by Addison Cole
Little did she know that she already had.
“Ready?” They were going to the Bombshelter, a local pub where their friends were celebrating that Sky and Sawyer had chosen their wedding date.
“Yup.” She smiled up at him and wound her arms around his neck.
He loved when she claimed him. He pressed his lips to hers and couldn’t resist backing her up against the truck to deepen the kiss. She had this incredible sensuality that resonated in everything she did and said, and he knew he’d never get enough of her.
“I forgot to tell you,” he said between kisses. “I made a key to your place so I could run over and change before the competition tomorrow, since your place is closer.”
She pushed back and wrinkled her brow. “You made a key?”
“Yeah. I figured—”
“Hunter, don’t you think you should have asked me about that first?”
Surprised by her response, he took a step back to clear the desire from his mind and focus on the conversation. “Jana, we’ve been practically living together for weeks.”
“Living together? We’re not living together.”
The panic in her eyes sent his mind back in time, and he tempered his annoyance at her attitude, reminding himself that this was classic Jana. One step forward, two steps back, until she slammed into a wall, beat it for a while, and finally leapt—because she was too rebellious and stubborn to take two steps forward and one step back like others did.
He softened his tone. “Baby, we stay together almost every night of the week. You cleared out a drawer for me. I have my stuff in your closet, your bathroom.”
Her brows knitted together and her hand went to a lock of her hair, twisting it furiously. “You…We…When did that happen?”
“Over time, I guess.” He pulled his keys from his pocket, removed the key he’d made from the key ring, and placed it in her palm. He closed her fingers over it and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
“Take the key, baby. I’m sorry I overstepped my boundaries.” He knew she just needed time, and maybe he had assumed too much, but her denial of their situation stung.
“Hey, guys!” Sky hollered as she and Sawyer crossed the parking lot to greet them. “I’m so excited.”
Sawyer pulled Hunter into a manly embrace. “Ready to get your butt kicked in pool, dude?”
My butt was just kicked in love. Why not pool?
THE BOMBSHELTER WAS a dimly lit dive located beside the Bookstore Restaurant in Wellfleet, and it was one of Jana’s favorite places. She loved everything about the pub, from the crowded dance floor to the clanking of the billiard balls and cheers for the sports teams on the televisions above the bar. The place smelled of testosterone, perfume, and anonymity. Tonight, as she sat with her friends, she wished she could feel anonymous, but she felt…panicked.
Hunter staying over all the time wasn’t the same thing as actually living together, was it? Living together meant sharing bills, planning dinners, getting a dog or a cat, and having his own key. Living together was the opening act to a much bigger and more permanent commitment. Shouldn’t he have talked to her about that instead of making the determination on his own and assuming it was okay for him to make a key? What if she wasn’t ready for the opening act, or even the main event?
What if I am?
She needed another drink, stat.
She searched for the waitress, but the perky little brunette was busy eyeing her man. Wench. Hunter, however, was solely focused on the pool table. Leaning over to take his turn, his long, strong arms held the pool cue as he lined up his shot. Her fingers curled with the desire to stand behind him, grab his hips, and press her body to his. Tonight you’re all mine.
Aren’t you?
Panic trickled back in. Now that she was thinking about it, he’d hurried off with the guys awfully quickly when they’d entered the bar. That was unusual for him. He didn’t seem angry on the outside, but he was definitely put out.
Well, darn it. So was she. Why was he making assumptions instead of talking with her about what she wanted?
Maybe I do want the main event…
Sheesh. She was driving herself crazy. If this was what relationships did to a person, no wonder she was never any good at them.
No, she wasn’t going down that road. She and Hunter were good together.
Great. They were great together.
Then why was she panicking?
That’s it. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She was done with this circular thought process. She scanned the floor for the other waitress. It wasn’t until Amy’s voice cracked through her confusion that she realized she was completely ignoring her friends.
“How is Marco treating you?” Amy asked. “You’re almost done right? Just another few weeks and then you’re on your own?”
Jana pushed the thoughts of their argument aside and tried to focus on Amy and her friends. They were supposed to be celebrating. She was not going to allow herself to get tied in knots over a stupid key.
Over her life.
She’d just begun to love her life.
Where’s that darn waitress?
“Marco’s not happy that he has to come back to town, so he’s hardly talking to me.” Like Hunter, tonight. “It’s probably better that way.” Her heart ached.
“Probably so,” Sky said. “I saw the website Jamie made. It’s incredible.”
“I tried out the online registration process,” Jenna added. She wiggled her shoulders and eyebrows and said, “I signed up for the Foxy Mamas class. Petey’s so excited.”
“Pete’s excited anytime you’re excited,” Amy said with a laugh. “Speaking of which, how about that blue dye? Bella is dying to get Theresa back with another prank, so I guess the games are on again.”
“We didn’t have too much trouble getting it off,” Jana said distractedly.
“It made Pete’s teeth blue,” Jenna said with an eyebrow waggle. “And not from kissing.”
