Baked (Love Burns #3)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

H unter had finally convinced Rachel to take a day off. It had taken sexual blackmail, which would have likely hurt him more than her, but it’d worked, and she’d agreed to let Jared run the bakery for the day. He helped out on weekends, so he already knew the ins and outs of everything, meaning she could hopefully relax a little.

“One more time?” Rachel asked.

He glanced over at Rachel to see the clear skepticism on her pretty face. “It’s just a normal hike,” Hunter repeated as his eyes went back to the road ahead of them. Just five more minutes and they’d be there.

“But with llamas?”

“Yeah, with llamas.”

“I don’t get it.”

He felt a grin forming. “You don’t have to get it, honeybun, you just have to enjoy it.’

He’d read somewhere that llamas were calming animals and, right now, he’d take as much calm as he could get. They’d still not tracked down the guys who’d broken into Rachel’s apartment, and the fact they’d not made another move was making Hunter restless.

What were they waiting for?

It’s not that he wanted them to come near his woman—he definitely didn’t. But if they did, then at least he’d be there to protect her and make sure they left in handcuffs. He wanted this over with.

With every day that passed, he could see Rachel growing more and more anxious. Every sudden noise was making her visibly flinch. And that was not okay.

That’s where today came in. And the llamas. Hopefully it would help take her mind off everything that was going on.

“You’ll like it, I promise,” Hunter said when she didn’t reply. “I wanted to take you somewhere different. To do something you wouldn’t usually do.”

God, how could he be fucking this up already? He just wanted to do something nice for her. Take her on a date. Their first one hadn’t exactly ended on a high, and he wanted to make it up to her. But now he was questioning himself. Maybe he should’ve taken her to a fancy restaurant instead of on a llama trail.

No shit?

He felt Rachel shuffle closer and lay a hand on his thigh. “Thank you.”

Huh?

He snuck another look at his fairy. She was beaming up at him like he’d just given her the world.

“What?”

“Thank you,” she repeated. “For everything. For looking after me. For convincing me to take a day off. For arranging this day out for us. I really appreciate it.”

He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t that.

The more time he spent with Rachel, the more she surprised him. Yes, she was full of sass and fire, as he’d always suspected, but she was also sweet and kind and affectionate. She never missed an opportunity to touch him, hold his hand, or snuggle into his side.

He’d never had this before. Not one of his relationships was comparable to what Rachel was giving him, and he never knew how much he needed it until he had it. Patience and acceptance.

“Baby”—his hand went to his thigh and covered hers—“have you not worked it out yet? I’ll do anything for you. You want something? All you have to do is ask, and it’s yours.”

And that’s how he found himself being covered in kisses. As Rachel moved her mouth over every bit of exposed skin, his hand squeezed the steering wheel and his foot hit the accelerator. There was only so long he would be able to concentrate on the road.

***

“M y one is pretending to be dead ... what does that mean?”

Hunter burst out laughing as he got a look at Rachel’s llama. It was indeed pretending to be dead and had strewn himself across the dirt and shut his eyes. She gently tugged the rope attached to him, but nothing.

Rachel was giggling too now. “Seriously? You’re not fooling anyone, buddy.”

Their laughs must have alerted the trail leader, Mike, because moments later he was taking the rope off Rachel and giving the llama his own talking to. While he was doing that, his honeybun sidled up next to him and tucked herself under his arm as she wrapped her tiny hand around his waist.

Damn, that feels good.

“This is fun,” she whispered, her gaze still locked onto the stubborn llama.

The truth was, she made it fun. They’d been hiking for an hour now, and Hunter couldn’t remember a single instance in his life where he’d smiled more. His cheeks were actually aching from all the stretching his mouth was doing.

Dropping a kiss onto the top of her head, he pulled her even closer. “I’ll remember you said that when it comes time to use the bathroom.”

“Well, lucky for you, Mike promised me a restroom at the next stop.”

