Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Emmalyn woke up slowly on Sunday morning, awareness coming in gentle waves. First, the warmth surrounding her, then the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across her waist, and finally, the soft, steady breathing of the man beside her. She kept her eyes closed, savoring the moment, allowing herself to remember the night before—Hunter's hands on her skin, his mouth against hers, the way he'd looked at her as if she were the only person in the world who mattered. It had been everything she'd imagined and so much more. There had been tenderness amid the passion, laughter amid the intensity, a connection that went beyond the physical.
Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at him. In sleep, the hard lines of his face had softened, and his lips were slightly parted. She resisted the urge to trace the outline of his jaw with her finger, not wanting to wake him. Instead, she simply studied his face, committing each detail to memory.
He was handsome. Strong. Complicated. A man who had seen darkness but was fighting his way back to the light.
She'd watched him with Olivia, witnessed his patience and kindness, his steadfast determination to do right by his friend's child. She'd felt his protective instinct when Jeremy had threatened her, seen his vulnerability when he'd spoken of his crash and the loss of his best friend. A knot formed in her throat as she realized just how much she'd come to care for him in such a short time. It wasn't just attraction or chemistry—though they had plenty of both. It was deeper. She trusted him. And that terrified her more than anything.
Trust had always been her Achilles' heel, the thing she guarded most fiercely. Her mother had chosen a cult over her and had let her go when she was only twelve years old. That experience had taught her a brutal lesson—not to count on anyone. She couldn't give someone the power to hurt her. And she had never given anyone that power, until last night.
Of course, there had been other men in her past. But no one like Hunter, who had slipped past all her defenses days ago. She wouldn't regret the night no matter what happened, because they'd shared so much passion, laughter, and talking. She'd really loved the talking because it hadn't been about anything deep or traumatic. They'd spoken about favorite books, movies, and travel spots. Their conversation had flowed so easily, and when exhaustion had finally caught up to them, they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms.
But now reality had returned. They'd had their night, and maybe that was all they could or should have. Even if he didn't leave for a few weeks, it was going to be torture to be with him when she knew it was all going to end. At some point, she had to get her guard back up. Didn't she?
This already wasn't some casual fling she could walk away from unscathed. She was in too deep. She knew that. She'd known it before she'd slept with him. No regrets, she reminded herself. She just needed to move on.
With exquisite care, she slipped out from under his arm and eased off the bed. Hunter stirred slightly but didn't wake. She grabbed the first clothes she could find—a T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants—and padded out of the bedroom, closing the door gently behind her.
In the kitchen, she went through the familiar motions of making coffee, finding comfort in the routine, but deep down she knew that while everything looked exactly the same as yesterday, her life had changed.
Leaning against the counter as she waited for the coffee to brew, she wrapped her arms around herself. Hunter's scent still clung to her skin, a reminder she couldn't escape even if she wanted to. And that was the problem. She didn't want to escape. She wanted to crawl back into bed with Hunter, to pretend the outside world didn't exist, that the future wasn't looming with all its complications. But that wasn't real life. Real life was standing in her kitchen, trying to figure out how to protect her heart from a man who had already stolen it.
Hunter reached across cool sheets where Emmalyn's warmth should have been. He opened his eyes, confirming what he already knew—she was gone. The disappointment was immediate and surprisingly sharp.
He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, replaying the night in his mind. The way she'd looked at him in the bar, the electricity of their dance, the breathless walk home. And then, finally, alone together, the last barriers between them had fallen away.
It had been incredible. Not just the physical connection, though that had exceeded every expectation, but the sense that they'd crossed some threshold together. He'd never experienced anything like it before. Sex had always been straightforward for him—pleasurable but uncomplicated. This had been different because Emmalyn was different.
He wished she hadn't already gotten up, that they could have escaped into each other again before they had to deal with the real world. But the scent of coffee drifted in from the kitchen, revealing her whereabouts.
