Love Under Construction (Love By Design Book 1)

by M. C. Cerny

  “You always go back to the butt, don’t you?” I didn’t know what I was into or not into, but as long as it involved Hunter I’d say it was fair game.

  “Yeah, for a while there Demon and I could swear you two hooked up once in the past and maybe figured it wasn’t good or it didn’t have the right chemistry, but there’s always been something good about the two of you. Just right, you know.”

  “Hmm.” Absorbing Kristen’s words, I gulped the rest of the drink down, thinking.

  She slapped my knee. “You can’t leave me hanging like that. Was it any good?”

  Each touch, kiss, and rock of Hunter’s body into mine vividly played out in my head. The thoughts left goosebumps and little shivers coursing through me.

  “Better than good. It was magical. It was everything and more.” Our eyes met and we both burst out laughing.

  “You are such a cheese ball. You definitely need to try anal next with that hunk of construction god man meat.”

  I tossed a throw pillow at her, and she caught it, doubling over at my expense.

  “Come on, you know I will be telling this story at your wedding.” She teased.

  “You better not.” My threat fell on deaf ears because the hamster wheel was already spinning in Kristen’s head. I prayed she left out the whole prune shoot conversation when the time was right.

  “Oh, I will, but it’ll be really awkward if you marry some other guy, just saying.”

  “Ugh, you are such a bitch.” And the very best kind because I could call her my friend and the closest thing to a sister I would ever have.

  “Only the best for you, love. Only the best. Oh, and if this is a regular thing with Hunter, you should probably wax the bush off now.”

  Anal sex was still off the table as far as I was concerned. We tipped our mugs together, proceeding to get tipsy before noon and I convinced the hot mess to shower and join me at the Vodka and Wash for an afternoon of pampering that might have included a wax or two.

  27

  Hunter

  The truck idled as I backed into the drive-in movie theater parking spot. Fellow patrons were busy setting up their spots with hatchbacks flipped up and lawn chairs with blankets out for tonight’s double feature, an action flick followed by a romantic comedy.

  “Can I at least get the popcorn?”

  I looked over at Taylor Jane, who was wearing a flirty skirt and retro looking hair bow in her hair. We may have been decades from the sixties, but she would have fit in just fine with her fashion sense. She looked damn cute in my opinion. Cotton candy pink was a good color on her, but I didn’t mention it out of fear she’d want that for the bathroom upstairs near the master bedroom in the house. I was still rooting for teal.

  “Only if I get to pick out the candy and soda.”

  Rolling her eyes, we stood in line, waiting for the cashier to finish up with the guys in front of us.

  “Yo, I want the snowcaps and extra butter on my popcorn.”

  I didn’t care for their tone of voice or body language, so I pulled Taylor Jane back against me, wrapping my arms around her middle and resting my head on top of hers, keeping my eyes trained on the two jerks ahead of us.

  “Hunter?”

  “Shsssh. It’s all right.” Squeezing her quiet worked and we waited for the idiots to finish paying. They made a scene leaving, complaining about the old movie posters and the old man who was ushering folks to the proper lines set up by the food stand. The clerk was a kid barely legal looking with greasy hair and acne prone skin.

  “Sorry about that. What can I get you?” he grumbled, and I didn’t blame him. I bet it would be hard to be polite after dealing with the two just here.

  “Large popcorn, please.”

  “And a box of Junior Mints, Milk Duds, and Sour Patch Kids.”

  “Drink?”

  “Large Coke and that’s it.” I gave the kid money, and he handed me change.

  “Are there two more people joining us?” Taylor Jane looked up, and I smirked.

  “Nope.”

  “And you’re going to let Sour Patch Kids cross streams with chocolate, caramel, and mint?” Her nose scrunched and I kissed the top of it.

  “Yup.”

  “I’m only getting one word answers now?”

  “Uh-huh.” I handed her half the goodies and took her other hand in mine, leading her back to the truck.

  “Men.”

