Sweet Attraction

by Melanie Munton

  Sure, he had women interested in climbing into bed with him. But beyond that? Not so much. Apparently, he wasn’t a safe long-term bet. He’d learned that through bitter experience.

  And it had always come back to money.

  Everything always did.

  “Has that new gal in town found anyone to do her store renovations yet?” his father asked.

  It had been a week since Jade breezed into town, turning Hunter’s world completely upside down, and it definitely hadn’t been a picnic for him. He’d been reliving their night in the hotel over and over in his head every time he drove past her storefront. Hell, anytime he heard her name. All he could do was picture her stark naked and writhing beneath him.

  His balls were likely to fall off if this kept up.

  “Not that I know of,” he rasped. Yeah, and he still felt like an asshole for bailing on her. “I called some guys I know, and I think she’s going to meet with them this week.”

  A few beats of silence passed before his father spoke again. “You know, I ran into Finn the other day, and we had a quick talk.”

  Hunter’s head fell as he groaned. “Do I even want to know what he said?”

  “Probably not, but I’m going to tell you, anyway.” His old man finished hammering in a nail before continuing. “He happened to mention that she’s quite a looker.”

  Hunter’s spine stiffened. Best friend or not, he didn’t much like Finn thinking Jade was… Shit, he didn’t want him thinking about her at all.

  Why? You haven’t done anything about it, have you?

  You have no claim on her, moron.

  “He said that?” Hunter asked, a little harsher than he’d intended.

  His father chuckled knowingly. “Calm down, there, son. I believe he was implying that you seem to think she’s quite a looker. And judging by the number of times I’ve seen you with a shaved face lately, I’d have to agree.”

  Hunter ran his fingers through his short beard. “Does it look like I’ve been shaving?”

  His dad threw a dirty rag at his face. “Smart ass. I meant, you haven’t looked as…scraggly, I think your momma calls it. She thinks you’re keeping yourself spiffed up for this new woman. So fair warning, you’re going to get grilled like a fat cow’s tenderloin tonight at dinner.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I brought extra beer,” Hunter muttered.

  “So, what is the story there?”

  He tipped his head back in frustration, knowing this was only the beginning. Between the three women inside the house, he’d get through his entire six-pack tonight and still need to delve into his bottle of whiskey when he got home.

  “There is no story,” he said evenly. “I had to turn down her job, and she understood.” Sort of. “But since she’s new in town, I’m trying to help her find someone who won’t screw her over on the job. That’s all.”

  His father’s silence told him there was a lot more going on upstairs that he wasn’t yet voicing aloud. “Which means she needs to make some new friends, right?”

  Hunter didn’t like where this was going. And his father wasn’t usually the one to play matchmaker. Hunter could normally count on him to have his back when his mother grilled him about marrying and settling down. They had a system for such situations.

  His dad did not instigate conversations like this.

  It was both weird and slightly uncomfortable.

  “I guess so,” Hunter replied. “I think she made friends with Ivy Ashcroft. She lives next door.”

  His dad nodded. “That’s good. Ivy’s a good gal. Have you thought about asking her to dinner?”

  Hunter assumed he meant Jade, not Ivy. He gazed at his dad in bafflement. What sort of foreign being had invaded his father’s body and was making him say such crazy things? “I don’t think she’ll want a brand-new boyfriend the first week she’s in town, Dad.”

  “I don’t mean that,” his old man said with a grunt. “I just mean befriend her. Show her around, get to know her. It would be a nice thing to do, and I’m sure she would appreciate it.”

  Hunter wasn’t so sure about that.

  The woman had been avoiding him since day one. They’d run into each other twice since he showed up at her house that first night—once at the grocery store and once outside the bank—and her shoulder had been so cold he’d gotten chills.

  He wasn’t sure if it was because she felt awkward about their one night together and the circumstances that followed, or if she just really didn’t like him.

  He still couldn’t believe that the first woman he’d picked up in a bar in…hell, forever—and a hundred miles away—had turned out to be the new girl in Shell Grove. What were the odds? It was like an ironic twist of fate. He wanted to chalk it up to the craziest of coincidences…

  But something deep inside him told him not to brush the whole thing off so quickly.

  “What’s up with the third degree?” he asked. “Why the concern for some woman you’ve never met?”

  His father slammed his hammer down and threw up his hands in frustration. Hunter struggled to keep the smile off his face. His dad had always been terrible with subterfuge.

  “I’m just trying to kick your butt into gear, son. You’re wasting precious time, lollygagging the way you have been the past couple of years. I’m hearing a lot of talk about that woman. Good things. And if you drag your feet long enough, you’re going to lose her to some other schmuck in town.”

  Hunter snorted. “Lose her? She’s not a prize, Dad. Just because she’s beautiful doesn’t mean she’s my perfect match. I doubt we have anything in common.”

  That was a real possibility. Jade was so obviously a city girl that compared to his small town, down-home nature, the two of them could have exactly zero common interests.

  The urge to find out suddenly slammed through him.

  Damn it, Dad.

  “Why would you say that?” his father asked, sounding genuinely curious.