Sitting up, he ran a hand through his hair. His clothes were scattered across the floor, mingled with hers in a way that brought a smile to his face. He pulled on his boxer briefs, jeans, and shirt, then made his way to the door.
The sight of her in the kitchen stopped him in his tracks. Her T-shirt clung to her breasts, the yoga pants outlining the rest of her beautiful body. Her wavy blonde hair was tousled from sleep and from his hands. She was achingly beautiful, and the rush of emotion he felt was both exhilarating and terrifying.
She turned and saw him, and the expression on her face was both happy and wary.
"Morning," she said. "I made coffee for you." She quickly filled a mug and brought it to him.
"Thanks." He took the mug from her hands, then set it on the counter and reached for her, pulling her up against his body. "I need something else first."
Desire flared in her eyes, which was all the invitation he needed to lean in and kiss her, savoring the heat between them and the taste of coffee on her lips. As he ended the kiss, he said, "I wish you'd stayed in bed longer."
"I didn't want to wake you." Her voice was light, almost deliberately casual, as she pulled away from him. "You looked peaceful and also tired. I thought you could use the sleep."
"For future reference, if it's a choice between sleep or you, I'll always choose you."
His words hung in the air between them, and he saw the flicker in her eyes—the recognition that his statement about the future had brought up the one thing neither of them could change.
"Emmalyn," he began.
She immediately shook her head. "Let's not do that, Hunter."
"Do what?"
"Talk about last night. It was great. It was awesome. And I don't want to ruin the memories by analyzing anything. Okay?"
He didn't want to say it was okay, because she was acting like it was over between them, and they still had time. "Nothing is going to happen for a while, Em. We can make more memories."
She shook her head. "No, we can't. I can't ." She gave him a helpless shrug. "It's going to be hard enough to say goodbye now, and it would be even worse if we get closer. So, let's just stop with this one beautiful night together."
He didn't want to stop with one night. He didn’t want to contemplate never being with her again, but it wasn't fair to ask her for more when he had so little to give back to her.
"So I was thinking today, I'll check in with the other residents and see who might have extra furniture for Bree," she said, changing the subject.
He didn't want to talk about furniture or Bree, but he could see the determination in her eyes to act like they were just friends again. "You don't have to do that."
"I want to."
"Okay." He picked up the coffee mug and took a sip, searching for something to say that wouldn't make things worse. But what could he say? That he'd never felt this way before, and it scared the hell out of him? That wouldn't get him anywhere, because ultimately it wasn't his choice to go or to stay. If he wanted his career back, he would go where the Corps needed him to go. That was his life.
"Can you find out what Bree really needs? I'm not sure she would tell me directly, then I can focus on those specific things?"
"I can talk to her," he said.
"Great. Do you want something to eat?" she asked. "I could make breakfast before you go."
The problem was that he didn't want to go. He met her gaze. "I don’t want it to be like this with you, Em. It suddenly feels awkward and tense."
"I'm sorry. I did have fun last night. I hope you know that."
"It's just over," he finished on a harsh note.
"It has to be."
"It doesn't have to be now."
"It does for me." She gave him a somewhat sad smile. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you later, and I'll try not to be awkward. I don't want that, either. We'll just be friends again. Okay?"
"Sure," he said. "Friends." But as she left to take a shower, he knew there was no way that would work.
Friends with Hunter? Who was she kidding?
Emmalyn scrubbed her scalp hard as she washed her hair and cursed herself for telling Hunter one night was enough and that was the end of it. She didn't want to be his friend; she wanted to be his lover. She wanted to spend every minute of every day and every night with him until the Marine Corps forced them apart. But her fear and panic had pushed stupid words out of her mouth and now she couldn't go against her terribly bad plan because she'd made such a big point about ending their short-lived fling immediately.
Although, she could definitely persuade him otherwise. It wasn't like he wanted it that way.
