“Hey,” Hunter replied. “Can I come in?”
His deep voice reverberated in my core, and something in his gaze made me forget to breathe normally.
“Sure,” I said, wishing my voice didn’t sound so squeaky.
As he stepped inside, I noticed he was holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates.
“What’s that for?” I asked, pointing to the stuff. “Irony?”
His lips curved into a smirk. “Yeah. Saw it at the gas station and thought it would be funny. You might as well take it, though.”
As he held the stuff out toward me, the chocolate box slid from his hand and onto the floor. I thought it was an accident, but then I saw Hunter’s smirk widen, and he raised a questioning eyebrow. Clearly, he wanted to see if I’d be willing to bend down and pick it up in front of him.
Usually I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, but this was a fake seduction, so everything ‘usual’ was out the window.
I turned and bent over to retrieve the box, making sure I angled myself so that he’d get a perfect view of my ass in the tight black skirt that Trina picked out for me earlier.
“Got it,” I said, snapping back up. I pretended I didn’t notice Hunter staring at my body, eyes dark and slightly glazed. “I’ll put it over here,” I went on, motioning toward my desk.
Hunter threw his jacket over the back of a chair and followed me across the room. To my utter chagrin, I slipped on the gray rug, not used to the high heels that Adam and Trina suggested I wear this evening.
I let out a little yelp as I fell, and Hunter dropped the flowers and caught me midair, capturing me around the waist. My hands instinctively shot out to grab his broad shoulders as my eyes locked right onto his, and my heart began to hammer like crazy.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” Hunter murmured, holding me like I weighed nothing.
He helped me right myself on the floor, and then his hands left my waist. I hated how cold my body felt without the warmth of his fingertips seeping through my clothes, and I hated myself for even thinking about it.
This time Hunter leaned down to pick up the fallen flowers, instead of expecting me to do it so he could enjoy the view. He tossed them on my desk next to the chocolates, and then he turned back to me, dark eyebrows lifting quizzically.
“So,” he began. “How’s this going to work tonight?”
I took a deep breath and raised my chin. “We’ll hang out. Talk. Eat. Do… whatever we want,” I said, adding a teasing pause on the last part. “If I can’t convince you to like me, and vice versa, then everything can go back to normal on Monday. Deal?”
He smirked and held out a hand. “Deal.”
“Good.” I took his hand and shook it, savoring his warmth again. “Thanks for agreeing to give it a shot.”
“No problem.” His smug smile faded slightly, and he rubbed the stubble on his jaw as he went on. “You know, I have to say… I was pretty surprised when you walked right up to me like that and said all that stuff.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Maybe I’m braver than you think.”
“Yeah. And maybe I’m not as bad as you think,” he said, leaning down and brushing his lips over the very top of my left ear.
A tingle shot through me. “Yeah. Maybe,” I said with a slight smile.
I took a few small steps back, pretending to look at the different flavors on the side of the chocolate box. In reality, I was quickly checking out of the corner of my eye to make sure Hunter was standing close enough to the main chandelier in my room for Stage 2 of tonight’s scheme.
“Yum. Hazelnut is my favorite,” I said. I set the box down again and glanced over at Hunter, affecting a casual air. “Hey, could you put some music on while I figure out where to put the flowers? They’ll die if I don’t put them in water.”
Hunter frowned. “Why do you want music?”
“I just thought it would help loosen things up,” I said. “Plus I really want to hear the new Moonsorrow album.”
His eyes widened slightly. “You like Moonsorrow?”
No, but you do. Adam told me,I thought to myself as I nodded. “Yeah, who doesn’t?”
“Well, why don’t you put it on then?” he asked, tilting his chin to one side. “It’s your room.”