Chapter 14
Serenity
“Do you think this looks okay?” I walked up to Hunter as he was leaning back on one of his sofas, petting Carrot.
I smoothed my palms down my skirt then did a twirl, trying to ramp up enthusiasm for the less than sophisticated outfit I’d chosen for my first day as a Midas employee.
As soon as I’d gotten off the phone with Bryce, I’d told Hunter my news.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when he insisted we leave the club early so I could get a good night’s sleep.
It wasn’t quite bedtime yet though, and I was much too anxious about how things might go to call it a night, so I was trying on clothes. Not that I had many options.
“Of course. You look great.” Hunter sat up a bit and paused in rubbing Carrot’s eager cheek. “I’m so happy for you.” He gave me the same bright smile he’d be giving me all night.
He’d been wonderful since the moment I told him I got the job.
He’d organized a quick celebratory glass of champagne and snack of my favorite appetizers then he insisted he walk me home and stay with me for safety, which I appreciated.
The news this morning that vamps were out there dealing drug was just one more reminder that New Omaha wasn’t always safe, especially at night.
But I was very slowly starting to realize not all vamps were equally awful.
Hunter had given Vance, who was becoming far more competent by the day, the job of acting manager for the night.
And when Hunter reminded him about Conrad, he’d been super serious in his reply and said he would call Hunter and the police immediately if the bouncers spotted him and make sure they detained him.
Anyway, I was wearing the same skirt I’d worn for my initial interview, except I’d slipped on a green cowl neck sweater.
The sweater was pretty loose around my throat—thank goodness—but my hope was it would cover my scars if I adjusted it just right.
Trying to get an objective opinion, but suspecting Hunter would say anything to calm my nerves, I arched an eyebrow.
“Why do I get the feeling you’d say the same thing if I was wearing my ratty jeans and T-shirt? ”
Hunter smiled in feigned innocence as Carrot curled up on his lap and settled in for a snooze. “I think you look great. You want me to lie?”
I huffed, but returned his smile. He really was the sweetest friend and the best boss in the world. Though he might not be my employer much longer. We still hadn’t talked about how my new job might change things. “But, um… you think the sweater covers my—you know?”
His face turned serious for a moment. “It does. Don’t worry. And even if something showed, you shouldn’t worry what others at Midas might think. They’ll soon realize how lucky they are to have you. I mean that sincerely.”
“I hope you’re right. I just want to look nice. At least for my first day.”
“You do.” I could see his eyes roaming up and down my body, trying to be discreet about it. Maybe once I no longer worked for him, I could tell him that he didn’t need to hide it. I liked him looking at me, especially when his eyes heated like they were starting to right now.
Over the recent days I’d stayed with him, I’d been checking him out more and more too.
I still marveled that I’d felt so comfortable with him last night.
So comforted by him. I’d slept secure in the circle of his arms, knowing he’d never move things anywhere I didn’t want to go.
I could sleep soundly and give myself over to the warm strength of his body.
Maybe I was ready to explore more with someone. Make new memories of a man touching me with tenderness instead of malice. Rewrite some of the scars on my psyche with the help of someone trustworthy. But… should I start anything with Hunter if it couldn’t go anywhere?
I had to get out of this town, get back to some semblance of a stable human life away from all the bad memories and the limiting opportunities for a girl like me here.
If things got serious, it wasn’t like I could ask Hunter to leave his club.
And I couldn’t stay. I needed a blank slate, a redo, so I could really start living.
“You look great,” he repeated, filling in my silence.
I sat near him, resisting the urge to pet Carrot, who was now happily asleep on his lap. “Thanks so much. And, about the club, I won’t bail on you. Maybe I just cut back a bit?”
Chuckling, being careful not to disturb Carrot as he moved his legs closer to me, he leaned forward and placed a warm palm on top of my hand.
His touch was firm yet gentle, despite his hand dwarfing mine.
It pulsed pleasure up my arm and tingles around my neck.
I almost jerked back from the foreign sensations, as lovely as they were.
