Surrounded by Hunter’s strong arms and the incredibly appealing scent that made her want to burrow her nose into his neck to get closer to it, Megan was content. And it was all because of him. She’d enjoyed peeling back the layers of his strictly business exterior to find a sexy, hot-blooded guy underneath his polished veneer.
In all the years of her forced exile from men and dating, she hadn’t missed any of it. But a few passionate kisses with Hunter had unleashed the kind of desire she’d never experienced before. Knowing he was so totally into her was a huge turn-on. None of the boys she’d dated had been so tuned into her or interested in what she thought or said. Like most teenage boys, they’d been after one thing and one thing only. She’d given it to them because it had given her temporary respite from the unrelenting pain of her loss. She’d been young and stupid and broken.
Everything about this newfound connection with Hunter was different. For one thing, he was the first genuine man she’d dated. The others had been boys compared to him. Hearing him say he was bossy in bed had made her want to drag him upstairs to one of those fantasy suites and see what he meant by that.
With his hand flat on her belly, his fingers pointing downward, one of them positioned just above her pubic bone, Megan wanted to rise up on her tiptoes to force his hand down to where she’d come alive since he kissed her earlier. But after what she’d told him about her past, would he think she was easy if she made a move like that?
Perhaps, but did she care if he thought that? Not as much as she probably should have, and that was because he’d been so open about how much he liked her. Before she could give it too much thought or consideration, she tapped on the arm he had around her, which immediately loosened to release her.
“I’m going to the restroom. Be right back.”
“I’ll be here.”
Three little words that said so much. Tapping into her inner reserve of spontaneity, she kissed him, touching her tongue ever so briefly to his bottom lip before leaving him wide-eyed and unsatisfied. The expression on his face was priceless as she turned away from him and made her way through the crowd to the reception area. Though her back was now to him, she could feel him watching her.
This might turn out to be a huge mistake, but she was willing to risk it because he’d made her feel so safe with him—safe to be herself, to take a few chances, to let go of her painful past and imagine something different for herself. What he’d said about scaling the walls she’d put up around her heart had been incredibly sweet.
“May I help you?” the hostess asked.
“I was wondering about the rooms upstairs.”
“Ahh, yes. I take it you saw the notice on your table.”
“I did, and I’m intrigued. My boyfriend has had a couple of beers, and I was thinking it might be better to stay put tonight.” She tried not to think about the fact that she was due at work at seven the next morning. Hopefully, Nina would forgive her if she was a little late. What would Nina do? Fire her? That thought, along with what she was doing to surprise Hunter, made Megan feel giddy and lighthearted, two emotions that had been in short supply in her life until recently.
“That’s why we have them. I’d be happy to set you up. All I need is a license and a credit card that won’t be charged unless there’s damage or theft.”
“Sure, no problem.” Casting a watchful eye in the direction of where she’d left Hunter, she handed over the requested items.
Five minutes later she had a key to Room 3 on the second floor. Giggling to herself as she imagined his reaction, she made a quick trip to the ladies’ room before rejoining him and putting her arms around him from behind, which made him startle and then relax when he realized it was her.
“Did you miss me?”
“Terribly.”
“Want to dance?”
“Um, well, I’m not a very good dancer,” he said.
“That’s not true.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw you at the last Grange dance. You were moving just fine when you and your brothers were taunting Will by dancing with Cameron.”
“You saw that, huh?”
“Yep.”
“I was hoping no one saw that.”
“Well, I did, so now your secret is out.” She took his hand and dragged him through the crowd to the dance floor, where people were partying like it was a Friday night rather than a Tuesday. No one seemed to care what day of the week it was as they moved to the fast-paced music. In his conservative sweater and dark jeans, Hunter looked wildly out of place among flannel, T-shirts, faded jeans and an occasional tank top, but he didn’t seem to care that he stood out in the crowd.
He would stand out in any crowd. The aura of class he projected without even trying wasn’t something he could just decide to shed. Megan would bet he was classy even when he was naked, a thought that had her giggling madly.
