Megan stared at the phone. She was under no obligation to call him. In fact, with the diner closing soon, she could slip out of town and avoid the emotional farewell with Nina and Brett as well as the diner’s many loyal patrons. Who would miss her if she left without saying good-bye?
Hunter would. The two words echoed through her mind loud and clear. He’d been so nice to her, and it pained her to think of hurting him by blowing him off when they had plans. Wouldn’t it be better to walk away now before anything happened between them?
As much as Megan yearned to make some changes in her life, she wasn’t at all prepared to risk the sort of things she’d be endangering by entering into a real relationship with a man, especially someone like Hunter, who knew what he wanted and went after it with single-minded purpose.
Being at the center of that single-minded purpose had been flattering. She couldn’t deny that, but she’d hidden behind her fictional boyfriend for all those years for good reason. She’d rather be alone than ever again hurt like she had after losing her parents.
“It’s not fair to him,” she whispered, smoothing a hand over the skirt of the subtly sexy black dress Nina had talked her into buying. She’d been excited earlier, wondering what Hunter would think of the dress as well as the three-inch heels she’d bought to wear with it. Megan couldn’t remember the last time she’d had an occasion that called for heels. Nina had been excited, too, pushing Megan up the stairs to her apartment to get ready for her big date that wasn’t going to happen now.
Taking a deep breath and trying to suppress the disappointment that threatened to overwhelm her, she called the number he’d written on the back of his business card.
He answered on the second ring, sounding out of breath. “Hello?”
That one breathless word conveyed a world of anticipation, which made her feel terrible all over again for what she was about to say to him.
“Megan? Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I, um … I wanted to tell you …”
“Are you home?”
“Yes, but …”
“I’ll be right there.”
The line went dead before she could reply. For a brief moment, she thought about leaving before he got there but dismissed that idea almost as quickly as she’d had it. He was a nice guy. At the very least, he deserved the truth. Or some version of it that would convince him she was a lousy bet in the romance department.
She sat on the edge of her sofa, acutely aware of how fast her heart was beating as she waited for him. He didn’t live that far from her, so she wasn’t surprised to hear heavy footsteps on the stairs that led to her apartment ten minutes later.
He rapped on the door. “Megan?”
Summoning a calm exterior even as her interior swirled around like a washing machine on the spin cycle, Megan crossed the small room and pulled open the door.
Whatever Hunter had been about to say died on his lips as he took in her outfit. “Wow,” he said on a long exhale. “You’re stunning.”
“Thank you,” she said, unnerved by the compliment and the heat she saw in his gaze as he stared at her. “Come in.”
He followed her inside, closing the door behind him. “I had things I was going to say, but I can’t seem to remember any of them.”
Megan knew a moment of pure feminine power when she realized she’d rendered him all but speechless with the outfit as well as the time she’d spent on her hair and makeup.
Hunter took a look around at her tiny but cozy living space. “I love your place.”
“Thanks. It’s small, but it’s home.”
He gestured to the crowded bookshelves that occupied one wall of her living room. “You like to read.”
“My favorite thing to do.” Escaping into imaginary worlds took her far away from her own life. “I have thousands more on my e-reader.”
“I like to read, too.” He pushed off the door and came closer to her, his nearness and that incredible scent that came with him making her heart go crazy again. Tonight he wore a black sweater with dark jeans, managing to look sexy and well put together at the same time. “One of my favorite things to do.”
Being alone with him, even knowing she was totally safe with him, made her feel nervous and jumpy. It had been years, a decade in fact, since she’d been completely alone with a man—if you could call the boys she’d dated then “men.” They were boys compared to the man who stood before her now, eating her up with his hungry gaze.
“Hunter, I wanted to tell you …”
He closed the small distance between them, took her hand and led her to the sofa, where he sat beside her. Having him right next to her, looking at her the way he always did, it was almost impossible to form the words she needed.
“What do you want to tell me?”
She couldn’t continue to look at him and say what needed to be said, too. “You’ve been really nice to me, and I appreciate that. But I …”
“Please don’t tell me you don’t want to go out tonight. You’ll crush me.”
Startled by the passion she heard in his voice, she forced herself to look at him. “You have no idea what you’re getting into with me.”
“I want to know. Tell me what I’m getting into.”
She shook her head. “I wish things were different, but it would be better for you—”
“No, it wouldn’t. Never having the chance to know you would not be better for me.”
“How can you say that? You don’t know—”
“Then tell me. Tell me all the awful things I don’t know, and I’ll decide for myself if any of them are deal-breakers for me. Give me a chance, Megan. That’s all I’m asking for.” As he spoke, he brushed dampness from her face, which was how she knew she was crying. “Sweetheart, please … Talk to me. Let me in. I want so badly to know you—the real you, not the cool, collected woman you show the rest of the world. I want to know Megan.”
