After the shower, sitting on dry towels, we’d eaten leftover Chinese food right from the containers, laughing at his attempts to use chopsticks. I fed him from mine, secretly suspecting he could have done fine on his own, but I did enjoy feeding him. After we’d eaten, he’d chased me back to bed and returned the favor, his mouth and fingers working in tandem to coax two more orgasms out of me.
Then we’d curled up again and slept.
Carefully, I eased out from beside him, sliding my feet out from under Cash’s great weight. Cash opened his eyes, huffing a sigh as I rubbed his head. I quietly picked up the towels, hung them in the bathroom, washed my face, and pulled Hunter’s discarded T-shirt over my head.
In the kitchen, I looked around, finding the old coffeepot. I boiled the water on the stove and poured it slowly through the drip, exploring as I waited for the coffee to finish. I doubted the kitchen had changed since the house was built. Wooden cabinets showed the age, the varnish worn away around the handles that were dull with use. The countertop was chipped and stained, the linoleum floors dull from years of use. Even the dishes were old, the CorningWare design faded on the white glass of the mugs. I peeked in the cupboards, seeing most of them were empty aside from dishes, glasses, and pots.
The table was covered in plans and notes, various pieces of paper scattered all over it. I glanced at the rough sketches, looking at the improvements Hunter planned on making. He had some great ideas. I had to fight against the urge to sit and organize it all. Instinctively, I knew Hunter wouldn’t like that.
I poured my coffee and was glad to see there was cream in the fridge. There were a few covered containers as well as a bag of scones in the freezer, but otherwise, not much else. It was as if Hunter only stocked enough food for a few days. As if he only planned ahead that long.
I felt a wave of sadness in my chest at that thought. I grabbed an old afghan off the sofa and headed outside and to the edge of the bluff, pulling the blanket around me and sitting on the flat rock by the edge. The sun was coming up, the sky lightening. Soon it would reflect on the water, its glittering rays dancing across the waves.
I loved the view here. The higher elevation showed the wide expanse of water, the sky stretching over it like a blue blanket. Far across where land met the shore again seemed days away, even though you could cross in a boat fairly quickly. On sunny days, the water dappled in blues, greens, and turquoise. On stormy days, the white peaks of the waves were froth on a dark bed of gray and navy. We had a few higher elevations on our property, and I loved to sit and watch the water from those vantage points. But because this bluff stuck farther out, its view was unobstructed. The direction it faced, no one else was around. It was isolated, untamed, stark in its beauty. Unprepared to give up its secrets to the never-ending scope within.
Very much like the man who occupied the house behind me. He was a study in contrasts. Grouchy, unapproachable, removed. Sweet, funny, and caring. He insisted he needed no one and nothing, yet his actions said differently. His lovemaking had shocked me. I had expected hard and fast. Dirty and self-contained. A means to an end. I had anticipated being asked to leave once we had finished, for him to push me away, but to my shock, he wanted me to stay. And he’d been a giving lover, as intent on my pleasure as his own. There was no doubt he was holding back as he took me. I was used to strong men—the males in my family were all fit and used to working out. But Hunter’s strength came from daily, hard work. His muscles were carved of stone, the power in his body undeniable. Yet he touched me with an unexpected tenderness I wasn’t prepared for. His eyes changed, becoming molten blue fire that spoke of unsaid words and needs. There was a quiet vulnerability in his gaze, a softening of the usual icy glare. It was as if, in those unguarded moments, he allowed the real Hunter to be on display.
I wasn’t sure if he was even aware of that fact. Part of me wondered how often anyone even noticed. I was certain this side of Hunter wasn’t something many people witnessed.
I startled as Cash appeared beside me, huffing as he sprawled on the ground. When Hunter slipped behind me, pulling me back to his chest, I felt a warm satisfaction in his actions. He still wasn’t pushing me away.