Because I really am curious. I felt the same way as his sister. I read books about gentle Scottish Highland warriors and softhearted rakes and cowboys with hearts of gold, and I lookedaround my hometown and decided that maybe books were just aspirational. Now I’m beginning to wonder.
“First of all, I learned that she was right—none of the guys at our high school were anything like the dudes in those books. None of them were billionaires or owned Christmas tree farms. But mostly, I learned, or at least studied, what it seemed like women wanted. Confidence. Competence. Kindness. A man who knows how to be firm but gentle. I was also surprised that my sister was reading such racy books so young, but like I said, all the guys I knew were looking at magazines, so I guess what’s good for the gander is good for the goose.”
“Many would argue that dirty magazines are not great for ganders in regard to understanding geese.”
He chuckles. “Point taken. Still, you rarely read a romance book where the guy is a cowardly, incompetent, passive buffoon. And there’s never one where he’s a pompous, selfish douchebag who ultimately only wants sex.”
“Did you just use the wordbuffoon?”
“There was a lot of Regency romance on Edie’s shelf.”
I’ve gulped down all my water and rearranged my bra, so I move in to snuggle against him. He lifts his arm to welcome me, then settles me close.
“Your sister sounds pretty cool, if she let you borrow her books.”
I feel his laugh this time, a rumble against my chest. “Oh, she didn’tletme. I snuck them out one by one without telling her. When she did finally notice, she pitched a fit. But I’d learned enough by then to know that defending myself or shouting back would only make things worse, so I apologized and begged forgiveness.”
“Smart man.”
“We get along great now.”
I realize that although I am fully sated for the first time in my life, I have barely gotten to touch him at all. He’s wearing, as usual, a flannel over a white tee, and I put my hand over his heart, feel the heat of him seeping into my palm.
“So what about the women in romance novels?” I ask shyly. “Were the girls you grew up with anything like them?” We both know what I’m asking, really.
He holds my hand, pressing it into his chest. It’s easy to talk this way, touching at multiple points but without the added anxiety of eye contact. “I’m not the kind of guy who badmouths the women who’ve been kind enough to date me. But most of the girls around here want a guy in camo who hunts. I don’t hunt. Once Bongo started talking to me, I couldn’t imagine taking an animal’s life with my own hands. Those buffalo steaks at dinner were raised humanely. I got very picky about meat. Not that Bongo is. At all. And the magic thing makes it even harder. I’ve felt torn, these last few years. I love Arcadia Falls, but I wasn’t finding what I needed.” He picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so honest with someone before. It’s nice.”
I take a deep breath.
He deserves the same honesty he gave me.
“I also have a secret….”
He squeezes me against his side. “Oh, no. I read a few of those novels, too. Is it the billionaire cowboy’s secret baby?”
I playfully swat him. “No. I have an IUD. It’s just that…what we just did. I’ve never actuallyendedwith another person, if you get what I’m saying.”
Hunter’s fingers curl protectively around mine. I want to look at his face, but I feel so shy around this topic. The more time Ispend with Hunter and away from Alabama, the more I’m realizing that I was caught in a horrible, vicious cycle of disappointment, all the while telling myself that it was perfectly normal.
“I’m sorry you never got the attention you deserve,” Hunter finally says. “I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t spend the time to give you what you need. Watching your face…”
I shy away, tucking my head against him.
“Rhea, you’re so beautiful. You’re beautiful when you let go.”
My cheeks go hot, to think of how open I was to him and the sky and the world. I was so lost in sensation that I didn’t even think about the fact that he could see everything while my eyes were closed.
“Sounds like we both learned something new tonight,” I murmur.
I start buttoning my shirt, and Hunter says, “You know you don’t have to hide from me. I don’t ever want you to feel like you have to.”
But I just smile and keep buttoning. “I’m not hiding from you. Hell, you’ve seen things I can’t see without a mirror and really good lighting. But I thought maybe there was some more chocolate mousse, and I didn’t want to scandalize Bongo.”
Once I’m done buttoning up, I disentangle myself from Hunter and stand. I miss being so close to him, but I can sense that the intimacy I feel right now will stick around past the afterglow. And, honestly, girls who don’t want UTIs have to pee after that sort of thing.
“You know a dog’s sense of smell is a hundred thousand times better than that of a human, and they can hear things a quarter of a mile away?”
My eyes fly wide, and I button one more button than usual.