“Am I that funny?” he asked, shouting to be heard over the music.
“Not that. Something else.”
He scowled playfully at her and pulled her in tight against him. Despite the faster-than-ever music, he moved her slowly, looking down at her the whole time. In a sea of writhing bodies and loud music, all she could see was him. She moved closer, bringing her lower body into contact with his.
With his erection pressed into her belly, his eyes closed and his jaw tightened.
Megan curled her hand around his nape, bringing his head down to her.
His lips were soft and persuasive against her neck, making her strain against him, needing to get closer.
“What do you say we get out of here?” she asked right against his ear so he could hear her over the loud music.
“And go where?”
“I’ll show you.” She took his hand and led him off the dance floor, through the restaurant to the stairs the hostess had pointed out earlier.
“What’re you up to?” he asked.
“Since you won’t let me go on The Bachelor, this was my only chance to check out a fantasy suite. You wouldn’t deny me that, would you?”
“Um, no. Most definitely not.”
She withdrew the keycard from her purse and held it up for him to see.
“Where did that come from?”
“I told the hostess my boyfriend had too much to drink, and she was happy to put us up for the night.”
“Was she now? For the whole night?”
“Uh-huh. Checkout is at eleven.”
With his hands on her hips, he peppered her neck with kisses that made her laugh. “I think I’m going to be late for work tomorrow. Again.”
“I have to work at seven.”
“Can you call in sick?”
“I might have to. I was thinking earlier that Nina can’t exactly fire me.”
“True.”
At the door to the room, she turned to face him, feeling vulnerable and uncertain about what had seemed like such a great idea a few minutes ago. “I’m sending mixed messages here, aren’t I?”
“I’m good with that.”
She smiled at his hasty reply. “I’m serious, Hunter.”
“You said you don’t want to get serious,” he said, his smile teasing.
“And yet I go get a key for one of these rooms and bring you up here like a brazen—”
He kissed the words right off her lips. “We’re having fun. That’s all we’re doing tonight. And I love your surprise.”
“In that case …” Megan pushed the door open and stopped short at the sight before her. The room was gorgeous. A four-poster bed with a white eyelet coverlet, a gas fireplace, a cozy sitting area in front of the fireplace, shiny knotty pine floors.
“The Pig’s Belly continues to astound me,” Hunter said.
“I know!” Megan went to check out the bathroom and let out a happy squeal at the sight of a huge tub with built-in jets. “And this is free? Why aren’t people in Butler talking about this place?”
“Let’s make a solemn vow right now to tell no one about it.”
“Agreed.” All at once the nerves reappeared, making her wonder what he really thought about her orchestrating such a romantic interlude on this, their first real date. Maybe she shouldn’t have been quite so spontaneous.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m hoping you aren’t really thinking that I’m … You know …”
“Beautiful?” He took a step toward her. “Adventuresome?” Another step. “Sexy as hell?” One more step to bring him face-to-face with her. “Exactly what I need?”
Flustered by what he’d said and how he’d said it, Megan smiled but shook her head. “As nice as all of that is, it’s not what I meant.”
“I know, but I’m not thinking about anything other than those things. Whatever happened in the past is in the past. This is a clean slate, and you’ve thoroughly blown my mind tonight in all the best ways possible.”
“I have? Really?”
“Absolutely.” Raising his hands to cradle her face, he kissed her softly and thoroughly, blowing her mind with only the light brush of his lips against hers.
Megan reached for him, her hands landing at his waist and closing the remaining distance between them.
He kissed her for a long time, soft, sweet, sexy undemanding kisses that went a long way toward calming the nerves that had nearly derailed her spontaneous gesture. “What’re you thinking right now?” he asked.
“At this very second?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m wondering how you knew just what to say and do to calm me down when I’d started to second-guess myself. And mostly I’m wondering where you came from all of a sudden.”
He smiled down at her. “It’s hardly all of a sudden. I’ve been right across the street all this time waiting and hoping I might have a chance to be with you like this. And I knew what to say because I could see you were about to panic about what you’d done and what I might think of it.”
