CHAPTER THREE
H ow Rachel managed to look even more beautiful in the morning was a mystery. Makeup-free, with batter in her ruby red hair, she was a vision. And her muffins? Hot damn, they were good. A man could get used to this.
He’d flustered her though. She was busying herself and trying her best to avoid eye contact with him. She’d done the same thing last night when his top had come off. He knew it was because she liked what she saw. Otherwise, her eyes wouldn’t flash as they roved down his stomach, and those tinges of pink wouldn’t be on her cheeks.
It made him want to beat his chest. Or drag her onto his lap. Resembling the Hulk came in handy for once.
“You got a moment to talk about your schedule?” He took a final bite of his second muffin.
“Uh.” Her eyes darted to his face, his chest, and then back to the Tupperware she was packing full of muffins. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, I’m gonna talk to the chief about switching to earlies today. Seeing as you’re up at five, I figured I could do six to six for a while. But it does mean I won’t be able to pick you up until around six-thirty on the days I’m working. Is that too late?”
The muffin she was holding didn’t make it into the box, as those blue orbs whipped back over to him. “You’re changing your shifts? For me?”
“Yeah, honeybun. I am. I know that one of the guys can pick you up on the days I’m working, but for my own peace of mind, I’d rather I was the one there with you.” She went to say something, but he cut her off, “Please don’t fight me on this, baby.”
He saw her face soften and hoped that was a sign she was going to let him have this.
“Six-thirty is fine.” Damn. It worked. “Some nights I stay up late and bake. But I’ll just do that on the days you’re on shift.”
He’d won. But it didn’t feel like a victory. Not when he caught sight of the defeat surrounding his little fairy.
Rising from his stool, he rounded the counter and went to her, his hands going around her biceps, attempting to take some of the weight away.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. This is just temporary. They’re gonna find these guys, and then you can go back to living your life. I promise.”
Would he be able to go back to living his though? He’d been right to keep his distance before. As soon as he stepped foot in her apartment, he knew he was in trouble. Every inch of the space screamed Rachel. And it wasn’t just the sprinkles of pale pink accents dotted all over the place, it was the warmth he’d felt from the moment he stepped inside. That same warmth he felt whenever he was near her.
Control was easier from a distance. The voices in his head reminding him he was no good for her were louder. But now he was in her space. Eating muffins in her kitchen. Drowning in doe-eyed bright blue. He was wondering why the hell he fought this for so long. She was his. There was no going back now. Rachel had ruined him; he just hoped he wouldn’t ruin her.
“Hunter?”
Fuck me. I can’t think straight when she looks at me like that.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Thank you.” Those plump pink lips parted to draw in a breath. “I realized that I haven’t said that yet. For yesterday. For the day before. For today. Thank you.”
His fingers went to her hair, his thumb brushing the batter off an errant strand. “I don’t want your thanks, honeybun.”
“Then what do you want?”
He took a moment to search the ocean of emotion flickering in her eyes. She wasn’t ready to hear what he wanted yet. So he did what he did best: kept his mouth shut. “How ’bout you jump in the shower, and I’ll finish packing these up for you?”
One nod and he released her. Now all he had to do was not think about her naked in the shower.
Yeah, right. Good luck with that.
***
H unter wasn’t back on shift until tomorrow. He normally did the same shifts as his buddy Zach: four days on, four days off—twelve-hour days, eight till eight. But today, he was hoping the chief would cut him some slack and let him switch. Just for a little while.
“What are you doing here?” Luke hollered as he entered the station.
He’d worked with Luke a long time. And like Zach and Benny, they were more like brothers than colleagues. It’s why Luke had been the first one he’d called last night to pick up his stuff. The only downside to having friends like these men, though, is that they are nosy-ass bastards.
“Need to speak to the chief,” Hunter grunted out, his footsteps unfaltering as he headed toward the back office.
It didn’t deter Luke; he was at Hunter’s side moments later, matching his pace. “This got something to do with you staying at Rachel’s last night?” A rare grin lit up his friend’s face.
See. Nosy.
“Yeah.”
“You’re really not gonna tell me?”
He ignored Luke.
