Seaside Embrace (Love in Bloom Read online

  And his fucking heart, but he’d never admit that.

  He crossed the parking lot and pulled open the front doors. The sound of hip-hop music filled his ears. He followed the music across the hardwood floor to the entrance of the studio. If the sight of Jana wearing skintight black booty shorts that barely covered the curve of her ass and a sports bra wasn’t enough to stop him cold, the way she was moving her body was.

  He’d seen her dance at crowded bars, and he knew that she could move that slinky body of hers. But the way she swayed her hips in one direction while her shoulders moved in the other, accentuating each move with a thrust of her pelvis, made him instantly aroused. She faced the opposite wall, and as the music slowed, she pointed in front of her and moved her arm in a half circle, as if she were performing for an audience. Hunter took a step back, not wanting to be noticed as she strutted across the floor like she owned it. With his artist’s eye, he studied the fluidity of her moves, the sleek lines of her body as she swiveled her hips, seeing more than her sexy movements, but her femininity and in contrast, her power. The delicate way her fingers lifted and stretched, the strong angle of her chin as she used it to emphasize certain moves. She sank to her knees. Her head fell back, eyes closed, and her body began to sway, like the ebb and flow of the ocean. Her long blond hair swept across the floor, and he couldn’t help but think about tangling his hands in her thick mane as their bodies joined together.

  The music sped up, snapping him out of his reverie. Jana did some sort of moonwalk, then moved into the type of fast-paced, jerky dancing he’d seen professional dancers do in music videos. She was in total control. Each move was clipped and determined, as if she were sending a silent message to the universe. I am Jana. Hear me roar. The rhythm ended in a loud crash, and she collapsed to the floor in a heap. Hunter’s instincts took over and he ran to her.

  “Are you okay?” He searched her eyes, taking stock of her heavy breathing, the sweat glistening from her skin as she blinked up at him, confused.

  “Hunter?” Pushing to her feet, she snagged a towel from a table by the door and wiped her face. “What are you doing here?”

  “I…” The anger that had driven him there had been replaced by desire, but her response reminded him of why he’d come, making him angry with himself for being turned on, and he snapped, “You didn’t return my texts.”

  She wiped the back of her neck and walked toward the lobby. “So?”

  “So?” Do I mean that little to you? Is everything I’ve been feeling totally one-sided? He didn’t know if he was hurt or angry.

  “I was busy.”

  He followed her into a crowded office, annoyed that she could write him off so easily. She pushed between a rack of dance outfits and a stack of mats and leaned across a desk in the center of the room, giving Hunter a great view of her ass.

  “What did you need, anyway?” she asked, straining to reach farther.

  He should take the hint. Walk away. Chalk it up to his emotions being as fucked up as his creativity lately. But as if his body had a mind of its own, his legs carried him forward and his hands went to her hips, dragging her body against him. He felt the demand breaching his lungs and gave in to it all—the emotions, the desires, the unfuckingbelievable hold she had over him. “What do I want?”

  “Hunter.” Her warning was tentative at best, and it made him smile despite his rattled brain.

  His fingers dug harder into her hips as she straightened to her full height.

  “Jana.” He loved the way her name felt as it burst from his lips, full of want and need and so much more. Could she hear it, too?

  “What do you want?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know, Jana. What do you want?” He spun her in his arms. His lips hovered over hers. He could feel her heart beating frantically against his. Did she feel it? Did she know how much of him she already owned?

  “I…” She licked her lips, and he pulled her tighter against him, wanting to follow that swipe of her tongue with one of his own. “You came to see me, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember.” He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “The trouble is, I can’t remember why I was so angry when I came to see you, because right now there’s not a speck of anything close to anger inside me.”

  “No anger,” she whispered.

