by Kayla Perrin
Lorraine rose from the sofa and walked over to the decorative shelf in the center of the living room. She moved aside a glass orb and made room for the photo. The black frame was simple yet elegant. She would cherish it always.
“Maybe you and me meeting the way we did was meant to be,” Hunter said, his voice startlingly close. Lorraine turned, surprised to see him right behind her. “My dad clearly adored you. And we connected instantly.”
Lorraine’s cheeks flushed. She looked up at Hunter, saw that his eyes were molten pools of heat.
“Do you believe that things happen for a reason?”
Glancing down, Lorraine shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“I think we were meant to work together. I don’t care about the financial aspect of the store. I just feel... I feel like I’m supposed to be involved.”
“So you believe in fate?” Lorraine asked.
Hunter shrugged. “Maybe I do.”
Lorraine’s pulse started to race. Right now, she was believing in fate, too. God, help her, every time she was around Hunter, all she could think about was the feel of his hands on her body and that deep sigh that rumbled in his chest when she nibbled on the underside of his jaw.
Just like that, heat pooled between her thighs. She was thinking about sex again. When had she become this woman?
“Um... I...” She glanced away, her voice trailing off. What was she even going to say?
Hunter place a finger beneath her chin and urged her face upward. “What?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
“I get it,” he said, stroking her face. “I really do. Because I’m feeling the same thing. Confused, yet excited. Something’s happening between us. Whenever I’m around you, all I want to do is kiss you, touch you. I can see that you feel the exact same way. And it scares you. It scares me, too, honestly. But I don’t think it has to. Maybe we just...go with it.”
A shuddery breath escaped Lorraine. But she said nothing.
“We’re attracted to each other,” Hunter said. “You’re divorced, I’m single. There’s nothing to keep us apart.”
“How effectively can we work together if we’re always...drawn to each other like this?” Their physical chemistry would have her wanting to get naked with him all the time.
Hunter’s lips spread in a satisfied smile. “Do we really have to think about that right now? Because I can think of a better way to spend our time.”
More heat pooled between Lorraine’s legs. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Oh, I know.”
The man was crazy sexy, and she wanted him with an intensity she’d never experienced before.
Lorraine arched her back, jutting out her chest, and Hunter sank his teeth into his bottom lip. Looping her arms around his neck, Lorraine chuckled. “You want me to kiss you.”
“Hell, yeah.”
And so she eased up on her toes, tightened her arms around his neck and skimmed her lips across his. “There you go,” she said, her voice a mere whisper. “That’s a kiss.”
“Oh, that’s not even close to the kind of kiss I want,” he said.
Then he scooped her into his arms, and Lorraine squealed in delight.
“Which way’s the bedroom?”
“Up the stairs. Second door on the right.”
Hunter smashed his mouth down on hers. Flames erupted inside her, leaving her hot, breathless and desperate with need as his tongue tangled with hers. In a nanosecond, her level of desire exploded off the charts.
Hunter broke the kiss and whispered, “That’s better.”
“No,” Lorraine said. “That’s just a start.”
“Mmm. I like the way you think.”
And then he carried her to the bedroom.
Chapter 20
“Well, someone certainly looks happy,” Rosa said, leveling her eyes at Lorraine from across the table. “Life seems to be agreeing with you.”
Lorraine was out with Rosa, Amanda and Trina at a restaurant, celebrating Trina’s birthday.
“It’s been a good couple of weeks,” Lorraine said, smiling. “No more nonsense with Paul, and I’ve been working on my plans for the store.”
“And having lots of sex,” Rosa interjected, raising her eyebrows.
Her friends all laughed, and Lorraine chuckled along with them. “Yes, Hunter and I are enjoying ourselves,” Lorraine admitted. She had decided to stop fighting her attraction to him, and go with the flow as Hunter had suggested. It felt good to not label what they were and just enjoy each other.
Amanda sipped some wine, then said, “As long as you remember to keep things in perspective. Did you take my advice? I really think you should reject his offer to work with you.”
“I haven’t given him an answer yet,” Lorraine responded. “However, he reiterated that he’s not looking for a financial partnership. Just to be involved.”
“Remember Paul,” Amanda said. “I’m sure you never saw him as the kind of guy who would go after you financially the way he did.”
Lorraine made a face. “Paul was my husband. I’m not married to Hunter.”
“You don’t have to be married for someone to go after you financially if there’s some type of working arrangement. All I’m saying is be careful. Have fun if you need to, and I agree with Rosa—you certainly seem happy, and that’s great. Just don’t get all lost in emotion and start making bad decisions.”
“Girl, why do you have to be such a buzzkill?” Rosa asked, playfully swatting Amanda’s arm. “Lorraine is happy. Look at her. Paul’s a different person, and thankfully he’s no longer an issue. Let her enjoy her time with Hunter.”
“I agree,” Trina said. “Don’t be so negative, Amanda. I’m not saying she shouldn’t be cautious, but let’s not think the worst without cause.”