“Ohmygosh.” Amy laughed. “I’m calling TMI on that one. Let’s talk about something else.” She turned to Jana, stifling a giggle. “On a more important note, Jana, I was in Stop & Shop the other day and saw the flyers you hung up. There were three women talking about joining, and I told them how wonderful you are.”
“Thank you, Amy.” Jana reached across the table and squeezed her hand, catching sight of the sexy waitress who was still eyeing Hunter. She tried to ignore the claws of jealousy tearing at her gut, but how could she when it felt like a wild animal digging its way out from beneath her skin?
She shifted her eyes to the dance floor, where Jamie and Jessica were dancing cheek to cheek to a way-too-fast beat. Bella and Leanna were dancing near the pool tables, calling her attention back to that big, sexy key maker.
Ugh. She pushed from the table. “Excuse me, ladies. I’m grabbing a drink.” She strutted over to the bar. Who cared about the skanky, flirty, gorgeous waitress who was eyeing her man? She could get her own darn drink.
After downing two fireballs, she ordered a round of shots for the table and, feeling warm and light from the alcohol, joined Bella and Leanna on the dance floor.
“I ordered a round of shots to celebrate!” Jana yelled over the music.
“Awesome. Caden’s the designated driver, so Mama gets to drink tonight.” Bella bumped hips with Jana.
Jana closed her eyes and raised her arms above her head, allowing the music to seep past her irritation over what that tiny key signified, past thoughts of the flirty waitress, past the heartache she was trying to ignore. When the edginess subsided and she felt suspended by the beat, she opened her eyes and let her body take over. Her hips swayed, and her shoulders flowed from side to side as she moved around Bella. When she came full circle, her shoulders drew right, pairing her up with Leanna in a slow, sultry dance. She was mildly aware of Leanna’s movements stopping and a crowd forming around them. She closed her eyes again, unwilling to let anything break her from the
comfortable zone she’d fallen into.
The music calmed her, the alcohol eased her worries, and when she opened her eyes, she danced without thought. Her body knew how to move, what to feel. And in that moment, she decided she was done drinking. Just like that. Done. She didn’t need alcohol to deal with her problems, and Hunter didn’t need to worry about her falling into the bottle like his father had. She was opening a business. She could make clearheaded decisions, and right now she needed to dance.
Leanna and Bella pointed to the table.
“We’ll meet you back there,” Bella said.
Jana nodded. “After this song.”
She felt free and untethered, but when she noticed a tall, muscular guy encroaching into her personal space, the contented smile fell from her lips.
He reached for her and she sidestepped his touch. “I’m here with someone,” she said. She could handle herself with most guys, but the feeling inside her wasn’t one of fear or intimidation. It was a twisting in her gut, telling her that things had changed. She’d changed. The unsettled feeling from earlier returned.
The burly guy reached for her again, and she stepped away with a sharp, “Not interested. Sorry. I’m involved with someone.”
The guy began gyrating his hips in front of her, so close she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She was used to this. Before Hunter she would have probably enjoyed the dirty dancing, but now she had no interest in anyone other than Hunter.
She stepped backward, tripping over another dancer. As she found her footing, the big guy was lifted by the back of his shirt off his feet. Hunter came into view, his face burning with rage, the veins in his neck bulging as he seethed.
“Don’t touch my girl.”
The guy held his arms up. “I didn’t know, man.”
“She said she wasn’t interested loud and clear,” Hunter growled.
“Hunter!” Jana yelled. “Put him down.”
Hunter’s angry eyes moved between the guy and Jana, his brow wrinkled in confusion.
“Hunter. Seriously.”
“Learn some manners,” he said before dropping the guy to the floor.
Jana stormed through the crowd and out the front door.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
HUNTER FLEW OUT the door and caught up to Jana. “Where the heck are you going?”
“Nowhere.” She paced, hands clenched tight.
“Jana, what’s going on? Why are you angry?”
“Because,” she spat. “Why do you have to act like a Neanderthal? I can handle myself.”
“Seriously?” He closed the distance between them. “Did you want that jerk to touch you? Because if you did, then forget me, Jana. I thought you were mine.” And then it hit him like a brick in the face, and he stopped cold. His entire body turned to ice as his words hung in the air between them.
First the key, now this? What is going on?
“Hunter…” She reached for him, but he took a step away.
“Jana…?”
“I don’t need you to go all caveman crazy. I’m allowed to dance. I’m allowed to move my body to the music, and yes, guys are going to look. They might even approach me, but come on, Hunter, don’t you trust me to handle myself?”
“Do you want me, Jana?” As soon as he said it, her lips curved up in that crazy sweet smile that turned him inside out, and he realized he’d asked for the three words she was never going to give him.
She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
He laughed, despite the anger that was coursing through him. “You’re a pain in the butt.”
“So are you,” she pointed out. “I’m not a delicate flower, Hunter. I can tell a guy to back off if I need to.”
