Chapter Seventeen
HUNTER WAS SITTING on Jana’s couch in the living room when she stumbled out of the bedroom at ten thirty the next morning wearing his shirt from the night before. She was rubbing her eyes, clearly oblivious to his presence as he watched her go up on tiptoes to reach a cup in the cabinet. Her shirt inched up revealing her bare butt. Hunter smiled. He loved her butt. As she came down on flat feet and set her cup on the counter, he realized that there was a lot more than like going on inside his chest for the rest of her, too.
She reached for the coffeepot, which he’d brewed earlier, and a second later she whipped her head around. Her gaze found him and her eyes bloomed wide.
He smiled. “Morning, beautiful.” He made no move to go to her, wanting to give her a moment to get used to seeing him there, in her living room, fully dressed and comfortable. Luckily, he kept an extra shirt or two in his truck in case he had to see a client with little warning.
“What…? You didn’t leave?”
She brought her coffee to the couch, and he pulled her down on his lap. “What kind of a welcome is that for a guy who made you happy several times last night?”
“You were a very good boy last night, but—”
He pressed his lips to hers and she returned his kiss with fervor, then suddenly pushed away.
“Don’t freak out,” he said quickly.
“You stayed over.” Panic was evident in her wide eyes and in the tenor of her voice.
“I did. Thank you for giving me what I wanted. I woke up with you in my arms for once.” He’d laid in bed with his body wrapped around her as she’d slept, and nothing had ever felt so right. Every so often she’d sigh, or make a soft sound, almost as if she were talking in her sleep, but he hadn’t been able to make out what she was saying. He’d gotten up with the sun, showered, and taken care of a few things to prepare for the day.
She tried to move from his lap, but he held her in place. “You’re not getting away that easily, not now that I have you without any distractions.”
She rolled her eyes and yawned. “What time is it?” She glanced over her shoulder toward the clock on the kitchen wall. “Oh no! I have to call Brock. He’s going to be pissed.”
He clutched her hips, keeping her in place. “I called him at six thirty and told him you wouldn’t be there.”
“Hunter! You had no right to do that. You should have woken me up.”
“You’re welcome.” He laughed, and she stewed. “He has you signed up for an exhibition match against the Plymouth Fight Club, which I almost told him you wouldn’t take part in, but I knew you’d get mad. I hate the idea of that pretty face of yours getting maimed.”
The scowl on her face didn’t soften. Hunter ignored it. “You’ll probably need to train a little extra at some point before the match. But he was cool with you missing today.”
“Yeah, I bet he wanted to kill you.” She looked away.
Hunter gently moved her chin toward him, so he could see her eyes. “Don’t worry, pretty girl. He thinks I drove you home last night because you’d had a little too much to drink and that I stayed to make sure you didn’t puke and choke on it. I told him I slept on the couch.”
She sighed. “Thank you for that.”
“I’ve got a sister. I get it.” And that brought him to the next thing he wanted to talk to her about. “I had Sky drop off your purse, and I got Marco’s number from your phone and called him. I told him that you were sick and you wouldn’t make it in today.”
“Oh my gosh. Sky knows you stayed over? And my classes? I’m in so much trouble.”
“First of all, yes, but Sky thinks I slept on the couch, too. We’ll talk about that later.” He let those words sink in despite the fact that her relieved sigh about Sky was immediately followed by a scowl. “And as far as your classes go, Marco’s taking care of canceling them. The guy was pretty cool about it, actually. He wasn’t the jerk I expected.” Marco had asked if Hunter was her brother, and he’d taken the liberty to say no, that he was her man. He wasn’t about to tell her that.
“He wasn’t pissed?” She shifted on his lap and her gaze softened.
“No. We had a nice talk.”
She bonked her forehead on his shoulder. “Oh my gosh.”
He lifted her chin again and smiled. “It was fine. He needed to understand that you couldn’t be expected to work seven days a week or to take on the responsibilities of three people.”