But it was smarter to end things now. She was already emotionally involved. Getting closer to him would only make saying goodbye harder. It was just sad to think she'd finally met someone with whom she had great physical chemistry as well as a truly remarkable emotional connection, someone she had trusted with her most personal story, someone she could count on—at least, until he had to leave.
And he would leave, no matter how much he might want to stay with her. Hunter's dream was to return to his unit, to his life. He'd worked hard to rehabilitate and recover. Passing his tests and being cleared to fly again and return to active duty was what he wanted the most, and she couldn't wish failure on him just so he could stay with her. She cared about him too much to not want him to succeed.
She just needed to deal with the situation as best she could. Since she'd already taken a stand, she had to stick to it.
Or maybe she could change her mind…
She sighed at her turbulent thoughts, knowing she would have to take things one day at a time. She certainly wasn't going to solve anything in the shower. She rinsed her hair, then dried off and got dressed. By the time she returned to the living room, Hunter was long gone, and her apartment felt emptier than it ever had.
She couldn't sit around and feel sorry for herself. She'd learned a long time ago that the best remedy for depression was to do something for someone else. She'd promised Hunter she'd look into getting Bree some furniture, and that's what she was going to do.
She made several calls. Unfortunately, neither Kaia nor Ava answered. But Paige picked up the phone with a cheerful, "Hello."
"It's Emmalyn," she said.
"How's it going?" Paige asked.
"Good. As I mentioned last night, Bree and Olivia need furniture. Do you have anything you're looking to get rid of?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. Henry's grandfather insisted on buying him a new desk for his room. I was just going to give the old one away, but Olivia can have it if she wants."
"That's great." She made a note on the pad in front of her. "I'll be in touch about when we can pick it up."
"Great. Talk soon."
She made a few more calls and came up with a television from Skye and a kitchen table and chairs from Maggie, who was itching to buy something new.
Hearing voices in the courtyard, she decided to go downstairs and see who else was around. Grabbing her keys, she walked outside, locking the door behind her. She didn't usually lock it when she was just in the complex, but after Jeremy's surprise arrival the day before, she wanted to be more careful.
Josie and Lexie were cleaning up the area by the barbecues.
"Good morning, ladies," she said.
Lexie looked up with a speculative smile. "Is it a good morning after a good night?"
She felt heat rush to her cheeks. "Let's just say it's a good weekend."
"I'm glad to hear that. You and Hunter disappeared from Liam's party pretty early, but with the way you were heating up the dance floor, I wasn't surprised."
"We were just—" Emmalyn began, then stopped herself. There was no point denying it. "Hunter's a great guy," she said with a helpless shrug.
Lexie smiled. "I'm glad you had fun."
"Me, too."
"I like Hunter," Josie put in. "More than I thought I would. He's really come to life the past week. That probably has something to do with you, Emmalyn."
"Probably more to do with Olivia. Speaking of which, I'm seeing who might have extra furniture or kitchenware for Bree. If either of you have anything you want to get rid of, they might want it."
"I just decluttered," Lexie said. "But Aunt Josie has a big storage unit full of stuff."
"I'll take a look," Josie promised. "After we talk to Grayson. I don't want to start pulling things out before he gets here."
"Grayson is the new owner, the one who might want to sell?"
"Yes, Grayson Holt. He is going to do a quick visit on his way to LAX for a flight to Europe. I'm hoping a face-to-face meeting and introducing him to our tenants will help him see Ocean Shores as more than just a line item on his spreadsheet," Josie said.
"I think that's him," Lexie said suddenly.
She turned to see a man walk into the courtyard. He was the kind of man who instantly drew attention, tall and good-looking but also appearing strikingly out of place in a southern California beach apartment complex in his tailored charcoal suit and polished shoes, carrying a sleek leather briefcase.
Josie straightened, then she gave him a wave, and he headed in their direction.
