34. Hunter
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
hunter
The steakhouse was perched at the very top of a hill, offering a stunning view of the entire Hill Country. The stars twinkled in the vast skies above, making it a beautiful night out with the most beautiful woman I’d ever known.
Emma hopped out of the truck and I swept her against me, planting a kiss on her cherry red lips. I couldn’t resist her. She moaned against me, and for a moment I thought about getting back in the truck and taking her straight home to my bed.
She drew back with a dreamy smile and dragged her thumb across my lips, wiping away her lipstick. “You’re gonna have red lips all night.”
“Happily.”
Now that I finally had the chance to be with her, I wasn't going to fuck it up.
Love had been mentioned a couple times between us. We were both dancing around a real admission, but I already knew the truth. I’d been in love with this woman since the moment she tased me.
When I thought about the future, Emma was it.
From the very beginning, it had always been her. I knew that now. And even though we had a whole host of things that needed figuring out, and a whole bunch of problems to solve, I knew we'd be able to do it side by side.
Emma slipped her arm in mine as I guided her to the set of oak doors. The restaurant was busy for a Sunday night, but I had no doubt we’d get a table.
I spotted the hostess standing behind a hand-built desk. A local artist was often commissioned to build things like this. I’d know Olivia Stevens’ work anywhere.
I admired it for a moment and looked up at the hostess with a smile.
“Reservation?” she asked.
“I’m a friend of Tom’s,” I said. “He told us we could stop by.”
The hostess’s brows furrowed and she opened her mouth to turn us down, but then I spotted Tom. He was an older gentleman with a handlebar mustache, silver hair, and hankering for good wine and ciders. He always wore a cowboy hat, always had a cigar in the front pocket of his shirt, and had rancher money that kept Texas running.
Colt made a reserve batch from our grapes each year, and I’d started sneaking Tom a few bottles around the holidays in exchange for steaks. It was a damn good trade.
What could I say? I was a simple man.
This place had the best fucking steak in all of Texas.
“Well, well, well,” Tom called as he headed straight for us. “It’s about damn time, Harlow. Who’s your pretty lady?”
“My fiancé, Emma Madden,” I said. His eyes immediately darted to her hand, and I mentally cursed. The damn ring was the bane of my existence.
Now that Haley knew the truth, I needed to talk her into helping me pick out the perfect one.
“Got a ring coming,” I said.
“Good. Had me worried there for a second. Belle, put these two out on the balcony, and get em’ taken care of.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tom gave us a toothy grin. “I expect some good wine this winter, Harlow.”
“You know I save the best for you.”
His laugh was a boom that echoed all the way up to the vaulted ceilings. “Y’all enjoy.”
I smiled as he continued on, greeting other folks as he went on his way.
“He’s like a Texan Santa Claus,” Emma whispered, leaning into me. “You know everyone. It’s crazy.”
I kissed the top of her head as we followed one of the waiters outside.
The balcony had the best views. There was a soft hum of people chatting, and candles that cast a golden glow over the tables. I pulled Emma’s chair out for her, enjoying the dance of excitement in her sweet hazel eyes.
I sat down across from her as a waitress darted over to us. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” we both chimed.
“Excellent. Water to start?”
“Yes,” I said. “And I’ll have a gin martini.”
Emma’s mouth dropped. “You’re a martini man?!”
“I am,” I drawled. “On occasion.”
Emma fought a snicker. “I’ll have a gin martini too. Can I also have a side of lemon wedges for my water?”
The waitress smiled. “Of course. I’ll get that started. Olives?”
We both nodded then watched her go. Emma leaned forward, resting her chin on her palms. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”
I smiled and leaned forward. “Hmm. Let’s see. When I was four, I fell out of a tree and broke my arm.”
“Ouch,” she chuckled.
“Your turn.”
I sat back as the waitress brought us our martinis and some water, along with a small bowl of lemon slices. Emma immediately snatched up a wedge and squeezed some of the juice into her water.
“When I was eight, I won a beauty pageant,” Emma said. “And one of the competitions was costume and dance. I went as a cowgirl, but I wore all pink.”
A grin split my lips. “Fuck, that’s cute. And fitting.”
“I wanted to be a cowgirl from the ages of five to ten because I wanted a horse, but then I learned how much horses shit and quickly changed my mind.”
I laughed and took a sip of my martini. “It’s not that bad.”
“It definitely is. And I am also a little afraid of cows.”
My brows show up. “Cows? But cows are so cute.”
“They terrify me. That night you found me on the side of the road outside Citrus Cove? I thought one would eat me.”
My cheeks hurt as I laughed. “Oh my god. Emma, I have a friend?—”
“You always have a friend,” she snickered.
“True. But I have a friend who has a cow sanctuary. You can cuddle them, pet them, give them a spa day. It’s really cute. We should go on a date there.”
“You want to cuddle cows for a date?”
“I want to show you that cows aren’t vicious human-eating monsters.”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Okay, okay. We can cuddle cows, but that’s more of a fourth date thing.”
“Uh huh. Does dinner with my parents count as a second date?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m a little scared of how that’ll go.”
“You’ll be fine,” I said. “Can’t say the same for myself. They’re ready to throw me to the wolves.”
“They’ll be okay,” she said. “I think I’ve asked this before, but really—how do you know everyone?”
“Small town living, baby,” I said. “And also helping out when I can. When I’m not overworked, I am social and like going out. I’ve met people over the years or knew people from high school who have gone on to do cool things. Plus, I’m a Harlow. We’re part of the community, you know?”