  “Not anymore.” He nipped at her lower lip. “You’re killing me, pretty girl. The way you moved out there. Last night on the phone. Your voice tears at my insides. When you deny me, it cuts like a knife.” He wanted to kiss her so badly he couldn’t take his eyes off of her mouth. “You’ve gotten so far under my skin, you’re a part of me I can’t escape.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she trapped her lower lip between her teeth. Her fingers dug into his waist. He leaned forward and tugged her lip free with his teeth.

  “Do you want me, too?” He felt his lips curve up, realizing what he’d asked and how naturally the question had come.

  Her eyes flared with heat. She was trying to be strong. He could feel it in her body as she tensed against him, and he knew she wasn’t going to give him the answer he wanted. Her stubbornness was definitely one of the things he liked most about her.

  But he wanted—needed—to hear the words from her.

  “I’ll give you sunsets.” He nudged her knees open and pressed his hard length against her. “If you tell me the truth. Tell me you want me, Jana.”

  She was panting now as he wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck, holding her in place.

  “We don’t”—she licked her lips again—“do sunsets.” Her eyes fluttered closed, then opened again.

  “Maybe we should.” He could hardly believe what he was suggesting, but hell if he wasn’t thinking that everything would be better with Jana by his side. The prolonged anticipation of kissing her, tasting her, was unbearable. “Tell me what I want to hear, pretty girl, and I’ll give you what you want.”

  He couldn’t wait another second. Not even long enough to hear her response. He traced her soft lips with his tongue, earning a sexy whimper from her. It was killing him not to strip her bare and bend her over the desk, but he no longer wanted to be her hookup. He didn’t want to share her with anyone, and he had no desire to kiss another woman. He wanted more. With Jana. Only Jana.

  Her fingers climbed the muscles on his back, digging into his skin as she sealed her lips over his in a demanding kiss. Hunter met her tongue, swipe for eager swipe as he rocked between her legs. He lifted her onto the desk, never breaking their connection, and she widened her legs for him. He couldn’t resist touching her hip, squeezing her thigh. She arched against him, spurring him on, until he finally gave into his desires and slipped his fingers beneath her shorts, feeling the slick heat between her legs.

  “Fuck, pretty girl. You do want me.” He was never going to get her to say it, not if every time they were together he gave her what she wanted, and for some reason, hearing her say it suddenly mattered a hell of a lot.

  She hooked one leg around his waist, opening herself up to him. It took all of his willpower, but he pulled away. The pit of his stomach clenched tight with need and a sense of loss as he withdrew his fingers from her shorts.

  “Hunter—” She reached for the button on his jeans, but he gently grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

  “When you’re ready to tell me you want me, you know how to find me.” He lowered her leg from around his hip, and it seemed neither one of them moved for a full minute before he turned to leave.

  “Seriously?” she called after him. “You’re leaving?”

  He strolled toward the front door feeling like a dick for leaving her hot and bothered, but he was just as ready, and for the first time in his life, he wanted more than a good fuck, and he wanted that with her. “Yup.”

  “Hunter, what the hell?” She grabbed his arm, and he turned to face her.

  He willed himself to act casual, which was torturous when there was nothing casual about what he w
anted to have with her.

  “We’re not even dating, Hunter. Why do you need to hear anything at all?”

  She crossed her arms, and the hurt in her eyes nearly took him to his knees, but he dug deep and remained strong, somehow knowing he needed to, for both their sakes.

  “I have no idea,” he said honestly, “but with you, I do.”

  As he walked out the door her voice trailed after him. “Then maybe you should figure out this romance shit first!”

  Maybe I just did.

  Chapter Eleven

  JANA AWOKE TO someone banging on her front door at five thirty in the morning. She clutched her blanket, heart pounding, and tried to coax her sleepy brain into functioning.

  The banging stopped and she grabbed her phone. She’d missed three calls from DO NOT RESPOND!

  Goddamn it, Hunter. What now?

  Without reading the texts she went to the front door and peeked outside. Sure enough, Hunter was standing there in a pair of low-slung jeans and a sweatshirt, with the hood pulled over his head. She yanked the door open.

  “What are you doing here this early, and why do you look like a gangster?”

