Falling for the Hometown Girl

by Shelli Stevens

  “You’re not married, Katie.” Claire’s soft words drifted across the table.

  Katie swung her gaze to the other woman. “I know. But still, I probably shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “You’re not even serious about Tim.”

  “Jim.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Just go dance with him. What would it hurt?”

  Maybe nothing. Maybe everything? Ugh. It was so hard to tell if she’d even be having this conversation if she didn’t have whiskey in her blood right now.

  “Fine.” She stood up, pushed her hair over her shoulders, and made her way across the room, but not before she’d seen Claire’s gaze light up with approval.

  Before she reached the table, Hunter turned to look her way. He must’ve seen the purpose in her eyes, because he set his beer down and sat up straighter.

  “I really think you should dance.” Her ears burned. “Or I mean, we should dance.”

  For a minute, she was sure he was going to refuse her. Her stomach dropped to her feet and her skin itched with embarrassment. Just when she was wishing she could sink through the floor, he pushed back his chair and stood.

  Katie would’ve had to be deaf not to hear the murmurs of surprise and jealousy from the other women as Hunter placed his hand on her back on walked them to the crowded floor.

  Tingles raced through her at the spot where his fingers brushed bare skin.

  Oh. That was new.

  She swallowed hard. What had she just gotten herself into?

  Apparently, dancing with a man who had no idea how to dance, she realized a few moments later. He wasn’t terrible, but he would never qualify as good. Any nerves disappeared into amusement. She let herself just have fun.

  “I’m awful at this,” he yelled over the music.

  “Nah, I’ve seen worse.” She grinned and grabbed his hands, helping move to the two-step beat. “Just listen and move to the beat.”

  He seemed to follow her advice and was soon smiling and relaxing a bit more as they danced. Just when he was getting the hang of it, the song ended and the next one came on. It was a slow one.

  Oh no. Slow dancing was a totally different game and she wasn’t sure she wanted to play. She took a step back, ready to make her escape.

  “You’re not going to abandon me now, are you?” There was a glint in his eyes. “Not when I’m just getting the hang of things.”

  “The slow stuff is pretty self-explanatory.” She gave a nervous laugh.

  “Then maybe you’ll let me lead this time.” He slid an arm around her waist and caught her hand with his free one.

  When he pulled her flush against him the air in her lungs locked. Lightheaded, she was all too aware of her breasts brushing against his hard chest. The way their hips bumped against each other. The way her knees were threatening to buckle right now.

  It had to be the whiskey. It had to be. There literally could be no other explanation.

  She drew in a deep breath, which was a mistake. It just teased her senses with the scent of his soap. Of him.

  “I haven’t checked my phone once since you walked in,” he admitted conversationally.

  She lifted her head at his admission and watched him through her lashes. “I’m impressed. I’m sure your phone has great reception here in Livingston.”

  He grimaced. “It really does. I could be scrolling through Facebook right now.”

  The idea of Hunter on Facebook had her laughing, which was a good distraction from the sensation of his long fingers laced through hers.

  “I’m sure it’s pretty tempting to play on your phone.”

  “No.” His gaze darkened and dropped her mouth. “That’s not what’s tempting me right now.”

  There was no question of what he’d meant. Hot and cold rushed through her. Her throat went dry and she trembled.

  Time to go, Katie.

  There was a ringing in her head. Alarm bells, or maybe just the music of disorientation and chaos taking over as she stared at his lips.

  Almost absently, she leaned closer, tilting her head back.

  It seemed to be the only invitation he needed. His head dipped, blocking out the lights above them, before his mouth settled on hers.

  Her heart slammed into her chest, like a caged bird, at the first touch. The soft moan she made was half pleasure, half distress.

  He brushed his lips against hers several times, not rushing the kiss, but making her desperate for a deeper taste.

  She’d imagined his beard would be coarse and uncomfortable, but it was softer than she realized. Just rough enough to graze against her sensitive flesh and make goosebumps rise on her skin.

