?” He stepped around so he was in her line o
f sight.
He was so handsome, and the intense look in his eyes, the tell me everything look, combined with the tenderness of his request, made her stomach dip.
“And…” She couldn’t let the emotions swelling inside her change anything between them. She was vulnerable, because of everything going on at work. That had to be what was causing her rampant emotions. “Having my own studio would be like a dream come true.”
“Then nothing should stand in your way. Not Marco, not self-doubt. Nothing.”
The way he said it, like he believed in her, like she deserved to make her dreams come true, comforted her and made her feel stronger. When he slid his hand to the nape of her neck and smiled, she felt herself welcoming this new thing blossoming between them, despite her resolve not to let it sway her emotions.
Jana went up on her toes, holding tightly to his waist as his eyes darkened and her heart turned over in her chest. “I like this side of you.”
Their mouths came together in a series of slow, shivery kisses.
“I like this side of you, too,” he said with a knee-weakening smile.
She was sure she was walking on air the whole way back to the truck. The distance they covered felt shorter, the travel time to her house quicker than ever before. She couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around this new Hunter and explore whatever was happening between them.
They laughed on the way up the walk to her front door. When she stepped up on the porch, he spun her around so they were almost eye to eye. Her arms wound around his neck, and he gathered her hair in one hand and gave a gentle tug, sending shocks of lust through her.
“Thank you for tonight.” He placed his other hand on her lower back, pressing her against him. It was all she could do to watch the emotions passing through his eyes. They were easy to decipher. I want you.
He kissed the tip of her nose, her cheek, her forehead, and finally—finally—his mouth found hers. She lost herself in the feel of his kisses. His hold on her hair tightened, heightening her arousal and pulling a wanton sound from her lungs. She wanted to be closer to this new Hunter.
“Can I see you again?” he asked against her lips, before kissing her again, lighter this time, quicker, leaving her hungry for more.
“You’re leaving?” Her emotions skidded to a halt. She didn’t understand. They didn’t leave each other. They claimed and satisfied, and tonight she thought everything was changing. Getting even better. This would be the second time he was leaving her, when all she wanted was more of him.
He searched her eyes, and she wondered if he saw the desperation she felt. Was he messing with her again? Had it all been a stupid game to him? This was exactly why she needed to stop this nonsense. She never should have dared him to be romantic, even if she really, really liked him this way.
“Tonight changed me, Jana,” he said just above a whisper, sending all those crazy thoughts sailing away. Just like that. “You opened a door inside me, or something. Whatever it is, I want to play it out, see what comes of it. If I go inside with you and do all the things that I want to do to you…” He held her against his hot, hard body. “You might confuse what we do tonight for what we’ve always done.”
“I…I don’t understand, Hunter. We’ve already slept together. Now it’ll just be that much better.”
The muscles in his jaw bunched, and his eyes narrowed. When he spoke, it was with all the white-hot demanding heat she was used to.
“The next time we come together, it won’t be just anything. At least not for me, and I hope not for you.”
He crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her like she was used to, like he wanted to tear off her clothes right that second. Spirals of ecstasy tore through her. When their lips parted they both gasped for air.
“The next time we come together,” he said with a heated stare, “it’ll be everything.”
Panic chased the ecstasy away as she grasped for words. “Hunter, I…I’m not sure…I’m not sure we’re ready for everything.”
“You let me worry about what I’m ready for, and prepare yourself, because I’m going to romance the heck out of you, and you’re going to love it.”
It wasn’t until after he drove away that she realized he hadn’t asked her to admit she wanted him.
Chapter Fourteen
HUNTER HAD BEEN working on the sculpture for the competition since seven o’clock that morning. He was acutely aware of the days he’d lost before he’d found his muse, and now, with just thirty days left until the competition, the pressure was on. Grayson was out meeting with a supplier this morning, and by the time Clark arrived, it was after ten. Clark had gone to see Nina last night, and when Hunter had come home to an empty house, he’d assumed Clark had stayed with her. But he’d heard him come in around three in the morning and knew that couldn’t be a good sign. He didn’t mind cutting Clark slack while he was having a hard time, but the guy could have let him know he’d be late to work this morning.
