He lets out a long sigh, finally taking my hands in his. “That was me being a goddamn coward. It’s just, we never talked about telling people we went out last night, and I guess I figured if we decided this was real for us, I’d talk to Leo and let him know first. Y’know, as my boss and your cousin.”
“Is it real for you?” I ask quietly, terrified and eager to know his answer.
His tongue darts out and moistens his lips. Then slowly, he nods.
A small relieved smile creases my face. “It’s real for me, too. Which means I want to tell people we’re dating. I want to be able to kiss you hello.”
Hunter’s eyes darken and he leans in.
“I want that, too.”
I put my hand against his chest. “But you’re right.”
He jerks back in surprise.
“We do need to talk to my family before we go public, so they know to back the heck off and let me live my own life.”
A flash of worry crosses his face, but it’s gone before I can even think enough about it to question him.
When Hunter picks me up the next day for a snowshoe hike, it’s a very different situation.
As soon as I walk out of my front door, he runs up to me, swinging me up into the air and crushing me into his body.
“Hi,” he mumbles, the word muffled, given his face is crammed into the collar of my winter coat.
“Hi.” I giggle in return, swatting feebly at his shoulder. “Put me down, please?”
He slowly lowers me to the ground, then cups my face and kisses me deeply. When he finally lets go, we’re both breathing heavily. “That’s how I wanted to say hi to you yesterday.”
“Uh-huh,” I say, still a little dazed from the intensity of his kiss. Hunter laughs and pushes me toward his car, slapping my butt gently as we go.
“Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t. How could you possibly handle serving all of Dogwood Cove the food they so desperately want if you’re reduced to a pile of goo from one kiss.” His cocky, teasing tone is so full of light and joy; it’s the exact opposite of the scared, vulnerable man from yesterday. The two sides of him are dizzying and I need to make sense of it, sooner rather than later.
“I am not goo, thank you very much,” I reply, then immediately slip on a patch of ice. Hunter catches me with a chuckle and tucks me into his side.
“Sure, Kitty Kat. Sure.”
An hour or so later, we’re in a half-empty parking lot at the top of Mount Washington, strapping our boots into snowshoes. It’s a perfect winter day — the skies are clear, the snow is sparkling, and it’s crisp, but without any cold wind.
Hand in hand, we take off down a trail, just barely wide enough for two people. Hunter has to forge his own path sometimes, but it’s worth it. His smile is back, dazzlingly bright, and the energy between us is full of happiness.
When we reach the lookout where a bench has been recently cleared of snow, we take off our snowshoes and sit down close enough our thighs are touching. I shiver slightly as a cold wind passes through, and Hunter wraps his arm around my shoulders and tugs me in even closer. My eyes fall shut and I breathe in the moment.
“What made you ask me to the gala?”
My eyes pop open as heat floods my cheeks at his seemingly out of nowhere question. But I suppose he’s allowed to wonder. We did go a long time securely in the just-barely-friends-more-like-acquaintances-who-happen-to-be-neighbors zone.
“Honestly, the answer isn’t all that exciting,” I start, trying to downplay it. “Lily was giving me a hard time about needing to move on after my ex. She knew I liked you, so she dared me to ask you to the gala, knowing I can’t say no to dares.”
Hunter laughs. “Now this, I gotta hear. You can’t say no to a dare?”
I give him a sheepish smile. “You try growing up with four older brothers. I just wanted to do whatever they were doing, but sometimes I was scared. Jude figured out those three words, ‘I dare you,’ were the key to get me to do whatever I was scared of.”
“That’s awesome. You conquer your fears, instead of letting them hold you back.” There’s a wistful note to his voice, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. “I’ll have to remember those three words.” He gives me a playful wink.
I narrow my eyes. “If you try to use that against me, you’ll be in big trouble, mister.”
He lifts my hands to his, pressing a kiss to them, all the while keeping an impish grin on his face. “No promises, Kitty Kat. But I guess I do need to thank Lily for knowing how to get you to act.”