  It was only when she whimpered and swayed against him, that his lips, firm and commanding, parted her mouth effortlessly. His tongue delved inside, and she was helpless against the exploration, and wouldn’t have wanted it anyway.

  Her head spun as she kissed him back. Teased her tongue against his. Heat spread through her body, gathering low in her belly and forming an ache of need.

  “Damn, Hunter. Now that’s how you do it.”

  Katie literally jolted as whoever walking by slapped Hunter on the back.

  Lance.

  What had she done? She’d only danced with him to have fun. To test the waters, so to speak, but she’d gotten in way over her head.

  “I think I need some air.” Her words were an unsteady whisper.

  She broke out of his arms and pushed through the crowd, desperate to find the exit. When she finally made it through the door, there were more people gathered, some smoking.

  Desperate for a moment alone and away from the crowd, she made her way to the back of the building.

  The bar was nestled up against a group of trees, and only when she stepped beneath their canopy, did she feel like she could steal a breath.

  Dusk had settled, but the night was still bright with the lights from Livingston. It was something she’d never gotten used to, whether it was when she’d been in Seattle, or just anytime she left home.

  When the sunset on the ranch, it was pretty much dark. There were no street lights or cars coming and going. Besides the house, the only light they saw was nature’s lantern. The moon and stars above.

  Gravel crunched as footsteps approached. Katie lifted her head, knowing who it was before she even saw him.

  Chapter Five

  Hunter struggled with what to say to her. He wasn’t even sure what he’d done to upset her. She’d kissed him back.

  “I’m sorry,” he began hesitantly, “I must’ve misread—”

  “Please don’t apologize.” She closed her eyes and her lips twisted into a bittersweet smile.

  “But, you’re upset.” His brows snapped together.

  “Yeah, probably because I usually don’t make out with guys in the middle of a crowded bar.” She gave a self-conscious laugh. “That’s not really my thing.”

  “I see.”

  “Do you? I mean, maybe you do this kind of stuff all the time in Seattle.”

  “I don’t make out with women in public. Ever.”

  Her head tilted in puzzlement as she looked up at him. “Ever?”

  “I’m not comfortable with that kind of thing being on public display.” He grimaced. “Tonight was clearly an exception.”

  Skepticism flashed in her eyes. Clearly, he had a reputation and he wasn’t even sure how he’d earned it. Amusement lanced through him.

  “All right. Fine. It was a fluke for both of us. So we probably shouldn’t do that again.”

  “The kiss?”

  “Yeah.” She nibbled her bottom lip, looking all out of sorts and flustered. “I mean, you’re a guest at the ranch. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

  Appropriate? Really, she was going to pull that excuse on him? “I see.”

  She flushed. “Hunter, there are a dozen girls in that bar, twenty times prettier than me. Girls that were trying their hardest to get you to pay attention to them.”
>
  Maybe there had been, but he hadn’t even been tempted. And while he couldn’t agree with the prettier girls part, he thought it best not to say that aloud.

  The hand she ran through her thick hair trembled. “I’m not sure why you’d even want to kiss me.”

  “Katie.” Had she really not figured it out yet? “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I was in eleventh grade.”

  Shock had her eyes rounding and her pink lips parting.

  He took another step closer and cradled her soft face between his hands.

  “And I want to do it again.” He wanted to do a hell of lot more than kiss her, actually, but for now this was enough. His lips hovered above hers. “This time without an audience.”

  When she didn’t protest, he let his lips lightly brush hers. Their breaths mingled just for an instant, before he tasted her again. A hint of whiskey, and a whole lot of sweetness.

  The urgency of that first kiss was gone, replaced now with a slow tease that had her going pliant in his arms. Her soft sigh stirred his blood, making it hotter and faster in his veins. He drank from her. Teased her tongue with his, while stroking the softness of her cheek.

  When he lifted his mouth after a few moments to drag in a deep breath, he was a bit more disorientated than he preferred to admit.