Hearing him call her sweetheart made her melt on the inside. Her father had called her that, and she liked the sound of it coming from Hunter. Megan wiped her face, determined to put her emotions on ice and convince him he could do better than a woman who was broken on the inside.
Hunter put his arm around her and drew her in close to him.
Though being so close to him didn’t do a damned thing for her intention to end this before it went any further, she couldn’t seem to resist the comfort he offered so willingly. With her face resting against his chest, Megan was grateful for the opportunity to gather her thoughts without having to look at the incredibly insightful brown eyes that seemed to see right through her.
“After my parents died,” she began in a small voice, “I was a bit of a mess.”
“Of course you were. Anyone would be.”
“I did a lot of stupid things. With guys. A lot of guys.”
His hand was big and warm on her arm, and he didn’t seem to breathe while he waited to hear what she would say next.
“Things I’m ashamed of now.”
“That was a long time ago, Megan. You were young and grief-stricken and running from the pain. I don’t judge you for what you did then. I don’t know how anyone could.”
“This went on for a while, until the night I kissed Will at a party.”
Only the slight tightening of his grip on her arm indicated his reaction to hearing about her kissing his brother. He remained silent.
“After that I sort of fixated on him. Nina and I talked about it earlier, and she said if I were supposedly ‘in love’ with Will, that kept me from messing around with other guys. I poured everything into my fixation on him. Nina made me see …”
“What did she make you see?”
“That as long as I had myself convinced Will was the one for me, I could justify keeping other men at a distance.”
“So there hasn’t been anyone else in all that time?”
“No.”
“How long ago did you kiss Will?”
“The summer I graduated from high school. Ten years ago.”
“Oh, Megan,” he said with a sigh. “I’m so sorry for your terrible loss and all the pain it’s caused you, but you don’t need to be afraid of me. I promise you don’t need to put up walls to keep me out.”
“That’s very nice of you to say, but I think it might be easier if I just continue on the way I’ve been. I can’t hide behind Will anymore, and I know that. I’m really happy for him. He’s a great guy, and he deserves to be happy.”
“Yes, he does, but so do you. You may deserve it more than anyone I know.”
“You deserve it, too, Hunter. You deserve better—”
“No.” He moved slightly to his left, his finger under her chin compelling her to look at him. “Don’t say I deserve better than you.”
“You do.”
“No,” he said, more forcefully this time.
Before she could begin to gauge his intentions, he was leaning in closer, his lips brushing against hers, softly, slowly, sweetly.
Megan whimpered. “Hunter …”
“Kiss me.”
She raised her hand to his smooth face and pressed her lips to his. So much for her good intentions to cut him loose. How had she ended up kissing him on her sofa?
“God, you’re so sweet,” he whispered against her neck, the heat of his breath sending goose bumps down her back. “I knew you would taste so sweet.” Then he was back for more, this time adding subtle touches of his tongue to her bottom lip that had her leaning in, desperate to be closer to him.
She curled her arms around his neck and made him gasp when she brushed her tongue against his.
His groan made his entire body vibrate. He tipped his head, seeking a better angle, his hand buried in her hair to keep her from getting away.
Megan had forgotten what it was like to be held by a man, to be kissed and touched this way. But no man had ever managed to take her away from all her worries and fears the way Hunter Abbott was doing. She wanted to kiss him until he was all she could think about.
Without taking the time to consider what she was doing or how she’d intended to stop this before it started, she brought him with her when she reclined against the sofa pillows. Never breaking the kiss, Hunter followed her lead, coming down on top of her, his body fitting intimately against hers.
She took advantage of the opportunity to run her fingers through his wavy dark hair, which she discovered was softer than it looked.
“Megan,” he said when he came up for air. “I didn’t mean for things to get so … heated.” When he would’ve pulled back from her, she stopped him.
“Don’t go. Not yet.”
He leaned his forehead against hers, looking down at her with desire and confusion and questions she could see he wanted to ask but didn’t.
“I was going to tell you I can’t do this, and then we were kissing, and now I can’t remember why I was going to say that.”
His laugh was deep and rich, and she loved that she’d made him laugh. She loved the way the laughter lit up his eyes and softened his demeanor. “I understand you’re afraid to have a real relationship. All I’m asking is that you give me—and us—a chance.”
“What is it about me that you find so interesting? I’m kind of boring when it comes right down to it.”
“You’re not boring at all. I’ve always suspected that under that cool façade a complex woman was waiting to get out. All I can tell you is I like how I feel when you’re around.”
“How do you feel?”
