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 ofmyheart. 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, theonlyclose 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, Ididn’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 ofmy 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 wasourfirst 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?”