Megan rested her head against his chest, sighing when he wrapped his arms around her. How nice it was to be with a man who seemed to understand her so effortlessly. That was certainly a first.
“What do you say we get a little more comfortable?” he asked after a long silence.
“I hope you know I didn’t do this expecting, well, anything. I sort of did it without thinking it all the way through to this moment when we’re both trying to figure out what’s going to happen.”
“Nothing has to happen. I’m happy to have more time to spend with you, to be off on this little departure from my real life with you. Anything else that happens is a bonus, so don’t feel any pressure coming from me.”
“You don’t have to feel any pressure either,” she said, smiling.
“Oh please,” he said with a big, sexy grin, “pressure me. Make my day, my year, my life complete.”
“You’re funny, Hunter Abbott. I never would’ve guessed that.”
“Wait till you see the rest of my hidden qualities.” After waggling his brows playfully, he tugged his sweater up and over his head and kicked off his shoes. When she had removed her shoes, too, he led her to the bed, where they stretched out next to each other.
Turning to face him, Megan noticed the logo for the Seventh Annual Capt. Caleb M. Guthrie Memorial Road Race on the T-shirt he’d worn under the sweater. “Did you do the run they just had?”
Nodding, he said, “I do it every year.”
“I’d like to do it one of these years. I’m always working, but I love to run. And I know he was your friend.”
“One of my best friends and former roommate as well as my brother-in-law.”
“I’m sorry you lost him.”
“Thanks. It was a very difficult time. Still is in many ways.”
“Always will be. It took me a while after I lost my parents to realize it’s not something you ever ‘get over.’ You learn to live with it, but it’s always a part of who you are.”
He nodded in agreement. “I’ve seen that with Hannah, too. She’s really happy with Nolan now, but I know she still thinks about Caleb and misses him all the time.”
“Nolan is a great guy. I think it’s so sweet how he waited for her to be ready to fall in love again.”
“I doubt Hannah would’ve taken a second chance with anyone but him. They’re perfect together.”
“What was their wedding like? I didn’t hear too much about it, but the town sure was quiet that weekend with everyone in Burlington.”
“It was … very touching and emotional. We’re thrilled to see her moving forward with Nolan and excited about their baby. But days like that are such a reminder about who isn’t here anymore and never will be again. Caleb’s parents and brother were there and all his best friends, who are Hannah’s friends, too, and Nolan’s. It was a happy day, but it was bittersweet in many ways. I know Hannah and Nolan would agree.”
“You’re close with her? Your sister?”
“Extremely. She’s my twin, you know that, right?”
“I’m not sure if I knew that. Of course I’m well aware that your younger brothers are twins because they’re always trying to confuse me as to who is who when they come into the diner. They’re such flirts.”
Hunter uttered a low growl that surprised her. “I’ll kick their asses if they flirt with you.”
“That I’d like to see. You do know there’re two of them, right?”
“So what? I’ve been kicking their asses since they were little brats.”
“Sure you have.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Not for one second do I believe you ever beat up your little brothers.”
“I didn’t beat them up, per se, but rather I put a hurt on them from time to time when they needed to be reminded who’s boss.”
“Such a badass,” she said, laughing.
“Shhh, don’t tell anyone. The whole accountant thing is my disguise. Kind of like Clark Kent was a reporter.”
“Now you’re comparing yourself to Superman?”
“If the cape fits …”
“You’re too funny.”
“You think it’s easy being the oldest of ten kids? It’s like being the dictator of a banana republic.”
“And you love every minute of it.”
“I do. For the most part.”
“You have an amazing family. You’re so lucky.”
“And I know it. Believe me. Sometimes they drive me nuts, but I’m always thankful for them. You should come to Sunday dinner at my mom’s. Talk about a banana republic. It’s full-on chaos.”
The thought of joining his family for a big chaotic dinner filled Megan with yearning to be part of them, but the yearning was quickly extinguished when she recalled the awful way she’d treated Cameron. “I’m sure they wouldn’t want me there.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I reacted badly when Will started seeing Cameron. I’m ashamed of the way I treated her. She has every right to hate me. Him, too, for that matter.”