  Blinking away the sense of wonder, he murmured, “You taste so much sweeter than I ever imagined.”

  Her blue eyes shimmered with need and maybe a bit of dismay. The urge to pull her back into his arms hit hard, and he started to, but her husky words stopped him.

  “I need to go back inside. It’s girls’ night. My friends are probably wondering where I went. They’ll come looking for me if I don’t return.”

  “Good friends.”

  “I think so.” She stepped away.

  The loss of her soft, warm body in his arms left a sharp stab of disappointment.

  “Did you drive tonight?”

  She paused at his question and then shook her head. “No. Claire’s the designated.”

  As she walked back inside, he had to wonder how much she’d drank before she’d shocked him by asking him to dance.

  Like she’d pointed out, there’d been plenty of women coming by to flirt, but he hadn’t expected Katie to be one of them. Yes, maybe he’d noticed her looking at him a little more than seemed normal, but he hadn’t wanted to assume anything. And he’d wondered if that simmering attraction between them was one-sided. But after that dance, and especially after that kiss, he knew it wasn’t.

  Hunter shook his head, shoved his hands into his jean pockets, and made his way back into the bar. A quick glance confirmed showed Katie had rejoined her friends in the u-shaped booth. Her gaze never lifted from the table as she nursed a glass of water now.

  She didn’t seem to be joining the conversation around her, but was in her own world. His lips twitched with amusement when she pulled her phone out a moment later and began playing on it.

  Maybe she urged him to put down the phone, but clearly everyone had a bit of a phone addiction. Unless she was just trying to distract herself from thinking about that kiss, but his ego wasn’t that big.

  Her gaze darted up, just for a moment, and locked on his. Her cheeks turned a pretty pink and she dropped her head again, sending the silky dark waves of her hair to cover her face.

  “Shit, man, I am so drunk.” Lance approached from the side and slapped him on the shoulder. “How you doing?”

  “Pretty sober, actually.”

  “You don’t have to be. Dan’s driving.”

  “It’s all good. Not in the mood to drink much tonight. I can drive us back if Dan wants to indulge.”

  Lance glanced back at his cousin and grinned. “Another round, cuz. This one’s on you.”

  “Ah, well, the first round was on me too, actually.” Dan, a nice guy, but always a little awkward, gave a slight smile.

  “That’s right. Thanks, buddy.” Lance turned his attention toward the door. “In the meantime, think I’m going to have a smoke break with Carol.”

  Carol must’ve been the girl he’d been dancing with.

  “You don’t smoke.” Hunter leaned back in the chair.

  Lance winked. “Neither does she. Should be back in fifteen or so. Don’t come looking.”

  Classy. Didn’t taken much imagination to know what his plans were. While maybe they’d been similar to what Hunter had just been doing—though without the stop sign—Hunter wasn’t the one getting married in two weeks.

  But fidelity had never been one of Lance’s strong suits, though he swore that would change once he got married.

  Hunter wasn’t holding his breath. He sure as hell hoped Lance’s fiancé Denise wasn’t either. But Denise seemed to have an understanding of what she’d signed up for. She enjoyed the lavish gifts and exclusive circles she’d been allowed into.

  Lance started to walk away and paused, turning back. “Hey, what about you? I didn’t know you had a thing for the rancher girl.”

  Instead of replying, Hunter shook his head and lifted his beer and took another sip. He wasn’t going to play that game. This wasn’t high school. Not that he’d been making out with anyone during that time.

  “Ah, that must be a good sign.” Lance guffawed as he made his way out the door.

  Irritated at the man he could barely call a friend, he glanced back at Katie’s table and found her watching him with narrowed eyes.

  Clearly, she’d gotten the gist of what Lance had been ribbing him about.

  Shit.

  Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not the type for locker room talk.

  But she wasn’t at the mind reading level, because she just looked more irritated as she accepted another shot from their waitress and downed it.