  Hunter hated that particular tone of voice. The scrutiny in it reminded him of his high school days when he used to get into trouble for coming home past curfew.

  “Come on, Dad,” he said. “She’s from DC, she drives a BMW, and every purse she owns is Prada.” His dad sent him a look and he shrugged. “I have no idea what that means, either, but I heard Maggie and Mia talking about it. And according to them, it means she’s got some serious dough.”

  His father tapped a finger against his knee, unimpressed. “Your point?”

  Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. “I think she’s a little out of my league.”

  “That’s bullshit, son, and you know it,” his father spat.

  “Do I?” Hunter challenged. “Of all the women I’ve dated in the past, how many have ditched me for doctors, lawyers, or rich businessmen? And that one from Charleston? She ended up marrying a professional baseball player.”

  His dad’s expression didn’t change. “Those women obviously weren’t for you.”

  “Or vice versa,” he muttered. “All I’m saying is, Jade and I are from two different worlds.” The words felt like acid on his tongue. He didn’t always like acknowledging the truth. “She’s white collar and I’m blue. She wouldn’t be interested in a working Joe Schmo like me.”

  “You don’t know that,” his father said impatiently. “That’s why you get to know her, dummy. Take her out, and if y’all aren’t clicking, then that’s that. It doesn’t have to go any further. But you’ll never know if you don’t try.”

  Hunter took a long pull of his beer. “You know, this is usually Mom’s territory. When I’m out here with you, I can usually count on having a conversation about who the Patriots just traded, or how much better my new miter saw works compared to my old one. Because as soon as we walk into that estrogen-clouded house, it’s going to be all about what sales are going on this weekend and what happened on the last episode of Scandal. That’s sort of the point of us being out here in the first place. Man time.”

  “Well, I’
m sorry, but your momma and I would like some grandbabies before you three heathens put us in a home!”

  “Then, how about you go talk to the two women in there who can actually bear children?”

  His dad cringed, a dark frown overtaking his features. “Neither of those girls even has a man yet. You think I want to be thinking about them having babies when I’m still preparing myself for the day one of them brings a boy home?”

  That caused Hunter to chug the rest of his beer. Playing big brother to those two had been one headache after another over the years. Of course, it was just then he heard his mother yell from the back porch, “Dinner’s ready!”

  He and his dad looked at each other in trepidation.

  “Maybe we could just eat our food out here?”

  Chapter Eight

  Hunter stared at the questionable-looking dark flecks of…something…in the mashed potatoes. “Maggie, did you make the mashed potatoes?”

  Maggie glanced up as she spooned a good helping of green beans onto her plate. “Yeah, why?”

  Mia shot him a wide-eyed glance across the table and subtly shook her head, the universal sign to not say another word.

  “Nothing. They look great.”

  Bless her heart, Maggie couldn’t cook for shit.

  “How’re your momma and daddy doing, Maggie?” his old man asked. “I haven’t talked to them in a few days.”

  His dad’s sister was Maggie’s mom. Her parents had moved back to California a few years ago to be closer to Maggie’s paternal grandparents. With her dive and surf shop and most of her family and friends all being in Shell Grove, she had declared she wouldn’t move to California for all the medical marijuana in the world.

  Hunter also suspected that Finn had played a big role in her decision to stay. Despite the fact they’d both deny it.

  “They’re doing fine,” Maggie replied. “Momma’s taking surfing lessons. I think she stood up on the board for the first time yesterday. So, naturally, she thinks she’s ready to enter contests.”

  His dad shook his head, no doubt picturing his fifty-something-year-old sister stumbling around on a surfboard. “That sounds about right,” he mumbled.

  “So, Sparky,” Maggie said to Hunter, his longtime nickname going unnoticed by everyone. “Word on the street is the new store owner you abandoned in her time of need is pretty hot.”

  He dropped his fork on his plate, the clanging noise echoing through the room. “Okay, did I miss the memo about it being Let’s Fix Up Hunter with the New Chick Day? Why is everyone suddenly so concerned with my dating life? It’s not going to happen, so just drop it right now.”

  They would all attack like bloodthirsty piranha if they knew about his night with Jade at the hotel.

  But he could be a steel vault of secrets when necessary.

  Maggie’s mouth spread into a shit-eating grin. “Who said anything about fixing you up? I was just going to suggest that Mia and I roll out the welcome wagon.”

  God forbid. “Oh, you mean like the time you took the new librarian diving and she had a minor heart attack?” he asked pointedly.

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “She saw a harmless little mako shark. How was I supposed to know she was deathly afraid of sharks? Plus, she was completely fine.”

  Mia giggled under her breath.

  He just stared at their cousin. “Maggie, everyone is deathly afraid of sharks.”

  “Yeah, well everyone needs to have a better sense of adventure.”

  He didn’t respond to that—sometimes that was all you could do with Maggie—but caught the way his mom winked at him over her water glass.

  “So, I ran into Rebecca the other day,” Mia said quietly, looking at him.

  “With your car, I hope?” Maggie drawled. “I thought we agreed never to speak that name in this house again. It’s likely to cast a curse on our children’s children.”