“Excited, interested, distracted, stupid.”
“Stupid? You? You’re like the smartest person I know.”
“Not when you’re around. So many times I’ve wanted to ask you out, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words, to ask the question. That makes me feel really stupid.”
“You’re not. Not at all. Although you may be if you get involved with me.”
“I wish you wouldn’t say stuff like that about the woman who makes me feel all those things.” He kissed her nose and then her lips. “I’ve got another thing to add to the list of things you make me feel.” Pressing his erection into her belly, he said, “Aroused.”
Megan closed her eyes, trying to process all the things he was saying and all the emotions that accompanied his words.
“I didn’t intend to begin our first date this way,” he said. “Not that I’m complaining—at all. Best first date I’ve ever had.”
“We haven’t gone anywhere yet.”
“And it’s still the best ever.”
“Doesn’t take much to make you happy.” Megan went with her trademark sarcasm to hide her emotional reaction to just about everything he said to her.
“You call being able to hold you and kiss you not much? To me it’s incredible.” He kissed her again, as if he couldn’t stop now that he’d started. “And just think, we’ve already gotten the awkward ‘will we or won’t we’ first-kiss business out of the way, so we won’t have to worry about that all night.”
“Thank goodness.”
“So you’ll go out with me and no more about not being good enough or deserving enough or deciding things for me without my input?”
What else could she say to that other than, “Okay.”
Hunter felt like he’d dodged a bullet. He’d driven to Megan’s house like a man possessed. He’d guessed what she’d been about to say and hadn’t given her a chance to say it. On the ride to her house, he’d tried to think of the words he would need to persuade her to give him a chance. He hadn’t expected to end up making out with her on the sofa, but as he’d said to her, he certainly wasn’t complaining.
Every minute he spent with her, no matter what they were doing, confirmed what he’d suspected for some time now—there could be something special between them. Listening to her share her worries and hearing the pain in her voice had made something inside him rise up in protest, wanting to ensure she never felt that way again.
Hearing that she’d tried to outrun her pain by giving herself to other guys had made him want to kill someone, not that he’d let her see that. No, the worst thing he could ever do is let her think he was judging her when he wasn’t. How could he pretend to know what it had been like to suddenly lose the two most important people in her life at the tender age of eighteen?
If she’d found a way to manage the pain, so be it. That was then, this was now, and hearing how she’d reacted to the aftermath of her loss only made him more determined to make sure nothing ever hurt her again.
“Where’re we going?” she asked, breaking a lengthy silence.
Drawn out of his thoughts by her question, Hunter glanced over at her. “I don’t know yet. I thought we’d take a ride and see what looks good to us.”
In the faint light coming from the dashboard, he thought he saw her smile. “I figured you’d have this evening planned down to the last minute.”
“Usually I would, but tonight I wanted to do something different and be more spontaneous.”
“Spontaneous. Is that painful for you?”
“Why do I have a feeling you’re making fun of me?”
“I would never do that.”
“Yes, I think you would.” He loved to see her playful side emerging. She was always so serious and contained. Now he knew why. She kept a tight rein on her emotions as a shield against being hurt again. Understanding that about her was like being given the keys to her inner workings. He would guard and protect those keys with everything he had for as long as he was lucky enough to have her in his life.
“You’re awfully quiet over there, which makes me wonder what you’re thinking about.”
“I’m thinking about you, which I do a lot.”
“What in particular?” she asked.
“That I’m glad you told me what you did earlier.”
“I’m ashamed of what I told you. I wish you didn’t know that about me.”
“It’s part of who you are, and I want to know who you are. I want to understand you, because if I understand you, I can make sure I don’t do anything to hurt you.”
After a long pause, she said, “Since last night … I’ve felt like I’m living in some sort of fairy tale or something.”
“The one where the handsome, dashing accountant scoops you up and takes you away from all your troubles?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
He hadn’t expected such a serious reply to his teasing comment, but it pleased him deeply to know she felt that way. Reaching across the center console, he took her hand and had to remember he was driving when she curled both her hands around his.
Hunter kept his eyes on the road, even though he preferred looking at her. He wanted to know what she was thinking, but he didn’t ask. There’d be time for that later. Right now he wanted to enjoy having her riding next to him, holding his hand with an entire evening stretched out before them to spend any way they wished to.
He decided there was definitely something to be said for spontaneity when it involved her.
They drove for a long time through dark, winding mountain roads. Hunter had no idea where they were and didn’t care. A touch of a button on the GPS could get them home, but for the moment, he was rather enjoying being “lost” with Megan.
A roadside tavern appeared in the headlights. “What do you think?”
“Looks good to me.”
