Page 15 of Now and Then

“I know, babe.”

His forced smile cracks me wide open because this is what we do best, tiptoe around each other. Moments like this have always been our undoing—soft, quiet almosts that disappear the second daylight creeps in.

The tension between us is thick as he sits on the edge of the bed and the sheets pool around his hips. His broad, muscular back, honed from hours training at the department and working his land, begs for me to touch, to kiss. My hand slides along the white sheets, set on doing just that, when my brain catches up with my heart. I pull back, tucking my hands between my thighs.

Seconds later, Hunter looks over his right shoulder, smiling in that way he does. One that says he knows exactly what my body wants and what he’d be much obliged to provide.

But neither of us says anything.

We never do.

“Want to tell me what last night was about?”

Chill bumps cover my body as butterflies take flight in my stomach under his astute gaze. He’s always had the ability to see the real me. He’s been my anchor during the worst moments of my life, putting the pieces of me back together. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have him in my life.

“Not particularly, no.” I crisscross my legs and sit up from the headboard.

His eyes trace the motion, zoning in on where the shirt I stole last night pools in the crease of my thighs and hip. I clear my throat, hoping to get him back to the real world. Back to where we both play our roles of pretending there isn’t anything between us.

He smiles, not giving a damn he’s been caught. “You know that answer is not going to fly with me, right?”

I roll my eyes and crawl to the edge of the bed, swinging my legs off the side. Where his feet reach the floor, mine dangle at least eight inches higher. It’s always been my favorite thing about Hunter and I. He’s the exact opposite of everything I am.

He softly elbows me in the stomach, and I grunt.

“Can you at least make me coffee and food first?” I say.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and tucks me into his side. “You know I’ll always take care of you. What do you say about hopping in the ATV and taking breakfast to our spot?”

No one else in the world knows exactly what I need at the moment I need it except him. “That sounds perfect. But I’m going to shower first, okay?”

“Of course.” Hunter squeezes my thigh. “And Sutton? Whenever you want to sleep in my bed with me, I’m more than happy to make room.”

I take in a sharp inhale as my cheeks warm.

Hunter breaks into a grin. “I refilled your shower stuff under your sink. Be ready in twenty.” He stands and pulls on his Wranglers.

“You know I need more than twenty minutes, Hunt.”

“Twenty minutes. After that, I’m leaving without you.” He grabs a worn maroon T-shirt and pulls it over his head.

“You’re lucky you’re you!” I holler at him as he saunters down the hallway.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Because I don’t like being bossed around, mister.”

I jump out of bed and disappear into the guest bathroom across the hall. It’s a builders-grade bathroom with white walls and a plain shower. It could really use an update. I strip out of Hunter’s shirt and turn on the water. Rummaging under the sink, I locate my shower basket and hop into the warm water.

I started staying over at Hunter’s place a few years ago, at a time I needed him most. But for reasons I can’t explain myself, I stayed over more and more these past few months. Sometimes I blamed it on being too tired after a day on the lake, sometimes I blamed it on overindulging. But mostly, I found I wanted to be near him.

I’d always slept in the room down the hall. I couldn’t bring myself to curl up in bed next to him. If I did, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep pretending he was just my best friend.

But something about last night felt different. The rules I’d been living by suddenly felt less important. Maybe it was the tequila. Maybe it was everything that happened in Colorado. Or maybe I’m just tired of fighting the pull between us.

After the fourth or fifth time I slept over, Hunter surprised me with my own hoard of shower and skin care essentials to keep at his house. He claims he was tired of listening to me complain about having only a bar of soap, but I know better. He just likes to take care of me.

I run my fingers through the curls cascading down my back and comb out several knots. I know I don’t have time to wash it, so I throw it up in a claw clip. That’s the thing about Hunter. He isn’t lying when he says he’ll leave me if I’m not out in twenty minutes.