"Mr. Holt," Josie said as he reached them. "Welcome to Ocean Shores. I'm so glad you decided to come. I'm Josie, the manager. This is my niece, Lexie Price, and one of our tenants, Emmalyn McGuire."
He gave them a nod. "Grayson Holt," he said with a cool gleam in his arctic-blue eyes. "I'm afraid I don't have much time. I have a flight to LAX in a few hours, but my father wanted me to take a closer look at the property. Although, I've seen the financials, which tells me what I need to know."
"The financials don't tell the whole story," Lexie said, a slight edge to her voice.
He gave her a speculative look. "Perhaps not the whole story, but numbers don't lie, exaggerate, or spin, while people often do all three."
Lexie crossed her arms, giving him a dark look. "The kind of people who live here at Ocean Shores don't do any of those things, nor does the woman who manages the building. This isn't just a complex of apartments, Mr. Holt. This is a community. We are neighbors, friends, and family. And that's something that you don't find everywhere."
"Your community has no bearing on future decisions about the profitability of my family's investment."
"Well, it should," Lexie said. "Didn't they teach you about intrinsic value at Harvard?"
"Do you have a problem with me?" Grayson asked, giving Lexie a sharp look.
"Why would I?"
"You sound like an aggressive lawyer."
"Former. Georgetown Law," Lexie admitted.
Emmalyn watched their exchange with surprise and curiosity. Lexie rarely mentioned her previous career, and she didn't usually look at men with that particular blend of irritation and intrigue. Grayson Holt had definitely rubbed her the wrong way.
Josie cleared her throat. "Why don't I show you around, Grayson? May I call you Grayson?"
"Of course," he said as he followed Josie across the courtyard.
"What was that about?" she asked Lexie. "I thought we were supposed to charm him."
She let out an annoyed sigh. "I know. Aunt Josie is going to be pissed. But I have met so many men like him, smug and condescending. He just…bugged me."
"I can see that."
"I should go apologize."
"Maybe take a breath before you attempt that," she advised. "Let him meet some other people who aren't so angry."
"You're right. I hope I didn't mess things up."
"I doubt a few sharp words from one person will affect his decision. He seems very focused on numbers and facts."
"Our numbers are good," Lexie said.
"Then that's what you need to show him, because he clearly doesn't care that we have a community here."
"You're right. I'm going to get the file Ava sent me yesterday. She did a financial analysis for us. Maybe he can take that with him on the plane. At least it will give him something else to think about."
"Good idea."
As Lexie left, Hunter, Bree, and Olivia came out of Hunter's apartment. She straightened, putting a smile on her face as they came around the pool.
"Emmalyn," Olivia yelled, letting go of her mom's hand to run to her. "Did you hear that we're going to live here? We're on the second floor like you are. And we have two bedrooms. I get to have my own room, and Hunter says I can get new unicorn sheets that will fit my bed instead of his."
She smiled at that, thinking they'd been exceptionally lucky to find those sheets in a king-size. "I'm so happy you'll be staying."
"I can still go to Ravenswood and be friends with Henry and see you all the time."
"That's perfect," she said, moving her gaze to Hunter and Bree.
Hunter wasn't giving much away. Bree looked a little uncomfortable and possibly defensive. She couldn't do anything about Hunter's tension, but she wanted to ease Bree's. "Hunter mentioned that you might need a few things, Bree, and I asked around and some of your fellow neighbors have extra items they are happy to get rid of. You'd be doing them a favor if you wanted anything. So far, I've found a TV, a kitchen table and chairs, and a kid's desk. It's actually Henry's desk. He just got a new one."
"Hunter mentioned you wanted to help us get set up. That's very generous," Bree said, uncertainty in her dark eyes. "I don't quite know what to say. Why would anyone here want to help me? You don't even know me."
"Because we've all fallen in love with your daughter, and we want the best for both of you. Plus, a lot of us who live here have had to start over at one time or another. We know what it's like to have support when we need it, and we'd like to offer that to you."
