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I shivered, loving the sound of his voice. The roughened resonance washed over me, and I wondered what he’d sound like saying my name in the throes of passion. “Hey Hunter.” I face palmed myself at how cheerful I sounded. “I thought I’d call, and you know, apologize.”
He laughed. The rich velvety intonation wriggled through my belly and settled low. “What are you apologizing for?”
“Leaving like I did,” I said, then sighed. “There is so much about me I should have told you. But none of that matters because using my past as an excuse to lump you in with bad people, well, that’s not cool. I should have told you I was nervous and scared.”
“Scared?” he murmured. “Baby girl, you’ve got nothing to fear.”
“If only it was so easy,” I replied. “My trauma is mine. I shouldn’t put it on you.”
“Well, I’ll accept your apology on one condition,” he stated.
“What?” He chuckled again, and I hated myself for the eagerness in my voice.
“You’re going to go out with me again and whatever happens, you can’t leave until the date is over.” Talk about pushing all my buttons. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. I’d also never hold you against your will, either. So, we’ll say you have a safe word you can use when things get too complicated, or you need out.”
“A safe word?” I contemplated what he said and shrugged. “Okay. Purple pineapple.” I’d read enough books to know what he was getting at. My safe word wasn’t anything I’d say if I was having a good time.
“Purple pineapple it is.”
I closed my eyes. How was it he could be so understanding and not be pissed off at me? Oh sure, I wasn’t so naïve to believe he wasn’t mad at me. I wouldn’t even think to talk to a guy again if he just ghosted me in the middle of a date, but here Hunter was, giving me a second chance. “Okay. Yes, I’ll go out with you, and I promise to stay the whole night.”
“Perfect,” he answered. “Now, about that text.”
I whimpered. “I’m so stupid. Can we chalk it up to me being drunk?”
He chuckled. “Sure, we can, but I think you were being honest with yourself and me too, weren’t you?”
God, why did I feel so awkward right now? Like all I wanted to do was crawl under a rock and never come out. But he was right. In my inebriated state, I was being the bold me. The me I wished I could always be. “I was. Although, I’m never that forward.”
“Am I the first guy you’ve ever texted that to?” Hunter asked.
“Yes.” It was better to rip the bandage off than it was to beat around the bush with my answers.
He hummed in response, then growled, “I love being your first. Gets me right in the balls, Baby girl.”
A sinful shiver went up my spine and my stomach did this funny little electrical spark-twirl thing. Horrible explanation. “Why are you calling me, baby girl?”
“Because,” he said, “you’re mine, Posey. I don’t care how many times I have to remind you of that. After you freely told me you wanted me, well, that was like waving a red flag in a bull’s face.”
“You’re dangerous,” I said, nibbling my bottom lip. “You could get me into trouble.”
He grunted. “It’ll be the best kind of trouble, too. Just you wait and see.”
Why did that prospect both excites and scares the shit out of me at the same time? “Then when can I see you again?”
“Next weekend,” he said. “I’ve got a shit ton of work to catch up on at the shop, but Saturday, you’re all mine.”
Who was I to say no? “Then you’ve got yourself a date.”
Chapter 10
Hunter
Iused to love being the first one to the shop in the morning. If only to piss my siblings off because being in first meant I got to play my music for the day. It was a rule we put into action the first day we opened the shop. It cut down on a lot of bitching and moaning, which came from everyone having eclectic tastes. Except Ireland. She loved that bubble-gum pop shit. Music made my ears bleed.
Alas, since Destiny had shown up at my door, those days of arriving early at the shop had become few and far between. Excluding today. Ladybug had gotten up at the crack ass of dawn and refused to go back to sleep. Instead of sitting at home, bored out of my fucking mind, and thinking about Posey, I got my ass up, got Destiny packed up for the day, and headed into the shop.
While I waited for my siblings to arrive, I worked through the mountain of paperwork we’d fallen behind on. Destiny was content playing in the pack ‘n’ play. I figured she’d sleep when she got tired.
