Page 64 of Plentywood
“You’re trying to move forward, too?” I asked.
“Yep,” he responded. “From a lot of things.”
“From a person?”
“Just like you, Hunt. From a person,” he said.
“Because you like me?”
“Because I like you.”
The emotion of hearing him say he liked me settled in my chest. For the first time in two years, I felt something in my heart that had shut down. Was there space for Ben inside my heart? A vision of Mark invaded my fears. He was smiling his goofy smile of his. The one that had captured my heart from when we were kids.
Mark only smiled that way when he was truly happy.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: Benedict
Hetero hair.A strange thought to be having while doing my best to be present for and enjoy an evening with people I barely knew.Hetero hairwas the term I used when trying to determine if a guy was gay or heterosexual. In my opinion, if he had hair growing on the back of his neck in between haircuts, he was heterosexual, straight, unbothered by needing a trim between cuts.
Gay men kept the growth neatly shaved between haircuts. Straight men didn’t give a shit. But Hunter was gay, and he had hetero hair. A sign that he didn’t follow the grooming rules of fussy gay men. The way in which he carried himself also indicated that he probably didn’t follow many of the rules the gays I knew strictly adhered to. But I’d still trim his hair regularly if he were my man.
Watching Hunt as he interacted with his friends was nice to witness. He had his back to me currently while he joined Jay at the grill on their back deck. A strong and wide V formed on Hunt’s muscular back, cotton fabric of a thin T-shirt stretched across a strength I could imagine holding onto while underneath him.
Wranglers hugged a biggish ass and muscular thighs. The man had zero body fat while, at the same time, seeming thick. He was built big. All over. He turned to check on me, flashing a brilliant smile, his buzzed-blond hair shimmering in thelate afternoon sun. Hunter Copeland was something. And that something was all man.
“He’s handsome, isn’t he?” Jennie said, waking me from my tour of Hunter’s physical qualities. “He’s as nice as he is to look at, too.”
I didn’t look away from Hunt, happy to stare at him. “Is he always this quiet of a man?” I inquired, finally looking away from him and connecting eyes with her.
“Sort of,” she admitted. “A spark has been missing for a while, doctor.”
“Call me Ben, please,” I asked. “I’m here as a friend.”
“As I know you’ve no doubt heard, Hunter is experiencing a rough time getting over Mark’s passing. Him being here tonight is a big deal, Ben,” she shared. “Averybig deal.”
I watched as Jay and Hunter made conversation, Jay flipping burgers and Hunter standing near, pointing out the large flames and laughing. You could tell they were friends as well as coworkers. Two extremely masculine men hanging out on their day off. I liked how at ease Hunter was and the way he turned periodically to check where I was. He’d find my location and smile sheepishly before turning back to his conversation with Jay.
“How long have they been friends?” I asked, motioning to them. “They seem close.”
“Friends since Jay joined the force five years ago. Jay is Jill’s cousin. Mark’s cousin too. Hunter is older than Jay and they weren’t buddies in school. But Hunter treats him like a little brother even though he’s his boss now,” she said. “We love him like family.”
“And with Mark?” I asked. “Were you all close as couples?”
“Actually, no. Mark and I were very close, and Jay and Hunter were too, but we didn’t do a lot as couples,” sheexplained. “Truthfully, I’m surprised Hunter came when Jay invited him.”
I faced her, curious about her comment. “Really?” I asked. “I get the impression that everyone is one big happy family in this town.”
“We are,” she agreed. “But Hunter died a little himself after Mark’s death. I’m not positive, but I think this is the first social thing Hunter has done besides show up and sing at Smitty’s. We all know he’s singing to Mark when he’s there. Well, until last week, of course,” she added.
“What happened last week?” I asked, imagining Hunter naked and on top of me when I should’ve been focused on Jennie’s words.
“You showed up at Smitty’s.”
“No,” I argued. “That’s not true.”
“That song was for you, Ben. I felt it the moment I witnessed his single focus on you. Most folks wondered as well, but I knew for sure.”
Hunter shifted his stance, moving his weight from one leg to the other, his perfectly nestled ass cheeks shifting along with his legs. His biceps exploded when he tucked a hand into his back pocket, blocking my view. I’d only ever seen one other man this masculine in every single move he made. That was Rocco. But there was one stark difference between the two. Hunter had an unspoken class. Rocco could be a tool.
