She stared at me in shocked silence for a long time before doing something unexpected—at least, it was unexpected to me considering the lecture I got last time.
Her mouth closed on mine as she cupped my face, her tongue darting along my lips tentatively. I wasted not a single second as I pulled her to me, loving how she melted against me like we were meant to be like this.
My hand slid up her back, entangling in her hair as I cupped her head and kept our mouths together, tongues dancing in a way that spoke to how we were soulmates.
“Hunter! I got approved—oh, shit, sorry, man.” Georgia sprung from my arms as we both turned to Austin, and I scowled at him. He had the worst timing.
“Austin! What the hell are you doing here?”
georgia
Austin’s arrivalwas like being doused in ice-cold water. He reminded me exactly why this was such a bad idea. Despite Hunter’s jokes, I was so much older than him. And this fact was made abundantly clear upon learning that he wasbest friendswith my younger cousin. The same cousin whose diapers I’d once changed. The cousin I’d babysat and taught to tie his shoes.
Oh. My. God.
I couldn’t get away from there fast enough as I sprung from Hunter’s lap and rushed off the rooftop. Hunter tried to follow, but I took the stairs, running down them faster than he could keep up. When I emerged at the bottom, I didn’t look back and headed straight for my car.
What was I doing on a silly date with a man fifteen years my junior? I must’ve hit my head when I said yes. I needed to get home and get ready for my date with Dean, a man who was my age, someone who was far better suited for me. Someone I had something in common with … like … our … ages.
I frowned in the mirror as I finished fixing my lipstick for the third time. What did I have in common with Dean? All we’d done was chat about the hospital, but even that was a superficial topic. He never asked about my work, and when I asked why he spent so much time there, he avoided it. It hadn’t dawned on me until now, but I wondered if he was sick. Was he a donor because he wanted to ensure his name went to the top of any lists when procedures were needed for whatever he suffered from?
I didn’t have much time to think about that as someone knocked on my front door. Sliding the lid on my lipstick, I tucked it into my purse and headed to the front door. Dean was standing on my front doorstep wearing a suit jacket, the button in the middle done up over a soft pink patterned shirt. His hair was slicked back, his beard trimmed neatly along his jaw, and “not a hair out of place” came to mind.
“You look lovely.” He smiled as he lifted my hand, kissing the back of it. He threaded our fingers together and pulled me out of the door onto the step. I turned back quickly to yank the door shut and lock it before smiling at him.
I noticed the limo, and my heart leaped into my throat. That seemed … excessive … for a first date. But I forced a smile onto my face as he opened the door, letting me slide in first. Easing my way across the bench, I set my purse down on the bench across from me and turned to watch him climb in.
“There isn’t much in Sage River, so I hope you don’t mind if we head back to Pleasant Lake.”
“Not at all. Is there somewhere you had in mind?” I pressed a smile to my face, feeling more uncomfortable than I’d expected. Doubting this date was the last thing I expected, and yet, as I sat there, watching him type something out on his phone before looking up at me, I wondered what the hell I was doing.
I liked Hunter. More than I wanted to admit, but I did. Being here with Dean rather than on that rooftop enjoying the view and company and the obvious effort he’d put into our date compared to Dean felt like a betrayal.
I kept telling myself it was the age difference I was getting hung up on, but my sisters were all with younger men, and they swore it was amazing. Arizona and Malcolm and Carolina and Owen were both thirteen years apart. Both of them were happily married with kids. Could I have that if I got past my stigma with Hunter? It’s all I’d wanted for years, and now that I felt on the verge of being “too old,” it was suddenly being offered to me on a silver plate.
I had to get out of this limo and take it.
“Is that okay?”
My face flushed as I turned to look up at Dean and realized that he’d been talking to me while I was lost in thoughts about Hunter. “Uh, sure.” I smiled, too ashamed to admit I hadn’t heard him or to back out of the date. At the very least, if we were going to Pleasant Lake, I could hitch a ride.
“I’m sorry about this. We’ll reschedule, I promise.” He leaned over like he was going to kiss me, and by the time I realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge it, so I puckered up.
Except he was reaching for the door.
He pushed it open while I sat there looking like a duck, and I glanced at the door, to him, and back again. What was going on? I shouldn’t have zoned out.
“Sorry, but I have to go.”
“Oh, right.” I leaned forward and grabbed my purse. I slid out of the limo on the other side, closing the door behind me and blinking as I tried to understand what had just happened. Even as the limo’s taillights turned off my street, I still hadn’t come to my senses until my ringtone brought me back to earth.
“Hello?” I half-expected it to be Dean explaining his sudden departure, but it was Dakota.
“Hunter’s gone into surgery … Austin donated the piece of his liver.”
“What?” My head spun as I tried to process all these new bits of information. Two hours ago, I’d seen both of them, and neither looked ready for surgery.
“—so they rushed him into emergency surgery.” Dakota finished, and I realized I’d missed what she was saying again. What the hell had Hunter done to me with that kiss? It’s like the very thought of him froze my brain.