  Mia ignored Maggie and kept her sympathetic gaze on him. “She came into the spa the other day for a massage. Acted all surprised when she ran into me. I told another girl to take her. Didn’t trust myself not to strangle her.”

  His blood ran cold at the mention of his ex-girlfriend getting anywhere near his family. He didn’t want her to further taint them with her evil ways.

  “That’s such bullshit,” Maggie spat out. “The bitch knows you work there.”

  “Maggie Ann Breedlove,” Hunter’s mom scolded. “No language at the dinner table.”

  His mother was the only person on the planet who could actually make Maggie cower. “Sorry, Aunt Bev.” She turned to Mia and Hunter. “But seriously. What’s her game?”

  Mia shrugged. “I have no idea. I just ignored her. But we all know she always has a reason for everything she does.”

  Yeah, vindictive nightmare that she was.

  “I just wanted to tell you to watch yourself, Hunter. Who knows what she’s up to,” Mia said.

  Unfortunately, he had a pretty good idea what she was up to. Keeping tabs on him, making sure he wasn’t getting anywhere near Jade’s store. He hadn’t told his family about Rebecca’s little threat to nix his newest Seaside Properties bid, because hell would be unleashed if Maggie and Mia ever got wind of it.

  That was all he needed. Another disastrous run-in with the one-woman apocalypse.

  “I picked up some fresh tuna yesterday,” Maggie said cheerily. “It wouldn’t be hard to break into Rebecca’s car and—”

  “No!” everyone shouted in unison.

  “What?” Maggie asked innocently, a devious grin on her face. “I was just going to say switch out her air fresheners.”

  Terrific. Now, he was going to have to watch out for Rebecca and Maggie.

  And Jade.

  How had his life suddenly gotten so complicated?

  Chapter Nine

  With weeks to go before the summer season officially began, Jade’s store should have been looking like an actual store.

  But it wasn’t.

  To make matters worse, everything she’d ordered for the store had been delivered. And her tables, racks, and shelves were scattered around her main floor in a way that was anything but orderly. So, her merchandise was still in boxes, which were stacked all over the place. Her damaged hardwood floors hadn’t been replaced, the wall she wanted gone hadn’t been knocked down, and nothing had been painted.

  If she didn’t find a contractor soon, the reality of making Chic on the Beach a success would be as nonexistent as her knowledge of how to tile her bathroom floors.

  She needed to open the store and make money now. Because what little money she had left was dwindling fast. She’d saved up enough to pay for the renovations and to start the store, but only just.

  And trying to hire another contractor had been an absolute mess.

  One guy had come in so hungover from the night before that he couldn’t tell a wrench from a screwdriver. Even she knew that one.

  Another place she’d called was run by two brothers who couldn’t agree on anything and had spent the entire meeting with her arguing.

  The third guy had stared at her ass throughout their entire hour-long conversation and had actually grabbed for it in an ill-conceived “I tripped and my hand accidentally landed there” attempt. Seriously?

  And the last guy had simply walked into the store, looked around, and said he didn’t have the time or manpower to waste on such a small job that wouldn’t pay much, anyway.

  Ouch.

  She had run out of options. So, that’s what had led to her standing on a ladder, paint roller in hand, surrounded by plastic, at eight o’clock on a Friday night.

  Okay, so she had never painted anything before in her entire life…but how hard could it be to run a roller over a wall? Besides, that’s what YouTube was for.

  What could go wrong?

  She was in the process of pouring more paint into her tray when she felt a presence behind her.

  She would have been freaked out—she was supposed to be all alone in the store
—had she not instantly recognized the presence. She knew that smell. She had been missing it for the last two weeks and couldn’t understand how she had lasted this long without tracking him down and tearing the man’s shirt from his body.

  The only thing that had stopped her was the reminder that he wasn’t good for her.

  At least, not for her heart. Her well-protected heart.

  Her body…well, there might be some flexibility, there.

  Wait. No. No, there wouldn’t.

  “You need some help with that?” Hunter asked in the smooth way she had become accustomed to in her dreams.

  Dammit! He couldn’t be here. Her internal pep talks against getting involved were useful, but they didn’t provide the kind of stronghold she needed against this man.

  She backed down the ladder, taking steady breaths through her mouth so she wouldn’t inhale more of his scent. “I can handle a brush and some paint.”

  He chuckled and reached out to take the paint can out of her hands. The action brought his hard chest flush against her back. For just a second, she allowed herself to get lost in the feeling of his large body engulfing her. She imagined him gripping her by the waist and roughly pulling her against him, touching her everywhere.

  “I’m sure you can,” he replied. “But since I’m the reason this place still isn’t done yet, maybe you could just indulge me and let me help you.”

  He walked over to her pile of paint supplies to retrieve another roller and tray. He had apparently just gotten off work because he was still wearing his leather tool belt, loose T-shirt, worn jeans, and scuffed-up work boots.

  It was the tool belt that really got to her, though she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because she was imagining him standing before her with nothing on except that belt. Maybe he’d worn it into the shop tonight just for her…

  She briefly slammed her eyes shut.

  And once again, the fact that she’d seen this man naked negatively impacted her ability to have a normal conversation with him.