Bree looked overwhelmed by her words, her gaze moving to Hunter.
He gave a nod. "I told you this place is great, Bree. They helped me heal, and maybe they can do the same for you."
"I hope you don't think I'm overstepping," Emmalyn added hastily. "You don't have to take anything, Bree. Maybe you want all new things. That's totally understandable."
"No. I appreciate anything that anyone wants to get rid of. That will help a lot."
"So I can have Henry's desk, Mommy?" Olivia asked. "Can we get it now?"
"No, we're going shopping for food," Bree said. "We'll get it later. Thank you, Emmalyn. Olivia has been raving about how nice you are. I can see she didn't exaggerate."
"It's not a big deal. I'm happy to do it."
"Let's go, Livvy," Bree said. "We need to get started on our errands."
They left, leaving her alone with Hunter again.
"Bree really appreciates what you're doing, Em."
"Like I said, it's really no trouble."
"What are you doing the rest of the day?" he asked.
"I'm going to visit my mom and my aunt."
"I hope they're both doing well. Are you going to tell your mother about the police investigation into Haven?"
"I'm debating how much I want to get into that. I can't believe she was involved in criminal activity, but I don't know. She's been with the group for more than twenty years. She probably knows a lot more than she would ever say."
"The police will probably want to talk to her."
"I know. I will tell her. I just want her to stay focused on getting better. I want her to see how good life is away from that horrible place."
He nodded, giving her a small smile. "She doesn't deserve you."
"I might agree with that," she said, happy as the tension between them finally eased. "What are your plans today?"
"I'm shockingly free again, now that Bree is back. Do you feel like some company? I wouldn't mind getting out of here, taking a drive down to La Jolla with you. Just as friends, of course. I'm going to follow your rules, Em."
Seeing the gleam in his eyes, she said, "I feel like you're mocking my rules, Hunter."
"I'm really not. I just like spending time with you. And I'm curious to see how your mother is doing."
"You really want to spend time with me and my dysfunctional family?"
"I do. I understand you want to cool things down between us, but we don't have to go from a hundred miles an hour to zero. There is a middle ground."
"I'm not sure about that, but…"
His eyes brightened. "I think I'm going to like this but ."
"Why do you have to be so charming and nice?" she complained. "It would be easier if you went back to that dark, grumpy guy who didn't want to spend ten seconds talking to me."
"He's gone, Em. Not coming back. And you're a big reason why. So, how about we hang out together today?"
She couldn't help but give in, because she wanted to spend time with him, and he was making it impossible to say no by being so damn reasonable. "Fine, if you want to come with me as my friend, then I won't say no. But that's it. No kissing. No touching. Nothing else."
"Got it. Nothing will happen that you don't want to happen."
"That's what you said last night and look what happened."
He grinned. "Maybe because we both want the same thing."
"I never said we didn't," she muttered. "That's not the problem, and you know it."
"I might fail my tests, Em. The review board might not reinstate me. That is a real possibility. I might not be going anywhere."
She gazed into his eyes. "I want to be very clear about something, Hunter. I don't want you to fail. I want you to get your job back because you deserve it. If that means you have to leave, then that's okay. I'm not rooting against you."
His jaw tightened, as he gave a nod. "Thanks. I appreciate that." He paused. "Let me also be clear about something. I want to spend as much time with you as I possibly can. If that's friends only, I'll accept that. But I can't accept no contact. I can't act like I don't give a damn about you."
Her spine tingled at his words. They were coming very close to saying things that probably shouldn't be said, so she opted once again for the safer path. "All right. We'll be friends. And you can come with me if you want. I have to run upstairs and get my bag. I can meet you back here in about twenty minutes."
"See you then. And Em… It's going to be fine. I understand where you're coming from, and I'm not going to hurt you."
She was afraid it was too late for him to make that promise.