Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
OLLIE
WHAT A GOOD BOYFRIEND
Swiping my comb through my hair one last time, I take in my appearance.
Green cable-knit sweater. Dark jeans. I even pulled out a new pair of clear-rimmed glasses for tonight.
It’s not the fanciest of outfits, but I like it. I have a feeling that Hunter will too.
Hunter.
A real date with him. My best friend.
I’m nervous and excited.
I want things to go well. He doesn’t like relationships. Anytime you bring up a relationship around Hunter, he turns into a growly menace. So when he proposed doing this? I was shocked.
I mean, what if we do this for real and we don’t have any chemistry? It would fundamentally change our friendship. I mean, how could I ever look at him again if there’s nothing between us?
I can’t think about that though. A knock echoes around the house as I give myself one last look in the mirror.
Swinging open the front door, there is Hunter.
And wow.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hunter look so sexy.
In a denim button-up shirt with a black tie and black slacks, he looks better than I’ve ever seen him look.
“Hi.”
My eyes snap up to Hunter’s deep brown ones. A smirk plays on his mouth under that beard of his.
“Hi, Hunter.”
“You look nice.”
“You look nice too,” I parrot back.
An awkward silence fills the space between us. Great. I don’t think this is off to the best start.
“Fuck,” he groans. “Are you nervous too?”
“Yeah.” I nod my head a little too aggressively, my glasses slipping down my nose. “I mean, yes, I am nervous. Very nervous.”
Hunter takes my hand and pulls me in close. I collide with his strong chest.
“Want me to help put your nerves at ease?”
“How do you plan on doing that?”
He answers with a kiss. A kiss I feel in every part of my body. His fingers move to the back of my neck, changing the angle.
Hunter overwhelms me in the best way. His scent. His touch. His taste.
“Mmm. I don’t know if that had the effect you were wanting.”
“No?” His question ghosts my lips.
“I mean, yes on the nerves. But now I want to do more of that.”
He gives me a quick peck. “Date first, Ollie. Then we can do much more of that.”
Grabbing my coat, Hunter helps me into it as I lock the door on my way out. “Where are we going?”
“I know a cute little place down in Moose Springs.”
“Why are we going an hour away when there are perfectly good places in town?”
“Because do you really want everyone in town coming up to us and asking us how our date is going?”
My eyes go wide at the thought. “No.”
“I thought so.” He swings open his truck door for me. “Maybe next time. Give them something to talk about. Not the first time.”
I watch as he jogs around the front of the truck and hops in.
“Can I confess something?” I ask him.
He rests his arm along the back of the seat, the fabric of his shirt stretching with him. I’ve never noticed these things about Hunter before, but I like that I can now.
“What’s that?”
“I already like the thought of a next time.”
He kisses me again. “I do too.”
Will I ever get used to this feeling of him kissing me? It’s good. So good, it’s driving me wild. To the point where I want to take him inside and start doing all those things he promised.
It’s a quiet drive. Celine’s Christmas ballads—and my ever-lusty thoughts, which I keep to myself—carry us to the next town over.
Moose Springs is the exact same as Moose Falls. The same Christmas lights strung over Main Street. Snowbanks plowed to the sides of the roads with kids jumping in and out of them. Storefronts lit up from the inside.
“C’mon. This way.”
Hunter takes my hand and leads me down the sidewalk. He doesn’t let go as we fall into step next to one another.
“Where are we going?”
A smile catches the corner of his mouth. “How does pizza sound?”
“Pizza? Is that good for a first date?” I ask.
Not that I’ve been on many, but pizza?
“What do you have against pizza?”
“Nothing.”
“We’re making our own. I thought it’d be fun.”
“Oh. That sounds good.”
Hunter grabs me and pushes me up against the side of a brick building. “I know you’re picky about what you like to eat, Ol, so I thought this could be fun. If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”
I shake my head. “No. I like it.”
“Good. Because I happen to think it’s a great place for a first date.”
“Why’s that?”
“You’ll see.”
Hunter leans in like he’s going to kiss me, but at the last second, presses a kiss to my cheek and walks off.
“You’re mean,” I call out behind him, rushing to take his hand again.
“There will be plenty of time for stuff like that. I promise you. There is no way you’re leaving tonight without—”
“Without what?” I ask.
His lips ghost my ear. “Without you coming in my mouth.”
“Oh.”
Oh.
“That’s right.” Hunter pulls open a fogged-over glass door and motions me inside with a slap to my ass. “Now, get inside like a good boy so we can make some pizza.”
