Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
In the moment, I couldn’t remember what day it was, much less which weekend my stepdaughter was scheduled to visit her grandmother. I gulped from my wine glass in a very unladylike manner and answered honestly. “Not soon enough.”
Somehow we managed to not claw each other’s clothes off after that. When we’d finished dinner, we cleaned up together and then sat in the living room talking. There was no lull in our conversation as we covered everything from work to our last vacations and places we’d like to visit. Hunter, it seemed, was an open book to most anything, except for his one serious relationship. And I, of all people, understood wanting to forget past mistakes.
Even though I hated to go, I asked him to drive me home about eleven. He walked me up to my apartment, and we said goodnight at the door with yet another amazing kiss.
“I’ll call you.” He kissed my forehead. I really loved when he did that for some reason.
“I won’t be able to answer most of tomorrow. It’s visiting day. I take Izzy to see her dad, and it’s a four-hour drive each way, plus the actual time while she visits.”
I caught Hunter’s jaw clench, but he nodded and said nothing further on the subject. “I have to fly back to California on Tuesday for a few days to work with a client on some last-minute drafting revisions. Look at your schedule and let me know if you’re free next weekend.”
“Okay.”
I checked in on a sleeping Izzy and took a quick shower. I was too awake to go right to sleep, so after, I sat on my bed, booted up my laptop, and opened my calendar in Google. Next weekend was marked off as Izzy’s monthly visit with her grandmother. She normally went on Friday, and I picked her up on Sunday, unless she had a game early Saturday morning. Then I dropped her after the game. I clicked to my bookmarked favorite sites and opened the athletics schedule for Beacon. Surprisingly, the only game this week was on Thursday evening. There was no Saturday game.
I reached for my phone and texted Hunter, figuring he would probably be home by now.
Natalia: Izzy’s weekend with her grandmother is next weekend.
The dots started to jump around.
Hunter: When do you drop her off?
Natalia: After practice on Friday—usually around seven. Then pick her up on the way to Mom’s house for Sunday night dinner.
Hunter: I’ll pick you up at eight Friday night. Pack a bag. You’re staying the weekend.
My little heart went into a pitter-patter frenzy. Before I could respond, a second text came in.
Hunter: On second thought, bring nothing. You won’t be needing any clothes. I’ll pick you up a toothbrush.
Natalia: LOL. I’ll bring a bag anyway. Just in case there’s a fire and I have to run out of the house.
Hunter: Good thinking. Wouldn’t want any neighbors to see that ass. Because for what’s left of my two-month assignment, it belongs to me.
I smiled like a teenager. I liked the sound of that. A lot. But in the back of my head, a tiny little warning went off.
Just make sure all you give him is your ass, Nat. Not your heart.
Chapter 20
Hunter
11 years ago
It never dulled.
Not even after eight months of not seeing her.
I should’ve forgotten all about Summer by now. There’d been others—maybe too many others in an attempt to forget her—but my attraction was still there the first time we crossed paths again.
It was Jayce’s graduation party at our aunt and uncle’s house. I was sipping a beer in the living room when she walked in. Our eyes locked, and I swear it felt like my heart started to beat for the first time.
Fuck. She’s gorgeous.
I watched as she walked over to Jayce and his girlfriend of two months and gave him a big hug. She said something that made all three of them laugh, and then walked over to the couch and parked herself right next to me. Without turning her head in my direction, she took the beer from my hand and brought it to her lips to drink.
She spoke before drinking. “Truth or dare?”
I smirked. “Truth.”
After she took a healthy swallow from my beer, she passed it back. “Did you delete the nearly naked picture of me on your phone that I sent forever ago?”
I turned my head and waited until she finally looked at me to respond. “Nope.”
Her eyes sparkled. “How often do you look at it?”
“More truth?”
She nodded.
“Every fucking day.”
We passed the beer back and forth again. “Seeing anyone?” she asked.
“I have someone I see once in a while.”
“Is see code for fuck?”
The corners of my lip twitched. “I was trying to be a gentleman. How about you? You seeing anyone?”
She lobbed my noncommittal answer right back at me. “I have someone I see once in a while.”