Chapter Fourteen
Apparently, God wasn’t finished punishing Hunter for spitting gum in Mia’s hair when he was ten. He knew this to be true as he glared at his ex-girlfriend, who was currently ruining a perfectly good buzz.
He’d come to The Clumsy Clam to unwind from a long first day on his new Harperville job and have a few drinks. And maybe—hopefully—run into Jade at some point.
He had not gone there to listen to his cheating, drunken ex try to proposition him for sex. Which was exactly what she was doing, no matter how subtle she thought she was being.
Guess she’d already gotten bored with Dan. Poor sucker.
“I don’t know what made you think this would be a pleasant conversation, Rebecca, but you need to back the hell off.” He had said the same thing twice already, and he was losing his patience.
Finn flanked him, standing just a few feet away, ready to give him whatever kind of backup he needed. Ever the loyal best friend.
God, the sound of the woman’s voice made Hunter’s ears bleed.
“What’s your problem, baby?” Rebecca asked. “I was just asking if you wanted to have a drink with me.”
That purr of hers had turned into a slur over the last couple of minutes. It was enough to tell him she’d already knocked back a few. Where the hell were the friends he’d seen her with earlier to drag her out of here?
He pried her fingers from his arm—again—for what had better be the last time. The woman may have a pretty face, but that was literally all she had going for her. He’d learned that the hard way.
“Pretty sure having a drink doesn’t require you to touch me,” he muttered. “And it sounds like you’ve already had plenty. Anyway, no. I don’t.”
She sent him a smile she probably thought was supposed to be seductive.
All he saw was an insecure woman with a weave.
“Come on, Hunter,” she whined. “I made sure Dan paid extra special attention to your bid on the condo contract. Don’t I get rewarded for that?”
Wow. The woman had absolutely no shame.
Bribing him for sex. Real classy.
“Seeing as how you would have convinced your little puppet to throw out my bid had I not quit the swim shop job,” he said through clenched teeth, “no. A reward is the last thing you’re getting from me. No drink, either. Nothing.”
She shot him a sharp look, her drunkenness momentarily forgotten. “That reminds me,” she said. “I heard your truck was seen at the redhead’s house the other night.”
Did the people in this town have nothing better to talk about?
“So?” he prompted.
An evil smirk took over her face. “Dan hasn’t accepted your bid yet,” she said. “It’s sitting on his desk, but I can easily make it”—she snapped her fingers—“disappear.”
His grip on his glass tightened. “What the hell are you trying to say?”
“You know exactly what I’m saying.” She leaned in closer, smelling like she’d bathed in her cocktails. “Stay away from her.”
He shook his head, ready to shut this shit down. “Get this straight right now, Rebecca. No matter how many threats you make or how many times you try to grab my dick, we’re never getting back together.” He leaned in and got in her face. “Ever. I held up my part of the deal and quit the store job. Now we’re done.”
The smirk was wiped from her face, instantly turning into the ugly scowl he had become so familiar with.
“Besides, wasn’t that all I was good for, anyway?” he asked bitterly. “A good screw? But when you wanted a new pair of shoes, that’s when you slithered away and found yourself a sugar daddy. Someone rich and easy to manipulate. You picked his pockets while you tainted my sheets.”
She was breathing hard through her nose like a bull about to charge. “You’re a bastard.”
He snorted, keeping his expression cold and emotionless. “At least I didn’t stick my dick where it didn’t belong. That doctor you fucked, on the other hand…can’t say the same for him. So why don’t you run back to your boyfriend and tell him how mean I was to you when you offered to open your legs for me.”
He relished the sight of her opening and closing her mouth a few times, at a loss for words. “Asshole,” she finally hissed.
Clever.
She backed up a few steps and stumbled into Finn, who had his back to her. He turned around, the polite smile disappearing in a flash when he realized who had bumped into him. “Oh, Rebecca. It’s so not nice to see you.”
“Kiss my ass, Finn.”
He flashed her an easy, though not necessarily friendly, smile. “No, thank you. I didn’t bring my garlic and crucifix with me tonight.”