This sort of physical attention from a man I was interested in was so new. It would take some getting used to. But I liked it. A lot.
His words were soft as he said, “We both know I’ll be sad when you leave the club, but I want what’s best for you.
So does Bryce. And I think once you’ve had a week to settle in at Midas, you should just stop at the club completely.
The work at the news station, changing all that hidden pro-Temple bullshit from their logos and other stuff, is going to be challenging. You shouldn’t burn yourself out, okay?”
I placed my palm on top of his. “But I don’t want to leave you in the lurch. Perhaps I can do a few shifts here and there, just to, you know—” I wanted to say, spend as much time with him as possible, but awkwardness—and not knowing how he really felt about me—stopped me from admitting it.
He squeezed my hand, surging more delightful feelings across my body.
Then he replied as if he’d read my mind.
God, I wasn’t sure who was sharper at reading people, him or Bryce.
They both seemed like experts. “That’s possible, and if you really want to, I won’t stop you.
Remember though, we’ll still see each other plenty, regardless. ”
“Oh? You mean until Conrad is caught?”
“Well, yes. But whatever happens with him, I was kind of hoping you’d stay here for… as long as you like? Rent-free, of course. No matter how many wads of cash Bryce wires into your bank account.” He winked, but it was a bit awkward, like he was having his own bit of insecurity tonight.
I cleared my throat unnecessarily, feeling my cheeks heat. “I’d have to pay something. It wouldn’t be right not to pay once my new salary starts coming in. And I don’t want to impose. I—”
His handsome face drew closer to mine. The square jaw peppered in stubble, the kind eyes, brought feelings up inside me I was having trouble concealing.
His woodsy, almost earthy scent wasn’t exactly helping me keep my cool either.
“You’re not imposing. I’m offering and doing it gladly.
More than gladly, truth be told.” He nodded down at Carrot.
“And anyway, I’m only asking because I can’t bear to be away from this cat. ”
I laughed. Giving the top of his hand a playful smack, pretending to be annoyed. “You jerk.” I giggled.
Returning the laugh and moving his face even closer, until our noses were just an inch or two apart, I saw his Adam’s apple bob deeply as his cheeks flared pink.
His manly scent pulsed even stronger, and I fought the urge to press myself against him, torso to torso, like we’d been last night.
Even though we were so close, I barely caught his next words.
He spoke them almost under his breath. “And there’s something I need to confess… ”
Despite his clear strength and calm, steady presence, he looked so vulnerable at that moment, like a child who needed a reassuring hug.
I wanted to give it to him but felt myself holding back with that same awkwardness and worry of the unknown again.
My tone teasing subtly, I replied, “Is this anything like when you confessed to following me back to where I lived?”
He pulled back slightly.
Oh, I shouldn’t have teased.
His gaze went down to Carrot who’d stirred. She accepted a soft pet from him with a heavy purr before closing her eyes again. He looked back up at me. “I’d kind of hoped you’d forgiven and forgotten about that.”
I squeezed his hand. “Of course I’ve forgiven. But I haven’t forgotten your one other secret confession since we’ve met. I’m good at remembering things, you know.”
He gulped, his tone turning a tad trembly. “I think you’re pretty much great at everything you set your mind to, to be honest.”
His words warmed me from head to toe. But I could tell there was something else he needed to say.
I fixed my gaze on his, speaking in a reassuring tone.
“Hey, it’s okay. You can tell me. I promise I won’t be angry.
” I paused, my voice turning mock stern for a second.
“Not unless you’ve secretly filed papers to adopt Carrot. ”
We both laughed, and it was a welcome break in the tension.
“No, no. I’d never separate her from her mommy. No fear there. It’s just…” He exhaled hard and blurted it out. “It felt so wonderful, waking with you in my arms this morning. I want that all the time.”
“All the time?”
His cheeks reddened even further. “I mean, I want to be your friend and whatever you need. But also…” He paused and took a deep breath.
“I was hoping we might—and only if you wanted to—keep getting to know each other better and eventually take things further?” He gently removed his hands from mine and pulled back a bit, looking unsure of himself again.