  His eyes roved over her clingy tank top and panties. “Do you always answer the door nearly naked?”

  “Only to strange men who knock before sunrise. What do you want, Hunter? To drive me insane again and leave me high and dry? Because that’s not really romantic.” She turned and walked toward the kitchen.

  He grabbed her arm and spun her around. “I tried to text you, but you didn’t respond.”

  “Most guys wait until morning to text, so…” Jesus, he smelled like cologne again, and now that she was more awake, she realized he’d shaved, too. She reached up and touched his cheek without thinking. The muscles in his jaw tensed against her palm. “I like you clean-shaven almost as much as I like your scruffy bad-boy look.”

  The edge of his mouth tipped up as he stepped in closer, backing her against the wall. He slid his hand beneath her shirt and brushed her nipple with his thumb, stealing her thoughts. “Glad you approve.”

  Her heart nearly stopped. Oil and water had never felt so good.

  “Go get some clothes on before I finish what we started last night.” He removed his hand from beneath her shirt and stepped back, leaving her hot and bothered...again.

  Her eyes dropped to the bulge in his pants, and she was too confused to even try to comprehend what game he was playing. “Clothes?”

  “Yeah, you know, the things that cover up those beautiful breasts and sexy little panties?” He took her hand and pointed her in the direction of her bedroom, then gave her bottom a pat. “Go on or we’ll miss the sunrise.”

  “Sunrise?” she mumbled as she walked toward her bedroom wondering what he had up his sleeve.

  They drove to the beach in silence, save for the low hum of the truck engine. Hunter looked over at her every minute or so, but he didn’t say a word, just rolled his eyes over her face like he, too, was trying to figure out what they were doing. He parked at Indian Neck Beach and came around to her side of the truck as she was getting out.

  “I was going to open your door for you.” He reached for her hand and she stared at it for a beat.

  “Why? What’s going on?” She let him take her hand and help her out, then watched as he pulled a cooler from behind the cab of the truck and tossed a blanket over his shoulder. Wow. You came prepared and everything.

  “We’re watching the sunrise. I hear it’s romantic.” He took her hand and led her to the dunes, where they toed off their shoes and walked barefoot across the cool sand. Hunter wasn’t exactly being warm, but she could see he was trying to bridge the gap between them.

  Jana liked the feel of his hands laced with hers, but this whole scenario confused the heck out of her. “Hunter, why are we watching the sunrise?”

  As they crested the hill, ribbons of blues and purples spread across the horizon, reflecting off the water with slivers of light.

  “Wow.” She stood for a moment, soaking it in. “It’s so beautiful.”

  Hunter looked up from where he was spreading a blanket on the sand. He knelt on the blanket and opened the cooler. “Almost as beautiful as you.”

  He patted the seat beside him. He sounded so sincere that she was having a hard time reconciling his efforts with the man she knew. Or rather, with the parts of the man she knew within the confines of their relationship. She knew Hunter said nice things to people all the time, but the two of them didn’t compliment each other in that way. They told each other they were hot or sexy, but only during sex.

  She sank to the blanket beside him, and Hunter handed her a to-go cup of coffee that he must have had in a carrier inside the cooler, and then he handed her a napkin and a paper plate.

  “What is all this?” she asked, as he set a banana-nut muffin on the plate, then set one beside it for himself. “Hunter? You brought my favorite muffin?”

  He held up his to-go cup and smiled. “Here’s to romance, pretty girl.”

  “You did all of this because I dared you to learn how to be romantic?” Warmth spread through her with the realization. “No one has ever done something like this for me before.”

  “Maybe you didn’t challenge them in the right way.” He took a sip of his coffee and lifted it toward her, as if he were toasting.

  “So, you did this because you want to hear me say that I want you.” She shook her head. “You’re unbelievable. I should be in bed, sleeping.”

  He was about to take a bite of his muffin, and he stopped, mouth open, hand in midair. “Seriously?”