She flashed one last glare in Hunter’s direction. “Don’t forget what I said.”
With that last warning, she stomped off like a toddler throwing a tantrum. He let out a sigh of profound relief when he saw her gather up her friends and leave the bar in a stumbling, sloppy mess.
“Well, that was fun,” Finn muttered.
“I need something strong,” Hunter grumbled into his hands.
“Way ahead of you, buddy.”
He looked down to see Finn holding two full shot glasses. They each knocked one back, and Hunter was grateful for the slow burn of the fiery liquor. Once he felt like his head was clear of the rage that Rebecca always provoked, he assessed the large crowd scattered around the tables and dance floor.
He was really only looking for one person in particular.
He had spotted Jade the second he walked into the place. He’d been happy to see her with Ivy, Maggie, and Mia, and even more so that she seemed to be having fun. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her as she laughed and smiled, stirring her straw around in her drink. The last time he’d seen her so relaxed and carefree was the night at the hotel.
When she was naked with him.
And screaming for him.
The need to be near her like that again suddenly consumed him as he sat there watching the way her long red hair kissed the middle of her back, caressing her silky white skin. He was desperate to get close to her, to soak up some of her happiness. Because when she smiled like that, it was like sunshine washing over him, warming him from head to toe.
The halter dress she was wearing pushed up her tits so your eyes were drawn to them no matter how hard you tried to look away. Which meant that other guys were also looking at them. Between the dress and those fuck-me heels that showed off her shapely legs, she was going to have all the men in the bar begging for a taste.
Cocksuckers.
He glanced over and realized the women’s table was now empty.
Where the hell had they gone? Group bathroom break? Outside for some fresh air?
“So don’t freak out,” Finn said, caution in his voice.
Hunter’s eyes narrowed. It was never good when a sentence started out like that. “What?”
Finn let out a deep breath. “Bogie at your six.”
Confused, Hunter shifted around to where Finn’s gaze was pinned.
And a fury like he hadn’t felt in a long while overtook him. His hands automatically formed fists, his nostrils flared, and his eyes saw nothing but red.
Just like that, in two seconds, he was ready for a fight.
“What the fuck is Jade doing dancing with Josh Foreman?” he asked murderously.
“I don’t know. You want me to go break it up?” Finn actually sounded happy to do it.
“Hell, no,” Hunter spat, standing up. “I can handle my own shit.”
Finn blocked his path with a hand on his chest. “Whoa, now. You’re not going over there to beat the hell out of him. I don’t need that in my bar. Besides, you’ve got no say over her, man.”
Hunter glared at his friend. “The hell I don’t. That, right there,” he said, pointing in Jade’s direction, “is mine. I’m not going to let some prick creep in on my territory. You hearing me, Caldwell?”
“I hear you, man,” Finn replied. “But according to her and everyone else here tonight, you don’t have any territory. She didn’t come here with you. But if you want her to leave here with you, you need to step up and make that shit known. Watching her from across the bar and helping her put machines together isn’t doing a damn thing for your cause.”
“That’s bull—”
Finn raised his hand. “You can’t expect all the men in this town to keep their distance when a woman like that moves in without anyone laying claim to her. So either do something about it, or sit your ass back down and have another beer. Either way, you’re not throwing punches in my bar over a woman who isn’t even yours. Yet.”
The fact that he’d added the last word—yet—made Hunter not want to head-butt the guy quite as much.
“Like I said,” Hunter grated out, staring his friend straight in the eyes. “I can handle my own shit.”
Finn watched him for a second before nodding curtly. “Good. Because I’m getting sick of you moping around. It’s not good for business.”
“Because you can fucking talk,” Hunter said with a friendly sneer. “No female customer even exists to you when Maggie’s anywhere in the building.”
Finn shoved him in the shoulder and grinned. “Get the hell out of here and go find your balls. But I swear to God, you hit the guy even once and I’m taking back the Jordan rookie card I gave you.”
“You can’t take it back. I won it from you, fair and square.”
