He hadn’t said the words, and he was right, she probably wasn’t ready to hear them. Not yet. But she certainly understood what he was not saying. “You’re a very nice guy.”
“This is what I’m trying to tell you.”
Her laughter broke the tension that had grown and multiplied during the intense conversation. His smile lit up his handsome face, and Megan couldn’t resist him when he looked at her that way. She put her hand around his nape and drew him into a kiss. “He cooks, he irons, he bakes and he makes dreams come true.”
“You forgot balances the books and makes you come multiple times every night. What can I say, babe? I’m a Renaissance man.”
“And he’s funny and cute and sexy and adorable.”
“All those things? You shouldn’t let a guy like that get away. You might regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Yes, I’m quite sure I would.”
He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to see to it that you get everything you want and things you’ve never dared to dream.”
“You make me believe all of that’s possible.”
“It is. I want to share with you something my brother Colton told me after he got together with Lucy. They’ve worked out an arrangement to split their time between New York where she lives and his mountain here. I told him that sounded kind of complicated and asked if he was sure they could make that work. He told me it didn’t matter where they were as long as they were together. He said being with her made him a better man, that they were stronger together than they were apart, and because of that they were willing to do whatever it took to make it work.”
“That’s really amazing. They’re so lucky to have found each other.”
“So are we, Megan. You make me want to be a better man so I’ll be worthy of you. You make me want to climb mountains if it’ll make you happy or make you smile or laugh. I really love when you laugh.”
Megan’s eyes burned with unshed tears. “How can you be real?”
“I’m real, and I’m smitten, and I’m consumed with the desire to be close to you in every possible way. You’re all I think about.”
“For the record, there’s no way you could be a better man than you already are.”
“There’s always room for improvement.”
“While that might be true, I’m starting to think you might be perfect for me exactly the way you are.”
“I can live with that.”
She smiled as she kissed him, and let him take her away from all her worries and fears. Wrapped up in his arms, it was easy to believe that everything would be fine. He would see to that with her. Together, they’d be stronger than they were apart. She loved what Colton had said about Lucy and their relationship. That was what she wanted, too.
“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” Hunter asked as he kissed from her lips to her neck.
“Nothing much.”
He made her feel treasured and aroused and uncomfortable and adored with the way he held her and kissed her. She couldn’t get enough of his kisses. Now that she had spent time with him, her fantasy crush on his brother seemed like a distant memory, completely eclipsed by the reality of Hunter.
“Want to hang out with me?”
“I might be persuaded to do that. What’d you have in mind?”
“We could go for a walk or a drive or anything you want.”
With her hand flat against his chest, she looked up at him. “Could we maybe stay here?”
“We could do that, too.” He kissed her, groaning when she drew his bottom lip into her mouth and ran her tongue back and forth over it. “You want to watch a movie?”
She shook her head.
“I could bake you some more cookies.”
“Maybe later.”
“So what do you want to do?”
Holding his hand, Megan stood and gave a tug to bring him with her.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I feel a nap coming on.”
“I never nap in the middle of the day.”
Wondering if he was for real, she turned back to him and caught the teasing glint in his eyes. “Oh, thank goodness. For a second there, I thought you weren’t as smart as everyone says you are.”
With his arms around her waist, he picked her up and carried her laughing into her bedroom, depositing her on the bed before joining her. “I’m every bit as smart as people say I am.”
“That’s a relief.”
He pulled on the tie to her robe and revealed her to his heated gaze. Rising to his knees, he bent to kiss her belly.
Megan ran her fingers through his hair, loving the way he looked at her. Then he stopped and rested his forehead against her stomach. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing at all. I just want you so badly all the time.”
“Come here.”
He scooted up on the bed so he was lying next to her. “I’m here.”
Megan knelt on the bed and unbuttoned the red-pinstripe dress shirt he’d worn to work. On the cuffs, she noted his initials, HEA, and laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Do you know what HEA stands for?”
“Um, Hunter Elmer Abbott?”
“In romance it stands for happily ever after.”
“I’ve never heard that before.”
She released the buttons on his cuffs. “Your parents set you up to be happy the day you were born.”
He caressed her face. “I just needed you to make it happen.”
“Take this off,” she said of his shirt.
Hunter sat up to pull off the shirt and the T-shirt he wore under it, and then pushed her robe off her shoulders, leaving it to pool around her hips. “I wish you knew how beautiful you are to me.” He kissed her shoulder, along her collarbone and then down to the nipple that tightened in anticipation of the kind of pleasure only he could deliver.