“Okay, fine. Guess I’ll make a trip over to Fairy Baked and ask Rachel what’s up.”
That stopped Hunter in his tracks. “You leave her alone.”
“Whoa, down boy.” His friend held up his hands. “Just tell me what’s going on. You gotta admit, I earned it. Especially after handling your skanky ass boxers. That’s real friendship right there, man.”
He had a point. He’d gathered Hunter’s stuff and brought it straight over. No questions asked.
“Fine.” Hunter gestured him over to one of the ratty old couches.
Skipping over a select few parts, he filled Luke in. Told him about Rachel’s scumbag dad, her black eye, and the guys the man owed money to. By the end of his explanation, his friend was fuming, his face red.
“You need anything, you just call me. You running late to pick her up, you call me. Anything. I’m serious. There is no way in hell any motherfucker is gonna lay a finger on her.”
Whoa. Hunter had never seen his friend like this before; he was pissed as all get out. Hunter didn’t know whether to be grateful or concerned.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
They were both quiet for a minute. Until his friend asked, “You gonna tell her how you feel?”
That prompted a heavy sigh. “That obvious?”
Luke just rolled his eyes. “Come on, man. It’s been months. You think we’re all blind?”
Nine long ass months to be exact.
When he didn’t reply, his friend continued, “I know you don’t like to talk about it, but I think it’s important to note that Rachel’s not Madison.”
“I know that, dumbass,” he snapped.
“Do you though?” Luke let a single eyebrow raise. “Is there another reason you’ve waited this long to make a move on the woman then? Or any woman, for that matter?”
Goddamn, this is another problem with having friends. They remember shit.
Shit he would much prefer to forget. Like Madison. His ex-wife. Queen of the fucking harpies. They were only together three years. Married two. But in that time, she managed to sleep with most of the male population of Woodvalley and the next town over.
“Look, it’s not that simple.” His friend didn’t get it.
“So break it down for me.” Luke leaned back into the brown cushions and made himself comfortable, his hands gesturing for Hunter to lay it all out for him.
Just thinking about Madison managed to kick up Hunter’s blood pressure. “You ever been cheated on, brother? You ever had someone who claimed to love you, lie to your damn face? For three fucking years?” Hunter felt his head shake as he squeezed his eyes shut. “You ever been so goddamn humiliated that you promise yourself you’ll do anything and everything to make sure you never, ever feel that way again?”
His friend stayed quiet. So quiet, it forced Hunter to open his eyes. When he twisted to look at the man beside him, he saw only sadness. Enough to make him stop and think for a moment. Enough for his anger to simmer down to a less flammable level.
He observed Luke scrub a shaky hand through his mop of brown hair, realizing for the first time how tired he looked. How dejected. It was easy to forget to check in with Luke. You could say he was the most closed off out of all of them. He was also the hardest to talk to. And when it came to talking about his past, like Hunter, he shut down. Completely.
“Cheated on, no.” His friend finally spoke. “Lied to my face by someone who claimed to love me? Yeah. Humiliated? Yeah. It ain’t fun. I get it. But you deserve to be happy, man. And you aren’t happy, are you?”
Pot, meet kettle.
“I like her,” he admitted, letting his head hang. “More than I have any right to.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Is it?” He was the one pushing his hand through his spiky hair now. “Or is she the one who’s gonna break me? For real this time.”
He felt the couch move as his friend sat back up. A big hand came down on his back seconds later. “That, you gotta find out for yourself. But I have a feeling not taking a chance is gonna leave you way more miserable than if you took one and got hurt.”
“You been watching Dr. Phil again?”
That earned him a punch on the arm. “Fuck off.” Luke stood. “Now, stop distracting me, I got shit to do.”
Hunter chuckled as he rose to his full height. “Yeah, yeah. You go play with your hose, buddy. You’re getting real good at it.”
“Yeah, well, not all of us have been playing solo for ten fucking years.” The bastard winked and walked away.
Ouch.
***
N ight two in the girliest apartment Hunter had ever stepped foot in, and instead of getting takeout again, he was cooking. Picking up the cupcake-themed oven gloves, he smiled to himself as he slid them on.
Goddamn, this woman is cute as hell.