Not a moment too soon, a team of servers approached the table with a slice of cheesecake, in which there was a lit candle. They began to clap, then sang the restaurant’s signature birthday song.
Though Lorraine smiled through the song, Amanda’s words weighed heavily on her. She was taking things one day at a time with Hunter. But the truth was, she really did like him. Their chemistry was hot, and every time she was in his arms, he took her to even greater heights of passion than before. How was that possible?
“You guys!” Trina said, once the servers left the table. “I told you I didn’t want the birthday song.”
“On your birthday, you don’t get a choice,” Rosa said.
“I really wish I could hang out with you longer,” Trina began, pushing her chair back, “but I’ve got to head to the theater for that movie with my hubby. I’ll see you all later.”
They settled the bill, and Trina collected her gift bags. They exited the restaurant, and all hugged each other before parting ways.
“Don’t let Amanda get to you,” Rosa whispered in Lorraine’s ear. “Keep having fun.”
Lorraine forced a smile, but as she made her way to her car, she couldn’t stop thinking about Amanda’s words. She didn’t want to get sucked into a relationship with a man and derail her dreams.
Rosa was the idealist, the romantic. Amanda, the realist. Amanda was right. It was time for Lorraine to concentrate on her goals without any distractions.
So she called the real estate lawyer, and the next day signed the deal to finalize the ownership of the property. Then she spent some time researching contractors after meeting with the lawyer, and made arrangements for one of them to meet her at the store the next day.
It was time she set her plans in motion.
* * *
Everything was coming together.
A fire was lit in Lorraine now, in part because of the good news from Diane. No more being afraid, no more holding back. She was focuse
d now, more determined than ever to move ahead with getting her health center up and running. As she watched the contractor take measurements and check the structure of the walls, she couldn’t help smiling. Her dream was becoming a reality.
“All right,” Clive said, turning to face her. “I’ve taken all the measurements. Next is getting you an estimate.”
Lorraine shook the contractor’s hand. “Thank you for coming out, especially on such short notice. Like I said, I’m not 100 percent certain when I’ll be moving forward with the renovations. But if you could give me a general idea of the price, that would be great.”
Clive nodded. “I’ll get you an estimate in the next couple of days.”
“Thank you,” Lorraine said. The man exited the store, and Lorraine looked around, her lips pulling in a smile. She could do this. And now that the headache of Paul going after her for a portion of the property was over, she realized how much she wanted this.
She wanted to pinch herself. Why she had connected so strongly with Douglas, she didn’t know, but she was beyond elated that he’d chosen to bequeath her this store. He knew how much she wanted to help people, and she couldn’t wait to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives.
Her phone rang. She quickly got it from her cross-body purse and looked at the screen. Diane was calling.
“Hey, Diane,” Lorraine said.
“Hi, Lorraine.” Diane’s smile was evident through the phone line. “I know you might be busy, but I’m wondering if you’re free? I was hoping we could get together. I’d like to buy you lunch for helping me so much.”
“Actually, I’m at the store right now. I met with a contractor to see about renovations and another one is due here in fifteen minutes.”
“Maybe later, then? I already called Hunter. I figured I’d treat both of you to a meal. If not for him, I wouldn’t have met you.”
“Oh. Well, how about we plan for later? That works for me, if that’s okay.”
“All right. I’ll call you back. And, Lorraine—thanks so much for changing my life for the better.”
Warmth spread across Lorraine’s chest. “You getting better is all the thanks I need.”
* * *
After the second contractor left, Lorraine sat on the sole wooden chair in the room. Unexpectedly, emotion swelled inside her. Her eyes misted and her chest suddenly felt full. Her life was finally falling into place.
Suddenly, a lump lodged in her throat. She swallowed, but she couldn’t quite swallow away the bad taste in her mouth.
She should have called Hunter. He’d wanted to be a part of this, and she was shutting him out. He wanted to work with her, and was it really such a bad idea? Surely she would need the help, but she was shutting him out because Amanda had convinced her that she should distance herself from him. But as she sat here in this store, having spoken to two contractors, she found herself wishing she had him here with her to give her his opinion.
Why was she letting Amanda’s negative attitude get to her?
She knew why. She had fallen for Hunter, and she was desperately afraid of getting hurt. What if he didn’t feel about her the way she felt about him?
When the door chimes sang, Lorraine whirled around in the chair. She expected to see Tom, the contractor who’d just left, reentering the store. Perhaps he’d forgotten to tell her something?
Lorraine’s heart spasmed when she saw Paul.
“Hello, Lorraine,” he said, leveling her with a grin that didn’t meet his eyes. “When are we opening for business?”
A chill swept down Lorraine’s spine. What on earth was Paul doing here?
He walked farther into the store, looking around as he did. “This place has potential. I like it.”
Though an uneasy feeling was swirling in Lorraine’s gut, she got to her feet. She was determined to show Paul that she wasn’t afraid of him. “We aren’t doing anything.”