“I do,” she said. “I’m a little envious. My family was never like that. We were known because of our name and money, but not for helping people in any meaningful way. After my mom died, I think she took whatever sense of community there was with her.”
“I’m sorry, Emma. I can’t imagine experiencing so much loss.”
“It’s okay. I… Okay, this is terrible talk for a first date, but I finally cried about my dad dying.”
“Good,” I said softly. “I was worried.”
“I know my reaction was probably weird, it’s just that he and I weren’t close.”
“I know,” I said. “Well, I don’t know. But I understand. I do know grief works in weird ways. Sometimes it blows in and hits you all at once, and other times it’s a slow trickle.”
She nodded. “It’s exactly like that.”
The waitress came back up to us and Emma cursed. “Need more time?”
I already knew what I wanted.
“I’ll get whatever he gets,” Emma said. “If you know what you want.”
“I do, but I don’t know if you’ll like it. I’m getting steak.”
“I like steak.”
“A big-ass steak.”
“I can eat,” she said. “Believe me, I can put down a big-ass steak.”
I believed it. I put in our order and leaned back, looking out over the hills.
“Are you excited about RK?” Emma asked.
“Excited and nervous,” I said. “I’ll pick him up tomorrow. I still need to shop for supplies.”
“I’ll go with you, if you want,” she said.
“I’d like that. Does Donnie like other dogs?”
“He does, for the most part. He might be a little jealous if I pet RK, though, but I’m sure they’ll become friends. Are you sure you’re ready for a dog?”
“I definitely am,” I said. “I’ve been wanting a pet for a while. And after what RK’s been through, I’m not letting him go. Plus, it’ll be nice to have a buddy to watch movies with.”
She beamed. “What’s your favorite movie?”
I felt a little shy about it. “ Practical Magic ,” I said.
Her eyes lit up. “No way.”
“It is,” I said. “I love it. I love their family and the magic. It’s perfect.”
“It’s mine too,” Emma said excitedly.
“Really?!”
“Yes! I love it.”
“We should watch it,” I said.
“Another date.” She grinned and so did I. God, her smile lit up the entire room.
I was finally going to have the chance to make her smile like this all the time.
My breath caught in my chest. I was finally going to get to know her. To love her.
Her expression softened. “When you look at me like that, I feel like I’m the only person here.”
“You are,” I whispered. “When I look at you like that, you’re the only person who matters, Emma.”
Her hand slid across the table and I took it, giving her a gentle squeeze. I’d never believed I’d get to do this with her, but now that I was, I knew this was it.
I knew she was the one, beyond a shadow of a doubt. A whirlwind of chaos and emotions had swept us together, but we were together.
“I’m trying to think of more first date questions,” she said. “We kind of did things backwards, didn’t we?”
“We did,” I said. “It kind of works for us, though.”
“It works perfectly for us.”
The waitress returned with our food and I leaned back in excitement, watching two large steaks be put down in front of us along with bread, salads, potatoes, and that delicious sauce I loved.
“Anything else?”
“Nope,” I said.
“We’re good,” Emma agreed.
“Excellent. Let me know if you need anything else.”
I certainly didn’t. I had a steak and the woman of my dreams.
As soon as she left, Emma let out a hum. “I have sex questions.”
My eyes widened. “Okay. What kind of sex questions?”
“Hmm. Tell me something I don’t know,” she said with a sly smile.
I raised a brow as I cut a piece of steak. “Like about what I want to do? Or try? Or do to you? I feel like there’s something you want, but you’re trying to get me to say something first.”
“Maybe.”
“Tell me, sparks,” I chuckled.
She reached for her knife and fork and started to cut hers into neat squares. Right as I was about to take my first bite, she looked up at me. “I want to peg you.”
Thank god I wasn’t chewing yet, because I would have choked. I still choked on air anyway and set my fork down, letting out a cough. “ Emma .”
She smirked as she took a bite. “I’m just saying. Also, fuck, this is really good steak.”
“It’s the best steak.” I fanned my face, my cock jerking in my pants at the thought of her wearing a strap-on. “I can’t think about food now.”
“If you let me peg you, I’ll… Now you tell me what you want to try.”
“Jesus,” I rasped. “Can you let a man eat first?”
She grinned. “Just a thought.”
“Mmhm.” I grabbed my water and downed half the glass without breaking eye contact, and then took a bite. It was damn delicious.
Emma wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Have you collected yourself?”
I narrowed my eyes. “So much sass for me to fuck out of you later.”
Her eyes lit up. “There he is. I thought I’d stunned the dominance out of you.”
“Not a chance in hell, sparks.” I cleared my throat. “We can talk about pegging. I’m interested.”
“Does that mean I get to dominate you?”
“Sure. Go ahead, tell me what to do,” I said casually. I already knew how this was going to go.
Her eyes widened and she sat back. “Well, maybe I don’t want to tell you what to do.”
I raised a brow. “But don’t you want to be the boss?”
Her cheeks turned pink and she pouted. “Okay, so maybe I do like being submissive.”
“You know what? You can peg me and still be submissive.” I leaned forward and crooked a finger at her. She leaned in closer. “I can say good girl every time you thrust just right. We can also get a strap-on with a vibrator that sits on your clit.”
“ Oh ,” she whispered. Her cheeks were bright red. “I really like that idea.”
“Me too.”
She shifted in her seat. “Well, now I’m all hot and bothered.”
“Welcome to the club.”