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He laughs. The sound is intimate. And low. And I feel it vibrate through my body. “Little liar.”
“Alright, it didn’t suck,” I admit. “But you need to get away from me because I hate you.”
He kisses me then. It’s too tender. Too... everything.
When he pulls back, he whispers, “I understand why you’re mad at me.”
I push at him, but he doesn’t budge, he just pins me with those stormy gray eyes that see right to your soul. He skims his thumbs over my temples.
After a long silence, he pulls back. His eyes go distant. With gentle fingers, he shifts my panties back in place. Then, pulls my sundress down. He doesn’t look at me as he offers his hand. “There’s food and drink left if you’d like some.”
I shift my body over to the beach blanket and pick up the bottle. I slug down a gulp. “What did I just do?” I mutter.
He sits down across from me, rests his arms on his knees. His eyes are too damned intense. “It’s been a while.”
“Four years,” I say as I study the bottle and avoid looking at him.
“The chemistry between us is still off the charts.”
Heat flushes up my neck. I hope he can’t see my reaction in the low candlelight. I try to think of anything to say. I finally come up with, “Detective, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good.” I maybe should feel happy for him, but I don’t. He’s been merrily going about his life, and I... think about him.
He makes a cracker with cheese and jam and offers it to me. I take it from his hand. His fingers are warm and all I can think about is them on my bare flesh. I chomp onto the cracker.
Damn him.
His voice is smokey, “That sun dress is sexy as hell on you.”
Leave it to him to take us back around to sex and chemistry. That’s Hunter for you. Call him for a good time.
I did. For a whole summer. Then…
“You haven’t changed,” I say.
“You look even more beautiful than you did back then.”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean gratuitous sex acts in public places with women you don’t plan on keeping around.”
His brows drop together. “Ouch.”
“The truth hurts.”
He picks up the bottle and takes a slug. Passes it back to me. “So, is that what you want? To trade jabs?”
“I… I guess.”
“Well, you’re going to have to trade jabs with the blow-up doll, because I’m leaving if that’s what this is about.”
He stands up. His voice is rough as he says, “I know I hurt you. I’m sorry for that. I didn’t do what I should have back then. But if you’d have let me, I would have explained something four years ago. But it’s okay, you deal however you need to deal. Just don’t play games with me. I didn’t play games with you then. I didn’t just now.”
I watch his broad back as he crosses the sand and disappears between the buildings across the boardwalk.
CHAPTER 4
I have no clue what just happened. I click open the door to my truck and slide into the quiet darkness.