“I’m so fired.” Jana closed her eyes.
“Actually, you’re not. He said he had planned on coming back soon to help out. I have no idea if he was lying or not, but at least now he knows someone is looking out for you.”
She covered her face with her hands, and he pulled them down so she had to look at him. He wasn’t going to let her pretend that the feelings between them weren’t there, and he sure wasn’t going to allow her boss to continue taking advantage of her.
“Now, you’re going to shower and dress, and then we’re going to talk.” He lifted her to her feet and patted her behind. “Go on. We have a lot to do today.”
“I have to go to work, Hunter. I can’t spend today—”
He rose to his feet and swept her into his arms, ignoring the words streaming from her mouth as she flailed against him. Hunter. Stop. I’m going to kill you.
Speaking calmly, as if she weren’t punching and flailing in his arms, he said, “You’re going to shower, and then we are going to talk. No work. No excuses.” He set her on her feet in the bathroom, and when she said, “But—” he took her in a passionate kiss, leaving her breathless, and closed the bathroom door as he left the room.
JANA WASN’T SURE if it was nerves or anger making her body thrum, but she was glad that for once it wasn’t desire. At least she had that aspect of her body under control. Who did he think he was, canceling her classes and calling her brother? She showered and dressed, stewing over his actions, and took her sweet time drying her hair, hoping Hunter would get sick of waiting and take off. Although, she had to admit that taking care of all of her commitments had been a thoughtful thing for him to do. It might even border on romantic. And didn’t he have to work today?
She turned off the hair dryer and brushed her hair, thinking about last night and the way he’d said he was taking care of his girl. A thrill raced through her with the memory, despite the reality that she wasn’t his girl. She wasn’t anyone’s girl, nor could she be, until she figured out her own life and what she really wanted. Besides, Hunter wanted to win. He always wanted to win. Surely this was all still part of a game to him.
Then why did he refuse to leave last night?
And why did he make all those arrangements today?
And want to talk?
She opened the bathroom door and listened to the silence. Hunter was gone. Her stomach knotted, and unexpected disappointment floated through her. Could she miss him already? No. This was all part of his stupid game. She swiped her cell phone from the table, pulled up DO NOT RESPOND! and typed in a fast text. You left?
She slumped onto the couch, confused and feeling betrayed, even though she had no right to feel that way. She’d told him she didn’t have time to talk. Of course he left. Wouldn’t she have left if the tables were turned? Heck, she probably would have left while he was sleeping. Still, anger and hurt simmered inside her. She typed another angry text at being ignored—WTH?
She got up and paced the living room, then glanced out the window, catching sight of Hunter pacing the backyard, talking on his phone.
Relief swept through her, followed quickly by regret for the angry texts she’d sent. She watched as he rubbed the back of his neck, squinting up at the sun. He ended the call and looked down at his phone. Before he could swipe and read the texts, she ran out the back door. His killer smile brought guilt to the forefront of her mind as she sank into his open arms.
“Wow,” Hunter said with a laugh. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. I just…” Was afraid you left.
He pried her arms from around his waist and searched her eyes. “Spill it, pretty girl. We’ve already established that you’re a sucky liar.”
“I thought you left,” she mumbled.
“What was that?” He leaned in closer.
“I thought you left! Okay? Geez. And I might have sent you a few angry texts.”
She walked away, and he quickly fell into step beside her, shoved his phone in his pocket, and draped an arm over her shoulder. She waited for him to laugh, or to give her a hard time, but he didn’t say a word as he guided her to the swinging chair built for two hanging from one of the large trees at the edge of the backyard and pulled her down beside him.
She eyed him suspiciously as they sat in silence. He tucked her against his side, and she wasn’t about to fight him on it. She wanted to be there, even though she was struggling to keep the dark, uncomfortable panic from taking over.
When he finally spoke, his tone was calm and confident, with no trace of his usual demands. “I want to tell Sky we’re dating.”