He went up front to talk to him, and the sight of Clark’s disheveled clothes and messy hair worried him—until he got a look at his buddy’s puffy, bloodshot eyes. He recognized the look of a hangover when he saw it.
“Trouble with Nina last night?” He couldn’t temper his irritation. It was one thing to cut him slack for having trouble with his marriage, but he wasn’t going to turn the other way at Clark throwing his life into a bottle. He’d watched his father disappear down that liquid trail, and it had been a long, painful road back.
“Nah. She was fine. Sorry I’m late.” Clark sat heavily and rested his head on his palm.
“Have a few too many last night?” He crossed his arms, and when Clark lifted his eyes and met his gaze, Hunter leveled him with a serious stare. “Were you with Robert?” Robert was single and liked to party, but he was responsible. Hunter had a hard time believing that Robert would stay out until three on a work night and get flipping drunk.
“At first. He took off around ten.” Clark’s phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the name, and sent the call to voicemail. “Oh, man.”
“What’s going on, Clark? I know I’m your friend, but seriously, dude. I don’t want any part of you cheating on Nina.”
Clark pressed his index finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose. “I’m not cheating on her.”
Hunter lifted his chin in the direction of Clark’s phone. “Who called? The same chick who’s been keeping you up at night all week?”
“There’s nothing going on.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and sat back, his shoulders sagging. “I swear it, man. She wants there to be, but I’m not ready for that.”
“So don’t go there.” Hunter didn’t understand people who didn’t take control of their lives. It was so easy to do. Make a plan and make it happen. Like he was doing with Jana. Everything had changed for him over the last few days, and now he understood how Pete and Sky could have fallen so hard so fast for Jenna and Sawyer. He’d not only already spent more time with Jana than he had with any other woman, but he couldn’t get her out of his head.
He wondered if she’d slept okay last night, if she’d thought of him as much as he’d thought of her. If she was as nervous today about starting her own dance studio as she’d been last night. And if so, he wanted to be right there to help her realize she could achieve her dreams. All she had to do was get that stubborn mind of hers to listen. And last night? Wow, last night. It had nearly killed him to leave her, when what he’d really wanted was to follow her inside, take her on every surface in every room, and make her realize that she wanted everything with him just as much as he wanted it with her.
“She texts all the time,” Clark admitted. “She calls all the time. I’m not good at letting people down, and she listens, man. She really listens to every word I say.”
Seeing his friend struggle made him realize he’d been selfish. Clark had come to him in his time of need. He hadn’t gone to his family. He didn’t try to figure it out on his own. He’d come to Hunter, and
what did Hunter do? He got so wrapped up in Jana that he let his friend fend for himself when he was clearly too confused to do this alone.
He set a comforting hand on Clark’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you. With all the crap you have going on, I should have made myself more available.”
“You did, Hunt. You even babysat for us. This isn’t your issue.”
“Yeah, it kinda is. If I were going through a rough time, you’d be there to listen so I didn’t have to turn to a stranger. You don’t need this chick listening to your life story. You need your best friend and, dude, I’m going to be there from now on. I promise. Starting right now.”
He picked up Clark’s phone and navigated to the messages but didn’t read them. He turned the screen toward Clark. “This her? Cherise?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re going to start by sending her a nice text telling her that you’ve decided to work on your marriage, that you appreciate her friendship, but you don’t want your wife to get the wrong impression, so you need to break off contact.” After typing all that in, he looked to Clark for approval.
Clark nodded. “Send it.” He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Why did I need you to do that? What is wrong with me?”
“You feel like your life is spinning out of control. We’ve all been there, but it’s not, Clark. We just need to get you back on track. Take today off. Go back to my place and sleep. We’ll go out for dinner tonight and talk. Use me, man. I’m a great listener.”
“What about your girl?” Clark rose to his feet, looking beyond worn out but mildly relieved.
He’d sent Jana a text when he’d arrived at work. Had a great time on our date. Looking forward to the next one. He’d heard the snarky tone of her voice when he’d read her response. There may not be a next one if you don’t put out. “She’s fighting being my girl, but no worries. I’ve got that, too.”
