“Oh, that’s something we haven’t tried,” Jackson says to Hayden.
“Okay, I’m going. I don’t need to know anything about your bedroom funtivities.”
“Funtivities?” Hayden laughs.
“Yes, fun activities. Funtivities.” I open the door, and movement behind one of the doors has my attention snapping toward the station. “Okay, have fun, bye!”
I jump out of the car and shut the door behind me. My teeth chatter at the cold air hitting my face, and I tug my coat tighter. The station door opens, and Hunter steps out. He’s wearing a thick Engine 3 fleece that looks super soft. I want to bury my face into it.
And suddenly, the cold doesn’t matter when I see the pleased expression on his face.
Fuck. I love seeing that look on his face. Like I’ve done something to make him happy.
“Hey,” I say dumbly when I reach him.
“Hey. I was starting to get worried you weren’t going to make it.” He holds up his phone. There are only three minutes left until midnight.
“Jackson and Hayden dropped me off.” I turn around to point, but they’ve already gone. When I face Hunter again, he lifts his hand and cups my face like he did that night in the car. His touch is so warm, I can’t help but lean into his palm. His thumb gently strokes over my cheek.
Is he going to kiss me? I really fucking hope he does.
“I don’t know how much time we’re going to get, so I’m going to tell you everything now. I really like you, Elliot. A lot, actually. But there’s one thing I need you to know before we take this any further, because I understand if it’ll make you change your mind.”
My heart rate kicks up speed, pumping faster than a race car.
“You’re kinda scaring me,” I confess in a whisper.
He strokes my cheek again, smiling softly. “I’m widowed, El. My husband died seven years ago, and I haven’t dated or been in a relationship since.” He swallows, and something fractures in my chest at the thought of all the pain he must have gone through. “I understand if you don’t want to get involved with me. I have some baggage. Well, a lot of baggage, which I’ll tell you about another time, but I wanted you to know before…” He trails off.
Before the new year strikes. Before we kiss.
I reach into my pocket to check the time on my phone, but there’s no need. The sound of people counting down from ten echoes from inside the station, and my gaze lock with Hunter’s gorgeous brown eyes. Swallowing hard, I ignore how fast my heart is beating in my chest and grab onto the flare of confidence hearing him say he likes me has given me.
Three…
“Hunter?” I whisper.
Two…
“Yeah?”
One…
“Kiss me.”
A smile lights up his face at the same moment the fireworks on the pier in the distance are set off. He moves his hand to grip my chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my head up slightly before sliding his mouth onto mine.
Chapter Ten
Hunter
Fuck. Elliot’s lips are as soft as I imagined they would be. All pillowy and pouty and damn right addictive.
This isn’t how I thought our first kiss would go. I imagined it would be somewhere private. Where I could take my time with him, nibble and suck on these full lips until he’s trembling, and find out all the areas on his body that drive him wild.
Instead, we have the sounds of the firework show on the Riverwalk and the pier behind us, lighting up the night sky in a multitude of colors while my insides swoop with a flurry of butterflies. I haven’t had this feeling for such a long fucking time.
I brush my mouth over his, soft and tantalizingly slow, and his hands tighten around the fabric of my sweatshirt where he’s gripping my sides. I’m torn between wanting to devour him and savoring this moment. He’s the first man I’ve kissed since my husband. Hookups were one thing I could disassociate from. It was simply fulfilling a need. Scratching an itch. But kissing?Kissing can be intimate. You can say a thousand words with a kiss, without speaking a single one.