“But only if you want. At whatever pace you want, of course.”
I found myself lost for words. Hunter wanted me too?
He wanted to sleep next to me every night?
And it sounded like he wanted to do more too…
“That’s not a terrible confession at all.
Sounds like something quite appealing. So, you mean like…
” Hook up? That seemed too flippant for the way he was looking at me.
“Casual dating?” I hoped I put the right among of emphasis on “casual.”
Then I wondered if any of this was a good idea, if I was this worried that dating him could lead to hurting him. If I left.
Although, it wasn’t like Hunter couldn’t recover. The man had everything going for him. He’d be fine. I just had to make sure I didn’t invest too much of my heart. This had to stay a fling.
“God, I’m awful at this.” He shook his head and closed his eyes, finally letting out a pent-up sigh.
“Yes, I want to date you. But that doesn’t even feel like the right word for it.
” He opened his eyes and gazed into mine.
“I’ve felt pretty battered by life, for a while now.
Seeing Dagger this morning just made me realize exactly how much.
How I’ve had nobody to”—he gulped, his eyes shying away—“enjoy life with, for a long time.”
It sounded like maybe he needed a nice, easy distraction to erase some bad memories, too. I inched closer along the cushions, thinking about slipping into the circle of his arms.
I’d already accepted his proposal silently.
He was the best, no, the only close friend I’d ever had in my adult life, but he was more.
A companion. Somebody I could trust and have genuine fun with.
I knew he’d go at a pace that showed respect for my own fragilities over relationships.
Why not live a little? Didn’t I deserve that?
Hell, even if I waited until I was away from New Nebraska, I didn’t think I’d ever find anyone I felt more comfortable around than Hunter. Perhaps Bryce. Not that I could touch him, of course.
“Dagger…” my words trailed off, not wanting to pry into what was obviously a very sensitive family matter. “It doesn’t matter. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s okay. Go ahead.”
“You and Dagger were close once? I mean, I know you’re brothers, but I’ve seen ones who can’t stand each other. Others that are the complete opposite. I’m sorry if I’m prying. I’ll stop if—”
He waved a gentle backhand in dismissal.
“No, it’s fine. You had to be a witness this morning to how far we’ve grown apart.
I’m sorry you had to see that. It wasn’t always like that though.
Only since we lost our parents.” He leaned back gently, looking down at Carrot briefly, mindful of not disturbing her.
Scoffing and shaking his head, he replied through a long, drawn-out sigh, “Can you believe, I loved that man more than anyone once. We had such a bond, inseparable.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”
“Our parents were murdered.”
I gasped.
He stared down at his hands. “How it happened, well, that drove us apart.” He pursed his lips. “If you don’t mind, we’ll leave the details for another time?” The apologetic smile he shot me was more of a slanted grimace that pulled one cheek.
“Yes, of course.” I scooted in closer and took his hands in mine again.
Breathing in shakily, his lips turned up a bit as our gazes fixed. “So, anyway, you’re open to us being more than just friends?”
I couldn’t find the words. Instead, taking a deep breath, I leaned forward and let my mouth press gently against his.
He didn’t respond at first, his warm lips frozen under mine. Then he inhaled sharply and kissed me back, cradling the side of my face with his palm and taking control of the kiss, moving with tender but firm pressure.
It was an amazing first kiss.
It wasn’t technically my very first kiss.
But it was our first kiss. And I hadn’t been kissed willingly since Joey, a boy in hip hop class, when I was fourteen.
This was nothing like that sloppy and innocent attempt.
Hunter and I moved and breathed together like we were one, heat quickly flaring between us.
He brushed my lips with his tongue and I finally pulled back, needing to regroup before we burned up the couch with Carrot sitting on his lap. I looked up at him shyly. “Does that answer your question?”
He grinned. “Does this mean I can hold you again tonight?”
“Yes, we’ll hold each other tonight. If that sounds okay?”
“That sounds perfect, Serenity.”
“Perfect, Hunter.” I rested my head on his shoulder, rubbing my cheek against its solid strength.