  Her life was chaotic enough without confusing what was going on between them as something more. She still wasn’t sure exactly what all of this was supposed to mean, and she was afraid to put herself out there on this new level with Hunter. What if she gave in and told him the truth—that she wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone or anything in her life—but this was all a game to him? She hedged her bets and went with a middle-of-the-road response.

  “You could work on your delivery.”

  He shook his head, then took a bite of his muffin. His brows knitted, and he nodded as he chewed. “My delivery.”

  “Yeah. You basically burst into my house and dragged me out here. A woman likes a man with finesse.”

  He cocked his head. “How would you know? You’re not exactly a relationship expert.”

  “I’ve had boyfriends before. Besides, a woman knows these things.”

  She turned away, watching a seabird land by the water’s edge and peck at something in the sand. Hunter took her drink and plate and set them aside. He wasted no time in straddling her waist and taking her down to her back, arms pinned beneath his hands. This she understood. This was Hunter.

  “Hunter.” She laughed.

  “Finesse, huh?” With a wicked glint in his eyes, he lowered his mouth to her neck and nipped at the sensitive skin just above her collarbone. “Tell me about this finesse.” He dragged his tongue along her neck, then sucked her skin into his mouth, making her entire body catch fire. “First you want romance. Now you want finesse?”

  “Hunter.” His name came out like a purr.

  He sealed his lips over hers in a punishingly intense kiss, then abruptly pulled away, gazing intently into her eyes. “I’m not good at finesse.” He lowered his mouth to hers, brushing over her lips, a whisper of a touch, and spoke just above a whisper. “But I’m trying to get romance right.”

  He was quiet for a long moment. Jana could barely process the emotions in his eyes. He wasn’t just looking at her like he wanted her. He was looking at her like he wanted only her. Her mind reeled as he eased off of her and sat back down, like he hadn’t just sent her world spinning.

  They ate in silence, and when they were done, Hunter put away their plates and cups, then scooted closer to Jana. She had never been more aware of their nearness than she was right then. Their legs barely touched from hip to ankle, but it was enough to send goos
e bumps up her arms. Hunter leaned back on his palms, reaching one arm behind her, so she was tucked in the recess of his shoulder but hardly touching him.

  They watched the sunrise with little more than a few words said about passing birds or the colors in the sky. But even the air felt different around them now. Hunter was clearly making an effort, but she wasn’t sure he even knew why he was doing it or what it really meant. She liked this, though, sitting close, content without tearing each other’s clothes off. When she felt his fingers gently cover hers, she smiled. Finesse.

  The sun lifted into the sky, its reflection dancing off the water like diamonds. The perfect backdrop to a strange and wonderful morning. She closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the warmth of the sun.

  She felt Hunter brush her hair from her shoulder.

  “The morning sun looks good on you.”

  She opened her eyes at the tenderness in his voice and the sweetness of his words and met his gaze. The tense lines around his mouth had softened. Gone were the clenched jaw and the in-control stare, and all that was left was his beautiful face. She was pretty sure he would bark at her for calling him beautiful, but when he wasn’t making her crazy, she noticed things like the dimple beneath his left eye, his angular nose, and the way his dark brows arched slightly in the middle. When those brows came together and his gaze turned sinful, he could slay her steely resolve in a single hot second. Now the soft look in his eyes, coupled with the gentle sounds of the bay and the efforts he’d taken to be romantic, slayed her heart instead of her libido.

  “What time do you have to be at work?” he asked.

  “Work?” Ohmygod! She jumped to her feet and began gathering the cooler and tugging at the blanket. “We have to go.”

  Hunter jumped up, took the cooler from her hands, and followed her as she hurried back over the dune toward the truck. “Why? Do you teach this early?”

  “No. I have to meet Bella and the girls.” She picked up their shoes and held them against her chest as she ran across the parking lot. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to cut our time short.” She really was sorry. She wanted to know what might happen next between them, like if she were reading a book, maybe the couple would have shared a tender kiss or said something sweet.