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Chapter 14
Sunlight hit Hunter’s closed eyelids. Reluctantly, he dragged himself from a tangle of hot, sweet dreams about a young woman whose body drove him crazy and whose heart seemed to have no boundaries. No closed spaces.
Sunlight?
Shoving to his elbow, he peered at the clock.Nine.When was the last time he’d slept past five? And why was he still wearing his shorts and T-shirt?
He turned. The space beside him was empty, but Aria’s summer tropical scent lingered in the air. A note resting on the pillow had a doodle of a smiling cat.
He let out his breath slowly. She’d been real.
Still.Nine?
Swinging his feet to the floor, he stalked to the bathroom. Must be the sea air. Something about this small town was throwing him off.
Orsomeone.
He’d told Aria things last night that he’d never told anyone. The realization should have shocked the hell out of him, but it didn’t. He hadn’t been acting like himself since he saw her standing outside his room at the inn.
But he hadn’t lost sight of his goal.
After splashing cold water on his face, he stared himself down in the mirror. Hisget to know your opponentstrategy was either failing miserably or succeeding beyond what he’d ever thought possible. But not even in the coldest, most rational part of his brain could he convince himself that his deep attraction to Aria had anything to do with business.
It did, however, have everything to do withher. He’d known a lot of smart, driven women in his life, but he’d never known a woman whose fire came so intensely from her heart.
Though his instincts had rarely proven wrong, he should—technically—wonder if she was trying to play him. But he couldn’t even bring himself to consider the thought. Aria was stubborn, but she wasn’t manipulative.
She was too good for deception, too transparent for subterfuge. The way she’d looked at him after he’d told her about his past had almost broken his heart. He’d even had the unwelcome thought that he’d do anything to prevent that distress from shadowing her pretty eyes ever again.
Well. He clearly needed to start focusing on his job again.
He used the bathroom and took a quick shower. As he was taking clean clothes from his suitcase, a knock sounded.
Aria?
Without thinking, he strode to yank open the door. When he found himself face-to-face with Mrs. Higgins, he remembered he was only wearing boxer briefs.
The innkeeper’s eyes widened. She gaped and stared at his chest as if he were buck naked.
He attempted a smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Higgins.”
“Oh, Mr. Armstrong, I do apologize for interrupting you. I didn’t see you leave for your morning run earlier, so I thought you might still be here.”
“Yes, I…uh, overslept.”
“Well, that’s good. Sleep is so important. So is breakfast.” She indicated the food-laden tray she was holding. “But since you refuse to join us in the dining room, it appears I need to bring breakfast to you.”
“Thank you, but I—”
“I’ll just put it on the table.” With a cheerful smile, she entered the room. “Caramel cinnamon rolls, hot cocoa, stuffed French toast with boysenberry syrup, and a fruit bowl. Would you like anything else?”
“No, thank you. You’re very kind.”
“I like to keep my guests happy. Hank always said that our guests come first. He used to keep a spreadsheet of our regulars...you know, people who came to stay with us every year…and it would list all their likes and dislikes. If he knew a family liked a certain chocolate or candy, he’d have a supply of it waiting for them in their room.”
She gave a wistful little sigh.
“That was nice of him.” Hunter scratched his head. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for work.”
