36. Ashlie
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
ASHLIE
“ A nd he kissed my hand!” Hannah squeals, recapping her date with the musclehead. “I blushed so hard, I?—”
The door chimes, and my head whips to the front of the store. I abandon the mess of hangers in the box at my feet as Hunter strolls into Fit4U, his smile spreading as soon as he sees me.
“Hey, Hunter .” Olivia’s voice is an octave higher than usual. The flirty tone makes me bristle.
She fits the mold of who Hunter would have gone for before our bet—tall, long hair, slender build. Opposite of me in every way. What if he’s back to old habits ?
I’m still conflicted about our fight last week. On one hand, I’m continually falling as I get to know the sensitive and vulnerable sides of Hunter. On the other, half of me still expects him to make a flirty pit stop at the folding table for old time’s sake.
Oh .
He doesn’t.
“Hey.” Hunter nods hello but keeps his pace as he walks straight to me. “You ready?” he asks, tapping his fingers on the clothing rack between us.
“Yeah, just let me grab my bag.” I walk toward the break room and glance back at him as I turn the corner, catching him staring at my ass. His eyes flick to mine, and he smirks before I disappear into the room.
It’s not until we’re at the end of the street that he grabs me by the hand and tugs me to him. This dating trial has been going on for a few months now, and just like with our friends, I’ve set a hard line with my coworkers finding out. Don’t want to look stupid if he slips up again .
“Hey, honey bear,” he murmurs as he pulls me into a lingering hug.
“Boy, don’t ‘hey’ me. You were checking me out.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Hell yeah, when I’m at work.”
“Alright, noted.” He gestures for me to walk ahead. “After you…”
I make it a few steps before I realize I’m walking alone. When I turn back, he’s got that same look on his face as he stares at my retreating form. “Hunter!”
“What?” He chuckles as he strides toward me. “You’re not at work anymore. I gotta get it in while I can…”
“ Ugh , annoying.” I roll my eyes, trying to stifle my smile.
“Yeah.” He kisses my forehead and weaves our fingers. “I know.”
We catch up on our workdays while walking the last few blocks to lunch. When we get to the doors of Lunch-a-Bunch, I glance at him, and his eyes are already on me. As much as I try to hide it, I’m obsessed with the way he looks at me. His gaze screams desire . Paired with his committed restraint, it makes for one sexy combo. He wants me, but he also wants me . Considering his past, that’s a powerful feeling to hold.
Willa’s at a booth inside, sipping on ice water. She stares at the cloudy April sky through the picture window. To keep from blowing our cover, I dropped Hunter’s hand outside the restaurant before he opened the door. I slide in next to her, and Hunter sits across from us. His heated glances while we eat feel obvious as hell, but Willa says nothing. I’m so on edge when it’s time to coordinate our schedules, I swear I’ve lived a hundred lives in the last hour.
“Okay. Our flight leaves for San Francisco on Friday night. We’ll do the bachelorette party at a bar called Chickies on Saturday, and then home Sunday morning.” I list our weekend itinerary while Willa plugs it into her phone.
“You said Chickies?” Hunter’s eyebrows tick up. He pulls out his phone and scrolls quickly. “We’re at Chickies…”
“They can’t have their parties at the same place. That defeats the whole purpose.” I huff. We should have had this all figured out by now, but it’s safe to say I’ve been a little preoccupied lately.
“Does it? Isn’t the purpose to unwind one last time before they lock each other down?” Hunter’s skeptical look fuels my irritation.
“Yeah, but not together. It’s a last hurrah to being single,” Willa explains.
“They haven’t been single in five years. They’ll be riding home together afterward. We can just keep them across the bar from each other…”
“Uh, no …” My head falls into a frustrated tilt. “Have you met Chase? If they’re in the same room, he’s going to be next to her. Do you really want to watch their PDA all night?”
“Good point,” he says.
“Besides, we already reserved a party room. You guys gotta move somewhere else.”
“Can’t you ladies stay in there while we stay on the bar floor? Problem solved.”
Crossing my arms, I stare at him, an annoyed heat creeping into my chest. We’ve already made our plan. Kayla will flip if we change it now. “Oh, just lock us in a room, huh? How will that be fun?”
His jaw clenches as he stares back, and I think he’s going to volley with his usual snark. Typical Hunter .
He doesn’t.
Biting the inside of his lip, he looks at his phone with a sigh. “I’ll be back.” He leaves the booth and walks outside. The cloudy springtime sky sets a moody backdrop for the scowl on his face as he paces the sidewalk, phone to his ear.
“Lover’s quarrel?” Willa bumps me with her elbow, and I whip my head to her. I haven’t told her anything about the last few months with Hunter. I haven’t told anyone.