  Hunter reached for his phone and dragged it out. Screw it. It was clearly going to be a long night.

  “You stare any harder at that man and I swear you’ll burn holes in him,” Claire commented quietly.

  Realizing she’d been caught, Katie grimaced and tore her gaze away from Hunter. “I know. I tell myself to stop looking, and yet I keep doing it.”

  “So what happened outside?” Claire prodded, before she took a sip of her water. The rest of the girls were still on the floor dancing.

  Oh no. “You saw me leave with him?”

  “Hon, I’ve been watching you watch him all night long. And you can bet your ass I saw that kiss on the dance floor.”

  Katie winced and glanced down.

  Claire had been coming out with Katie and her friends recently for girls’ night out for the fun and girl time. She was adorable with her blonde curls and big brown eyes, and had been hit on more than once tonight. But she was over the moon for Wyatt, and hadn’t given any of them the time of day.

  Katie couldn’t deny her future sister-in-law was becoming a better friend than she ever could’ve hoped for. And she desperately needed to confide in someone right now.

  “We, um, kissed outside too,” she admitted, her words not quite steady. “I don’t know what came over me honestly. I really don’t. I mean, there’s Jim...”

  Claire nodded. “Do you feel the same way kissing Jim as you did kissing Hunter?”

  Now if that wasn’t the question she’d been asking herself the last hour.

  “It’s different.” The confession came out on a whisper.

  “Different as in better?”

  Yes. But she couldn’t admit it aloud. It made her feel awful inside. And she already felt awful for kissing Hunter in the first place.

  “I don’t know.”

  It was a lie, and chances were Claire knew it, but fortunately her friend didn’t push the subject.

  The silence between them grew, until the guilt had reached epic levels. “I shouldn’t have kissed him in the first place. It was wrong.”

  Claire just watched her pensively. “Have you and Jim discussed being exclusive?”

  “No. I’m not sure that’s really a thing around here.” She gave a
half shrug. “You start dating someone and it’s kind of assumed you’re a couple.”

  “If you’re interested in other people, just let Jim know. You’re young. You don’t have to settle for someone you’re not wild about.”

  “Jim is very nice. And Hunter is”—she struggled for the words—“only here for the week. He leaves a week from tomorrow. Beyond that, he’s not at all my type.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Katie shot the other woman a sharp look. “Which part?”

  “The not your type.” Claire leaned her elbows on the table and folded her hands together. “When I met your brother, I was living in Vegas and singing eighties rock songs in a dive bar. No one, especially not me, would’ve called a cowboy a good match for me.”

  But they’d ended up perfect together.

  “It’s just, Hunter has his roots in Seattle. A big company worth lots of money.” She glanced over to where he was talking with Dan at their table. “And I really think he hates Marietta. I’m not even sure why. It seems more than just your usual small-town resentment.”

  “Maybe you should ask him about it sometime?”

  “No, I really shouldn’t. I should get my head back on properly and stop drooling over a man who I have no longer term potential with.”

  “Not to change the subject, but was it weird?” Claire leaned forward. “Kissing a guy with a beard?”

  “Weird? No, it was amazing.” The confession came out on a sigh before she could stop it.

  Claire laughed in delight, before pressing a hand to her mouth when Katie shushed her with a fierce look.

  A quick look reassured Katie that Hunter wasn’t watching them. Fortunately, he was checking his phone once again. So much for disconnecting.

  “You’re going to get me into so much trouble.” She nibbled her lip. “Do you think anyone else noticed me kiss him?”

  “Anyone else?”

  “Our friends specifically.”

  “Maybe? I don’t know, though. They were dancing too and having their own fun.” Claire gave her a pointed look. “Why does it matter? Kissing someone isn’t exactly a crime.”

  “You should know more than anyone how gossip spreads in a small town.”

  People talked. They loved to find some kind of juicy tidbit to pass on. And Katie had always done a pretty good job at keeping out of it. The idea of becoming a hot topic was mortifying at best.