Before she knew what hit her, Megan was flat on her back and he was worshiping her breasts with his tongue, lips, teeth and fingers. She could barely keep up with him as he moved from one erogenous zone to another, making her crazier by the second.
“Hunter … I …” Her words were stolen by the sweep of his tongue between her legs, by the tight grip of his hand on her bottom, by the powerful sensations that rippled through her body. She couldn’t have spoken then if her life had depended on it. He had her on the verge of release so fast she nearly forgot to breathe before it was upon her, sweeping her up with the power of a wave that lifted her up and left her suspended before bringing her crashing back to earth, breathless and battered.
Megan was still trying to find her equilibrium when Hunter pushed into her, triggering a second wave that had her clinging to him as he pounded into her, taking as much as giving. He filled her so completely, stretching her to the point of exquisite pain that only fueled her desire.
And then he reached beneath her, grabbed her ass to lift her tighter against him. He was relentless and driven and out of control, and she loved everything about the way he absolutely possessed her.
“God, Megan.” His voice was choppy and broken against her ear. “Megan … I love you.”
The words penetrated the sensual fog, leaving her reeling as he drove them both to the finish line. Reaching for her hands, he lifted them over her head and captured her mouth in a deep, searching kiss as he pressed into her one last time, coming with a gasp of pleasure.
Megan wrapped her legs around his hips, keeping him buried in her while they throbbed with aftershocks and her mind raced with the implications of what he’d said.
After a long silence, he said, “I didn’t mean to just blurt that out.”
“You didn’t mean it?”
“That’s not what I said. I meant it. I do love you. I have for a long time, but before now, before the time we’ve spent together, I loved the idea of you. Now I love the reality even more.”
She had no idea how to respond to such heartfelt words. Her emotions were all over the place with Nina leaving, the diner changing hands, her own life in flux and now this amazing new possibility with Hunter. “I …”
He laid a finger over her lips. “Don’t say anything. Not now. It’s still new to you, and I don’t want you to feel pressure.”
Looking to defuse the tension she saw in the set of his jaw, she raised her hips. “I’m feeling the best kind of pressure.”
“I was rough with you. Again. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I loved it. I’ve never had sex like I do with you.”
“Neither have I.” Still holding her hands above her head, he kissed her. “You’re ruining me for all other women.”
Her brows furrowed as she looked up at him. “I told you not to do this. I told you not to fall for me.”
“Couldn’t help it.”
Suddenly she had to get away from him or risk surrendering things she hadn’t planned to give. “I need to get up.”
Watching her warily, he disentangled himself from her and let her up.
Megan went into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning against it as her heart pounded with anxiety and fear. This perfectly wonderful guy was in love with her, and all she could think about was how it would end. What was wrong with her?
Hunter awoke some time later to near darkness in Megan’s bedroom. How long had he been asleep? Pushing the hair back from his forehead, he checked his watch and learned it was nearly six thirty. They’d slept for hours. Their sleepless nights were catching up to both of them.
At some point, Megan had turned onto her side, and her bottom was pressed tight against his groin.
His body reacted predictably to her nearness, as well as the soft satin of her skin, the silk of her hair and the heat of her body. He was only human, and she was like a goddess come to life in his arms.
He’d known it would be like this with her. Just like he’d always known that if he got close to her he’d fall in love. And as expected, he’d fallen completely, totally and irrevocably in love. He really hadn’t meant to blurt it out when he was deep inside her, but the words had tumbled forth in the heat of passion, and he didn’t regret them. But the last thing he wanted her to think was that he loved her because of the sex. That was one of many reasons.
Her care and concern for the needy patrons at the diner had touched him deeply and told him a lot about what mattered to her. Because the customers were so important to her, he was glad he’d been able to help keep the diner open. And he’d been hugely relieved to hear her say she wanted to be part of it. Maybe that was why the words had come tumbling out, because he wanted her to know he’d make it worth it if she stayed with him.
She stirred and turned over, her hand landing on his belly, right above the tip of his hard cock.
Hunter held his breath, waiting to see if she was awake. He didn’t have to wait long before her hand slid down to stroke him. He nearly swallowed his tongue from the surprise and then the pleasure, the incredible, unbelievable pleasure of her touch.
“Someone is wide awake,” she said in the sleepy, sexy voice he loved.