She was so incredibly sexy when she was ornery, and he loved her so much, he couldn’t hold on to his anger any longer. “No kidding. You’ve done it to me.” He stepped in closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I never told you to back off. I told you to learn how to be romantic.” She flashed a sassy smirk.
“Fine…” He slanted his mouth over hers, taking her in a deliciously warm kiss. “You’re mine, Jana, and no woman of mine is going to dance like that and turn on other guys.”
She pushed away from him. “You’re infuriating sometimes. It’s not the 1950s.”
“You’re right, it’s not. But you make me want to beat the heck out of any guy who looks at you.”
She stood with her hands on her hips, looking impossibly stern and sexy at once. “You always tell me to trust you. Well, what about you, Hunter? Don’t you have to trust me, too?” Before he could respond, she said, “I’m going back in to party with everyone. It’s a celebration, remember? Sky and Sawyer deserve a happy night. They don’t need us fighting about keys and jerks.”
As she disappeared through the pub door, Hunter groaned, hoping to heaven that was the second step back and that the next one would be a step forward. He knew Jana too well to hope for the leap.
Two hours later, after a tense celebration, they pulled up in front of Jana’s house. Hunter cut the engine and they sat in silence.
“I’m sorry we argued,” he said into the dark.
“Me too.”
His phone rang, and he pulled it out and groaned. “It’s Clark. I’ve got to take it.” He stepped from the truck as he answered.
“Hunter, Nina and I had a big fight. Can I crash at your place?” Clark sounded horrible, defeated. His voice was scratchy and rough, as if he’d been yelling.
He ran his hand through his hair. Going home was the last thing he wanted to do. He and Jana didn’t argue, not like this. Their arguments weren’t arguments at all. They were mating dances. But tonight felt different—and it had all started with the stupid key. But he couldn’t blow off his buddy because of their rotten night. “Of course. I’m at Jana’s. Give me twenty minutes to get there.”
After ending the call he helped Jana out of the truck and told her he had to go let Clark in.
“That’s okay. We’re both tired. A little space will do us good.” Her eyes were filled with sadness, and it made him want to stay right there and figure their relationship out, but it was after midnight and he knew from experience a little space would probably do them more good than staying up all night, especially with the competition tomorrow.
“I’m sorry, Jana. He sounded awful, and I don’t know what’s going on, but I’d imagine we’ll be up for a while talking about whatever he’s going through.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. He needs you.”
Part of him wished she’d ask what about me? and say she needed him, too. Or beg him to come over after he was done talking with Clark. But that wasn’t Jana.
Jana was the woman who freaked out about a key.
“My competition is tomorrow afternoon. You’re still planning to come?”
She hooked her finger in his belt loop, and that simple, familiar touch eased his worries.
“Of course.” She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.
His phone vibrated again, cutting their kiss short. After one more chaste kiss, they gazed into each other’s eyes. A world of questions passed between them, falling into the crevice that had formed between them.
JANA STOOD IN the foyer of her house listening to the sound of Hunter’s truck fade into the night. The silence of the room closed in on her. How long had it been since she’d been home alone at night?
She walked down the hall to her bedroom, feeling exhausted. Depleted. Ready to drop. She’d gone through so many emotions lately that maybe a night alone would be a good thing. She’d never needed company before. Why should she now? And besides, she could use the rest. They both could.
She took off her jewelry and stripped off her clothes. She needed a shower, but she was too tired to make it happen. Instead, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Hunter’s scent lingered on the towel. She glanced around the bathroom at his toiletries mingling with hers. We’re practically living together.
>
Jana turned off the light and padded into the bedroom, taking a T-shirt from Hunter’s drawer and pulling it over her head. Then she slipped beneath the covers and closed her eyes.
She’d never been one for opening acts, but she’d take the opening act instead of standing on an empty stage.
Chapter Thirty
HUNTER SPENT HALF the night listening to Clark and Nina’s newest battle, which he still wasn’t sure he understood. It sounded to him like they were going around and around about the same issues without any resolution. Nina felt like she was a single parent, and Clark felt like he was undervalued. Hunter had witnessed many happy marriages: his parents, Pete and Jenna, and all their friends at Seaside. They made Clark and Nina’s troubles seem out of the ordinary. But he wasn’t dumb enough to believe that every couple wasn’t fighting their own private battles.
He left his house early to head down to his father’s hardware store. Some guys turned to alcohol when things got tough, as his father had after they’d lost his mother. Hunter usually turned to his work, but after spending so many hours working on the sculpture for which Jana was his muse, he knew the shop would only further confuse him. The next best thing to working with his hands was being around power tools—and his father. A double dose of calming influences.
Hunter had grown up in the small town of Brewster where, thankfully, not much ever changed. He parked beside the hardware store and headed around front. His phone rang as he reached for the door, and he smiled when he saw Jana’s beautiful face on the screen. But his mind zipped back to last night, to their argument over the key and her sexy dancing, tempering his emotions.
Running a hand over his closely shorn hair, he paced the sidewalk as he answered. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