His grin grew wider, and more giggles escaped his little fairy as they watched the man in question grapple with the stubborn animal.

It was a good ten minutes before they were back on the trail, but Hunter didn’t care. After all, with Rachel in his arms, it was ten minutes well spent.

As they continued over the grassy terrain, he may or may not have been too busy staring at Rachel’s ass to notice what they’d walked into. A small gasp was what alerted him. When his gaze finally drifted back up, Hunter was greeted with the sight of wildflowers. Miles of them. Rich red, blue, yellow, and purple painting the fields.

Wow.

He had to admit, he did well with this date.

Rachel seemed to think so too. Llama rope dropped, she was striding toward him, brilliant blue eyes gleaming. The next thing he knew, she was jumping into his arms. Lucky for both of them, his reflexes kicked in, and he was quick to wrap her safely into his chest as she continued to climb him.

“Honeybun?” Was this normal?

“This is the best date ever!” Her dainty nose nudged his as she let her eyelids droop. “Thank you, Hunter. I needed this.”

So much thanks for so little. He didn’t know if he deserved this. But he was taking it anyway.

“Yeah? Better than the drive-in?”

“Can I tell you a secret?” she whispered, her legs squeezing his waist a little tighter.

“You can tell me anything.” Why was his heart racing?

She was quiet for a moment, breathing him in as he did the same, letting candy-coated vanilla fill his lungs.

“No one’s ever taken me out on a date. Like a real one.”

What? How is that possible?

Her eyes were still closed as he searched her face in disbelief.

“I don’t understand?” Hunter was the one to nudge her nose with his this time.

“I’ve had relationships, but ... I don’t know, I guess we kind of skipped the dating part.” She shrugged. “No one has ever planned an actual date for me before or even taken me out for a dinner that didn’t come from a drive-through. That’s sad, right?” Wary eyes filled his vision again.

“Not just sad, baby, it’s a fucking tragedy,” he ground out. “Any asshole that doesn’t recognize you as the goddamn fairy princess you are and treats you accordingly doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you ... let alone have the privilege of being in a relationship with you.”

“A fairy princess, huh?” Wariness had now been replaced with sparkle so bright it was enough to make him gulp.

Had he really just called her a fairy princess out loud?

Fucking A man. She’s gonna think you’ve got a screw loose.

There was nothing to say to that. She’d heard him, and he wasn’t about to repeat it. So he did what he did best, he didn’t say anything. But that didn’t seem to faze her. She carried on as if he hadn’t just shut down.

“Can I plan our next date?”

Again with the surprises. “The man is the one who plans the dates, honeybun.”

“No, that’s sexist. Plus, if I’m the one asking you out, then I should be the one to plan it. So ... Hunter Campbell, will you do me the honor of going on a date with me?”

God, she was cute. Back was his smile. Those stretch lines were going to leave a mark by the time the day was up. “On one condition.”

A matching smile tipped her lips. “Which is?”

“Kiss me.”

Sugar was teasing his tastebuds just a second later—plump, cherry-red lips giving his heart its very own stress test. Yeah. He did good. Well done, llamas.

***

“H unter? What are you doing here?” Luke’s guard was steel-enforced as he eyed him curiously.

Hunter may have been occupied the last couple of days, but he hadn’t forgotten about his friend. His friend who, if his now fully-fledged beard was anything to go by, was clearly going through something. Which was why Hunter had decided to stop by. Unannounced.

“Can I come in?”

It’d been a while since he’d stepped foot inside Luke’s house. He wasn’t an “invite people over” type of guy. But as his friend stepped aside and gestured him in, Hunter remembered just how nice the place was.

The hallway he stepped into was so grand that he was sure it would echo if he spoke. Those tall ceilings continued right on into the front room, as did the modern furnishings. Spotless white walls made it look more like a show home than a bachelor pad. And the fact that everything was meticulously neat was making Hunter a little scared to touch anything.