That was not at all what she’d anticipated. “That’s why you want to talk?”
“No.” He looked over at her. “Yes, partly, but not solely.”
“But we’re not even dating, Hunter. Why would you want to tell her anything?”
“Okay, then I want to officially date you, and then I want to tell her. I don’t keep secrets from my family, Jana. Maybe I used to, but it’s not the man I want to be with you. It’s not the man I want to be anymore.”
“I told you when we first met that I’m not the girlfriend type. And you said you never wanted to settle down. So where is this coming from?” The tentative tone of her voice didn’t surprise her. It mirrored the conflicting emotions she’d been battling on a daily basis.
He turned so his entire body faced her, one arm across the back of the swing. He took her hand in his.
“Where?” He shrugged. “My heart, I guess. I’m not good at this stuff, and you know that, so you use it against me. I get it. You’re scared to commit. Hell, Jana, I’m scared to commit.”
She wasn’t about to deny that. “Then why are you pushing for me to?”
“Because every time I look at you I want more of you. I want to understand why you do things, whether it’s boxing or dancing, crying, or dressing like you did last night and singing your heart out onstage. I want to hold you in my arms at night after making love to you so many times you can’t return the favor.” A relieved smile spread his lips, like the words had been trapped inside too long. “Then I want to wake up in the morning and take you again. I want to bear the brunt of your stubbornness and your tenderness. I want to listen to your dreams and help them come true. I want it all with you, and I’ve never wanted that before.”
Jana was sure her heart had stopped beating. That had to be it. She was dead.
He touched her cheek and her stomach flipped. Nope. Not dead.
She took her hand from his and turned to face the yard, unable to think, much less speak.
“You’re not going to ignore me, Jana. Not after everything I just said. Do you think that was easy for me?” The restraint in his voice was like a living thing between them.
She forced herself to respond. “No,” she whispered.
He waited in silence for more. She waited in silence, too, because she was having trouble processing what he’d said, what he wanted. She wanted to be the girl who could say she wanted that, too, but panic spread through her chest like wildfire, trapping her words inside.
“So that’s it? You’ve got nothing to say?” Hunter rose to his feet, and her stomach took a nosedive, reminding her of how she felt when she’d thought he’d left only moments earlier.
Panic brought her to her feet, too, and the truth poured out. “No. I have things to say. I’m not scared, Hunter. I’m petrified. I don’t know how to be a girlfriend, and right now I can’t even commit to getting my life in order. How can I possibly commit to you? And you…You’re as much of a non-committer as I’ve always been. What makes you think we can work? I’ve never been a good girlfriend, not even when I was in high school and it was the thing to do.”
Her voice softened as she admitted what he’d already known, but somehow saying it made her see it more clearly, and she didn’t feel as proud of herself as she always had for being an independent woman.
His jaw tightened. “How many guys have you slept with in the past six months?”
“What?” She shook her head, trying to think of dates and months, and even though she couldn’t grasp the concept of time while her heart was racing and her palms were sweating, it didn’t take long for the truth to become clear.
“How many, Jana?” He closed the distance between them. “Because yeah, I was the biggest player there was, but in the last few months I haven’t slept with anyone but you. Not once. Not one single kiss.”
Her jaw dropped.
He shrugged, and the tension in his muscles drained away right before her eyes. “It’s true. There’s only been you, pretty girl.”
She looked down at his hand as he reached for hers and brought it to his lips. “And I’ve never called a single woman a nickname, and with you, it just comes out.” He stepped closer, their bodies touching from thigh to chest. “And I’ve sure never asked anyone but you to tell me she wanted me. Do you know why?”
The blood was rushing through her ears so fast it took all of her focus to shake her head.
He cupped her cheeks, stroking her skin with his thumb as he gazed into her eyes with so much emotion there was no way it was anything short of real.
“Because I never cared. Until you.”