Hunter signaled and then pulled off the road, laughing when he saw the name of the place: Pig’s Belly Tavern and Publick House. “You can tell our grandchildren I brought you to the Pig’s Belly Tavern for our first date.”
“It’ll make for a good story.”
Her comeback filled him with foolish hope for a future with her that was far from assured. Don’t get ahead of yourself. First date. Go slow. Reluctantly, he withdrew his hand from her grasp to shut off the engine. “Wait for me. I’ll come around for you.”
As he walked around the car, he repeated the “go slow” refrain. But after holding her and kissing her—and having her kiss him back so enthusiastically—it wasn’t easy. All he could think about was when he might get to kiss her again. He opened the passenger door and held it for her as she turned to him.
“Hunter?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think, before we go in there, you might want to …” She looked at him expectantly. “Kiss me again?”
He reached up to kill the dome light before he put his arms around her and forgot all about going slow when he realized her enthusiasm more than equaled his. His knees went weak under him, and his blood felt like it was on fire as it rushed through his veins. Then her hands were under his sweater on his back, moving restlessly.
“God, Megan,” he said when he had no choice but to breathe. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
“What do I do? Tell me.”
“You make me forget this is our first date.” He kissed her neck and made her moan when he dragged his tongue over her soft skin. “You make me want like I’ve never wanted anything or anyone.” More kisses, until he reached her earlobe, which he bit down on, just hard enough to make her gasp. “You make me want you in my bed or your bed or the first bed we can find, and I haven’t even bought you dinner yet.”
Her husky, lusty laugh made him harder, if that was possible. “You bought me pizza last night.”
“That’s true. I did.” He kissed her again, already addicted to the sweet taste of her. “But pizza doesn’t make for as good a story as the Pig’s Belly Tavern.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“You aren’t a vegetarian, are you? Because if you are, I’m not sure the Pig’s Belly is the place for you.”
“I was way back when, but I’m not anymore.”
“That’s a relief.”
“You suppose it’s all pig all the time here?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m dying of curiosity.” He could tell he surprised her when he lifted her right out of the SUV, bumped the door closed behind him and then let her slide down the aroused front of him.
“Nice move.”
“Thanks. Wait till you see the rest of them.”
“I can’t wait.”
Hunter drew in a deep breath, releasing it in rattling increments.
“What?” she asked. “Did I say the wrong thing?”
“Hardly. You said the exact right thing. I’m still trying to believe I’m really here with you, that I can touch you and kiss you and put my arm around you outside the Pig’s Belly. I’ve wanted to do all of that for so long. You have no idea how long.”
“I’m glad you finally got to come to the Pig’s Belly,” she said with a sly smile as she looked up at him.
Hunter laughed. “The Pig is the least of it, as you well know.”
“I’m still trying to believe you really feel that way about me.”
“I really do.”
“You still haven’t said why.”
“Some things can’t be easily explained. They just are.”
“And this just is for you?”
“Yes, you are.” He put his arms around her again, drew her in close to him and kept his eyes open and fixed on her as he brought his lips down on hers for a sweet, undemanding kiss that was better than the best sex he’d had with anyone else. And when she curled her arms around his neck and leaned into him, pressing her body against his suggestively, he came damn close to saying to hell with the Pig.
“Food first,” he said. “More kissing later.”
“Mmm,” she said against his lips, making him want to beg for mercy. “Promise?”
“Most definitely.”
“Okay then.” She dropped her arms from around his neck. “Hunter?”
“Yeah?”
“I really like kissing you and everything, but I still don’t want this to be a big deal between us. You said you don’t want to hurt me … I don’t want to hurt you either. There’s no reason we can’t have a lot of fun together without it getting serious.”
“I’ve been warned. It’s all good.”
“You’re sure?”
“Very sure.” Hunter kept his arm around her and tried to will his raging erection into submission before they got to the tavern entrance. “Wait.” He dropped his arm from around her shoulders. “I need a minute.”
“What? Oh.” She pressed her hand to her mouth, but that didn’t do much to muffle the sound of her laughter.
“It’s not funny.”
“Yes, it is.”
With her laughter only making his problem worse, he ran his fingers through his hair and walked in circles, thinking about accounts payable and receivable and every other unsexy thing that came to mind. But none of those images could trump the one of Megan, sitting in his passenger seat, asking him to kiss her. That would stay with him long after this first date was a distant memory.
It took a while, but Hunter finally felt as if he could walk into the restaurant without embarrassing himself or Megan. He gestured for her to lead the way.
“Are you sure?” she asked in that teasing tone he was already growing to love. He hadn’t expected that from her, but what might’ve annoyed him coming from one of his siblings was perfect coming from her.
“As sure as I’ll ever be.”