  I let her grumble until we got back and I picked her up by the waist to sit her on the edge of the tailgate.

  “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re miffed with me.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Oh, I see, turnabout is fair play then?”

  “Something like that.”

  I moved to stand between her legs, bringing her close to the edge, and ran my hands up the back of her thighs until they cupped her cotton clad cheeks under her skirt.

  “Hunter!”

  “Taylor Jane?” I let her name drawl across my lips in my southern drawl. I hadn’t been home in years, down south technically, and I’d lost any accent I had the first year I lived here in New Paltz, but this was nice.

  Me and Taylor Jane finally on a date of sorts.

  “The tailgate is cold.”

  “I bet.” I fished around until I found the half full bottle of rum I had been saving for the coke because I knew she liked it. “How about I warm you up?” Handing her the bottle, she cradled it close to her chest. Her eyes glowed, the moon reflecting back, and she popped the top.

  “Before the movie?” Smiling, she took a swig, swallowing it down, and I grabbed the bottle from her, taking a shot, savoring the knowledge that our lips shared the same space and were about to share a few more things before the night was over.

  “Something like that.” The bottle found its way to a secure spot inside the truck as I inched even closer to her. No one could see my hands moving under her somewhat poufy skirt, so I let them graze her skin slowly.

  “I have not been here since high school.” Her nerves vibrated under my palms and I soothed her with long pets under her skirt.

  “It’s a good thing we’re a ways off from high school.” Her shudder raked her body, leaving me amused. I was tall and my hips fit nicely between her legs, spreading her wider. I pulled again, jerking her closer and removing the candy from her tightly clutching fingers.

  Her hands reached out to brace herself on the tailgate and I took my time to let my lips hover over hers. Our breath met first and I tasted her air. Sweet like rum and hot the way I liked it.

  “One kiss.”

  “One?”

  “Yeah, one.” Soft skin met and mingled to the sound of movie goers behind me. It was dark and the air charged with our own current. Nearly a decade later, and her lips tasted just as sweet. I couldn’t blame the alcohol; I was punch drunk on love. I licked her lips, wetting them, and her tongue darted out to meet mine. She licked her own lips, and I knew she could taste the tangy mint of a Junior Mint I snuck into my mouth on the walk back.

  A tiny little moan escaped and I capitalized on the moment to capture her lips in mine. I tipped her head back slightly and used my finger to tip her jaw down, opening her mouth wider to let me in. Oh God, how I wanted in so badly. I had waited years for this, eons and decades to conquer this pretty face, and she was giving it to me so sweetly I’d get cavities if I wasn’t careful.

  My hands were on a journey of their own as I claimed her mouth. My fingers found the edges of her panties under the bunches of her poufy skirt. I grabbed them like handles, pulling them tight. I could have ripped them off, but she would have kicked up a fuss, so I just used them to hold on.

  “Dude, take her on!”

  I pulled back, groaning and leaning my forehead against hers. Our breaths were ragged and uneasy. Part of me wanted to go over there and knock some sense and manners into them. They were ruining my night with Taylor Jane.

  “Ignore them.” She kissed my lips with hooded eyes and clutched
me tighter to her, locking her ankles around my back.

  “I’ll kill them,” I told her, meaning I would beat them senseless.

  “I know.” She half smiled, looking up through her sooty lashes. In that moment, I knew I would give her the world.

  After I got my breathing back under control I released her and hopped inside the truck next to her. Side by side, I pulled her over to the blanket I had set up and held her next to me. The new Captain America movie didn’t help my blood pressure and the loudness of the punks next door to us tried my patience. This wasn’t a situation I could get up and leave either. This was a date and the more I thought about those idiots the more I got fired up unable to concentrate on the movie or the beautiful girl next to me.