Paul chuckled, an eerie sound if ever there was one. “Oh, I don’t think you’re getting this. I’m going to have a cease-and-desist ordered on you so fast that you won’t be able to open for business. You’re going to spend so much time in court that you’ll have no money left, and you’ll wish you’d just given me half of this business as I asked.”
“Asked?” Lorraine chortled. “You didn’t ask for anything. You’ve been demanding, thinking you can intimidate me.”
“Demanding? Sweetie, you haven’t seen demanding. So far, I’ve been nice.”
“I’m not your sweetie. Now get out before I call the police. You’ve harassed me enough that I can file a restraining order.”
“This is your last chance to give me what I want.”
“You’re insane.”
“All right, if you want to play this the hard way.”
“I’m not going to be bullied by you anymore. I’ve had enough—” Lorraine stopped speaking when she saw the quick movement of his hand. In an instant, she realized that he was throwing something. The loud cracking sound caught her off guard, even as her brain registered what it was. The front window of her store was crashing.
Lorraine screamed. She heard a scream from someone on the street, as well. Two women jumped backward in fright.
Lorraine’s heart was pounding. As her brain processed what was indeed happening, she saw Paul take off. He raced through the front door.
Lorraine started after him, hurrying through the door. “Paul!”
The two stunned women were still standing on the sidewalk. One of them was bleeding. She’d been hit with either flying glass or the rock Paul had flung.
“Oh, my God,” Lorraine said to them, then looked at the glass that littered the sidewalk. “I’m so sorry. He’s crazy.” She watched Paul sprint away. “Call the police.”
Chapter 21
Hunter’s eyes narrowed as he approached the store. Was that flying glass?
The sound of a woman’s scream confirmed that his eyes hadn’t betrayed him. Two women jumped backward, just as Hunter saw the man run out of the store.
Paul!
With a sinking feeling in his gut, he watched as Lorraine came rushing out of the store after Paul. He could see the fear and bewilderment on her face. What was going on?
Hunter slowed the car and put the window down. “Lorraine!”
Her shoulders drooped with relief. “Oh, Hunter. Paul’s lost his mind.”
Paul was running down the street. He got into a car a few spots up.
Hunter put the car into Park and stepped out. He looked at the woman, who had a gash on her head. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” the woman said. “Go stop that guy!”
Hunter quickly looked at Lorraine, who seemed unhurt, just frazzled. “I’ll help them,” she said. “You have to stop Paul!”
It was in Hunter’s DNA to render aid, but they were right—Paul had to be stopped.
So Hunter got back into the car and started after Paul, who darted into traffic like a maniac. The driver he’d just cut off blared the horn.
Hunter gave chase, but safely. This was a neighborhood with lots of foot traffic, and people could step out into the road at any time. When Paul made the first right, Hunter did the same.
As they drove on the next street, there were no cars between them, and Hunter sped up. He saw Paul look into the rearview mirror, then shoot a glance over his shoulder. He realized Hunter was after him.
Paul made another fast right. Hunter did the same.
As they neared the approaching intersection, Paul quickly got into the left lane. Hunter couldn’t move yet because there was a car blocking his path. At the last second, Paul whizzed his into the left-hand turn lane. But he was looking over his shoulder as he did, and he didn’t stop. Hunter saw the impending disaster, and could only watch helplessly as Paul’s c
ar plowed into a red Lincoln Navigator. Tires squealed, followed by the sound of a booming crash that was almost like an explosion. Somebody screamed.
Hunter glanced into his rearview mirror, saw that no one was immediately behind him, and then he hit the brakes. He quickly pulled his car up to the curb, parked and jumped out. He ran toward Paul’s smashed car as a passenger stumbled out of the SUV.
“I don’t understand,” the older male passenger was saying. He wandered to the back of the car. “What happened?”
The front of Paul’s car was completely smashed. He ran around to the driver’s side. That’s when he noticed the first lick of flames coming from the ajar hood.
The engine was on fire.
Paul’s head was moving slowly, as if he was dazed and disoriented. Hunter tried the door.
It wouldn’t budge.
Damn it, the door was impacted. Hunter needed to get Paul out, or he would burn alive.
Paul’s eyes wandered to the left, met Hunter’s. In a nanosecond, he seemed to realize the predicament he was in. He tried the door, but it didn’t move. That’s when his eyes widened, frantic.
“Help me. Help me!”
Help was the last thing Paul deserved. But Hunter was a firefighter, and whether or not Paul was a jerk, he couldn’t let him die like this. Not if he could help it.
Hunter tried the back door, found it locked. “Open the locks!” he barked.
Nothing happened. Hunter went back to the front window, but when he looked inside, he saw Paul’s eyes rolling backward into his head. Suddenly, he noticed the blood gushing from his forehead. Was he losing consciousness?
“Somebody call 911!” Hunter barked, hoping that someone already had.
He needed something to break the window. If he used his elbow, he’d probably bust it. No, he needed something else.
Of course. There was a tire iron in his car.