Thankfully the big leather couches looked inviting, and there was nothing too fragile nearby that he had to worry about breaking. Only an expensive-looking coffee table that had been made to resemble a travel trunk.

A pissed-off-looking Luke was hot on his tail, but he didn’t join him on the couch. He stood and stared, not bothering to hide his irritation at having his space invaded.

“So ... you gonna tell me what you’re doing here? Has something happened? Is Rachel okay?” his friend asked rather impatiently.

“Rachel’s good. Are you?”

No reply. Only narrowed eyes.

“Well? Are you good?” Hunter asked again.

Luke blew out a carefully measured breath, obviously trying his best to keep his composure. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why wouldn’t I be good?”

Ah. Denial.

To be fair, that was exactly what Hunter was expecting. After all, his friend wasn’t used to real conversations. Neither was he. But that ended today.

“Don’t play dumb, man. Your beard has officially reached Yeti status—shit is going on with you. Which is why I’m here. I’m not gonna leave until you tell me what.” He was staging a sit-in.

Luke was no less hostile, but he didn’t look all that surprised at Hunter’s declaration either. Rolling his eyes, he turned toward the huge arch that separated the front room and the kitchen.

“I’ll need a drink if you’re gonna try to psychoanalyze my ass,” he grumbled. Disappearing into the kitchen, Hunter heard the faint whoosh of the fridge door opening before his friend shouted back to him. “You want a beer?”

Hunter grunted out an affirmative and waited, his eyes scanning the room. They didn’t land on much, mostly because the room looked bare. Other than a huge television, the couches, and the weird trunk table, there wasn’t much to see. And what was there clearly had its own lonely place. Luke had taken minimalism to an extreme. It definitely wasn’t a home you’d expect a rough-and-ready man like his friend to live.

It made Hunter wonder if he really knew his friend at all. And that didn’t sit well.

When Luke returned this time, condensation-soaked beer bottles in hand, he took a seat, slumping down into the second couch, which was off to the side.

Hunter gave him a moment to get comfortable. He accepted the bottle of beer and waited, taking a whole swig before he got impatient and decided to prompt Luke.

“So, you’ve got your drink, think you can talk to me now?”

“Jesus, man, what’s with you today?” Luke replied. “You’re even more growly than usual.”

Hunter hadn’t even growled yet, which meant his friend was stalling. Too bad for him, Hunter had all day. Luke could try and stall all he wanted, but it didn’t change the fact Hunter wasn’t leaving until he got some answers. This had gone on long enough.

Keeping his eyes on him, he watched Luke take a long drag of beer. It was followed by an exaggerated sigh.

“You’re not exactly Mr., Chatty, dude. If you don’t have to open up about shit, why the hell should I?”

That was his tactic? “Fine. What do you wanna know?” Hunter set his beer on the table and leaned back. He knew he’d regret this. But if this was the only way to get him to talk, then so be it.

“Okay.” Luke mirrored his actions, leaning back into the couch, a look of challenge shining in his brown eyes. “Fine. Let’s start with Madison. It’s been what, ten years since you got divorced? And in that time, not once have I heard you talk about it. Or even explain to me what happened between you two. And don’t even get me started on the fact you haven’t so much as looked at another woman since, and I have no idea why. I mean, Jesus, man, you’ve practically been living your life as a monk for the last decade.”

Fucking Madison. Why did it always come back to her?

“You know what happened.” Hunter’s voice lowered as he pushed out the words through gritted teeth.

“I do.” His friend confirmed. “But I sure as shit didn’t hear it from you.”

“What does it matter who you heard it from?”

“It matters, man. Especially when you’re barging in here and demanding answers.” Goddamn it. “So, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll spill my guts ... when you do.”

Hunter broke the stare down to run a hand over his head. He wasn’t in a gut-spilling type of mood. Not that he imagined that he would be in the near future either.

Fuck it. I might as well practice. I’m gonna have to tell Rachel at some point anyway.

