Page 34 of New Year, New Guy
‘I’m becomin’ a real fan of beige.’ Making her laugh broke through the last of his reservations. Offers could be renegotiated at a later date.
Chapter Nineteen
Laura met Hunter’s full-on smile as he set a loaded breakfast tray on the bed in front of her while telling herself not toget too used to this. ‘Aren’t you just the perfect man?’ she said wryly.
‘Far from it.’ He jumped back in with her and held out a rasher of crispy bacon for her to bite. ‘Simply a decent cook and hopefully decent . . . in other ways too.’
Morning-afters were tricky, at least from what she could remember. There hadn’t been anyone since Mike and before she got married there were only a couple of casual boyfriends at university who didn’t last long enough for it to be an issue. Mike always claimed her feminine curves made her useless in bed and turned him off but last night she realised that was his problem and nothing to do with her. Hunter had helped her to discover she was a deeply passionate woman and she was grateful to him for that.
Grateful?If a man thought about her that way she’d be furious.
‘Eat up before it goes cold.’
She poked a fork at her perfectly scrambled eggs and blinked away a rush of tears. Life would return to cold and ordinary when Hunter left.
‘You aren’t working again until after the wedding, right?’
Laura nodded, too choked to speak.
‘I guess I’m tempting fate but today’s weather forecast is pretty decent. On Sunday I tried to finish our Dartmoor day out but couldn’t eat a cream tea on my own.’ His fake sad face eked a smile out of her. She heard all about the waitress who forced the leftovers on him and the hungry stray dog who benefitted. ‘How about we head that way for an energetic hike before stuffing ourselves with scones and tea?’ A curtain of black silky hair fell over his face and she wound a long strand around her fingers.
‘Later. Move the tray or we’ll make a mess of the bed.’
Hunter grinned, dumped the tray on the floor and pushed her down on the pillows. ‘We’re gonna make a mess of it anyway, sweetheart.’
* * *
Standing together at the top of Wind Tor they soaked in the stunning view spread out around them where the stark winter landscape, a stunning patchwork of bronzes and greys, was interspersed with pops of purple heather glowing in the pale sunshine. ‘Thank you. I needed this, ’ she said.
He brought Laura around to face him, buffeting her from the stiff breeze with his solid body. ‘It’s me who should be thankin’ you. On my own this was . . . a walk, nothing more. Sharing changes it. Changes everything, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, not always in a good way but this is.’
During the night, drowsy and satiated she’d opened up more about her marriage and now he had a clearer picture of why she’d become so buttoned up. She brushed off his attempt to sympathise by saying he hadn’t had an easy time either and that life wasn’t always fair.
‘Ready to head back down?’ He patted his stomach. ‘I don’t think I’ll have a problem eating that cream tea today.’
‘Worked up an appetite, have you?’ Laura’s tinkling laughter sounded girlish and free.
‘I sure have. You make a man mighty hungry.’ The suggestive double entendre behind his comment made her blush. Playing along was the only way to hold onto her for now. ‘Race you.’ Hunter took off running, but she easily sprinted past him with the reindeer ears on her hat flapping in the wind.
By unspoken consent they kept the conversation light while relishing their cream tea and the quiet drive back to her house.
‘This is where we started.’ He pointed to the takeaway cartons from the Chinese restaurant spread out over the bed later on.
‘Not quite. I’d say we’ve moved on a little since that.’ Laura stroked his bare chest. ‘I’m afraid I can’t see you tomorrow.’
‘Can’t or won’t?’
‘Can’t. Polly has booked us a sisterly bonding session at a local spa.’ She screwed up her face. ‘I’ll be manicured, pedicured and massaged within an inch of my life by the time we’re through.’
Hunter stroked his hand down her thigh. ‘I could be extremely appreciative of the results tomorrow night.’
‘I think it might be more sensible if you leave in the morning.’ The gold sparks in her eyes faded. ‘I’ll be busy and you’ll be heading back across the pond after the wedding anyway. There’s no point in dragging it out.’
‘Draggin’ it out?’ His raised voice made her stiffen against him.
‘I didn’t mean it the way you’re thinking. You know I’ve loved . . . I mean enjoyed being . . . with you. Oh, this isn’t coming out right.’