“They don’t hate you, Megan.”
“Still, I bet they hardly want to sit across from me at Sunday dinner.”
“They wouldn’t care at all if you were there.”
“How do you know that?”
“They’re so happy it’s disgusting. Nothing and no one can bring them down.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Can you keep a huge secret?”
“Of course I can. If you only knew the stuff I hear during a single shift. I could ruin lives.”
“Note to self: Stay on Megan’s good side.”
“You know it. Now what’s the big secret?”
“He’s going to propose to her. I’m going with him Saturday to pick out a ring.”
“That’s really exciting. I’m happy for him. He’s a good guy, and he deserves to be happy.”
“Does it upset you to hear he’s getting engaged?”
“Not as much as it would have a couple of months ago.” She placed her hand over his, which he had laid flat on the bed. “In fact, I’m starting to feel a little grateful to her.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because if she hadn’t come along and forced me to give up on my crush on Will, I might’ve missed out on the fact that his very sexy older brother was interested in getting to know me better.”
He raised a brow, and the gesture transformed his face from handsome to rakish. “Very sexy, huh?”
“Yep.”
“What’re you doing all the way over there?”
“Just waiting for you to invite me over there.”
“Dear Megan, please come closer to me. Love, Hunter. How’s that?”
“Hmm, I’m not convinced you really want me to.”
“Let me try again then. Dear Megan, please come over here and kiss me before I die from wanting you to. Much love, Hunter. Better?”
Was it possible for a heart to do somersaults and still keep beating? “Much love?”
“Could be. You’ll have to come over here to find out.”
“Well, since you asked me so nicely …” She scooted across the big bed until she was several inches from him. “Good?”
“Not quite.” He put his arm around her and brought her the rest of the way until her body was tucked in tight against his. “Now that is much better.”
“Is it kind of crazy that we’re in this room together at a place called the Pig’s Belly with the floor vibrating from the music downstairs?”
“One of the craziest things I’ve ever done.”
“Me, too.”
“And the best first date I’ve ever had.”
“Same.”
He stared into her eyes for a long, breathless moment before he kissed her, groaning as their lips came together.
Megan reached for him, trying to bring him closer, which was how he ended up on top of her.
Breaking the kiss, he looked down at her. “Is this okay?”
Rather than answer him with words, she put her arms around him and tangled her legs with his to keep him from getting away.
“You have no idea how badly I want you.”
She raised her hips ever so slightly, making him groan again when she pressed against his erection. “I have a small idea.”
“Hey! There’s nothing small about it.”
Megan’s laughter was quickly muffled by devouring kisses, sweeping thrusts of his tongue and his hand under her dress, flat against the back of her leg, branding her with his heat. She squirmed under him, trying to move things along, but Hunter wouldn’t be rushed.
“Easy, honey. We’ve got all night.”
The thought of a full night with him only made her more restless.
He pulled back from her all of a sudden, kneeling between her legs and pushing her dress up and over her head, leaving her only in a black thong and matching satin bra, her breasts spilling over the top.
Hunter licked his lips as he zeroed in on her breasts before bending to kiss the upper slope of one and then the other. “You’re so beautiful, Megan. I’ve thought so for such a long time.”
He made her feel more beautiful than she had ever felt before with the way he looked at her and in the worshipful way he kissed and touched her. When she released the front clasp on her bra, his gorgeous brown eyes went wide with shock and then dark with desire. “You love to surprise me, don’t you?”
“It is sort of fun.”
“I like your idea of fun.” He pushed the bra aside and cupped her breasts, staring down at them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not one damned thing. Just savoring the view.” Lowering his head, he took her left nipple into his mouth while pinching the right one lightly between his fingers.
Megan grasped a handful of his hair. She’d forgotten how it felt to be consumed by desire, not that she’d ever felt anything even close to this. Her nipples were incredibly sensitive, and he was making her crazy—until he stopped all of a sudden and rolled off her, leaving her aroused and stunned by his withdrawal.