Standing in the open-plan kitchen, he was surrounded by her cuteness. And despite all the pink, it still managed to look elegant. Just like her. From the brushed copper handles fitted to white cabinets and pink potted succulents along the white marble bar. To the delicate rose gold detailing on sleek, modern appliances.
Even with pink gloves on, he couldn’t help but grin. Something had clicked when he’d picked her up at the bakery tonight. He wasn’t sure how or why, but suddenly, everything just felt right. Like he was where he was supposed to be. With Rachel. Picking her up. Driving her home. Hearing all about her day and him attempting to contribute to the conversation. Although, admittedly, he was still working on the “talking and not grunting” thing.
Even so, now here he was, cooking her dinner. And it was right. It was perfect. She was perfect.
But that wasn’t the only reason he was happy. It had also been a productive day. Not only had he managed to swap his shifts around, but he’d also driven over to Goldacre to pick up cameras and alarm systems for Rachel’s apartment and Fairy Baked. The system even hooked up to his phone, which meant he could check up on her while he was at work.
Not in a creepy way, of course.
Yeah, right. You sure about that?
“So, tell me again why you need to watch me at all hours like some kind of creeper?” Rachel chirped as she swiveled from side to side on the kitchen stool.
“Safety,” he ground out while placing the steaming rack of lamb on the counter.
“You really think these guys are gonna come at me in the middle of the day? In public?”
He turned to her then and found himself temporarily distracted. Her usual ponytail was untied, and her long red hair was sweeping over her shoulders, not stopping until it reached her chest. She’d swapped her jeans for sweats as soon as she’d arrived home, but her tight black tank top was still going strong, forcing his gaze to dip every now and again to admire the miles of cream on display.
Fuck. What was I gonna say?
“Well?” Rachel prompted, unaware the sight of her had caused his brain to malfunction. “You think they’ll show up at the bakery?”
Right. The cameras.
“I don’t know, honeybun. Maybe. Maybe not. What matters is that we’re prepared if they do.”
Gone was her smile. Back were the wrinkles in her brow. He wanted to run his finger over every single crease until all the worry had been taken from her. But he couldn’t. So, he needed to change the subject. Quick. But his brain hadn’t switched back on yet.
Luckily for him, a moment later, Rachel changed it for him.
“Luke came in today.” Her eyes were averted now as she drew circles on the countertop. “I guess you told him what was going on.”
“What did he want? He didn’t upset you, did he?”
He better not have.
“No.” Her eyes met his again, making his chest constrict. “Not at all. He was actually really nice.” Good. “Which was kinda surprising, ’cause I wasn’t sure if he even liked me.”
“What? Why wouldn’t he like you?” Hunter felt himself frown.
Her attention went back to the circles. “I don’t know, he’s just ... quiet around me. I mean, I know you’re not exactly Mr. Conversation, but with Luke, I don’t know ... whenever I’ve seen him at any sort of group gathering, he just kind of shuts down. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.”
Yeah. Sadly, he knew exactly what she was talking about. That was the way Luke was. Hunter was used to it. He’d never really thought on it too long or put himself in the place of someone who hadn’t known Luke for over a decade.
“That’s just Luke, honeybun. He may not be much of a sharer, but he’s got a good heart. He cares about all of us a lot, and that includes you.”
“Why? He hardly knows me.” Bright blue was back in his vision.
“Because he knows how much I care about you.” He held her gaze until he was sure his words had sunk in.
How she didn’t know that by now was beyond him. He was wearing powder pink oven gloves, for God’s sake. He must look ridiculous. But it didn’t matter. Because he was doing this for her.
He’d do anything for her.
Maybe that was finally sinking in. Maybe that was why she was looking at him the way she was. And why her chest was heaving so hard, pushing her breasts up higher with every inhale.
Fuck me.
This was it. He couldn’t take it anymore. If she looked at him like that a second longer, he’d be eating something other than dinner tonight. Something way better.
Get a hold of yourself.
Clearing his throat seemed to help. So did a thorough head shake. It broke the spell and allowed him to whip back around. He needed to focus on the task at hand.
Reaching for the cupboard, he took out two plates.
“Right, dinner’s ready,” he declared.