Heading toward the dance floor, Hunter laughed when Finn gave him the finger as a parting shot. Then he turned all of his single-minded focus on Jade and getting that asshole away from her.
Truthfully, Josh Foreman was a pretty decent guy. Which was exactly why he needed to stay the hell away from Jade. Any man who touched her would meet Hunter’s wrath. He didn’t need any competition. He knew good and well he wasn’t the greatest catch in the sea. There were plenty of guys out there who were better off than him.
And as selfish as it was, he didn’t want her to meet a single one of them.
He strategically came up behind her so he could look Josh in the eye when he signaled him to back off. And it also made it that much easier for Hunter to slip his arm around her waist and pull her away if the guy refused to back down. He was almost flush against her back when Josh caught his eye, quickly taking stock of the situation.
“Foreman,” Hunter grumbled in greeting.
She stopped dancing at the sound of his voice. He felt her body tense, but she didn’t look back at him.
Josh tipped his head, his eyes narrowing in question. “Sparks.”
“I think I’ll be cutting in for a while.” Hunter kept his expression hard, his body poised to step in front of her, if necessary.
Josh looked down at her, then back up at Hunter. “And, by a while, you mean…?”
He just stared at the guy.
Josh wisely got the point and nodded. “All right, then.” Turning back to her, he smiled and said, “Well, it was nice to meet you, Jade. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again sometime.”
Not likely.
After Josh walked off, Hunter was left all alone with her. Well, along with dozens of other people on the dance floor, but it was progress. He heard her take a deep breath before she spun around to face him.
God, she’s fucking gorgeous.
Even with that pissed-off look on her face.
“What was that?” she asked him, her voice sharp.
He shrugged, letting his gaze drift down the length of her body. Her tits were right in his face. Which meant they’d been right in Josh’s face, too. The realization made him want to go back on his word to Finn and lay the guy out.
“I didn’t want you to dance with him,” he said simply.
She reared back, shock and disbelief fighting for dominance on her face. “And why is that?”
He bent forward, bringing their mouths close together. “Because I want to dance with you, Jade.”
She huffed. “And you think whatever you say, goes?”
He curved his lips into a smile and sneaked his hands around her waist. He kept his touch light, but it was there and she felt it. “Tell me you don’t want to dance with me, then. Tell me no, and I’ll go away.”
When she sucked her lower lip between her teeth and said nothing, he understood for the first time in his life how Tom Cruise had felt jumping around on Oprah’s couch.
He nodded down at her. “Okay. Then let’s not waste time discussing frivolous matters like why I wouldn’t want some other guy’s hands all over you and just dance.”
Her expression turned skeptical. “You can dance?”
He grinned. “Do I not look like I’ve got moves?”
Taking her by the hips, he began to sway their bodies to the beat. It wasn’t really a slow song, but their bodies molded together in perfect syncopation, so he was reluctant to change their position.
Her arms laced around his neck. “Oh, I know you’ve got moves.” She giggled and tried to muffle the sound against her arm.
Unable to stop himself, he lifted her chin back up with his finger, wanting to see the pink flush covering her cheeks. Whether it was from the alcohol or her happy mood, he wasn’t sure. But her entire face was alight with color, and he didn’t want to miss out on a single second of it.
“Baby, you haven’t even seen all my moves yet.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath, and without his permission, his dick turned to stone at the sound.
“Then are you going to show me?” she murmured in his ear.
Shit. He would show her all night long.
But Rebecca’s ominous parting shot briefly flashed through his mind, making him pause.
Stay away from her.
People around this town did talk. And if word got back to his ex about him and Jade looking all cozy on the dance floor, it could seriously screw up his chances of getting the life-changing condo contract.
He had to think of his business.
Jade stepped closer, pushing her full breasts against his chest.
Fuck that. Let people talk.
Right then, none of it mattered. Not the contract, not the gossip. Not even the fact that Jade was way beyond his reach and probably always would be.
None of that mattered because he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to be close to this woman.
The woman he’d been obsessing over since the second he first saw her.