  By the time intermission came, I was gritting my teeth trying to keep things together. There was only so much soda one could drink without crossing one’s eyes and so much idiocy from the dumb hicks next to us who made comments loud enough for the drive-in to hear the entire movie

  Washing my hands, I noticed the ancient bathroom, besides being a throwback to another generation was stocked with one of those condom dispensers that no one trusted anyway. Damien probably needed some, and I considered bringing him back a half dozen to shut him up when I heard yelling outside. Exiting the bathroom I ran into those idiots harassing Taylor Jane. My blood boiled.

  “Hunter!”

  Taylor Jane’s eyes were wide when I turned lunging for the asshole closest to her. She dodged out of the way and I tossed him back letting him knock over a cart of souvenirs causing a scene.

  I could hear her call my name, but I didn’t listen. I went after him dragging him to the ground and punched the other one who jumped on my back flipping him over. Taylor Jane was yelling again for me to stop as security finally reached us rushing over to interfere.

  I’d beaten them up pretty bad, but the security guard didn’t like the guys recognizing them from before at the concession line. He went easy on me, asking us to leave for tonight, and that was fine with me. The whole ordeal was exhausting and I wanted to be home, alone where I didn’t have to interact with anyone.

  “Hunter, what happened?” Taylor Jane hesitated before touching a cut on my forehead that must have come from the fight. I moved away and she flinched.

  “You know, I would never–”

  She interrupted me holding her hand up “Stop, I know you wouldn’t. I was scared watching you fight them.”

  Taylor Jane brought her arms around her middle in a protective gesture I hadn’t seen since my dad hit my mom. My actions were unforgivable in my mind, and I had all the evidence I needed to know that I was no good for Taylor Jane. This was simply inevitable.

  I looked down at my hands. They had a history that built houses and drafted delicate wood carvings, but all I saw were appendages that hurt others and broke things. “I should take you home. I don’t think I can do this.” I needed space. I needed to be far away from her so I didn’t hurt her.

  “Hunter, whatever you’re thinking, you’re not like that.” She tugged at my arm and pleaded with me, but I couldn’t hear her. I’d already made the tactical retreat for her safety and my mental wellbeing.

  “We’ll go back to being the friends we were before. It has to be that way.” I didn’t want to lose her, but I couldn’t be with her if I could explode like that. The rawness was too close to the surface.

  “You don’t get to make that decision for both of us.” Her hands grabbed for me, but I caught her wrists holding her back. I would break if she touched me.

  “Yes, I do sweetheart.”

  “Hunter, don’t give up on us. Don’t you dare give up.” Her face scrunched and she muffled her tears, looking out the truck window hating me. Her hate would be better than me destroying her love.

  “It’s in my blood and I would die before I ever hurt you like that or caused you to fear me. Let’s go home.” The drive home was the longest thirty minutes of my life.

  And just like that it was over. I dropped her off at her dad’s house and she didn’t look back once to wave or say goodbye.

  28

  Hunter

  “Hunter, my boy.” Alan opened the door and invited me in. His face was drawn, tired looking. He looked far more occupied in his thoughts than a retired man had any right to be.

  “How’s it going?” His pallor was obvious as we walked side by side through the foyer into the living room. He gestured to a deep plush couch that had been in the house since I first met the Bryant family. Worn and loved looking, as kids we would hangout watching movies on rainy weekends or move into the kitchen with Mrs. Bryant who typically kept cookies in stock for us growing boys. I used to fantasize about making a move immediately backing down. It didn’t matter now.

  Paint chips littered the coffee table along with fabric swatches. She might have once been my Helen of Troy, but Taylor Jane was a bit of a leper with her art supplies. Surprisingly the disorganization lent to some of her best ideas, like that damn crown molding in the living room for one.

  He smiled and grimaced simultaneously. Alan knew I wasn’t going to bullshit with him. He was keeping his health a secret from his daughter and while I respected the man his secrets, she was also the woman I cared for deeply, even if we weren’t together.

  “Thank you for–you know.” His nod toward the kitchen must have meant he was back on the heart medications he should have never stopped taking in the first place.