“Fine. I got nothing to hide. It’s obviously no secret that Madison fucked me up. You know that she cheated on me and that’s what broke us up, but what you probably don’t know is that it wasn’t just once or even twice. It was going on for years. The entirety of our relationship to be exact. And when she ran outta men in Woodvalley, she crossed over to Goldacre.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. Shit is about right. Once would have been enough, but years of that bullshit? Every fucking word that came out of her mouth was a lie. Don’t pretend that shit wouldn’t mess with your head too. I mean, answer me this ... after a woman who claimed to love me did me like that, why the hell would I put myself out there again? What kind of fucking masochist would that make me?”

“You’re doing it now,” Luke pointed out.

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

“Rachel’s different. She’s not Madison.” He was putting it mildly.

“No shit. But you took a chance on her, right? Even though you knew she could hurt you ... like Madison did.”

“I-I ...” Hunter stopped himself.

He suddenly needed another drag of beer. Picking up the bottle, he took another sip under Luke’s watchful eye. Once he’d washed down the bile, he clinked it back on the table.

“Look, I tried to stay away from Rachel. I really did. But after what happened with her dad ... I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. I’m not saying that all of a sudden, I’m just magically cured of my fuckedupness—far from it. But I’ve realized that I was dumb to think I could run from her. From what I feel. The truth is, I fell for her months ago.”

He was well aware he was already gone for Rachel. Now that he was off work, they were spending more time than ever together, and that time had only reinforced his feelings for her. It should scare the hell out of him, but for some reason it didn’t.

He was telling the truth; he knew that Rachel wasn’t Madison. She was so different from his ex-wife, it wasn’t even funny.

Luke went quiet, his features softening as his gaze went to the label on the beer bottle. When he finally looked up again, Hunter could see his shield had come down just a little.

“I’m sorry. I knew she cheated, but I didn’t know how bad it was or how much it fucked you up. Why didn’t you say something?”

“Probably the same reason you don’t talk about shit either.”

Luke nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I’m glad you found Rachel. She’s good for you.”

She was. And Hunter was glad his friend saw that too. It was his turn to nod. But he hadn’t forgotten why he was there.

“Talk to me, man. What’s going on?”

The remainder of Luke’s beer was drained before he spoke again. Hunter let him have that.

“Look. I don’t want you to get your hopes up; this is not a ‘come to Jesus’ moment. We’re not gonna bond over our fucked past and hug it out or anything.” That earned him a snort. “That being said, I’m man enough to admit that I may have been more of an asshole than usual recently.”

Tell me something I don’t know.

“I’m not gonna go into details, but in the name of putting everything out there ... last week was the anniversary of my mom’s death. It sucks. And yeah, around this time of year, I sometimes get into a funk. But it’ll pass. It always does. And no, I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Ignoring the last part of his statement, Hunter didn’t hesitate to ask him more questions. “I thought you didn’t know your mom?”

He watched Luke swallow before he answered. “I didn’t. Not really. I was only five when she died ... that’s how I ended up in the system. Doesn’t stop it from sucking though, brother.”

How did I not know that?

“No, I bet it doesn’t.” He had his answer but had no idea how to help. “I’m sorry. What can I do?”

Luke’s head shook immediately. “Nothing to do, man. I’m just feeling sorry for myself, but I’ll get over it.”

Feeling sorry for himself, my ass.

“Bullshit. Don’t minimize what you’re feeling. Grieving doesn’t make you weak, it just makes you human. What do you normally do this time of year? What helps?”

“Uh, get drunk and eat a fuckload of pizza.”

Hunter was going to let him hide behind that disingenuous smile. For now. “Okay, man, you grab us some more beers and I’ll order us some pizza.”

“What?”

“You heard me. You really need to work on your hosting skills, dude.”

Luke pushed off the couch and grumbled all the way out of the door while Hunter pulled out his phone. If the only thing he could do for his friend was sit and eat pizza with him, then that’s what he was going to do.