The heavy scents of garlic and tomato greet me, but that’s not the only thing. Life-sized cutouts of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé line the walls. There’s an old Whitney Houston tour poster behind the counter as one of her songs blasts from the speaker.
Laughter burbles out of me. “How in the world did you find this place?”
Hunter’s eyes are warm, lighting up his entire face. “You mean this gem? How could I not know about it?”
“Why haven’t you brought any of us here before?” I ask, shrugging out of my coat.
“It’s my secret.” He winks at me.
A younger woman comes by to show us to a table with two balls of dough, various toppings, and a jar of sauce waiting for us.
“Everything is ready for you to start. Make sure you roll out your dough so it’s about a quarter of an inch thick so it doesn’t burn.”
“Thank you,” I say before she retreats to another couple walking in.
Aprons sit on each stool. Once I’ve pulled mine on over my head, Hunter turns his finger in a circle.
“I’ll tie it for you.”
Strong fingers brush my back.
How have I never felt anything like this before? It’s a small, brief touch. Maybe this is why I was never that interested in other guys. They never made me feel like this.
His lips brush against the side of my neck and wow. That felt so damn good.
“There you go.” He squeezes my hip.
“Th-thanks,” I mutter.
When he takes his side of the table, there’s a knowing look on his face, as he leans across to me. “Ready to make pizza?”
I grab the rolling pin next to me and start in on my hunk of dough. “I don’t know if I’ve ever made pizza before.”
“Don’t you remember in elementary school? We used to make those mini pizzas for lunch?”
“Oh God.” I laugh. “Those were actually terrible. I don’t know why anyone let us eat them.”
“We’re lucky we didn’t get food poisoning.”
I point at him with my rolling pin, bits of dough falling off. “Speak for yourself. I think I was off school for a week because I got so sick.”
Hunter quirks a brow at me. “Well, let’s hope that this pizza doesn’t make you sick. I’d be awfully sad if I didn’t get to spend time with you.”
My grin is so wide all my teeth show. “But then you could bring me soup to make me feel better and it’s like our dating story is real.”
A loud laugh escapes him. “I don’t know who brought the other soup at this point, Ol. We’re both taking care of each other.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to that if I need it.”
With my dough fully rolled out, I ladle sauce onto it and smooth it around, sneaking glances at Hunter. My eyes roam over his shirt. The way his muscles flex as he works.
I don’t know what I want to eat more tonight…Hunter or the pizza.
“How’s it going over here?” The woman from earlier pops up, startling me.
“Good,” Hunter answers.
“Need any more toppings, or are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I say, grabbing a handful of cheese to drop onto my pizza.
“Great. Can I get you anything to drink? Beers, wine? Soda? Water?”
“Two pale ales if you have them.”
She smiles. “Coming right up.”
“I don’t think you have enough cheese there, Ollie,” Hunter points out, sauce splattering on the butcher-block table in front of him.
“What?” I look down at my dough, completely hidden under mozzarella. “I like it.”
“As long as you left me some.”
I toss a piece onto his sauce. “There. I saved that just for you.”
He rolls his eyes. “Wow. What a good boyfriend.”
“The best.”
He reaches over and puts one pepperoni in the middle of mine along with a red pepper. “There. I saved some for you.”
He heaps the rest onto his.
“You know that’s going to be bad with no cheese on it, right?”
He grabs a handful and mixes it in with the rest of his toppings. “It’s going to be delicious.”
“Whatever you say.”
I take what’s left of the pepperoni, sausage, and peppers, placing them in neat circles on top of the cheese. Looking over at Hunter’s, his is a discombobulated mess.
It’s our friendship in a nutshell. I’m neat and tidy. Hunter is disorganized chaos.
Our drinks are brought out and our pizzas are taken back to be put in the oven.
“All I Want For Christmas” comes on and it’s perfect.
“You know, I’m glad you brought me here,” I say.
Hunter holds his beer bottle out and I clink mine against it. “I can’t think of anyone else I would want to bring.”
“Do they only play music from the people on the walls?”
“Only female singers. It’s pretty cool. I’ll bring you back for Britney night. You’ll love it.”
The stupid happy grin on my face is hard to hide, even while taking a sip of my beer.
“That’ll be fun.”
I don’t know why I was so nervous about coming out with Hunter tonight. We’ve known each other for years. It’s not like everything was going to suddenly change. We’re still the same people—with the bonus of kissing now.
And later tonight? After pizza?
I can’t wait for more.