  “You’re going to have to tell her.”

  “Or I might go peacefully in my sleep a few years from now. What would be the point?”

  I hated to see him give up. “Preparing her for one–instead of springing this on her. She’ll be devastated either way.”

  “Exactly and why would I want her spend the next few years worried about something we have no control over.” That grated because I knew if Alan took care of himself properly he could have a number of healthy years ahead of him and Taylor Jane wouldn’t be hurt in the process.

  “Is that why you’ve left the house a virtual shrine and spent every penny making sure Taylor Jane had it all because someday it might get torn away from her?”

  He changed the subject ignoring my question and I bit my tongue to keep from lashing out at him. I could be angry enough for both of us.

  “I was here the day your dad and Damien brought you home. I don’t think you uttered two words the entire time. Sulking little shit back then, but you had promise. A spark I hadn’t seen in a good many years.”

  I wasn’t sure what point he was trying to make.

  “Your aunt Ginny told my wife over coffee and cookies what had happened to your parents. Shame really, but that tragedy turned you into the fine man you are today. Life teaches us many things, one being the test before we get the lesson.”

  Dryly I asked, “What’s the lesson here, Alan?”

  “You love her, take the jump.” He held out his arms as if to take a leap off the cliff and while I appreciated the sentiment, I couldn’t see myself doing that with her. I hadn’t exercised the demons in my past. I wasn’t good for her. However, that wasn’t the kind of thing you told a girl’s father and especially one who was holding back pertinent medical information. He tried to wring a commitment from me when I wasn’t ready. He could use blackmail and manipulation all he wanted but if he knew me that well, he also knew how poorly I responded to authority. Fuck, I had a whole garage filled with carved shit lining the shelves to tell that story all on its own.

  I blew out a frustrated breath.

  “It’s not that easy. If you know my story, then you know exactly why I’m no good for her. The fact is we both know that she is too good for me and deserves better. You of all people should understand that.” Frustration ate at my core. My dad was a violent miserable soul and for the most part I’d followed in his footsteps and that wasn’t what I wanted for her.

  “If it helps I’d be proud to know you were taking care of her. Happily call you my son-in-law, but it do
esn’t matter what I want for my daughter. What matters is what she wants. I know she wants you and I know the love is there.”

  There was that damn word.

  Love.

  It settled uneasy within me, not because I didn’t feel it or wasn’t capable, but because I felt too much of it, and it scared me shitless.

  “She doesn’t want me. She wants a fairytale I can’t give her.” Standing I ran my hands through my shorn hair. The length was getting to me and I’d need the less frou-frou of the bunch over at the new hair place in town to buzz it off again.

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Hunter. You can place my daughter on a pedestal all you want, son. Nobody is perfect. Remember the gumbo?” Alan smiled as if the memory was pleasant for him. My eyes must have rolled because he laughed; somehow I had never fully gotten over what happened. That was why I kept EpiPens on me even if she was nowhere around.

  Taylor Jane was perfect in my eyes. A perfect pain in the ass on some days, but a beautiful disaster I wanted to keep, though I knew I shouldn’t. Wanting what you couldn’t have was half my problem and the reason I pushed her away so many times over the last few years.

  “You need to tell her what’s going on with the house.” I gestured to the space around me as I pushed off the mantel of the fireplace.

  “Could you bare it if she was with someone else?” It was a serious question, one I never considered.

  I husked away from the mantle catching my breath.

  “What about that dipshit, Crenshaw? Or that idiot at the bank.” Stranger though was Alan’s need to remind me, he wasn’t subtle in the least.

  Logic told me to take another approach, one that was much less touchy feely.

  “I can help you with the money part, but Taylor Jane is convinced the only way out is to sell that flipped property.”

  “You don’t think it will sell?”

  “Oh I do, she’ll get a good price, but the problem is that she’s fallen in love with the house and if you’re not going to tell her what the hell is going on, I don’t want her to give up one more thing.”