“It’s all your fault. You had your very sweet ass pressed up against him shamelessly. What was he to do?”
Her quiet laughter thrilled him. He’d meant it when he told her he loved the sound of her laugh. He loved making her laugh. He loved the lighter side of her personality that she’d shown him repeatedly over the last few days. He loved the way she felt in his arms, the sound she made when she came and her responsiveness to his touch.
“In that case, I suppose it’s only fair that I tend to him.”
“You won’t hear me disagreeing.”
She pushed him onto his back and kissed his chest and abdomen while continuing to stroke him.
In the dark, he could barely see her, but he could feel her getting closer all the time to where he wanted her most. She made a wide circle around his cock, nibbling on the V-cut muscles on his hips and then shocking the shit out of him with a bite to his inner thigh. He nearly came all over her with that maneuver.
“Christ, Megan. Have some mercy, will you?”
Once again her husky, sexy laughter was nearly his undoing. “Is this what you want?” She wrapped her lips around the tip and sucked hard, making him see stars.
“Yeah,” he said on a gasp, “more of that.”
“More of this?” She stroked him with her hand and tongue.
“Megan … God, yes, more of that.” He wanted more of everything where she was concerned. In fact, he could actually die happy with her lips tight around the head of his cock. And then she drew him in deeper and he forgot all about dying happy. He wanted to live and feel the way she made him feel every day for the rest of his life.
She took him on an incredible ride, culminating in an orgasm that originated in the deepest part of him, leaving him depleted and trembling afterward.
“Holy shit,” he whispered as she sprinkled his chest with kisses. “That was … I have no words.”
“You? At a loss for words? I don’t believe it.”
“Also your fault.”
“I’ll take the blame this time.”
Hunter wrapped his arms around her. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat something.”
“Me, too. Want to go out or order in?”
“Order in.”
Hunter left her in bed while he went to order pizza and salad. When he got back in bed to wait for the delivery, he loved the way she crawled into his arms, her head resting on his chest and her hair soft against his face. “May I say something?” he asked.
“May I stop you?”
“No,” he said, laughing. “No chance of that.”
“Then by all means, proceed.”
“What I said earlier …” Every muscle in her body seemed to tighten at once. “I didn’t say it to put pressure on you or to try to influence your decisions. I know you’re thinking about a lot of things, and all of a sudden I factor into it—or at least I hope I do.”
“Of course you do, but this wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to be fun.”
“It hasn’t been fun?”
“Yes, but … I told you I don’t do serious.”
“And I heard you. I promise you I did, but I can’t help how I feel about you. It’s as natural to me as breathing.” He never blinked as he stared into her eyes. “I knew we’d be good together. I knew it.”
“How did you know?”
“Because of the way I felt every time I saw you or talked to you.”
“How did you feel?”
“Certain. Absolutely certain.”
“You could have anyone you want.”
“As could you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Then you aren’t paying attention to the way your customers look at you.”
“Most of them are eighty!”
“Not all of them. I’ve seen guys looking at you probably the way I do, and I wanted to kill them all. I wanted to tell them, ‘You can’t have her.’” He kissed her forehead. “‘She’s mine.’”
“Yours, huh?”
“Yes, mine. All mine.”
“As a woman of the new millennium, that declaration ought to offend me, but it doesn’t. I like being with you this way. I couldn’t wait to see you tonight. I even shaved my legs hoping I’d get to see you.”
He reached down to run his hand over satiny smooth skin. “I noticed.” His hand moved from calf to thigh to buttock, where he lingered, squeezing and molding her cheek until she squirmed in his arms.
“Don’t. The pizza guy is coming.”
“Not before you do.”
“Hunter!”
He flattened his hand on her bottom, letting his fingers wander between her legs.
“Hunter, come on.”
“No, you come on.” Holding her tight against him with one arm, he teased and coaxed with his other hand. “Better hurry up. Time’s a-wasting.” As he spoke, he caressed her clit in tight circles. “He’ll be here any minute.”
She gasped, and her legs tightened around his hand. “Hunter …”
“I’m right here, sweetheart. Let it happen.” He captured her mouth in a deep kiss, the strokes of his tongue matching the thrusts of his fingers.
Megan came with a sharp cry just as the doorbell rang.
Hunter removed his fingers, licked them clean and said, “I’ll get that.”
She replied with a shaky laugh. “That’s good, because I couldn’t move if I had to.”
He leaned over the bed to kiss her. “Luckily, you don’t have to.”