Page 43 of Embraced at Seaside
Jana tugged on a lock of hair. Her face clouded with uneasiness, and he feared he’d pushed too hard.
“I…” she stammered, and a second later she found her voice. “I haven’t been with anyone else either, in several months.”
He couldn’t stop the smile tugging at his lips as relief nearly bowled him over.
She took a tentative step closer, and her vulnerability made his knees weak. With her bare feet, the top of her head didn’t even reach his chin, making her seem even smaller and more fragile.
She gazed up at him with a mixture of hope and worry in her beautiful eyes. “What if we don’t work?”
“What if we do?” he countered.
A soft laugh escaped her lips, and it was a magnificent sound.
“I’m being serious, Hunter. We’re good at…hookups. What if we aren’t good at something more?”
“Then we go back to hooking up.” How else could he answer? He didn’t believe they wouldn’t be good together, but he didn’t want the idea of their not being athemin her head.
“So, what exactly is it that you want from me?”
He arched a brow, biting back sexual innuendos. She laughed, and it shot straight to his heart.
“You’re impossible,” she said. “You know what I mean.”
“I want to spend today together. I want to talk about your studio.” If he wanted this to work—and man, did he ever—it was time for him to come clean and let her know what he already knew.
“When Sky dropped off your purse, she told me that you didn’t get the space at Seaside. I want to talk about that, and other things.” It was no wonder she’d dressed and acted like she had last night. She must have been heartbroken when she found out she had lost the space at Seaside, and if there was one thing he knew about Jana, it was that emotions scared her.
She nodded. “And this?” She waved her finger between them. “What do you want with regard to us?”
He didn’t hesitate as he pulled her against him—hoping she wouldn’t pull away and not spend the day with him. “I want there to be anus. A commitment. You see only me, and I’ll see only you.”
She rolled her eyes, but he knew it was a defense mechanism. “You want to win. To hear me say I want you.”
Of course he wanted to hear that. What man wouldn’t? What she didn’t realize was that winning, to Hunter, meant having Jana all to himself.
“No. You don’t have to tell me you want me. Just tell me you’ll only be with me.”
She laughed at that and quickly trapped her lower lip between her teeth. Her brows knitted. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“You’re a pain. Okay,fine. I’ll only be with you, but we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend, and I can’t promise—”
He pressed his lips to hers and lifted her off her feet and deepened the kiss. With kisses like this, how could she ever deny that they were so much more than a hookup?
“I can’t,” she said between kisses, “change, Hunter.” He kissed her again, and she pushed his mouth away. “I’m selfish. My life is crazy. I’m not good at commitments, and I’m not sure you are either.”
He huffed in annoyance, lifting her higher and guiding her legs around his waist. “You’re also a stubborn pain in the butt, but I’m pretty sure I know what I’m getting into. Now shut up and kiss me.”
Hunter carried her inside and debated carrying her straight into the bedroom to show her just how much he wanted this to work, but he knew they’d never get any more talking done if he did. They had one day without distractions, and he intended to take full advantage of the time and show Jana just how right they were for each other.
JANA WATCHED HUNTER as he read through her lists and the notes she’d taken about opening a studio. His confession had left her reeling and feeling a little overwhelmed, and they’d sat on the couch and talked for a long time about things that weren’t as scary, like how she’d ended up in that tight dress and spiky heels. He’d laughed when she’d admitted that while onstage, she’d been pretending she really was Taylor Swift. She’d told him about crying when she’d heard that she didn’t get the space at Seaside and how she’d been taken by surprise by her tears. He’d told her that those tears should have been her first eye opener about how much the studio actually meant to her. And he’d held her when tears threatened again with her confession, and he’d whispered,I wish I could have been there to help you feel better. He offered comfort without judgment. He was the one person she thought she never wanted to see her weaknesses, and somehow, when he did, he made her feel stronger for it.
They’d picked up her car from Seaside and spent all afternoon talking. They’d talked about his mom and how much he missed her. He’d shared his heartache over his father’s alcoholism, and she’d seen the relief of having his father whole again written all over his face. She realized how he must have felt, seeing her that drunk. Not just last night, but most of the times they’d hooked up, and she realized she’d been using alcohol as an escape, too, and it was time to stop.
Now, as she watched him reading over her notes, she was filled with emotion for the man who probably should have run from her, and instead, he’d not only opened himself up, but he was helping her slow down and do the same.
She’d expected him to skim her notes, at best, but he really seemed to care. He was concentrating, pointing to words, then looking away, as if he were thinking about what he’d read.