“What are you talking about, Wills?”
“Oh please. I saw you two holding hands as you walked up to the restaurant, and I’m pretty sure you’ve been rubbing ankles under the table this entire time. Not to mention the way he keeps looking at you. So are you two a thing now?”
Damn it . We’ve walked to lunch hand in hand so often lately; I didn’t even think about Willa being able to see us.
“Look, you can’t tell anyone. And no, we’re not a thing . We’re dating.”
“How is that different?”
“I’m dating him and Trevor…casually.”
“How the fuck is any of this casual, when you’re in love with Hunt?—”
“Can you not say that out loud! Damn.” I glance around, making sure these perfect strangers didn’t hear anything. “Look, I’m just seeing how it goes, okay? Plain and simple.” She gives me a dubious look. We both know there’s nothing simple about this, but I’m sticking to what I said.
“That shit sounds messy, Ash. I don’t like it.”
“ You don’t have to.”
Maybe it is messy. It could all blow up in our faces at any minute. But it’s also the most at ease I’ve felt in years. With Trevor, I’ve found the gentle, assertive affection I’ve been looking for. Kayla was right about him; he’s an amazing man. And at the same time, I feel like myself when I’m around Hunter. There’s no need for me to put on an act with him. He accepts me as I am: annoying moods and all. I like being with them both. Shit, that’s chaotic as hell .
“It was all Hunter’s idea. He’s trying to convince me he’s serious with a bet. I’m not convinced yet.” I shrug despite his words from last week echoing in my mind.
“That’s bullshit, girl, and you know it.”
“How would you know?” I snap, the sudden need to defend myself sparking in my chest.
“Have you seen Hunter back down from an argument? About anything? Ever?” she asks. Pursing my lips, I wait for her to finish. “With the force that man used to bite his tongue just now, all so you could get your way, I’d be surprised if he didn’t leave marks. I won’t say anything about your bullshit bet, but that man is serious about you.”
“I just…don’t know if I believe it yet.” How easily that lie slipped out of my mouth causes me to shake my head. He’s absolutely serious. There was a shift in him after our fight, one I’ve been trying to write off ever since.
“At this point, you’re choosing to ignore it. Someone’s going to get hurt.”
Doubts surrounding this bet weave in and out of my mind, all trying to build a case for the men hanging in the balance. There are so many conflicting truths. Hunter’s clearly trying, but will he give up as soon as he wins? Despite everything he said last week, what happens the next time we fight? When the novelty wears off?
Even with the distance, Trevor’s clearly the sensible choice here. He’s kind, consistent and open—everything I’ve been looking for. But we’re still at the impressions stage. Will he accept me when he gets a peek at my anxiety?
I sigh as Hunter walks back to the door. It’s not the time or place to be hashing this out with her. “Anyway, we’re taking it slow. And I’m still seeing Trevor.”
“You’re playing dumb is what you’re doing. But okay, have your little messy love triangle.” Willa shakes her head, and I can almost taste the disagreement oozing out of her.
“Okay”—Hunter sighs—“we’ll be across the street at a sports bar called Ripley’s. It’s far enough away that they can ‘act single,’ but close enough that we can throw them in a car together at the end of the night. Happy?”
“Yep.” I send over the cheesiest grin I can muster, and he shakes his head, biting that same spot on the inside of his lip. This time, the silence is earsplitting. We argue all the time about the dumbest stuff, and he usually meets all my sass with snark of his own. Lately though, our arguments are short-lived, stifled with a change in subject or an abrupt kiss from him. And yeah, I notice his disinterest in other women when we’re together. His effort is promising, but trusting he’ll continue to do so is a big leap for me. One that worries me more than I’d like to admit. I’m not ready to believe it. Not yet.
When Hunter walks me back to work, he stops me just short of the Fit4U building. “You ever thought about being a swim coach?” he asks.
“Uh, what?” How does he know about that ?
“I was just thinking about our conversation on the beach a few weeks ago…”
“I’m lost, Hunt.”
“You know. The kids and making a swim team… Anyway, you like working with kids, and you like swimming. Why not combine them?”
Because getting back in a pool freaks me the hell out .
Nobody knows about this dream of mine. I can’t even find the courage to say it out loud to myself. How did he pick up on it? “Maybe I’ll look into it.”
“Just an idea, since you’re running out of hobbies,” he teases. Wrapping me in his arms, he leans in for a kiss. I’m shocked he remembered the tiniest detail from a joke I made weeks ago. Still stunned when he walks to his car, and just a bit dazed as he waves from his window. He listened. He remembered. He heard me. What about that is freaking me out ?